How to identify your company culture & cultivate it Do you understand what your corporate culture is and how to apply it when you are considering looking to hire new staff to ensure that your candidates fit your cultural?

Navigating the free online advertising ecosystem Facebook made a splash last week when it announced a plan to offer £20 million in free advertising to small businesses starting in January. The company says the move will allow small businesses and entrepreneurs to test the waters of social media advertising—and simultaneously helps Facebook usher in a new wave of loyal advertisers it hopes will stick around for the long haul.

Changing the way you communicate can save time and help get the most out of your employees Most businesses like to think that they operate in an open and supportive fashion, where ideas are exchanged freely and everyone knows where they fit into the business.

Is it really worth entering business awards as an SME? I am sure that when customers notice you have won an award for your business or some aspect of it they probably think that magic awards people go around selecting good businesses and handing out awards – if only that were the case!

They don’t often realise that you have actually chosen to enter that award, worked hard on the entry and then managed to win.

Entering awards can, in fact, be a very time consuming process. Is it really worth it?

Is your business ready for winter? Long range weather forecasts are notoriously difficult to get right. Nevertheless, when recent reports suggest we might have snow as early as October this year (just to top off a lovely summer), it’s time to start thinking about it.

Redesigning your website, don't forget your users! Designing a new website or revamping your existing one is an exercise that most organisations should really be looking to undertake every two to three years. Trends and styles on the web change year-on-year and, in the case of a revamp, if you wait much longer than that, your website can end up looking dated and stale says Kirk Potter, C2 Software’s Research and Development Director

The five essential steps of a successful business turnaround John Treace, a specialist who has taken part in many business turnarounds in his career, has, time and again, noticed the same problems, regardless of whether the reason for the turnaround was a relatively minor situation or a reorganization after bankruptcy.

How UK’s SMEs can successfully trade with Third World countries Many local SMEs in the United Kingdom find it difficult to do business with those of companies and business firms that belong to the Third World countries because of many known and unknown factors, Faizan Usmani explains.

Is your business ready for a CRM system? Every business, large or small, needs a customer relationship management (CRM) application. If you are a small or medium-sized business, you might think it’s just enough to use an Excel spread sheet or other desktop application to help you keep track. But as this information is recorded, it can also become fragmented--stored in a variety of places.

BT offers small businesses a tech 'kickstart' BT Business has launched a finance scheme offering start-ups the chance to lease up to £15,000 worth of technology and telecommunications solutions.

Businesses given chance to win a Makeover with Karren Brady Nectar Business, the UK’s leading business loyalty programme, is offering one UK company the chance to win a business makeover, including a two-hour consultation with leading UK business woman and star of BBC 1’s ‘The Apprentice’, Karren Brady.

Graduates hungry for SME careers information, reports new study Graduates call for more information about career opportunities with SMEs, reports a new study by Graduate Prospects.

Blackberry's new guide helps you to not get the wrong side of the tax man For many businesses the fear of handling the money side is holding them back. However much they’d love to turn their passion into a small business, they’re frightened of getting on the wrong side of the taxman and often find it’s a desperate struggle to keep all their paperwork in the right place, never mind work out how much tax they should pay each year!

Help available for riot-affected businesses If your business was affected by the riots in English cities last week, there are some measures in place to help you get through this difficult time.

Planning for the unexpected: What happens if your staff can't get in? As the event of the last week show whilst many companies have good contingency policies around things such as data back up very few actually have robust policies about what staff should do when they either can’t get to work or its dangerous for them to be travelling.

Small businesses are failing to review staff performance New research from one of the UKs leading online HR Consultancies has revealed that only a quarter of small business have ‘official performance reviews’. However, 81per cent frequently have ‘unofficial’ one-to-ones with team members.

Getting credit where it is due: Knowing your business credit rating It is being said that bank lending to credible businesses is starting to return and one of the leading credit rating agencies Experian has been working with small businesses and found that less than two-thirds do not think it is important to check their own credit scores.

Consumption trumps consumerism for high street entrepreneurs Independent and start-up hospitality businesses, such as restaurants, pubs and cafes, are trumping independent retail stores on the high street, according to research by Simply Business, the largest business insurance provider in the UK.

Is your business up to the challenge of London 2012? The government has recently suggested that businesses allow employees to work from home during the summer months next year, in a bid to avoid travel congestion around the 2012 Olympics . Whilst for many employees this might seem like a logical idea, Thomas Coles, managing director of MSM Software says it could have huge implications for business leaders.

Young Entrepreneurs to get their own Question Time Are you a young entrepreneur under 35? Do you need funding? Have you ever wondered how to get a mentor? If the answer to these questions is yes and you also want to meet other young people interested in going into business and also gain access to fantastic high calibre speakers then the Young Entrepreneur Society could be the answer to all your questions.