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If you work for yourself, there’s a strong chance you’re a sole trader. As a popular method of setting up a small business, sole traders make up almost 60 percent of all self-employed people in the UK.

You don’t need us to tell you that the world of work has changed. If you are involved in working remotely, you’ll also know that some aspects of work life have become even more exhausting.

There’s no denying that COVID-19 affected every part of the business world. From a major switch to remote working and mass closures—temporary and permanent—the effects of the pandemic were far-reaching. One area that hasn’t gone unscathed is training and development. 

There is light at the end of the tunnel. After more than a year of turbulence, there are signs to suggest that life may soon return to normal. The Government has outlined a roadmap out of lockdown, and if the current trends are maintained, then most British adults will have received a vaccination by Summer’s end. With restrictions on socialising and non-essential retail currently set to be lifted on the 21^st of June, many are already looking forward to the return of ‘normal’ activities like eating at a restaurant, going to the gym, or spending a night on the town.

Whether you’re starting your business from scratch, or your established company is experiencing rapid growth, maintaining control of your finances and your business expenses isn’t easy. It’s a difficult balance that requires careful consideration and a regular cull or overhaul of your biggest costs. It’s also important that any cuts you do make, don’t have a detrimental impact on your services.

A new survey of the UK’s SME workforce shows just what employees want from their employers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused uncertainty for many large and small businesses alike. While that may discourage some people from starting a new business during this unsteady time, those who embrace this moment as a unique opportunity for innovation and change may find incredible success.

2020 has brought on more challenges than small businesses were prepared to deal with. One of them is the rise in cyber attacks taking advantage of the panic caused by the pandemic. To give businesses some breathing room, we’ll be exploring what no-logs VPNs are and how they can stem the tide of hacking activity and mass surveillance.

Scope creep is a silent killer for many projects as we don’t typically catch these issues until it’s too late. This phenomenon happens when your project’s scope grows beyond what you originally anticipated. A high scope happens when a client has too many edit rounds, your team spends too long on a project or even when your boss’ standards are way too high.

There are several great reasons why every business should strive to operate sustainably. Firstly, it’s mostly a money-saver. Using sustainable resources and processes might take some upfront investment, but it reduces your costs in the long run. Secondly, it’s great for PR. There’s an excellent chance that your target audience will think better of you if you go green.

Cash is not always one of the key strengths of a startup business. Startups key strength is usually the idea, motivation, energy and determination to make it happen. One of the golden rules of a successful business is “increase the cash inflows and decrease the cash outflows”.

2020 has been extremely challenging. Individuals and businesses alike have faced the onslaught of coronavirus, lockdowns and associated economic slumps.

Would you jump into a plane with a pilot who had learned to fly from books alone? Highly unlikely I suspect! We are willing to trust pilots because they’ve spent hundreds of hours in a flight simulator, have developed their expertise and can cope in situations of extreme pressure.

What are employee benefits?

Employee benefits are products, services and resources employers give their employees.

In the current climate, small businesses appreciate local support and custom now more than ever. With Covid-19 causing many businesses to temporarily cease trading or experience significantly lower turnover, it is vital to encourage and grow small businesses once again.

The business communication arena is in a state of a massive overhaul. With the rise of social networks, fast internet connections, and cloud computing, customers’ demands have changed. Today, they expect businesses to respond to their service inquiries on multiple channels, in real-time. And, if your customer service does not meet their expectations, they will stop buying from you.

If you are on your way to a best friend’s birthday lunch or an evening out with a banquet menu what do you decide to wear? My guess is you will choose to something with a bit of stretch! This is no different in a small business, you need to plan for growth and be agile and responsive to change. That way you will not outgrow your processes.

COVID-19 has disrupted our businesses and our personal lives in unimaginable ways. As Vladimir Lenin once said: There are decades where nothing happens and there are weeks where decades happen.  There is no doubt about which kind of week, month or year we have been experiencing.

When you are starting out as an entrepreneur, your dream is to grow your business into something much bigger. But once you turn this dream into reality, you should now plan on bringing new talents on board to ease pressure on your current workforce. This requires detailed planning and thorough vetting to ensure you add the right people to your time.