Blog entries

Students Rush to Climb Entrepreneurial "Ladder to Success"

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 02:55:26 +0100

By Emily Thomson
A shortage of jobs for graduates combined with a growing entrepreneurial culture is helping to create a new generation of 'go-getters' willing and eager to go into business, claims new research.
Almost a third of UK students claim the difficulty in getting a job after leaving university has prompted them to consider seriously the idea of working for themselves.

By Alan Wright
Banks that refuse to increase their lending to help small businesses with cash flow could see their profits and bonuses taxed by an angry government.

It is estimated at least £50 billion of new money could be generated by the high street banks if they cut back on dividends to shareholders and limited bonuses for bosses.

The majority of small and medium sized firms could accelerate business growth by 400 per cent if they listened more to their customers and made better use of the feedback they get, indicates new research.

Academics from Kingston University found advice from customers has the biggest positive impact on UK small business growth yet almost half of companies miss out on this valuable insight.

More than two thirds of small business bosses don't feel comfortable enough with the economy to switch off and take a holiday without keeping in regular touch with staff, claims new survey.

Despite government claims that the economy is showing sign...

Rest and Play Helps Us Work All Day ...

Gordon Mowat — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:37:28 +0100

Our obsession with working long hours and multitasking are making British businesses and their workers less, rather than more, productive, claims new research.

A study of several hundred executives in a range of industries across the UK found most people have failed to adapt sensibly to the advent of modern technology leaving them little or no time to switch off and recharge their batteries.

The survey found that less than one in four workers leave their ...

A Great Formula for Improving Your Business Results ...

Gordon Mowat — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:29:57 +0100

Here is a very simple but immensely powerful formula that, if properly applied and worked, is guaranteed to make a positive difference to your business results. It operates at the very heart of business success.

(P x E) x T = R

Where:
P = Planning
E = Execution
T = Trust of the Team
R = Results

In our experience, the vast majority of busine...

Only 10 per cent of Small Businesses on Goal to Meet Targets

Gordon Mowat — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:05:15 +0100

Just one in 10 small businesses succeed in meeting their original goals, according to the results of new research.

A survey into how owners of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) perceive their achievements compared to their initial dreams found only 10 per cent were happy with the way things were working out.

The researched looked at vario...

"Game On" for Firms Which Let Staff Take (even more ...) Time Out?

Gordon Mowat — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 23:29:29 +0100

More than two-thirds of UK workers admit to taking time out at work to play computer games, surf the net or watch telly and experts believe it could be a good thing for increased productivity.

New research has revealed that at least 65 per cent of Brits actively engage in non-work activity during office hours with the majority of skivers admitting to taking an average of one hour a day on top ...

The Road to Success is Paved with Problems for the Unprepared

Gordon Mowat — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 23:00:35 +0100

New companies and firms launching fresh products and services need to road test ideas before finalising business plans if they want to increase chances of success, claim experts.

While there has rarely been a better time to start a business or back an idea statistics show that more than 80 per cent of new ventures will fail within five years without rigorous testing and evaluation at the o...

Prototyping – good for customers, good for business

Gordon Mowat — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 22:44:51 +0100

With thanks to Mark Coates of Mark Coates Software Solutions for contributing this article.

All software solutions providers want to provide their clients with the perfect solution (at least I hope they do). And all clients want to give their solutions providers as much help in achieving this as possible (again, or so I hope). Yet it seems that often neither of these aims is achieved.

So what can we do to maximise client happiness and the provision of perfect so...

Don't be Caught Out with the New Carbon Reduction Legislation!

Gordon Mowat — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 06:00:00 +0100

Ensure you - and where appropriate your clients - will not be among the thousands of UK companies that could well end up handing the government a windfall of more than £230 million in penalties if they fail to comply with the new Carbon Reduction legislation.

Recent surveys indicate that around sixty-six per cent of the thousands of businesses which will be affected by new regulations are unaware of their responsibilities - and the possible repercussions on their cash flow.

...

Are You Considering Debt Factoring to Raise Working Capital?

Gordon Mowat — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 06:00:00 +0100

In these times of difficult finance one option for businesses is to factor the book debt they carry on their sales (accounts receivable) ledger.

It is a perfectly legitimate way in which to raise cash, and it can be appropriate to businesses at the time and under certain circumstances; it is not necessarily the best.

Benefits

• One-off injection of cash from the factoring agent.

• Reasonably quick ongoing partial advance payments on your sales invoices.

Downsi...

What you need to know about "Fit Notes"

Gordon Mowat — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 06:00:00 +0100

With thanks to Sue Beatt and Jo Graham of People Solutions for supplying this helpful article.

So, what is the "Fit Note"?

The Statement of Fitness for Work, or 'fit note', is a new Medical Statement that GPs will issue from 6 April 2010. It replaces the old 'sick note' and aims to focus on what an employee may be able to do at work rather than what they cannot do.

What's different about the new fit note?

In the past GPs have either said that 'you should r...

Sounding the Death-Knell of Standard Business Hours?

Gordon Mowat — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 06:00:00 +0100

Small and medium sized businesses can no longer operate 'normal office hours' if they wish to compete for new clients and keep existing ones satisfied, claims new research.

“The 9am-5pm business has gone the same way as typewriters, telex machines and old fashioned tape machines,” said Gordon Mowat of Aspire Management Services, leading business improvement specialists.

“Increasingly, firms have to be contactable 24 hours a day, seven days a week as the technology revolution in ...

Improve Staff Productivity with a Lick of Paint and a Clean-Up ...

Gordon Mowat — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 06:00:00 +0100

The majority of office workers are de-motivated by the condition of their offices and working conditions, claims a new survey.

More than 3,000 office workers across the UK were questioned about how they felt about their working environment and a staggering 67 per cent described their office decor as drab, rundown or old fashioned.

At least half of those questioned claimed that an attractive office space would help them feel more motivated and that as a result of their poor surrounding...

Keep a Wary Eye on Staff Expenses ...

Gordon Mowat — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 06:00:00 +0100

Almost a quarter of expenses paid by companies to their employees during the recession were claimed fraudulently, claims new research.

It is estimated that UK firms forked out more than £8.8 billion to reimburse staff for expenses incurred during 2009. However, new research suggests that at least £2.1 billion of that should not have been paid as it was for fiddled and “out-of-policy” claims.

“At a time when businesses are having to cut costs wherever they can it seems ridiculous that ...

We Urge Business Owners to Continue to be Vigilant ...

Gordon Mowat — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 06:00:00 +0100

More than 140,000 UK businesses experienced significant financial difficulties in the last quarter of 2009 and while business failures for the start of 2010 show a downward trend many firms are still making basic mistakes, claims business improvement specialists Aspire Management Services.

“The experts are divided over whether the number of insolvencies have peaked yet,” said Gordon Mowat CA, Managing Director of Aspire.

“There are some who believe that with tax and interest rates c...

The Winner of our "Excuses Competition"!

Gordon Mowat — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0100

In 2009 we ran a Nationwide Search to find the Best Excuse Ever for non-payment of bills!

We would like to extend our warm appreciation to all those who were good sports and entered.

We are now pleased to announce that the winner is Anne Farr, Managing Director of the Rothera Group.

Her entry was: "We'd love to pay you, but I have to feed my children this week!"

So, anne wone £500 value: £50 of Marks and Spencer vouchers and free coachin...

Are You Aware of the New Employee Vetting and Barring Scheme Regulations?

Gordon Mowat — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0100

Thousands of business owners and company directors could find themselves in the dock later this year if they fail to comply with the government’s controversial vetting and barring scheme.

New laws come into force in July requiring more than 9 million people, or over one third of the UK’s working population,
to register so they can be checked under the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA)/ Criminal Records Bureau (CRB)scheme.

“The new legislation is intended to close the kind o...

Worry Over the Effect of Increasing National Insurance ...

Gordon Mowat — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0100

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has joined forces with other business and employment organisations to call on small firms to sign a petition urging the Government to freeze National Insurance.
Research by the FSB with the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) found that increasing employers’ National Insurance by just one per cent will cost 57,000 jobs at a time of record unemployment figures.

“The latest research claims that these changes will not provide any substant...