A New Publication – Standing together: universities helping business through the downturn, has been put together by Universities UK, as the major representative body for the higher education sector, with the assistance of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). It sets out the kind of support universities and colleges can offer employers, both [...]
David Cameron has called for Gordon Brown to cut the red tape surrounding government contracts to allow smaller, newer firms to win business. The Conservative leader says less than one in five contracts from the government goes to small firms and this should be changed as it is responsible for buying goods and services [...]
In the present financial crisis there will be very few businesses who will not be finding things difficult. The most important area that business owners and managers should be concentrating on is cash flow and the following are a few elements to look at where managing cash flow is concerned: Credit Control – no sales [...]
Many small start-ups find setting up an office at home the most attractive option. It is cheap and handy, but there may be drawbacks. The Legal Position The first thing is to consider is whether or not you can legally set your office up at home. If you rent your home there may very well [...]
Must all companies have a secretary? Yes and No. From 6th April 2008 private companies will not need to have a company secretary but public limited companies still will. Furthermore companies registered before 6th April 2008 will have to change their Articles of Association at an Extraordinary General Meeting of the shareholders to remove the [...]
Ever wondered why some people succeed in business and others don’t? Or why some of them are exceptionally successful? Well some of it may be luck but there are common factors seen in all successful business people that would seem to indicate otherwise. It appears that great entrepreneurs have 5 key qualities that help them succeed in situations [...]
There is a saying in marketing that “image is everything” and there is a lot of truth in that. Your customers, existing and potential, will expect you to present a professional image and your stationery is an important factor in creating your business image. You should take time to consider what you will need and [...]
The one aspect most likely to delay the start of business for a new company is not the actual incorporation but the printing of stationery. Letter headings and other stationery cannot be printed until after the company is incorporated. This is not just commercial prudence in case a name is turned down, but certain items [...]
In the first two parts of this post we have looked at what you will need by way of furniture for your office and also what communications equipment you will need to consider. In this part we will now look at office equipment: what you are likely to need, what your options are, and how [...]
In the first part of this post we looked at what you needed to furnish your office. Now we consider what equipment you will need in order to connect to the outside world. Communications The one item you are certain to need in your office is a telephone line. Even if you have a [...]
At some point as you establish or expand your business you are going to have some sort of office set up. This may be a one-man office for your own use, possibly in a spare room of your own home, or it could be a much larger set up in a business centre or business [...]
Ask most business owners what a business plan is for and they will say that you need it when starting a business to get a bank account opened or when you try to get funding for a new project. There is some truth in that but it is only part of the story. A business [...]
Everyone knows that starting a business is risky but once over that stage most entrepreneurs look to the next challenge – growing the business. In many ways this is much more of a risk as if you get it wrong – and the line between success and failure can be a very fine one – [...]
Accountants come in all shapes and sizes, both good and bad. To many people they are a necessary evil but a good accountant can add value to your business and help you sleep at night. But how do you find the right one for you? The first step is to accept that you need an [...]
