Tag Archive for Running a business

Coronavirus small business diary – Stitch & Story CEO Jennifer Lam

Originally written by Jennifer Lam on Small Business
Jennifer Lam is co-founder (alongside Jen Hoang) and CEO of digital crafts brand Stitch & Story, which sells a range of knitting kits, equipment and yarns, accompanied by a range of online tutorial videos to teach viewers knitting techniques.
Its products are aimed at people of all ages and abilities, with a range of products aimed at anyone from beginner to expert.
Here is her coronavirus small business diary:
9th March
Canary Wharf announces they’ve evacuated several office buildings because someone tested positive for Covid-19. In the Stitch & Story shared office, we see people putting up government health advice posters on all the walls and toilet cubicles. Our office is only one stop away from Canary Wharf and there’s some nervousness among our team. No one is admitting to it, but we can tell on our faces that something strange is happening.
The site manager called us for an emergency meeting to reassure us there are no plans for the building to shut but that we should prepare for the scenario. We’ve advised our Stitch & Story team to take their laptops home every night. There’s also a new rule – no personal belongings on our desks

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What coronavirus small business help is available for free?

Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
UPDATED: Many tech suppliers and digital companies are offering their services for free to small business to help it get through the coronavirus Covid-19 shutdown.
Here is a list of software and digital services coronavirus help being offered for free to small business, which will be updated regularly.
Cybersecurity
Kapersky
Kaspersky has made its core endpoint security products free for medical organisations. This will enable healthcare professionals to keep surgeries and hospitals protected from cyberthreats during the Covid-19 crisis.
For six months, the following products will be available for free:

Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud Plus
Kaspersky Security for Microsoft Office 365
Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business Advanced
Kaspersky Hybrid Cloud Security

For more detailed information about the offering and its availability please visit Kaspersky business blog and contact Kaspersky or its resellers.
ImmuniWeb
ImmuniWeb is offering $500,000 worth of cybersecurity solutions for free to qualifying companies during the Covid-19 crisis.
To qualify, a UK small business must have existed for at least two years with less than 30 per cent of revenue stemming from online sales in 2019 and with plans for 70 per cent of revenue shifting online as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The following software packages are available for qualifying small businesses:

ImmuniWeb® Discovery
ImmuniWeb®

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5 reasons why (and how) you should meet demand for cashless payments

Originally written by Lee Jones on Small Business
For businesses in the unattended market, keeping up to date with ever-progressing technology poses a challenge. Cashless payments and new payment methods have been growing in popularity, and it can feel like a struggle to keep up. Not to mention the fact that the time and expense of upgrading self-service payment terminals can be intimidating.
However, failure to move with the times could cost merchants business.
Here are five reasons why (and how) any merchant who operates unattended terminals – whether they’re in hospitality, parking, transport, retail, transport or travel – should be looking to meet the demand for cashless payments.
>See also: Why businesses should go cashless: pros and cons
#1 – Cash has been dethroned
The old saying, cash is king, has become less and less relevant in recent years. Card payments in the UK have grown at an exponential rate, and research from UK Finance showed that the amount of payments made with physical money dropped by 22 per cent between 2006 and 2016. In fact, card payments overtook cash payments in 2016, with notes and coins accounting for just 40 per cent of spend. It’s predicted that, by 2026, cash will be used for

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5 top small business tips from one of Britain’s best business schools

Originally written by Tim Vorley on Small Business
You don’t necessarily need a business degree to run a business. There are 5.9 million SMEs across the UK, with many learning on the job and doing well.
While there is no substitute for real-world experience, the UK’s business schools can offer a lot of practical insight and support on everything from starting up to scaling. This goes beyond the degrees they offer, to the broader way they work with local businesses.
Many business owners just don’t have the bandwidth, or the money, to juggle studying for a business degree alongside their business.
One thing that we say time and again is that it is important to take a step back from working “in” the business, to working “on” the business. This is something that few owner/managers can do easily, but it makes all the difference in being able to see the wood from the trees.
There are a host of areas that business school academics have conducted research into, which can help small businesses fine tune their growth strategy.
>See also: How to get 1,000 followers on your small business Instagram
Here are some 5 top tips from one of Britain’s best business schools:
#1 – Innovate but not

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