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…
Author: Greg Robinson
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…