UK houses lost value in real terms in 2025 and significantly underperformed equities, according to new research by Rathbones, one of the UK’s leading wealth and asset management groups. Its annual report, “Don’t Bet the House”, which compares gains from investing in residential property with typical stock market portfolios, warns property is no longer a reliable investment for people seeking short or mid-term growth. Over the past year, UK house price growth has continued its slump, rising just 1.7% – only half the pace of inflation. Whereas a simple investment mix of 25% UK equities and 75% international equities rose…
Author: sme-admin
By Paul Mills, Co-founder of Find a Fractional by VCMO For many SMEs, growth creates a leadership problem before it creates the case for a full-time executive hire. A business may need sharper financial discipline, clearer marketing direction, stronger operational processes or more structured commercial leadership. But hiring a permanent CFO, CMO, COO or CRO is often expensive, slow and difficult to justify too early. The alternative is usually to keep operating with a gap at the top, leaving founders or senior managers to carry responsibilities that sit outside their expertise. Both options carry risk. A permanent senior hire can…
You’ve built something great. So why can’t anyone find you? Here’s how to stop flying under the radar and start attracting the customers you deserve. There are over 5.5 million small businesses in the UK. Most of them are doing genuinely brilliant work: serving their local communities, solving real problems, and delivering quality that the big brands simply can’t match. And yet, the vast majority of them are almost completely invisible online. If you’ve ever typed your own business name into Google and found it buried on page three, or posted consistently on social media only to be met with…
Business leaders from across the country are coming together for a dedicated Founder’s Dinner to raise vital funds for Leo’s Angels, the memorial fund dedicated to harnessing technology to transform epilepsy care and save lives. Founded in memory of Leo, who tragically died in 2023 from Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), Leo’s Angels is dedicated to driving technological innovation in epilepsy care. The initiative was founded by Leo’s mum Emma, CEO of Embridge Consulting, the digital transformation specialist empowering people, processes and technology. The dinner, set to take place on 14th July, is being organised by Warners Distillery with all…
Experts have outlined key actions businesses should take to comply with the new entry-exit system (EES), as British travellers are told to expect six-hour queues at European airports this summer. The new EES system has replaced the manual passport stamping process with a fully digital system that registers biometric data, such as fingerprints and facial images, to track entries, exits, and stays in real time. Unlike the previous system, which relied on human checks, this shift aims to streamline border management, reduce wait times, and improve security by combating identity fraud and overstays. The corporate travel experts at Booking.com for Business have…
New lending data from Funding Circle points to a structural shift in how UK small businesses are using external finance, with borrowing for tax payments, working capital, and debt refinancing all rising significantly, while growth-focused lending loses ground. The findings carry practical implications for accountants and finance professionals advising SME clients, as more businesses turn to credit to manage cash flow timing pressures rather than to fund long-term investment. Tax-related borrowing is rising, and loan sizes are growing with it Borrowing to cover tax payments increased 29% year-on-year to £25m in 2025. Notably, tax-related lending also recorded the strongest increase…
By Simon Landivar, Partner, Parfitt Cresswell Solicitors in Windsor May’s local elections signalled the very real possibility of a Reform UK government in two years’ time. What would a Reform Government mean for personal wealth, inheritance and estate planning? For many businesses and families, financial planning has become increasingly complex. Frozen tax thresholds, changes to inheritance tax reliefs, higher scrutiny of trusts, and the growing ownership of digital assets such as cryptocurrency have all made it more important to plan carefully. Reform has not yet set out a fully detailed programme for wills, trusts and probate. However, its wider tax…
With the latest government figures revealing that more than one million young people are out of work, upskilling is high on the government’s agenda. According to Jonny Phillips, Managing Director at UK training provider Strive Training, the skills needed to rejoin the workforce aren’t highly technical or out of reach for the majority of jobseekers. In fact, many of them are skills that people already have, and just need the confidence to apply to work. “A lot of talk relates to the skills needed to beat AI job cuts, but those outside of work are now planning to join a…
As businesses grapple with the rise of AI-powered search, specialist agency SEO Results says one lesson from the past 15 years has become increasingly clear: visibility alone no longer drives success online. According to the Gloucestershire-based agency, the businesses consistently generating leads, enquiries and revenue from search are not necessarily those attracting the most traffic. Instead, they are the organisations investing in trust, credibility and long-term authority online. The insight comes as SEO Results marks its 15th anniversary, having worked with businesses across sectors including financial services, legal, hospitality, property and e-commerce since 2011. “Many businesses still judge SEO success…
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a blanket ban on social media for children under the age of 16, calling it a “line in the sand” to protect children’s mental health and safety. The legislation builds upon similar restrictions passed in Australia but introduces even tighter regulations. However, while the government promises a safer digital environment, experts on the ground argue that a top-down ban misses the complex reality of how young people actually use technology. Among the leading voices urging caution is Jason Michaelides, founder of Orbiri—a parent-founded technology company currently running a pilot across schools in London…