What are virtual office services and why do you need them?
If you are running your business from home, or the corner of someone else’s office, but need to reassure prospective clients that you are a...
Rachel Bridge
Rachel Bridge is a business author, SME expert and public speaker. She has written five best-selling books about entrepreneurs. Rachel is the former Enterprise Editor of The Sunday Times and now writes an opinion column about SMEs for The Sunday Telegraph.
Payroll software for UK businesses that’s HMRC & RTI recognised
Payroll software helps you organise and carry out the task of paying your employees their salaries each month. Related: A guide to accounting software How...
Open source software: Advantages & disadvantages
Open source software is generally free software that you can use in your business. Open source developers choose to make the source code of their...
CRM software: What you need to know
Customer relationship management (CRM) is a computer software programme for managing a company’s interactions with its customers and clients. It uses technology to organise and...
A guide to content management systems (CMS)
A content management system is a computer programme which allows several users to share files and other content. It is overseen by a central administrator...
Accounting software for UK small businesses
At its most basic accounting software consists of spreadsheets with rows and columns on which you can record sales and expenses. The spreadsheets are inbuilt...
Work and life balance: How to create and maintain a balance
Having an intense professional career or being a busy entrepreneur can be extremely exciting, but it can also be challenging. It's not just challenging for...
How does VAT work and how does it affect your business?
Value added tax is a tax levied by the government on sales of goods and services. All businesses which have an annual turnover of more...
Trade credit insurance: Protect your business from insolvent customers
Companies take out credit insurance to protect themselves from the risk of a trade customer going bust before it has paid for goods it has...
How to pay corporation tax
Every business is required to pay tax once a year on the profits it earns. This is known as corporation tax. For non-ring fence profits,...
Capital gains tax (CGT): Guidance on rates & allowances
Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is a tax on the profit you make when you sell, give away or exchange your business, assuming it has increased...
Business rates: What is your rateable value?
Business rates are taxes which are charged on most non-domestic premises including offices, shops, warehouses and factories. The rates are collected by your local council...
A complete guide to business insurance
When you start a business, there are several types of business insurance available to protect you and your business, some compulsory and some voluntary. Having...
How to get your business in the newspaper
Getting yourself written about in the press is the most effective form of free publicity there is. Why? Because huge numbers of people read newspapers...
How to be interviewed by a journalist
Hopefully, there is going to come a time when the positive buzz around you and your business attract the interest of the media. The local...