Business Matters - UK's leading SME business magazine

As big players prove partnerships’ popularity, is it time SMEs followed their lead?

ITV and BBC just announced BritBox for the UK – over a decade in the making, it’s a partnered platform aimed at becoming a rival to Netflix in catalogue and original content.

Facebook copied email contacts of 1.5 million users

Facebook “unintentionally” uploaded the email contacts of more than 1.5 million users without asking permission to do so, the social network has admitted.

Debenhams boss Sergio Bucher steps down from struggling department store

Debenhams boss Sergio Bucher has stepped down following the recent takeover of the struggling department store chain by its lenders.

Getting To Know You: Ian Gosling, co-founder & CEO, Autto

Ian Gosling tells Business Matters what was the motivator to co-found office automation company Autto and what advice he would give to anyone looking to follow his lead.

Wedding cake trends that break tradition and bring in big business for the baking industry

Wedding cakes have been a necessity for weddings since ancient times.

Top things to consider when writing your academic essay

Academic writing is a unique form of communication which has different requirements, rules, and expectations.

We can’t let the next generation of SME owners burn out

Starting your own business takes blood, sweat and tears. Few people when they start out are under the illusion that it will be easy.

Latest Content

As big players prove partnerships’ popularity, is it time SMEs followed their lead?
Facebook copied email contacts of 1.5 million users
Debenhams boss Sergio Bucher steps down from struggling department store
Getting To Know You: Ian Gosling, co-founder & CEO, Autto
Wedding cake trends that break tradition and bring in big business for the baking industry
Top things to consider when writing your academic essay
We can’t let the next generation of SME owners burn out

Latest News…

Facebook copied email contacts of 1.5 million users

Facebook “unintentionally” uploaded the email contacts of more than 1.5 million users without asking permission to do so, the social network has admitted.

Debenhams boss Sergio Bucher steps down from struggling department store

Debenhams boss Sergio Bucher has stepped down following the recent takeover of the struggling department store chain by its lenders.

Thousands switch energy firms after price cap rise

Energy switching levels have risen by 12 per cent this year, allaying concerns that the government’s price cap would stifle competition.

Mastercard ‘likely to settle £14bn claim and recoup costs from increased fees’

Mastercard faces mounting commercial pressure to settle a landmark £14 billion consumer rights claim, lawyers have said.

UK SMEs are turning to new sources of finance as they struggle to access funds

New research has found that the UK’s SMEs are exploring new sources of finance as access to funds becomes harder to secure.

HMRC lose another IR35 case to BBC and Loose Women star Kaye Adams

IPSE (the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed) has warned that HMRC’s tax case defeat by Kaye Adams shows it does not understand its own IR35 legislation.

MasterCard faces £14Bn overcharging customer claim

A surprise court ruling has revived the possibility of a £14bn lawsuit against credit card firm

Menopause costs UK economy 14 million working days a year

Hot flushes, memory loss, joint aches and anxiety are just some of the menopause symptoms costing the UK economy 14 million working days every year.

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Business

8 tips on how to prepare for a business trip

Travelling for business is often a necessary evil, depending on your job and workload, but if the trip is well organised, you can get all the work done that you need to finish before returning home.

Commercial buy-to-let explained
How you can reap the financial rewards from tax relief on your patents
How to know when to upgrade your business accounting staff
Content and the sales funnel
Majority of UK business still not budgeting for post-Brexit immigration
How to get a mortgage as a contract worker in the UK

Profiled…

Getting To Know You: Ian Gosling, co-founder & CEO, Autto

Ian Gosling tells Business Matters what was the motivator to co-found office automation company Autto and what advice he would give to anyone looking to follow his lead.

Miti Ampoma photographed at The Conduit, Mayfair, London, UK. Photo credit: Simon Jacobs

Getting to Know You: Miti Ampoma, Founder & Director, Miticom

Miti Ampoma joins us to explain why, seven years after she published her book The Innovative Communicator: Putting the soul back into business communication, the need for us to find our soul is greater than ever.

Marketing & Social Media

Marketing mistakes that could be killing your sales leads

Your sales team is struggling? Maybe bad writing is to blame

5 ways your business can attract new customers

Newswire

FTSE 100 outperforms European counterparts as oil and tobacco stocks gain

Business Matters

Pound sinks ahead of second Brexit parliamentary vote
Ocado shares rise on reports of Marks & Spencer deal
Sterling rallies on hope UK can avoid no-deal Brexit
AG Barr to shrug off sugar tax hit with increase in profit

Get Funded

How to get small business funding with bad credit

In terms of financing, your credit score is very important. Having a high credit score means you find it easier to acquire credit from various funding sources, while a low score means you won’t be able to get funding from any of them.

Motive Offshore Group agrees multi-million investment

A North east equipment specialist has secured a multi-million private investment as it strives towards its ambitious growth strategy to become a£30million EBITDA business in the next five years.

Investment in Northern tech reaches ten-year high

Investment in Northern tech companies has reached a ten-year high, as investors worldwide target the region’s fast-growing digital sector.

Savvy navvy Crowdfunding campaign closes weeks ahead of schedule

Just over a week ago Google software engineer Jelte Liebrand and his team at savvy navvy launched their Crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs.

Digital health innovator Liva Healthcare secures €8 million investment

The European digital health company, Liva Healthcare, today announced an investment of eight million euros from three German venture funds: MIG (Munich), Santo Venture Capital (Holzkirchen) and Digital Health Ventures (Berlin).

CrowdProperty secures £100m Institutional Backing

Specialist property peer-to-peer lender CrowdProperty has announced the backing of a major financial institution to lend up to £100 million of loan capital over the coming 12-24 months.

Vehicle data company Cazana.com raises over £1.5 million

Disruptive Automotive AI start-up Cazana.com has closed its crowd-fundraise at £1.56 million, nearly 160 percent of its original investment target.

World’s first hotel switching website launches crowdfunding campaign

The world’s first website dedicated to hotel switching has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise £250,000.

Global startup generator and early-stage VC launches in London, Sydney & Amsterdam

After successful programs in Singapore and Stockholm, global startup generator and early-stage VC Antler has today launched in London.

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Legal

Majority of UK business still not budgeting for post-Brexit immigration

Despite a possible exit date looming, the majority of UK businesses are unprepared for recruiting talent in a post-Brexit world, new research reveals.

Are your HR policies strong enough to withstand a potential lawsuit?

Lawsuits – even those with unsubstantiated claims – are a risk to every business. The problem for you as a business owner is that lawsuits are time-consuming and expensive to fight.

What can employers do to avoid sexual harassment claims?

In light of high profile cases of harassment in the workplace involving Ted Baker chief Ray Kelvin and Topshop owner Sir Philip Green, Emma Bullen from MHR provides practical advice on how employers can protect themselves from sexual harassment claims.