SME Business News

Online business networking looks set to move on to a new level with the launch of a unique site that is focused on helping small and medium sized companies succeed in tough times and through economic recovery.
The Business Network Online (BNO) - developed by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and Accredited Chamber Network - [...]

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Business confidence has improved for the first time in two years in a further sign that the worst of the UK recession is over, according to a new survey.
Findings from the latest quarterly survey by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales suggested a reversal of the plummeting confidence levels seen over the [...]

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A new study, written by Emergent Research and issued by Innuit, shows a real need for small businesses to innovate to find success. With the web making it easier for new business start ups, competition has never been so prevalent. How important is innovation to future growth?
Luckily for entrepreneurs, they have the greatest opportunity to [...]

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Estimates of the number of enterprises registering and de-registering for VAT in 2007 have been published by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR). The stock of VAT-registered enterprises at the start of 2008 has also been released.
The stock of VAT-registered enterprises increased by 57,900 (three per cent) during 2007, to reach 2.03 [...]

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The latest Business Trends report by business advisors and accountants, BDO Stoy Hayward, suggests that both short and medium term business confidence has risen for the first time in 13 months.
Peter Hemington, Partner at BDO Stoy Hayward, commented: “Optimism remains low and businesses expect the economy to continue to contract, but companies are now adapting [...]

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HSBC Bank has announced that it will make £1billion available to support it’s small business customers in the UK. The Bank says that the funds are part of a £3.3bn global working capital fund for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). HSBC is not one of the banks that took part in the governments bail-out [...]

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On the day that the USA  elected it’s first black president, I have just a short post.
The headline grabber on BusinessWeek suggests that small business owners can learn from Barack Obama’s victory by following these three lessons for business.
1. Clear Vision
2. Clean execution
3. Friends in high places!
Now who do I know?

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A survey carried out on behalf of BT and Enterprise Nation reports that the number of small businesses being started from home have soared in the last twelve months, with start ups in the period up by 16%.
Home businesses in the UK are said to now number 2.5million, with many owners seeing no alternative than [...]

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The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has sent results to the Bank of England of a snap poll demonstrating the devastating impact of the credit crunch, and is calling on its Monetary Policy Committee to cut interest rates this Thursday.
Figures released today from the FSB poll reveal that a majority of small businesses have seen [...]

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In the midst of the doom and gloom of recession it is refreshing to hear that Barclays Bank are predicting a brighter short term future for SMEs in the UK.
Nic Bayley head of product for Barclays Local Business made the startlingly optimistic claim at the annual conference of the National Federation Of Enterprise Agencies.
“We believe [...]

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