Business News Articles

Over 6,000 small businesses signing up to Twitter daily
An estimated 700,000 small businesses are using the social networking site Twitter, with 6,000 more joining every day, according to a recent O2 survey. Small and medium-sized businesses are looking to Twitter as a way to cut marketing costs and directly communicate with clients and potential clients. The poll of 500 small firms found that 17% are already using Twitter, with 25% of these SMEs... more

Auditel nominated for two franchise marketing awards
Venture Marketing Group, the leading franchise exhibition and media organisation, have just announced that Auditel have been nominated as a finalist for two of their Franchise Marketing Awards for 2009. These Awards are given in recognition of the industry's most innovative and effective marketing campaigns for products, services and franchisee recruitment and are now in their third successful ... more

New opportunity to study for a degree in franchising
The Institute for Work-Based Learning (IWBL), based at Middlesex University, has re-formed its alliance with The Franchise Training Centre to offer an MA in Franchising to selected delegates. Students are currently being sought for a "pilot cohort" who will begin their programme in April 2009 with a view to the award of their degree in Autumn 2010. "The qualification gained through work-base... more

Ofgem propose new protections for small firms from utility suppliers
Energy watchdog Ofgem has unveiled a new code of practice for suppliers that will crack down on unfair price differences in a bid to give small businesses and retail customers more power. The regulator will ban unjustified price differences and include a set of remedies to give new rights to small and medium-sized businesses. Ofgem is proposing that suppliers provide new protections for smal... more

Small firm owners must be aware of new health and safety laws
Small business owners must be aware of the new Health and Safety (Offences) Act which has imposed tougher fines and prison sentences for business owners who are in breach of the regulations, warns the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). Businesses found breaking the new regulations could face fines of up to £20,000, or in the higher courts, up to two years in prison. Under p... more

Business Continuity Institute launch new survival guide
The Business Continuity Institute (BCI) has announced the launch of its first ‘Survival Guide', which is designed to help organisations of all sizes evaluate existing business continuity strategies. In the economic downturn business continuity is more important than ever, and the survival guide has been launched in conjunction with the BCI's Business Continuity Awareness Week, which starts on... more

One in six small firms have no capability to sell on their website
The majority of small businesses are not using their websites effectively enough to attract customers, according to a study of 70,000 SME websites by BT Business. One in six of the business web sites reviewed had no e-commerce facility to sell to customers and just 11% maintain their website every one to two days. "This is a huge missed opportunity in the current climate as people increasing... more

Only 1% of small firms receive government payment in 10 days
The government's pledge to cut the cashflow problems of small firms by reducing the amount of time it takes to pay trade invoices to 10 rather than 30 days is only being experienced by 1% of SMEs, according to research by credit agency Graydon. The survey found that just 1% of the companies questioned which supply government agencies are being paid within ten days and 53% were paid within 30 to... more

Julie Meyer joins new Dragons' Den panel
The BBC have revealed that entrepreneur Julie Meyer is one of the new panellists for the recently unveiled online version of Dragons' Den. The web version of the hit television show will begin its weekly broadcast on the 30th of March, where aspiring entrepreneurs will have the chance to secure up to £50,000 worth of investment. Meyer is the head of investment firm Ariadne Capital and has w... more

Property entrepreneur of the year announced
Nick Sladen, founder of Sladen Estates has been awarded the Property Entrepreneur of the Year at a recent awards ceremony. The judges were looking for someone who had the skills needed to succeed in the industry, alongside real entrepreneurial flair. "We're not flash or flighty; we identify what people want and work as hard as we can to make sure it's as good as we can possibly get it," said... more