Late payments affecting over half businesses in the UK Late payments could be causing a ripple effect on over half the businesses in the UK, according to new figures. The total cost of delayed settlement could be costing them up to 2bn per year.
Six steps to improve your sales results How start-ups can improve their sales and marketing by looking at a similar set of core issues, such as finding your market, identifying your USP, getting your message across, and making sure you have the right tools for the job.
10 business email mistakes you should avoid Some tips on what small business owners should try to avoid when composing email correspondence, based on the experiences of the Bytestart team and the thousands of emails they have read over the past 5 years.
The new Apple iPhone 3GS - a review for business owners Last week, Apple launched its new iPhone 3GS in the UK. Within a week, it had sold over one million handsets. Our editor signed up for a new iPhone and looks at how this stylish product could help small business owners save time.
How to improve your direct marketing campaigns Direct marketing can produce results in terms of raised awareness, sales leads and enquiries, if done properly. We look at the golden rules you should follow to run successful DM campaigns.
Social media guide for small businesses A guide to social media for small businesses, and how to make the most of blogs, social networks, micro blogging, photo and video sharing technology.
Still no news from Government on 750 million innovation fund In April s Budget the Chancellor announced a 750 million fund for innovation to "stimulate growth in the UK's industries of the future". Some two months on we re still not closer to any details about what the fund will cover or who can apply for it.
Seasonal recruitment tips for small businesses As summer approaches, small business owners need to ensure that they have experienced staff in place to cover their business needs over the peak holiday period.
Small firms experiencing a tentative recovery, FSB statistics reveal Small businesses which were hit hard by the worst of the credit crunch and the recession nearly a year ago are starting to experience a tentative recovery, according to analysis by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) which has documented the economic downturn's impact on small firms since last September.
FSB: Government stuck in a time-warp over broadband speeds The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) welcomes the Governments commitment to ensure universal access to fast broadband, but warns the expected 2mbps by 2012 lacks ambition and shows the UK is in a time-warp.
FSB subsidises member telephone costs The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), the UK's leading business organisation, is to provide its members with subsidised telephone costs which could save its members collectively over £10 million in a year.
Fair Pint and FSB campaign to lift the Pub Company tie The Fair Pint Campaign amd the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) are launching a national campaign to push for government action to refer the unfair tie between the country's pubs and the Pub Companies that own them to the Competition Commission.
Micro businesses must have a designated Small Business Sector Skills Council The UK's smallest businesses - which make up the majority of the workforce - must be given their own Small Business Sector Skills Council that will focus on the needs of mirco-firms, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).
FSB calls for a five per cent flat tax rate on home renovations Small firms in the construction sector are calling for a lower VAT rate on home renovations while struggling against a backdrop of badly decreasing trade, according to a new survey by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).
Local election candidates must put small businesses first, says FSB The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is urging prospective councillors in the local elections to put small businesses ar the heart of their campaign and remember they play a vital role in fighting the recession.
FSB Calls on European Election Candidates to Think Small First The Federation of Small Businesses is calling on candidates in the European Elections to Think Small First and to remember that small businesses have a vital role to play in reversing economic meltdown and tackling climate change.
Budget has been bad for small business, FSB poll reveals Most small businesses will be negatively affected by increases in fuel and alcohol duty announced in last week's Budget, a survey by the Federation of Small Businesses has revealed.
FSB reaction to the Chancellor's 2009 Budget The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) today warned that the Chancellor's budget largely ignored the small businesses that are at the heart of job creation and economic recovery.
Go-between needed to reconnect banks and business, says FSB Small businesses need a go-between to help rebuild ailing relationships with the banks and revive the flagging economy, latest figures from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) show.
Give small businesses a break this Easter As the nation prepares for the Easter Bank Holiday break many struggling small business owners will be considering Northern Ireland or Wales as an ideal destination not just for a break but a relief from the increasing costs of business rates.
Chancellor's Budget must solve banking and unemployment crises Forcing banks to behave and solving the problem of rising unemployment should be at the top of the Government's to-do list in the most crucial budget in decades, said the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).
Small businesses respond to the challenge of the credit crunch Small businesses continue to have trouble getting new finance, with nearly one fifth seeing an increase in bank fees, according to the latest research by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).
Small businesses feel the pinch as banks raise rates Banks continue to squeeze small businesses by charging ever-increasing interest rates on loans and overdrafts – despite the Bank of England dropping interest rates to 0.5 per cent.
A practical guide to disaster recovery planning Two papers for smaller businesses
Typically, vendor white papers are written with the ITDM or senior ITDM at a large company, in mind. [ITDM is industry jargon for "IT decision maker", since you ask.] People working at smaller companies are rather less well served, in quantity and quality. So today we focus our Reg Library selection on a couple of good papers aimed at small and medium-sized businesses. <a href="http://whitepapers.theregister.co.uk/paper/view/859/atth0s1n.pdf?td=rss">The power of collaboration within unified communications</a>
Demand for IT staff jumps, claims employment agency Summer arrival for green shoots?
Recruitment agency CV Screen is seeing a big improvement in job prospects for IT staff. <a href="http://whitepapers.theregister.co.uk/paper/view/697/wp01-webthreats-080303-uk.pdf?td=rss">Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work</a>
PayPal UK titsup Server error of all our days
Updated: PayPal UK is currently down. Although the front page seems to be working, anyone logging in is met with a server error message. <a href="http://whitepapers.theregister.co.uk/paper/view/697/wp01-webthreats-080303-uk.pdf?td=rss">Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work</a>
Barclays IT systems have a strop No cash for you, mate
Updated Barclays Bank is suffering an IT outage that has seen cash points refusing to pay out and online banking going offline, with some readers reporting that even fleshy-staffed branches are having problems. <a href="http://whitepapers.theregister.co.uk/paper/view/697/wp01-webthreats-080303-uk.pdf?td=rss">Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work</a>
Microsoft spins out intellectual property business Two-years and you're out
Microsoft has spun out an intellectual property business unit it acquired two years ago, apparently to control the company's costs. <a href="http://whitepapers.theregister.co.uk/paper/view/814/oracle-814.pdf?td=rss">What is your recession sales strategy?</a>
Webhost hack wipes out data for 100,000 sites Vaserv suspects zero-day virtualization vuln
A large internet service provider said data for as many as 100,000 websites was destroyed by attackers who targeted a zero-day vulnerability in a widely-used virtualization application. <a href="http://whitepapers.theregister.co.uk/paper/view/697/wp01-webthreats-080303-uk.pdf?td=rss">Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work</a>
ETERNUS sunshine for a spotless drive Fujitsu updates SMB range
Fujitsu is applying the ETERNUS brand to the CentricStor and FibreCat storage products from the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/03/30/fts_storage_role/">now-ended</a> Fujitsu/Siemens Computers joint venture, and introducing an Eternus DX array for small and medium enterprises. <a href="http://whitepapers.theregister.co.uk/paper/view/859/atth0s1n.pdf?td=rss">The power of collaboration within unified communications</a>
IR35 tax is a huge failure Tiny tax take leaves controversial system in jeopardy
Opinion Under the Freedom of Information Act, the Professional Contractors Group has been able to find out how much tax the British government has <a href="http://www.pcg.org.uk/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4600&Itemid=1">raised from IR35</a>. <a href="http://whitepapers.theregister.co.uk/paper/view/814/oracle-814.pdf?td=rss">What is your recession sales strategy?</a>
Government failing on small biz skills Apprenticeship schemes told: You're fired!
The British Chamber of Commerce, which campaigns for small business, is complaining that the government is failing to keep its promises on funding for training and apprenticeship schemes. <a href="http://whitepapers.theregister.co.uk/paper/view/859/atth0s1n.pdf?td=rss">The power of collaboration within unified communications</a>
Flood of liquidations as credit dries up Accountants still getting rich
Figures from the Insolvency Service show a big jump in the number of English and Welsh firms going into either compulsory or voluntary liquidation. <a href="http://whitepapers.theregister.co.uk/paper/view/697/wp01-webthreats-080303-uk.pdf?td=rss">Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work</a>
Equality Bill U-turn could damage businesses, warns expert Pay audits could open tribunal floodgates
The Government has published its proposals for new equality legislation and one employment law expert has warned that a policy U-turn could leave companies exposed to a deluge of equal pay claims. <a href="http://whitepapers.theregister.co.uk/paper/view/859/atth0s1n.pdf?td=rss">The power of collaboration within unified communications</a>
No-go woe for doughnut co after Vo-Vo blow So no-show for Iced Dough-Vo
An Australian biscuit maker has launched a legal challenge to a new doughnut by US manufacturer Krispy Kreme, claiming that the confectionery infringes its trade mark rights. <a href="http://whitepapers.theregister.co.uk/paper/view/892/legoland.pdf?td=rss">Case Study: WhatsUp keeps Legoland turnstyles ringing</a>
Small biz slams Harman's equal ops law 'Get off our backs'
David Frost, boss of the British Chamber of Commerce, has attacked the government for heaping employment law red tape onto a business community already suffering from the credit crunch. <a href="http://whitepapers.theregister.co.uk/paper/view/892/legoland.pdf?td=rss">Case Study: WhatsUp keeps Legoland turnstyles ringing</a>
What on earth do you think you are doing, Darling? Speeding up company busts and pummelling the poor
Comment Well, wasn't that a wonderful little budget? We're broke, borrowing the entire output of many a small nation, and this as a result of the policies from the man who promised to abolish boom and bust. But it's not all bad news. Some of it is worse. <a href="http://whitepapers.theregister.co.uk/paper/view/696/smartprotection-whitepaper.pdf?td=rss">Offloading malware protection to the cloud</a>
Budget reaction: Credit insurance good, all else bad Darling budget upsets small biz
Budget 09 Reaction to Alistair Darling's budget is mixed to say the least. Even the 2,000 subsidy for people buying a new car and scrapping an old one has had a mixed response from the motor industry. <a href="http://whitepapers.theregister.co.uk/paper/view/814/oracle-814.pdf?td=rss">What is your recession sales strategy?</a>
Darling points at silver lining, floats investment in broadband Want some of what he's drinking? It'll cost you
Budget 09 Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling today used what is likely to be his last Budget to paint an optimistic view of the UK economy and the path out of the world recession. <a href="http://whitepapers.theregister.co.uk/paper/view/814/oracle-814.pdf?td=rss">What is your recession sales strategy?</a>
Ford faces tax bill for unsold cars VAT's gotta hurt
A court ruling has thrown into doubt a company's right to reclaim VAT relating to goods that it later repossessed. The ruling could undermine the usefulness of businesses retaining the right to repossess goods they supply to other businesses. <a href="http://whitepapers.theregister.co.uk/paper/view/892/legoland.pdf?td=rss">Case Study: WhatsUp keeps Legoland turnstyles ringing</a>
Copyright Tribunal rules will change to fast track smaller cases That means cases involving small amounts, not dwarves
The Government is changing the way that a copyright disputes body operates in a bid to save time and money. It has opened a consultation on the changes to the operation of the Copyright Tribunal. <a href="http://whitepapers.theregister.co.uk/paper/view/697/wp01-webthreats-080303-uk.pdf?td=rss">Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work</a>
New e-waste rules may be too much for UK business, warns Gov We preferred when it was just kids collecting cans
The Government has said that new electronic waste disposal demands from Brussels may be too difficult for businesses to meet. It has asked for industry's view ahead of summer negotiations on electronic waste. <a href="http://whitepapers.theregister.co.uk/paper/view/697/wp01-webthreats-080303-uk.pdf?td=rss">Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work</a>
Workplace dispute laws change today Got beef?
The way workplace disputes are handled will change from Monday. The Government's scrapping of the statutory grievance and disciplinary procedures is just one of the law changes that will come into effect on 6th April. <a href="http://whitepapers.theregister.co.uk/paper/view/814/oracle-814.pdf?td=rss">What is your recession sales strategy?</a>