With intelligent close analytics, AI-powered data import, cash intelligence, and connected data access, Sage Intacct helps high-performing finance teams reduce manual work and improve financial visibility at scale   Sage (FTSE: SGE), the leader in accounting, financial, HR, and payroll technology for small and mid-sized businesses, today announced new AI-powered capabilities in Sage Intacct designed to help finance teams move from managing data to driving performance. The latest updates strengthen Sage Intacct across close analytics, workflow automation, cash intelligence, and connected data access.    Today, finance teams using these tools can identify which entities are slowing down the close, import complex datasets without spreadsheet manipulation, and…

Self-made millionaire, entrepreneur and investor Gary Ashworth has built, backed, and exited more than 30 businesses over four decades, earning a reputation for turning disciplined strategy into lasting value. In the following piece, he shares hard-won lessons from founders who focus on long-term growth over quick wins—revealing why patience, measured risk, and consistency are the real drivers of serious wealth. I’ve backed or founded over 30 companies. Some made fortunes. Some lost millions. The difference between the two rarely had anything to do with how clever the founders were or how clever the initial idea was. The winners understood something…

Over the past few years, the UK labour market has changed in ways that are not always visible from inside offices or boardrooms. Much of this shift has happened in the parts of the economy where work is continuous, shift-based, and operationally demanding — and where access to employment depends less on long-term career planning and more on speed, compliance, and pay cycles. According to HMRC data analysed by UK in a Changing Europe, employment among non-EU nationals has increased by almost 2 million since the pre-pandemic period — a rise of close to 90%. Over the same time, employment…

A GREENER FUTURE for Nottingham is on the horizon as local businesses unite, with marketing agency Cartwright continuing its partnership with Nottingham College’s award-winning Sustainable Futures programme for the third-year running. The initiative – which has grown from just 100 students to over 8,000 – gives students the opportunity to turn bold ideas into real-world solutions, offering up to £4,000 in funding, mentorship from local business leaders and a platform to tackle pressing environmental and social issues. Recognised nationally, the college was named ‘Sustainability Institution of the Year’ at the Green Gown Awards in November 2025 and since its inception, the Sustainable Futures programme has seen remarkable engagement with over 54 groups applying and 11 ideas shortlisted for…

A recent survey found that almost one in five businesses would consider sabotaging their competitors (1). But with the growth of AI models, has it become easier than ever in 2026? In GEO agency Reboot Online’s latest experiment, they tested whether LLMs can be influenced to surface false, reputationally damaging information about a person simply by publishing unsubstantiated claims across third-party websites. In short, the answer is yes. Key findings Black hat GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) is possible, as some AI models surface false or reputationally damaging claims when those claims are consistently published across third-party websites Model behaviour varies significantly,…

On January 6th, the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill passed its second reading, and has progressed through to the committee stage. This fast-moving legislation marks a significant step forward in the government’s efforts to strengthen national cyber defences. The legislation is designed to modernise existing cyber laws to reflect the scale of today’s digital threats, improve resilience across businesses, and to better help protect the public. Rob Rees, Divisional Director at Markel Direct, the business insurance specialist, explains what the Bill is proposing, how this will affect UK SMEs and what actions should be taken in 2026. What does the Cyber…

Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU), the global financial technology platform that makes Intuit TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp, has announced a set of Mailchimp product innovations that unlock profitable growth for ecommerce businesses. Powered by the Intuit platform, the enhancements include more ways for merchants to connect their data and activate omnichannel campaigns driving up to 30x ROI for ecommerce customers1 without the added price or complexity. For small and mid-market online sellers, customer acquisition and growth are becoming harder to measure and optimise. Only 33% of marketers say their pre-opt-in messaging is highly aligned, making it difficult to see which efforts drive orders and where revenue is being…

The Thames Valley Business & Community Awards is honoured to announce that Ben Gallagher, former Special Forces soldier, Team GB athlete and inspirational speaker, will deliver the keynote address at next Friday’s prestigious awards ceremony at the Hilton Reading. Ben Gallagher served over 16 years in the British Army, including time within the UK Special Forces community, dedicating his life to serving his country at the highest level. However, while on active duty, Ben sustained life-changing injuries that dramatically altered the course of his life. Rather than allowing adversity to define him, Ben chose to rebuild. Demonstrating extraordinary resilience, discipline…

For the hospitality sector, 2025 could certainly be summarised as another turbulent year. The Autumn Budget announced at the end of November saw a hike to the minimum wage and sugar tax which, added to the additional rises in operational costs and National Insurance contributions through the year, meant that further cost-cutting and reviews of operational efficiency were critical. The festive period may have provided a welcome buffer for many businesses with a flurry of visitors. But, with celebrations now in the rear-view mirror, operators have their work cut out to continue increasing footfall and revenue per head. As we head into 2026, operators…

By Sarah Carter, Head of Account Management at Onebright HR leaders recognise the importance of workplace mental health, but what’s often less visible, is the cost of poor mental health that doesn’t show up on absence reports. While absence related to mental health remains high, one of the biggest challenges in the workplace is presenteeism, when employees are physically present but struggling to perform due to stress, anxiety, or burnout. These hidden losses in productivity cost businesses far more than absence, yet they rarely appear on HR dashboards. The Government’s Keep Britain Working review has made this clearer than ever. It estimates that…

Written by Dr Luan Ho, Science Team Co Lead & Quality Assurance Manager at Tunley Environmental A Double Materiality Assessment (DMA) is the structured process through which an organisation determines which environmental, social and governance topics are genuinely significant to its business. It examines materiality from two perspectives: the impacts a company has on society and the environment, and the financial risks and opportunities those same topics create for the organisation itself. When done properly, a DMA provides a clear, defensible basis for sustainability decision-making. For many organisations, DMAs are first encountered through regulatory requirements such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting…

With early-year cash flow pressures still affecting businesses’ access to funding, Approved Business Finance is urging companies to address common mistakes that may be holding them back. As operating costs continue to climb for businesses, many are being forced to rethink their short-term financial strategies, making early planning for 2026 more important than ever. Recent figures show that UK venture funding surged to £6.8bn in Q3 2025 alone, underlining that while capital is available, businesses need strong financial fundamentals to access it successfully. For businesses that fail to get cash flow right, the consequences can be severe, as research shows 82% of business failures are due to poor cash…

Advances in AI and automation have transformed how marketing campaigns are planned, produced, optimised and measured. Certain skills that once differentiated leading teams are now widely accessible, and speed in those areas has become the default rather than the advantage. Despite this, in an increasingly overcrowded digital ecosystem, results are not scaling in equal measure. 8 Million Stories’ VP of Product, Pam Reichhartinger-Lawlor, shares what makes good digital marketing, and why human judgement and quality to build trust, credibility and authority have become the real sources of competitive advantage. 1/ AI and automation change how performance marketing runs. Trust, quality…

By Charlie Terry, Founder of CEEK Marketing When Grace Beverley’s activewear brand TALA reported revenue growth of 19% to £19.8m alongside an operating loss of £2.6m, the headlines were predictable. Losses widened. Profitability delayed. Expansion questioned. Yet this framing reveals something deeper about how we discuss modern brand-building in Britain and it risks undermining the very businesses capable of defining our next generation of consumer brands. The problem with headline “losses” The conversation around TALA exemplifies a growing issue in UK business coverage. Venture-backed brands, particularly those that are founder or creator led are increasingly judged through a narrow profit…

Overdue payments of Corporation Tax, VAT and PAYE to HMRC hit £27.1bn in Q3 2025, a 138% increase on Pre-Pandemic times, but a fall of 19% from a peak of £51.3bn in Q3 2020, according to data obtained from HMRC by BTG.  The financial and real estate advisory group obtained the data, which also finds £3.8bn of this debt sitting in 172,402 Time To Pay agreements, following a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to HMRC. The FOIA revealed overdue payments increased since Q1 2020 in VAT by 216%, corporation tax by 145% and PAYE by 72%. BTG, which was recently…

TikTok Shop has today announced the winners of its Shop Local competition, with each business receiving a support package worth £150,000 designed to help British small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) sell more homegrown goods to customers across the UK. Fronted by farmer and TV presenter Jimmy Doherty, who also brought his Suffolk-based Farm Shop online for the first time with TikTok Shop, the scheme was announced in response to the growing appetite among UK shoppers for more locally produced goods. Research shows that: 83% of Brits say they would buy more British produce if it were more widely available. 29% of small businesses cite…