A recent report has revealed that year-on-year employment growth among UK small businesses has fallen significantly from 7.8% in December 2024 to just 2.5% last year. For SMEs already navigating regulatory changes, economic uncertainty and rising costs – from employer National Insurance contributions to increases in the National Living Wage – this slowdown is hardly unexpected. Rather than expanding headcount, a growing number of SME leaders are exercising caution and focusing on strengthening what they already have; as of September 2025, 48% planned to upskill their existing workforce. While developing current talent is a pragmatic response to a volatile market,…
Author: Greg Robinson
Expense fraud is nothing new; Finance directors and accounts payable managers have always known that a small proportion of expense claims are not entirely what they appear. A meal slightly inflated here, a personal journey submitted as a business trip there – all things that can be picked up relatively easily by the various instances of employee expense management software that exist for business use. But something has changed, and the nature of the threat has shifted so quickly that the manual controls most finance teams rely on are no longer fit for purpose. The change came in early 2025, when OpenAI…
For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), managing business travel efficiently can be a challenge. Balancing cost control, employee comfort, and flexibility often requires more time and resource than smaller organisations can spare. That’s where Cathay’s Business Plus programme comes in – offering a smarter, more rewarding approach to corporate travel without the complexity typically associated with large-scale travel contracts. A smarter way for SMEs to travel Business travel remains a key driver of growth for many SMEs, whether it’s securing international partnerships, attending industry events, or expanding into new markets. Yet traditional corporate travel schemes have typically been designed with…
Between The Bridges, the Thames-side events destination at the heart of London’s South Bank, and SumUp, the leading global financial technology company, have today announced a landmark partnership that will see SumUp become the venue’s official payment partner. From the 2026 season opening on 30 April, every card payment, POS transaction, and QR code order across the venue will be powered by SumUp technology. The partnership brings together two organisations with a shared commitment to independent business. SumUp exists to level the playing field for businesses of all sizes – serving more than four million merchants across 37 markets worldwide.…
Burnout is often framed as a wellbeing issue; something to be managed through employee perks, support programmes or resilience initiatives. In other words, burnout prevention support is seen as a nice‑to‑have – but for SMEs, burnout presents a major performance issue. More than that, it’s an invisible profit leak. If left unaddressed, it erodes decision‑making, leadership effectiveness, productivity and growth – long before anyone hands in their notice. Caroline Canty, Founder of Craft Coaching, provides some insight into how burnout shows up in SMEs Before we talk about causes, let’s talk about proof; in SMEs, burnout rarely shows up as absenteeism alone. Instead,…
For many SMEs, growth brings a new kind of pressure. Revenue is increasing, operations are becoming more complex and bigger decisions are on the table. But the financial clarity needed to support those decisions often isn’t there. It’s a common turning point, and one that Insight Associates encounters regularly. Working with ambitious businesses across the UK, we help companies move beyond basic accounting and towards a more strategic approach to financial management, without overcomplicating things. When accounting stops being enough In the early stages of a business, a bookkeeper and accountant are usually all that’s needed. They keep records accurate,…
With youth joblessness at a 10-year peak, growing numbers are opting to buy a franchise or an established business rather than climb the corporate ladder. New insight from leading marketplace BusinessesForSale.com shows growing demand for franchise opportunities as younger workers and older professionals seek greater security and prospects amid an unstable jobs market. In this increasingly volatile economic environment, many would-be entrepreneurs are rethinking the high-risk startup route. Instead of building a business from the ground up with limited funding and long journeys to profitability, buyers are increasingly drawn to established operations with trading history, existing customers and structured support. New data from…
Limited company directors are getting used to another tax rise, which could cost the average business owner thousands of pounds. From 6 April 2026, dividend tax rates for basic and higher-rate taxpayers have risen by two percentage points. The new rates for the 2026/27 tax year onwards are: Basic rate: 8.75% increasing to 10.75% Higher rate: 33.75% increasing to 35.75% Additional rate: unchanged at 39.35% Dividend allowance: remaining at £500 For most owner-managed companies, where profits are typically taken as a combination of salary and dividends, this represents another step in a long series of tax rises for small business…
As the new financial year begins, it brings with it a fresh wave of employment law changes – from additional compliance demands and increased costs to heightened risk for employers. As a result, many businesses are reassessing not only their approach to compliance but also how they structure and scale their workforce. To take a deeper dive into these developments, we spoke to Lilia Stoyanov, CEO of Transformify [TFY], a global contractor management platform that helps businesses hire, manage, and pay global teams, contingent workers, and independent contractors. Here, Lilia outlines the most substantial changes on the horizon, how they…
The Asia Cup Polo International Day will be hosting its 20th Anniversary Weekend from Friday 26th June to Sunday 28th June 2026 at Winkfield. The event enjoys Royal Patronage from the Jaipur Royal family who have played in many of the International matches both in England and India. The Asia Cup Polo International Day is able to offer partners the opportunity to associate their brand with the unique image of the game and to access the very affluent people who play and watch polo. This is not just one of the world’s richest communities, it is also one of the…