In today’s hyper connected world wealth attracts attention and not always the good kind. Rather than targeting highly protected corporate networks, cybercriminals have turned their focus onto people they see as softer targets, including high net worth individuals, many of whom are far easier to infiltrate electronically than businesses, according to insurance experts, Everywhen. Darren Walsgrove, Personal Lines Director at Everywhen says: “For these individuals, it’s not just their wealth on the line, it’s their reputation and personal data. As a high-net-worth individual’s influence and public exposure grows, they become more of a target.” Whether it is a suspicious login…
Author: sme-admin
New research commissioned by Elevate Employment Services reveals that almost half of senior decision makers in UK small and medium-sized businesses (44%) believe most or all young people aged 16-18 are leaving education without the skills and attitudes needed for work — raising serious questions about the effectiveness of current education-to-employment pathways and the level of investment in employability support. The polling, based on a survey of 500 senior SME decision makers across the UK, found that 36% believe most school leavers are not work-ready, with a further 8% saying almost no young people leave education prepared for employment. By contrast,…
Iran war inflation shock complicates recovery just as financing conditions were beginning to improve The UK property market is navigating a more uncertain path through 2026, with the inflation impact of the Iran war materially weakening confidence that the Bank of England will be able to deliver rate cuts later this year, according to Heligan Group’s latest Real Estate Sector Update. Bank Rate was held at 3.75% in March 2026, and what had appeared earlier in the year to be a straightforward trajectory of two cuts now looks considerably less certain. CPI rose to 3.3% in March from 3.0% in February,…
Rob Morgan, Chief Investment Analyst at Charles Stanley Direct, part of Raymond James Wealth Management, outlines the potential fallout from the upcoming ISA reforms. From April 2027, the annual Cash ISA allowance will be cut from £20,000 to £12,000 for those under 65, while the overall ISA allowance will remain at £20,000. Older savers will retain the full £20,000 cash allowance. Alongside this, the Chancellor is reportedly planning to introduce a 22% charge on interest earned on cash held within Stocks & Shares ISAs – effectively aligning with the basic rate of tax on savings from next tax year (2027/28).…
Customer relationship management (CRM) sits at the centre of almost every modern sales and marketing operation, yet many still have serious flaws that can negatively impact sales and revenue. The experts at the B2B lead generation agency Sopro have collated and analysed the latest industry statistics to highlight the top issues sales teams face with CRM systems. Top CRM implementation challenges and barriers: 1 – 51% of sales leaders say tech silos limit AI and CRM effectiveness Disconnected systems remain a major barrier to realising value from CRM platforms. Over half of sales leaders report that technology silos delay or restrict the…
Pipedrive, the easy and intelligent CRM for small and medium-sized businesses has launched new project management and communication capabilities designed to help sales teams manage customer relationships and post-sale execution more effectively within one platform. As sales teams scale, the transition from closed deal to successful delivery is often slowed by disconnected tools and lost information. Pipedrive’s latest release solves this by bringing post-sale execution directly into the CRM. “Sales doesn’t stop when a deal is closed,” said Joe Futty, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Pipedrive. “We believe that when sales teams are freed from the burden of disconnected…
A study has revealed that approximately 40% of UK employees receive ‘work slop’ caused by low-quality, AI-generated content. As a result, it is estimated that each instance of work slop takes up to 3.5 hours each month to correct, resulting in millions of pounds in lost productivity. Jim Benton, CEO at Adapt, an AI agent platform for businesses, has explained what work slop is and the steps companies can take to protect themselves from it. “It has been reported that as of mid-2026, approximately 78% of global businesses are using AI in at least one business function. Despite this, studies have…
A simple request for information can quickly turn into a test of whether your business has its data act together. By Douglas McLachlan, Partner and Head of Data & Technology, Anderson Strathern Generative AI has made it easier than ever to create a data subject access request (DSAR) – and harder than ever for businesses, especially SMEs, to handle. What used to be a simple email asking for a few files can now arrive as a wide-ranging request that’s quick to send, difficult to narrow and a logistical nightmare to answer. What was once a niche compliance issue is fast…
Businesses planning summer socials, client events and awards nights could be overlooking significant hidden risks, according to insurance experts Everywhen, who are warning that hosting an event involves more than booking a space in a venue that has insurance. It extends to attendees, activities, equipment and how the event is run. While venues often appear to take responsibility, when problems occur, the liability can frequently lie with the organiser. A spokesperson for Everywhen said: “It’s crucial to understand where a venue’s responsibility ends and the organiser’s begins. If something goes wrong, the hirer may still be liable, even if the venue…
Most people start a business for freedom. More control. More income. More flexibility. The chance to build something of their own. And yet, many business owners quietly end up trapped by the very thing they created. Every important decision routes through them. Problems escalate upwards. Holidays feel stressful. Growth creates complexity instead of freedom. From the outside, the business can look successful. Revenue grows. The team expands. Customers keep coming. But beneath the surface, many SMEs are being held together by effort rather than structure. That matters, because effort does not scale. Engineering does. The Owner Bottleneck Spend time inside most small businesses and…