Business Advice
New Rules Allow Taxman to Collect Debts Via PAYE
Posted on 10. Feb, 2012 by editor.
Businesses in the East Midlands are being alerted to new rules which as from April will allow small debts of up to £3,000 to be collected though taxpayers’ PAYE codes.
Under the regulations HM Revenue and Customs will be permitted to use PAYE as an additional way of recovering self-assessment debts and tax credit overpayments.
Dave Barnett [...]
Continue Reading
eCommerce: Steering Check-Ins to Check-Outs!
Posted on 26. Jan, 2012 by editor.
With rough trading conditions and major high street and online retailers going into administration, using the internet effectively to help your business sell is now more essential than ever.
Thanks to more than seven out of ten internet users currently being online buyers and with the gap narrowing all the time, shop owners simply can’t afford [...]
Continue Reading
Developing An App For Your Business
Posted on 30. Dec, 2011 by editor.
Businesses are increasingly realising the importance of apps as a business tool. Pete Whelan of application development company Infonote explores the growth of applications and has some tips for their development.
The way that companies are communicating with customers, doing business and marketing themselves has been undergoing a major change over the past couple of years. [...]
Continue Reading
Don’t Overlook New Tax Relief for Property Investors
Posted on 15. Dec, 2011 by editor.
Some residential property investors may be overlooking a new tax relief that could save them thousands of pounds, Emma Dancer (pictured) of Andersons Solicitors explains how it works.
Investors buying properties consisting of two or more flats could be spending far more than necessary if they don’t take advantage of a Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) relief introduced [...]
Continue Reading
Choosing The Right Creative Agency For Your Brand
Posted on 07. Nov, 2011 by editor.
Chris Redshaw, Managing Director of award winning Derby-based design firm Revolver Revolver, discusses the process that should be followed when appointing a creative agency to work on your behalf:
Appointing a creative agency or design team to work with you on developing your brand can be difficult, with so many options it can be a daunting [...]
Continue Reading
Prenuptial Agreements Benefit Partners in Business
Posted on 07. Nov, 2011 by editor.
Jane Cowley, partner at Howes Percival Solicitors provides an insight into how risk can be mitigated in new business partnerships.
Think of a prenuptial agreement and no doubt film star and celebrity couples spring to mind. However, there are an increasing number of entrepreneurs who are drawing up prenuptial agreements with their new business partners.
Friendship alone [...]
Continue Reading
PR Advice: Why Won’t They Cover My News?
Posted on 31. Oct, 2011 by editor.
Louise Third, director of Integra Communications gives an insight into how to work with the media
Just the other day, a magazine editor told me how he frequently returns press releases with his publication’s Rate Card attached. Why? Because whoever had written the release had failed to grasp both the purpose of the document, and the [...]
Continue Reading
What Makes a Marketing Winner?
Posted on 25. Oct, 2011 by editor.
Francine Pickering of Clarity Marketing highlights what makes a marketing winner stand apart from a marketing loser and what that means for your business in tough times
“Marketing is just another word for advertising.” Right? Wrong – and a marketing winner knows it.
It is, however, a common and unfortunate misconception that marketing is only about promoting [...]
Continue Reading
National Minimum Wage Increases and Avoiding Expensive Payroll Errors
Posted on 28. Sep, 2011 by editor.
In June, the Employment Tribunal awarded nearly £160,000 to an individual whose employer failed to pay the NMW (National Minimum Wage) for a domestic job over a number of years. The total award was higher: the £160,000 was the amount relating to NMW arrears only!
The adult NMW rate is currently £5.93 per hour rising to £6.08 [...]
Continue Reading
The True Cost of Hacking and how to Protect Against It
Posted on 20. Sep, 2011 by editor.
Hacking is a very real fear for any business. Reputation, customer privacy and competitive advantage can be severely compromised if sensitive data falls into the wrong hands.
Steve Nice (pictured), Technical Director at Newark based ForLinux reports:
Hacking – breaking into computers or computer networks illegally – has hit the headlines repeatedly in recent months as organised [...]
Continue Reading
Employment Law: The Agency Workers Regulations
Posted on 24. Aug, 2011 by editor.
Employment law specialist, John Buchanan of law firm Rothera Dowson, discusses forthcoming legal changes to how agency workers should be employed.
The Agency Workers Regulations (the Regulations) come into force on 1 October 2011. The principle feature of the Regulations is that agency workers will be entitled to the same basic employment conditions as if they had [...]
Continue Reading
The Cost of Bad Recruitment
Posted on 05. Aug, 2011 by editor.
The success of a business relies heavily on the strength of the staff it employs and, with the economy still proving temperamental, it is now more important than ever to have the best possible members of staff in place. However, companies are still making fundamental mistakes when it comes to the recruitment process.
Here, James Taylor [...]
Continue Reading
Suppliers Need To Act Quickly On Retail Insolvencies
Posted on 14. Jul, 2011 by editor.
Firms in the East Midlands who have supplied ailing retailers should act quickly to recoup stock, says a leading lawyer from Eversheds LLP.
Mark Wood, specialist restructuring lawyer, has issued advice following news of a string of retail insolvencies including womenswear retailer Jane Norman, Habitat, Moben Kitchens and Dolphin Bathrooms.
Mark (Pictured) said: “The news of the demise of these [...]
Continue Reading
SME’s ‘Overlooking’ LLP Structure
Posted on 05. Jul, 2011 by editor.
SMEs across the region could be missing out on a whole host of financial and motivational benefits by failing to consider limited liability partnerships (LLPs).
According to Lisa Richards, partner at Derby-based Dains LLP, there is a widespread lack of awareness amongst business owners about the benefits that the LLP structure can bring to businesses of [...]
Continue Reading
Employers At Risk Following Changes To DVLA Procedure
Posted on 09. Jun, 2011 by editor.
Recent changes by DVLA are putting companies who provide company cars and employees who are paid business mileage at risk of having invalid insurance policies warns Towergate Risk Solutions, based in Nottingham.
In the past, following a fixed penalty fine, drivers have enjoyed a period of up to 12 months to submit their driving licence to [...]
Continue Reading
Dealing With Defamation Via Social Media
Posted on 03. May, 2011 by editor.
There is no doubting that the past few years have seen a major increase in the use of social media channels in relation to business. Twitter, regular blogs and even Facebook have become a familiar part of the marketing and PR strategy for many companies. However, with the increased use, comes a greater risk of [...]
Continue Reading
Securing Success with a Succession Plan
Posted on 11. Apr, 2011 by editor.
Paul Franks, Partner at Gresham Private Equity, discusses the vital issue of succession planning
For owner-managers, wanting to realise value from their businesses, the hiatus in the M&A market has resulted in their plans being put on ice.
With access to capital restricted and the economic environment uncertain, long-term planning and exit strategy has taken a back [...]
Continue Reading
Starting Up a Successful Business
Posted on 23. Oct, 2010 by editor.
Roger Galbraith, area director for Lloyds TSB Commercial in East Midlands and Lincolnshire, considers the steps that should be taken when starting out on a new business venture, and suggests that times of economic uncertainty shouldn’t necessarily deter new start-ups.
Turning good ideas and passions into a successful business during a period of economic uncertainty might [...]
Continue Reading
