Allica Bank, the SME-focussed challenger bank, is growing its specialist care home commercial mortgage banking team with the appointment of Brian Bovell, as Specialist Relationship Manager. Brian will spearhead the bank’s expansion into Scotland and the north of England’s elderly care sectors. This appointment follows the bank’s launch of a specialist care home team at the end of last year, designed to specifically support independent or small group operators as the market readjusts from the pandemic. In March, Allica also announced it was doubling its maximum commercial mortgage customer exposure for care home customers to £10 million, intended to enable more…
Author: sme-admin
A new study by Sage, the leader in accounting, financial, HR and payroll technology for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), has found that over four-fifths (82%) of UK finance leaders believes the industry needs a new breed of CFO. “The Redefined CFO” study investigates how finance leaders today take a more holistic approach with a reliance on data to engage with the wider strategic priorities of organisations. Stepping out from the shadow of the CEO, the CFO has become a hub of business information – diversifying their expertise, recruiting the right talent, and ensuring they implement emerging technologies and purpose-driven programmes…
Online retailers can sometimes expect a fall in sales, especially following busy periods such as Christmas. To maintain momentum and business profits, they must think tactically about the different ways they can attract customers and boost sales in the quieter months. Businesses are faced with a great deal of uncertainty and pressure at the moment, with costs of living rising dramatically, consumers will need to cut back on spending and this presents greater problems for regular and guaranteed sales. Despite this, there are many marketing tactics available on hand and in this feature, Emjay Lofts, Head of Marketing at TextAnywhere…
Running and growing a business of any size is a challenge. Trying to run and grow an SME can be even harder. In a bigger company with more resources, you might have the chance to delegate the management of day-to-day administrative tasks and other time-consuming activities. However, running an SME likely means time spent on these tasks instead of strategising for your business’ future. You want to spend time focusing on how you can grow and improve your business instead of getting dragged down in necessary but consuming admin. With an Equals Money account, you can save time and money…
US expansion is a fantastic growth opportunity for UK companies if they successfully execute the right strategy for their business. UK management teams are increasingly looking across the Atlantic to maximise their growth potential. In order to do this, leaders need to select the most effective strategy for their business model and ambitions. ECI Partners, the leading growth-focused mid-market private equity firm, shares its top tips for creating a successful growth strategy in the US. Looking to address the challenges that can often arise, ECI draws on the experience of two portfolio companies, Moneypenny and MiQ, both of which are…
As we surpass the two-year anniversary of the work from home order being put into place, many companies are continuing to explore different working models for their business. Clockwise Chief Operating Officer Alexandra Brunner looks at how companies across the UK are adapting to the new needs and ways of working. The most drastic change we have seen in the post-pandemic office is the hybrid working model becoming central to almost every job. A recent survey from flexible co-working space provider, Clockwise showed that although 51 per cent of people prefer to work from home, over two thirds of Gen-Z…
As a business providing precision engineering services to the aerospace, motorsports, and marine sectors across the globe, West Midlands-based engineering firm A&M EDM prides itself on it’s innovative, pioneering, and forward-thinking approach. By its very nature, R&D constitutes a significant proportion of the firm’s day-to-day operations and, through embracing the Government’s R&D tax credit scheme, it has successfully claimed back more than £780,000 to date. The scheme was introduced by the Government in 2000 in a bid to support SMEs by helping them reduce the cost of R&D activity and subsequently encouraging further innovation (a separate scheme for larger organisations…
Nearly half of all employees (48%) had no wellbeing check-in from their employer in the past year, finds new research among 2,000 workers. The data released by Mental Health First Aid England to mark My Whole Self Day, 18 March 2022, reveals that double the number of employees report that their workplace had failed to check-in on their wellbeing over the past year (48% up from 25% in 2021). The last 12 months of the pandemic has seen increased reports of mental ill health yet only 27% report receiving a wellbeing check-in from their employer monthly or more. This is…
The last couple of years have been tough for businesses, but those that have been able to grow, despite the challenging circumstances, have almost without exception had to showcase a high degree of resilience. Here Alison Watson, Head of the School of Leadership and Management at Arden University, explores how businesses can optimise business resilience, and harness it to ensure they continue to thrive. The most successful businesses have always had a high degree of business resilience – it’s true of all types of organisations, but is particularly key when it comes to SMEs. The pandemic forced all of us…
For the last 20 years, Nick Fewings has been working with teams around the world to motivate and inspire them to transform how they work and achieve even greater success. He has also shared his knowledge and experience of teamwork at many conferences, providing delegates with practical tips and suggestions on how to increase their team’s effectiveness. Asked on many occasions, “Have you written a book about how to achieve high performance teamwork?” His answer has always been no, but that has all changed. Team Lead Succeed is for anyone who works in a team and wants to make a positive…