Toolbox

Research undertaken by Streamline last year saw that nine out of ten SMEs see the internet a profitable place to do business, and almost half found the set up costs to be lower than they anticipated. With millions of active internet shoppers increasing their online spend year-on-year in spite of the recession , the potential benefits of selling online have never been greater.

With UK SEO Agency, QueryClick, we are putting together easy to follow snippets of expert advice across a range of search marketing disciplines including search engine optimisation, paid advertising, customer relationship optimisation, content strategy and analytics.

Next month will see Andy Murray and Spaniard Rafael Nadal battle it out at Wimbledon. Yet while the six-foot titans slug it out on Centre Court, the battle between the UK and Spain for most connected nation has already been won. Spain has only just switched on its 4G services, while in the UK, small businesses have been enjoying superfast mobile data since October last year.

As part of our expert advice series we asked accountant Carl Elsby, of Elsby & Co, to look at the role of the accountant in business survival and growth.

In any business you need to have clear boundaries both internally with your staff, but also externally with your clients. Personal transformation coach, Dr Lisa Turner, reveals how to how to have clear boundaries in business.

Success in business often depends on a speedy response to queries from prospective customers, as well as the method in which your company is projected to the outside world. So many companies make the mistake of cutting their marketing budgets when they should be using imagination and flair to promote their companies.

There has been a noticeable increase in the popularity of people using electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets in the workplace, this means that employees are bringing their privately owned devices to work and using them for work, for example checking emails and accessing information.

With QueryClick we are putting together easy to follow snippets of expert advice across a range of search marketing disciplines including search engine optimisation, paid advertising, customer relationship optimisation, content strategy and analytics.

If you have continually missed repayments on your debts, creditors can employ a range of techniques to encourage you to repay what you owe. So what should you do if one of their tactic is to employ the services of bailiffs?

Small businesses who are thinking about taking on their first member of staff or who may have had a bumpy experience managing staff for the first time can now access new guidance launched today by workplace experts, Acas.

There is a myth about travel and vacations which states families cannot have an enjoyable, relaxing vacation until children are at least 10 years-old. Traveling internationally with young children, especially for the purpose of vacation, is nearly taboo

Make yourself a “YES” magnet! You’ve finally plucked up the courage to ask for something. The afternoon off. A pay rise. Then comes that crucial moment where you wait with baited breath for the response. It’s tense, but it doesn’t have to be. You just need to master the art of ‘the ask’ says Haider Imam

This book provides a real life insight on what it takes to make it in a relationship with an entrepreneur, as Entrepreneurs are always on the go, looking for the next “startup” challenge. In Startup Life, Brad Feld—a Colorado–based entrepreneur turned–venture capitalist—shares his own personal experiences with his wife Amy, offering a series of rich insights into successfully leading a balanced life as a human being who wants to play as hard as he works and who wants to be as fulfilled in life and in work.

Infiniti is not a car manufacturer that many will be familiar with, however this luxury manufacturer, aiming for forth place after Mercedes, BMW and Audi is definitely worth considering and given their partnership in F1 with champion winners RedBull Racing they really are a manufacturer with impressive pedigree.

Luke Johnson is one of Britain’s most successful entrepreneurs with an estimated personal fortune of £120 million. He is Chairman of Risk Capital Partners and StartUp Britain, and a former Chairman of Channel 4 Television. In the 1990s he was Chairman of PizzaExpress, which he grew from 12 restaurants to over 250; he also founded the Strada pizzeria chain and owns Giraffe and Patisserie Valerie. In this, the paperback version of his 2012 bestseller he sets out to tell the reader what it’s like to start a new business – warts ‘n’ all.

How Stella Saved the Farm is a simple parable about making innovation happen inspired by George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Written by the authors of the bestselling Reverse Innovation: Create Far From Home, Win Everywhere, the story will resonate in organisations of all types—public sector, private sector, and social sector, from mammoth corporations to SMEs.

If your employees don’t work from home you’re missing out on huge benefits, including increased productivity, reduction on your overhead cost, as well as a happy workforce. Why I think every small business should have a work-from-home program work.

Ever been sat in a meeting listening to those around the table firing buzzwords back and forth, only to head back to the office to Google the offending words? We certainly have: Where marketing provides an umbrella for so many traditional, digital and creative specialisms it has become one of the biggest culprits for developing its own overly complicated lexicon.

While recent figures from the Federation of Small Businesses show that just under a quarter of its members say they work from home, both employers and employees have to battle with working from home stereotypes and perceptions, not least helped by London Mayor Boris Johnson, who described it as a ‘skivers paradise’.

Mark Kingsley-Williams, Director of Trade Mark Direct gives us his top ten tips to sorting out your trademarks.

Businesses ignore the storage and disposal of confidential information at their peril as the Government’s regulator steps up its scrutiny of private sector breaches in data laws.

If you run a small business, ensuring your employees are paid on time is vital. Small businesses can’t justify the cost of customised payroll systems but over recent years, the features on offer have evolved to benefit the small business customer, and to ensure compliance with ever-changing regulations.

You hear that you must be using social media to grow your business and engage with your clients (and yes, you should). But if all you have done is create a whole host of profiles on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pintrest here are a few tips on how to get Social media and use it to your advantage.

Heather Baker, Founder, TopLine Communications and editor of the B2B PR Blog gives us a detailed look at the accounting software provider Xero as a daily user who has changed her business practice after using the package.

Chloë Thomas is well known in the world of eCommerce and is now launching her first book on the subject – ‘eCommerce MasterPlan’