Yesterday, Sage, the leader in accounting, financial, HR and payroll technology for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), announced an expanded partnership with Microsoft. The news includes plans to integrate Microsoft Business Products, including Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams, as embedded services in Sage products and the Sage Digital Network.      “Increasingly, SMBs are digital businesses – but connecting the tools they use can be a barrier to their success.” said Steve Hare, CEO, Sage. “Microsoft products have long been the tool of choice for collaboration, with Sage powering the back office. Through our expanded partnership, we will simplify life for millions…

Small businesses are being urged to use the summer break to see how they can reduce outgoings when being faced with rising inflation, rising interest rates, the cost-of-living crisis and volatile fuel costs at the pump. The timely advice has been issued by fuelGenie, a leading fuel card provider, which is aiming to help small businesses overcome these challenging times with lower cost fuel, consolidated payments, easy to manage invoicing and a handy mobile app. Fuel cards are a proven way for small businesses to help reduce motoring costs and start to create a more efficient business model, especially when…

Interest in the 4-day work week is rising yet millions of UK workers are set to miss out on the benefits, according to research from productivity platform, ClickUp. It found that certain careers are more likely to miss out on the promise of working a day less each week for no reduction in pay, while other employment sectors may reap the rewards. Businesses must take action to close these gaps to create equity for workers in the UK. Those working in education reported the highest levels of pessimism, with 44% of workers believing it is unrealistic to move to a 4-day work…

Global demand for hybrid working has led to a significant increase in flexible, multi-market workspace memberships, according to new data from IWG, the world’s largest flexible workspace company. Sales of IWG on-demand membership have increased by 93% year-on-year, with the UK (+137%), Spain (+123%) Italy (+93%) and India (+82%) among the rapidly growing markets. The on-demand model gives workers access to more than 3,500 flexspace locations globally, allowing them to take advantage of the greater flexibility offered by hybrid working. Research shows that the adoption of hybrid working, and utilisation of flexible office space can significantly improve a business’ bottom…

Markel Direct, the specialist insurer of the self-employed and small businesses, have spoken to a range of experts from a historian to a futurologist, in order to provide an in-depth analysis of what the current job market can tell us for the future of the self-employed in the wake of the so-called ‘Great Resignation’. The UK job market as a whole is in the midst of a period of great change, as workers’ priorities have shifted over the last two years and many businesses are starting to bounce back from the impact of Covid. However in this post-pandemic world, the…

Mike Reid is CEO of Goldster- a digital platform that offers an extensive range of non-drug interventions online to people for their health and wellness. SME Today spoke to him about his role, his inspiration and what advice he would offer other entrepreneurs or startups. Tell us about Goldster Launched in 2021, Goldster delivers an extensive range of non-drug interventions online to people for their health and wellness. Goldster’s Systematic Wellness Intervention Pathway (SWIP) non-drug evidence framework assesses and delivers health solutions throughout the day, through live social classes led by experts and celebrities. The platform provides over 450 classes designed…

As inflation continues to rise and the impact is increasingly felt on families’ monthly household budgets, David Brown, founder and CEO of Hi, argues that the current cost of living crisis should spark a rethink among employers of the monthly payroll cycle.  Millions of UK households are in economic hardship, struggling as the rising cost of living as energy bill hikes and the cost of commodities take their toll. With inflation expected to hit 11% within months, and the cost of food expected to rise by up to 15% this year, families are facing huge increases in their monthly expenditure which will force many…

There is a direct correlation between accurate sales forecasting and a company’s success.  Business leaders who have confidence in their forecasts can make more informed decisions when it comes to factors that impact revenue, such as setting targets, managing cash flow and recruitment. Vitally, this forms the basis of a strong reputation with investors and shareholders, too. Despite this, only 45% of sales leaders say they have confidence in their forecast accuracy today.  After two years of disruption and now the prospect of a recession to overcome, it has never been more important for decision makers to understand the direction of their business. Andy…

Inspirational business speaker, award-winning coach and author, Taz Thornton, has been named the UK’s Personal Empowerment Specialist Of the Year for the second year running at the 2022 Corporate LiveWire Innovation and Excellence Awards.  “I’m honoured to be named the UK’s Personal Empowerment Specialist of the Year last year, it was a tremendous accolade. I want to empower people, to encourage them to break through the fears and beliefs that are limiting them. To be considered again was humbling and then to be recognised for a second year running is such an incredible feeling, especially as the nominations come from…

UserTesting (NYSE: USER), a leader in video-based human insight, has announced the availability of new test templates for the UserTesting® Human Insight Platform that enable companies to better understand their customers’ expectations, behaviours, and perceptions around inflation. UserTesting has designed test templates that help organisations adapt to changing economic trends by gathering customer perspectives quickly–and using the insights to make business and product decisions that keep customers loyal during an economic downturn. According to recent McKinsey findings,  By collecting and understanding customer data and insights, companies can address their target customers’ needs to help maintain loyalty for the long term.…

Author: Daniel Fletcher, an associate solicitor specialising in intellectual property at Forbes Solicitors Intellectual property – it might not sound like the most exciting part of setting up and running a business, but it’s arguably one of the most important things to be considered and, wherever possible, protected in order to ensure the long-term success of a company. This is especially the case in increasingly competitive and squeezed markets. SMEs must be aware of the many and complex issues surrounding intellectual property – better known as IP – and be prepared to act to protect their business’ interests. An ounce…

Supply Chains disruptions are rife and it has became even more vital for firms to reduce inventory days.  Laurent Descout, Founder and CEO at Neo, looks at how innovations in cross-border payments can simplify the process and reduce costs. A new report shows that supply chain disruptions could cost European economies up to €920 Billion, equating 7.7% of the Eurozone’s GDP by 2023. Factors such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the current geopolitical situation have compounded existing issues. A BDO survey of 600 finance leaders found that while “the pandemic exposed weaknesses in global supply chains, these issues were percolating well before.” Inventory…

Healthtech innovators, Quanta Dialysis Technologies were presented with the MacRobert Award by Princess Anne on Tuesday night, 12th July. Run by the Royal Academy for Engineering, the prestigious honour has been won by Quanta for developing a revolutionary new compact dialysis treatment. The revolutionary compact dialysis machine enables kidney failure patients to treat themselves at home and relieves pressure on over-stretched hospitals. The MacRobert Award is the UK’s longest-running and most prestigious award for UK engineering innovation. Joining previous MacRobert Award winners including Rolls-Royce, Arup and Raspberry Pi, Quanta was recognised for developing the SC+ system, a portable, easy-to-use, high performance…

The latest  figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), show that the total number of businesses registered within the UK as of March 2022 was 4,894,356, an increase of 3.8% when compared with the end of March 2021. However during that same time period 581,824 filed for dissolution proving that starting a business is often a lot easier than running one; at least when you don’t have the correct skillset. To help out budding entrepreneurs, in the age of the side hustle, Caunce O’Hara, the specialist insurance broker for freelancers and small businesses, reveal their Top Tips for success…

Despite the efforts of the former Chancellor, investment into UK SMEs remains stagnant according to new research from solution-led alternative finance provider Nucleus Commercial Finance (NCF). Aimed at bolstering the investments made by small and medium enterprises (SMEs), just 13% say they have increased investments as a result of the two year “super-deduction”. In fact, a greater percentage (16%) say they have in fact decreased investments in that period. A closer look at the findings reveals that medium sized businesses are most likely to have upped their investment following the announcement (25%).  However, even within this cohort a similar number…

Recent research from the ONS has revealed shocking inequality amongst pensions across the UK – as a result of inflation and the rising cost of living – with one third of UK employees not expecting to have any pension provision beyond state pension when they retire. Those who are self-employed or on lower incomes will be impacted the most by pension wealth inequality. With the number of older workers steadily increasing over the last decade, Nick Jones – Head of Retirement Living at Lottie – warns of the impact the pensions crisis will have on older workers approaching retirement: “The…