Running a successful business and reaching both your short and long-term goals takes out-of-the-box thinking, thoughtful planning, and consistency. Whether you’re new to business ownership or you’ve been running a business for years, ensuring you’re always taking the right steps towards success is crucial. With that in mind, here are five recommendations for business owners to establish success. Prioritise Financial Management  From budgeting to forecasting, staying on top of your company’s finances is essential to establish a thriving business.  As a business owner, you should be reviewing income and expenses regularly, tracking profit, and investing in reliable accounting software. One…

The team at SME Today are thrilled to share that we are media guests in Las Vegas this week, having been invited by Oracle for their annual NetSuite conference. NetSuite was the world’s first Cloud computing software company and offers a flexible solution designed for business which integrates many functions including financial management, inventory and supply chain management, CRM and more functions. It’s very well known in the USA and is making inroads into the UK market too. It’s 27 years old and has its HQ in Austin, Texas. Oracle acquired the company almost ten years ago. This week, its…

Why SME owners are struggling with their mental health The evidence shows that small business owners are disproportionately affected by mental health issues compared to the wider population. Largely driven by the stresses of owning and operating a business, SME owners are susceptible to a range of mental health problems. A study from SimplyBusiness found that 80% of small business owners have suffered with poor mental health at some point. Almost two-thirds suffered from anxiety, with 38% reporting depression and 22% reporting feelings of loneliness. Financial concerns are common too – with 19% of SMEs thought to be unable to…

Grassroots platforms highlight gaps in UK’s small business ecosystem The exponential growth of two British Asian business networks, from 219 members in 2016 to over 170,000 today, signals that minority entrepreneurs are building parallel infrastructure outside mainstream business support systems. Zamiha Desai, founder of ProfessionalAsian and RecommendAsian, will receive an MBE at Windsor Castle in November for services to the British Asian community. But the recognition comes as her networks reveal a structural problem: British Asian SMEs are creating their own ecosystems because existing ones aren’t serving them. “We didn’t set out to build an alternative business infrastructure,” Desai explains.…

Most offices have a coffee corner. For SMEs, that corner carries extra weight. You’ve got fewer people, tighter budgets, and no spare hands to fuss with machines. Yet those two-minute pauses shape the day: mood, focus, the tone of quick chats before the next task. Why the coffee point matters for SMEs Micro-breaks work when they’re easy. In a small team, the knock-on effects of a slow or unreliable setup spread fast: a queue forms, someone gives up, the pause turns into a gripe. If the machine is quick, consistent, and always ready, you get a steady rhythm — step…

2025 is a year that will go down in history for many things. The year AI became truly ubiquitous, a year of geopolitical realignment, a pivotal moment in the reshaping of global supply chains and, perhaps less recognised, one of the most opportune moments in recent history for companies to transition from tenants to owners. The fact is, for many businesses in 2025, the decision to purchase commercial property isn’t just about location and square footage anymore – it’s become a strategic move that can offer a range of financial, operational and long-term advantages over renting. Andy Jansons, of Jansons…

Major changes to UK company law are being introduced that will affect all new and existing company directors and people with significant control (PSCs).  The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, has fundamentally changed how Companies House operates. The act gave Companies House the power to play a far more significant role in tackling economic crime, whilst supporting economic growth and making sure the UK is one of the best places in the world to start and grow a business. For small and medium-sized enterprises, these new measures mean new compliance requirements, but also greater trust and transparency, and…

ISO/IEC 27001 roadmap: A practical guide for UK SMEs – Putting information security first is your first step to building digital trust. It’s what helps businesses stay secure, resilient, and reliable. 43% of UK businesses have faced a cyber-attack in the last year. For SMEs, who are often working with limited budgets and stretched teams, the risks can feel overwhelming. But every change starts with a single step. BSI is offering a new brochure download to help SMEs put information security first. The free brochure is a roadmap to help you build a strong information security culture within your organization.…

North East-based training provider NC Group recently announced it secured formal approval from Pearson, the UK’s leading awarding body, to deliver Level 4 Higher National Certificates (HNCs) and Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) in Engineering, making it one of a select group of independent training providers in the UK with this status. It is now pleased to welcome twelve learners from global to regional employers, including 3M, Katmex, Ineos, Harrison Packaging, Ricor North East, Hydram, Pragmatic Maintenance & Reliability, and the Invest People Group. “We’re delighted to see such strong demand for the HNC in Engineering,” said Liam Noble, Managing Director…

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are facing a paradox: they must operate with agility and speed yet remain vigilant in the face of growing regulatory scrutiny and cybersecurity threats. For many, compliance feels like a burden. An obligation that diverts time and resources from growth. But what if the very tools used to meet compliance requirements could also become strategic assets? Marcin Pichur, Regional Vice President Sales (UK, Spain, Italy, Poland), DocuWare, explores further. One such tool, often overlooked and underutilised, is the audit trail. From back office to frontline defence Traditionally seen as a backend feature tucked away in…

Creative Nature CEO Julianne Ponan MBE wins Business Woman of the Year at one of the UK’s most significant celebrations of women in business. The Enterprise Vision Awards are a national platform highlighting female entrepreneurship across many industries. The awards celebrate innovation, resilience, and the growing impact of women in business. This year, the award ceremony was hosted at the Blackpool Winter Gardens on Friday, 26th September, where the winners of 19 categories were announced. Julianne Ponan MBE, CEO of allergen-free food brand Creative Nature, was nominated in the highly competitive category of Business Woman of the Year, alongside six other entrepreneurs. Julianne was announced as the…

Hiring the right talent is never easy. Does the candidate have the right experience? Will they fit in with your team? Can they actually do the job, or just talk about doing it? It’s a tricky, time-consuming process, and it’s only getting harder in today’s labour market. Chris McNamara, Founder and CEO of PathwayCTM, provides some advice on how businesses can benefit from the value of an apprentice. Vacancies are rising, but so is competition for the best candidates. According to the Office for National Statistics [ONS], there were 2.2 unemployed people per vacancy between February and April 2025 –…

The days of the traditional career ladder may be numbered as Generation Z enters the workplace and quietly reshapes what “success at work” looks like. According to  a recent Harris Poll reported by Forbes, 57% of Gen Z workers maintain a side hustle. This is more than any generation before them: 48% of Millennials, 31% of Gen X, and just 21% of Boomers. Alastair Greener, a keynote speaker, podcast host and forthcoming author of Generationally Speaking – How to Bridge the Generation Gap and Communicate with Confidence, believes this marks a cultural shift in how young people think about work. “Gen…

The CEO of managed IT provider WestSpring IT, Emma Carter, has warned businesses across the region to act now or risk destruction – with the end of Microsoft’s Windows 10 looming. On Tuesday October 14, Microsoft will cease providing free security updates, technical assistance or feature updates for any organisations using Windows 10 software. Recently WestSpring IT has onboarded several new clients, some employing more than 100 staff, who didn’t even realise that next month they could be exposing their whole IT system to hackers and cyber criminals. “This is a serious risk for any company which has not heard…

Start-ups and SMEs can only succeed if supported by learned voices within the food and drink arena.  For all their outer confidence and ‘take on the world’ bravado, no-one under-estimates the multi-layered ‘plate spinning’ complexity a new entrant faces carving out a distinct niche and standing one’s ground in the face of fast response brand rivals and an ever-changing landscape. Against this backdrop it’s important to share a small yet pertinent tale of collaboration between a ‘young pup’ start-up and a ‘wise owl’ retailer, Holland & Barrett.  It’s all too easy to think of retailers & brand owners sitting on…

Sam Andrew reveals the psychological insights that help him hire wisely as a small business owner Neuropsychologist turned SME owner Sam Andrew shares the psychological red flags and green lights that can help small businesses hire with confidence Hiring choices make or break small businesses. SME owners know that recruitment isn’t simply about filling a vacancy. Each new hire has the potential to shake up everything from customer service to company culture and even the bottom line. The wrong decision can be costly, but the right one can be the start of something very special. That’s why bringing a psychological perspective to…