“I’m showing up more than ever – so why aren’t people buying?” Sound familiar? It’s not surprising. The whole notion of ‘be visible’ has changed more in the last 18 months than in the previous decade. Rachel Pearson, a luxury brand strategist and consultant with fifteen years’ experience, provides SMETodays readership with insight into how buyer behaviour has changed and why more visibility isn’t necessarily leading to more revenue. AI tools and platforms like Substack have made it easier than ever to produce more; more content, more channels, more output. And the logic feels sound: more visibility should mean more…

How did SPORTL start? We first met at the Bank of England, completing our degree apprenticeships, but bonded over our interest in health and fitness amid the stresses of corporate life. SPORTL started from a personal frustration we both experienced. In our previous corporate roles, we were travelling regularly and found ourselves paying for gym memberships we didn’t really use enough. There wasn’t a flexible fitness option that suited ourlifestyle and work commitments. From this, the idea of SPORTL sparked, but it was only once we began speaking with many independent gym and fitness studioowners after work that we realised…

Mergers and acquisitions in the UK SME market remain active, yet a significant number of transactions still fail late in the process often after months of negotiation, due diligence, and legal work. These late-stage collapses can be costly, time-consuming, and frustrating for both buyers and sellers. In many cases, deals do not fail because the business is fundamentally flawed, but because avoidable issues emerge too late. Understanding why transactions fall apart and taking proactive steps early on can make the difference between a successful completion and a missed opportunity. Why deals collapse late in the process Late-stage deal failures rarely…

Business leadership involves far more than simply founding a company. It requires clear communication, effective people management and the ability to cultivate a leadership mindset grounded in accountability, long-term thinking and resilience. To explore this further, Dr Serge Santos — entrepreneur, mentor, and CEO, also known as ‘The Business Physicist’ — shares his perspective on the foundations of effective leadership, why SMEs must think beyond the exit, and how leaders can build high-performance cultures designed for long-term success. You’re known as ‘The Business Physicist’. How has your background in physics shaped the way you approach leadership and business growth? Physics…

A Gloucestershire acoustic solutions specialist is opening the doors to its new Cheltenham showroom this May 2026, giving SMEs the opportunity to discover how smarter workspace design can improve productivity, privacy and employee wellbeing. Founded in 1976, Storacall TeleAcoustics has spent nearly 50 years manufacturing acoustic telephone hoods and communication enclosures for organisations across the UK and internationally. Originally supplying products to British Telecom, the company has evolved its expertise to support modern workplaces, industrial environments and public sector organisations. Now, with open-plan offices continuing to present challenges around noise, distractions and confidential conversations, the company is showcasing a range…

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…

An Arbroath food business is celebrating strong growth after its owner made the bold decision to close her restaurant and focus solely on her award-winning pies and street food offering. WeeCOOK, founded by chef Hayley Wilkes in 2011, has seen pie sales climb 15% in 2025, following similar positive growth the previous year. The business is on track to record its first profit since being impacted by the pandemic, and has also launched a successful new street food venture, Phat Baps – a move designed to capture casual dining demand without the overheads of a full restaurant operation. The turnaround…

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,…

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…

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.…