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By Alan, on March 31st, 2012
Whatever size business you are running, the chances are that you use Microsoft Office at least to some extent. It is a software package that has always been popular with businesses and is by far the most dominant one in the market. There are numerous packages available for businesses of different sizes and all types of clients.
Small businesses are sometimes those that find it more difficult to utilise Microsoft Office and Microsoft recognise this, and have recently developed a new piece of software that is going to make it easier for small businesses to use the Office package. This piece of software is called Microsoft Office 365.
The reason the package is going to work for small businesses is because there is no initial outlay cost. The software can be used online and users pay a monthly fee for using it. This works out at about four pounds per month for each individual user. This makes it significantly cheaper than having to buy a full licence for your business. It also allows a great deal of flexibility as you can add more people to the package as your business grows.
By subscribing to this package users will get all of the usual benefits associated with Microsoft Office, including access to Excel and Word. It also gives access to other facilities such as Microsoft Lync, which can be used for business instant messaging as well as making phone calls over the Internet.
Microsoft recognise that one of the biggest costs to businesses is the initial start-up costs and this is why they have launched this product. It takes away the fixed cost of purchasing the software and turns it into a variable one, which is more manageable on a monthly basis.
Office 365 is also very useful as you don’t actually have to install it on your computers, the use of the software is all done across the Internet. This means that whichever computer you are on, you will have access to your software and be able to access your documents. The only thing you require is an Internet connection. All storage is hosted by Microsoft which means that any maintenance costs are also very low. Updates are also installed automatically and any software issues can be dealt with by a remote team.
Getting started with the software is incredibly easy and all a business owner has to do is go to the website, sign up, and they will immediately have access to all of the software. Microsoft Office is something that everyone is familiar with as it is something that is taught at school and utilised in every office.
Businesses can also benefit from the software as they will have two hire less tech support people. As everything is maintained by Microsoft employees, it is not necessary to have someone in the office to fix any software problems.
One reason people are sometimes put off using cloud computing is that the data can be stored in a very faraway location where costs are lower. This gives people some concern about security and to deal with this problem Microsoft have located the data centre closer to home.
All data is being stored in Dublin and here it is even more secure than it would be in your own office. Having the data centre within the EU also means that it has to comply with EU regulations and means there is less legal hassle for small businesses to have to deal with.
This data centre is also utilised by some of Microsoft’s biggest clients, so you will be enjoying the same level of security as some of the largest companies in the world. Microsoft also guarantee that the data centre will be online 99.9 percent of the time so you will always be able to access your data when you need it. The guarantee means that if the server goes down when you need your documents, you will be given free access to the facilities as way of an apology.
By Alan, on March 29th, 2012
If you are a company that has just had a business loan application rejected, you don’t need telling what a bitter blow this can be, and what headaches follow. Ultimately, this could mean that the company can not invest, or cover expenses such as bills, assets etc. Small businesses in particular are really struggling as many are not receiving the money for invoices they have sent out within the stated time, and thus don’t have the funds to pay their own.
The two best known financial products that can be used to improve the cash flow situation within a business are lines of credit and conventional business loans. Whilst these are the most common they are not, however, always the best solution. If the financial dilemma of your company is that you simply can’t wait 30-45 days for your invoices to be paid, you should take a serious look at invoice financing.
There is little deviation in the way that most commercial transactions are carried out; a service or product is provided, along with an invoice for payment. The client then has anywhere between 30-60 days to settle their invoice, depending on the terms of your company. Most companies have no alternative to offering payment terms because large companies demand it, and if you refuse they will go elsewhere, simple as that.
This is one of the costs of doing business with important clients, but waiting for the money to come in has caused many nightmares for both companies and their accountancy service. By engaging the services of an invoice financing company, such as Touch Financial, you can get the money instantly from your outstanding invoices and not have to wait for the money to hit the company bank account to pay your own bills.
This is an area of business financing that has been increasing greatly in popularity recently, and many small businesses have said that without invoice financing they would have had to stop trading as the simply couldn’t afford to wait for invoice to be paid. The fact that they have 80-90% of the value of their invoices instantly gives them the cash to pay their own bills and secure the discounts often offered for instant payments.
The critical difference between invoice financing and the likes of loans is that they check out the credit rating of the company who owns the money, not the receiver. This is how they determine which invoices they will pay out on, and which they won’t. This is a much fairer system all around as you may have been declined a loan on the basis you have made numerous late payments yourself, purely due to having to wait for invoices to be paid.
Featured article for Touch Financial,
By Alan, on March 27th, 2012
When a car gets older the first instinct is to have it hauled out of the back garden by anyone that is willing to take away. Some junkyards will even entice people by offering to take their cars for free; which can seem like a great deal if you are tired of your old car sitting in the garden with weeds growing around it. However, before you give up your junk car for free or a very low value you may want to jump online and take a look at what you could get if you take a look at junk car valuation websites.
This is due to the fact that there is actually a lot more money in junk cars then what most people think. Most junk yards do not want you to know this because then they would not be able to make as much of an easy profit off of your vehicle purchase. Even if a junk car becomes worthless to you it can still hold some value in the right sort of circumstances. For instance, if it is a very old car than it actually may be considered historical and there may be a collector that is willing to pay you more for it simply so that they can restore it.
More likely, the parts that are left in the car are actually of high value, so even if the car no longer works the pieces that are still good inside the car are valuable. Therefore, even if you cannot drive the junk car the components can be worth a high amount used driving up the junk car valuation overall. For this reason, it is a good idea to check out the Blue Book price to get a good idea of what the car would be worth in good condition and then check out a junk car website to see what the pieces would be worth.
By taking a medium of these figures you can get a better idea of what you should receive if you choose to sell your car to a junk yard or to another used car buyer. The idea is to make sure that you get the highest value possible while also getting rid of an old junk car. Even if you only make a few hundred pounds more it is worth some time to investigate what your options are are.
Article Courtesy of Blue book
By Alan, on March 26th, 2012
If you are a large organisation that handles large funds of money for employees then one thing you may want to look into is getting an institutional trader to handle your Forex needs. While you ca experiment with brokers and hedge funds via private investors and representatives, the advantage of choosing a company with institutional specialists is that they are able to manage all types of funds and take advantage of the larger pip rates and spread in the retail market.
As a private investor you often do not have access to these special spreads since you do not trade in the larger volumes or amounts. For this reason, it may be time to consider a company that practices Institutional Forex so that you can start to take advantage of the larger spreads for your company as well.
In order to take advantage of these practices you o not have to be a large company, simply willing to work with a company such as Citi that is. This is because they will trade on your behalf as an institution allowing even a SME to see large dividends on a smaller investor within a smaller time frame.
This is just one reason that institutional trading is successful; another is because a broker can get the edge over the trading market simply by being a part of a larger network. For example, when working with institutional traders they can see where most of the orders within their own system are being placed.
This is a large tip-off to where the big money is heading allowing them to see where the trade is solid and where it may be shaky. Technically not considered insider information since they are simply studying an algorithm; this allows them to make safer trades following the general consensus.
The above reasons are just two reasons why a business can profit from getting involved in institutional trading, but there are many more. However, you will only reap these benefits if you choose to trade with a known and respected Forex trader that already has an established place in the market.
For this reason, it is a great idea to go with a company such as CitiFX Pro that already offers an institutional trading programme with services and solutions designed to meet the needs of every business and organisation regardless of their physical size.
By David Forex blogger
By Alan, on March 25th, 2012
 Franchise buyers could save thousands by going through Franchise Direct UK Prospective franchisees could benefit from reduced management and franchise fees, extra territory, free training, websites and laptops by applying through their portal site.
Franchise Direct are the leading, and best performing, franchise directory site, and are constantly striving for quality and innovative attractions to ensure that all potential franchisees find everything they need quickly and easily.
One of their most popular features in their exclusive offer campaign, www.franchisedirect.co.uk/exclusiveoffers , has been the introduction of their easy pay plan, which allows franchisees to pay only a small percentage of the franchise fee, and the rest can be paid in instalments as the nw business flourishes.
In a climate where access to credit can hinder the growth of new business, Franchise Direct wanted to address this by providing unique payment solutions and better value to visitors. “Every penny counts, and we want to ensure visitors that they won’t get a better deal searching for franchises anywhere else in the United Kingdom,” said European Manager, Brian Rogan
“This Exclusive Offer campaign provides some really great add ons, including discounts of thousands of pounds, new software and laptops across a huge variety of industries.”The initial costs are a huge factor in any start up and franchise businesses are no different. With a proven model and support packages, we hope to make franchising a real option for as many entrepreneurial people as possible, giving the economy a real kick start”, Rogan continued.
Better Value for Visitors
The campaign is extended across a number of industries, including Business Consulting, Online Business, Sports Franchises, Food Franchises, Yoga Franchises, Dating Franchises and Computer Franchises.
Visitors to the Franchise Direct site will now not only be able to browse through a huge variety of franchise and business opportunities in a range of industries such as business consultancy franchises, through to automotive franchises and even pet care franchises, but know they won’t find a better deal anywhere else online.
Some of the Exclusive Offers include:
When The Music Stops dating franchise are offering FDUK visitors a £1,000 reduction on franchise fees
Assist With Solutions business consulting franchise are offering a free laptop and software licenses
Clean My Office cleaning franchise are offering 60 months fee free.
Individuals interested in starting their own franchise business can browse the range of exclusive offers and apply for information on financing on the Franchise Direct site by logging on to http://www.franchisedirect.co.uk/.
The campaign will continue throughout the spring, and the company are keen to invite other franchises to get involved in the project.
“We have found Franchise Direct has come top of the list, for the majority of our clients, for lead generation time and time again over the years. There is no hesitation for us to recommend advertising with Franchise Direct to all of our existing clients and the many new clients who come on board with ARC Media,” said Toni Pottinger of leading franchise advertising agency Arc Media.
By admin, on March 24th, 2012
When you wake up in the morning what is one of the first things you reach for to help kick start your day? For most people, it is a warm brew or a steaming cup of coffee, and the nation’s love for these hot beverages means personalised mugs are a great way to market your brand to the public.
Here in the UK, we love to drink – cappuccinos, herbal teas, instant coffees and a good ol’ cup of chai, that is – so it’s hardly surprising to hear that printing your brand on to mugs and giving these out to people will go a long way to boosting awareness of your company.
Here are just a few reasons why:
Workplace coffee breaks
Working in the office often means that the occasional coffee helps break up the day for employees; this is why giving away free branded mugs to companies is an effective marketing tool.
Not only does the occasional trip to the kitchen or cafeteria help give workers the opportunity to tear themselves away from their computer screens, but let’s face it, most of us like to have a coffee or two to keep us going throughout the day. In fact, Alterra Coffee Roasters revealed that 65 per cent of office workers drink the brown stuff during the working week.
If, therefore, you have the same proportion of a company using your mugs to sip their beverage from, your firm is bound to attract some attention and interest from coffee drinkers.
What’s more, three cups of coffee are typically drunk by office workers a day, according to Alterra Coffee, ensuring that if they haven’t seen your brand’s name or logo the first couple of times, they will definitely spot it by their third shot of caffeine!
It isn’t just coffee that workers love and tea has been on the top of the list of the nation’s favourite drink for many years. So much so that the UK Tea Council revealed that 165 million brews are consumed every day – that’s a lot of opportunities you’ve got to promote your firm if you print your company’s name, logo and website on each mug.
Add to your kitchenware
Promotional mugs aren’t just great for office workers and could feature in many households as popular kitchen items.
There never seems to be enough cups to go round – especially when you have guests over and you offer them a tea or coffee. So, instead of having to invest in new crockery, personalised mugs are sure to be welcomed gifts for families who always need a spare.
Printed mugs are also a great opportunity to give something personal to one member of your household, whether as a special birthday mug, a Mother’s or Father’s Day present or to print a nickname or a message for a special occasion. This also helps each family member use their own mug, so there aren’t any arguments about who’s taking who’s!
Keep it personal
By keeping your promotional products personal, there is a greater chance people will retain the items for longer, which could do wonders for your advertising potential.
Mugs are one of the most popular freebies that are kept for a long period of time, but make them individual to the recipient and they won’t want to ever throw them away!
Figures from the British Promotional Merchandise Association show that 18 per cent of Brits kept a free cup for the longest compared with other promotional products – just think how long they will keep hold of them if they are personalised too.
If you have kept a personalised promotional product for a long time, why not tell us about it by leaving a comment below?
Courtesy of BPMA
By admin, on March 23rd, 2012
Small businesses are struggling, and there seems to be very little light at the end of the tunnel. We read about it all the time in the media and our high streets and business parks are littered with empty shop premises and office spaces. Whether you are an established small business or looking to start one up, there are a few ways that you can save money, which in return improves your cash flow and allows it to be used in ways that are far more beneficial to your company.
Many small businesses just accept their bills when they come in, and as most are paid by direct debit, dozens don’t even look at them. Take time out to check your bill properly, the overcharges that go unnoticed add up to millions of pounds a year, and you could be contributing to that total.
If you have been with your energy or utility company for a while given them a call and try and negotiate a better deal, or shop around and see if you can get them cheaper elsewhere. There are numerous companies that provide broadband and telephone services, and just because you have been with one provider for a long time doesn’t mean that they are necessarily the cheapest or the best.
Also check your companies bank and credit cards statements, there could be subscriptions for things coming out on a monthly basis that you haven’t used for some time, or years even, so make sure the only money leaving your account is for viable things that you still use regularly.
If your office furniture has past its best and desperately needs renewing, don’t rush out and spend a wad of cash on new stuff, when there is such a great range of used office furniture available online. A quick search will show you exactly what is available and it will cost a great deal less than buying new. Whether you need desks, chairs or whatever, see what used furniture you can get and save yourself some cash.
By buying in bulk in as large quantities as you can manage, and paying instantly without letting the statutory 30-45 day grace period elapse after you have received your invoice will often secure you a prompt payment discount. By implementing this with as many suppliers as you can, it can add up to quite a tidy sum over the year, and that, with the other tips mentioned here, can make your cash flow situation an awful lot rosier.
By Alan, on March 23rd, 2012
The new Finance Bill for this year should be positive for innovative businesses that are interested in developing intellectual property and undertaking research and development within the UK. As part of the upcoming finance bill, any companies that take on R&D projects will be entitled to better tax breaks on their activities.
Companies that qualify for the tax breaks include those that regularly have R&D expenditures. How much of a tax relief they receive depends on if they are an SME or a large corporation. A business falls under the tag of SME if they have less than 500 regular full time employees or turn over 100m euros or less every year. In addition, if their assets are valued at less than 86m euro they may also fall into the category of SME.
Under the current Finance Bill, any business that qualifies as a SME can claim as much as 100% tax relief so if an SME spent £100,000 on R&D then it would receive the same tax relief as a company that spent double that amount. A company that qualifies at the tax rate of 20% would receive £40,000 if they spent £100,000 on their R&D efforts.
As of April 1st of this year, once the Finance Bill is announced, the tax relief bar will be set at 125%, allowing companies to receive much more relief for their R&D efforts and in some instances, when an SME does not qualify for a R&D project, they can still qualify for grants towards future R&D.
The news of the increase in tax relief is great for companies that are used to claiming R&D relief as they will see larger rewards. The only likely problem will be that many companies will qualify for a higher level of relief, but will not realise that they should be claiming it.
Business that may qualify for the tax reliefs in general include those in the industries of software, manufacturing, engineering, and pharmaceutical, although there are many other industries that will also qualify if they participate in new product development or for considering altering their industrial process.
For businesses that are worried about the economic impact of instituting an R&D project the new tax relief may be boost that is needed to make an idea viable. These projects can also be sought after for partnerships, but in this case businesses should proceed cautiously to make sure that their project will still qualify for the tax relief at optimal levels.
Outside of the new tax credits, there are a few other things that are expected to be included in the new Finance Bill. For instance, new patent box rules will be introduced that will allow any profits from a patent that is earned after April 1 to be eligible for a 10% corporate tax rate. This tax rate will be good until April 1st of next year.
Although the R&D tax rate will only be good for the first stages of R&D, the patent box tax credit can continue to be applied although it is only viable for companies that have European or UK patents with extensions to IP that is associated with the agri-chemical and pharmaceutical industries. By the time the legislation is actually published it may be extended to include other sectors as well.
By admin, on March 16th, 2012
If you own a business that deals with the public then one thing you may want to research is public liability insurance. This is due to the fact that this type of policy is not part of every indemnity policy, and if something occurs and your business is not covered it could mean the difference between bankruptcy and continuing on. While you can repair a broken reputation with years of work, there is not much you can do to repair a catastrophic financial situation once it occurs. Therefore, you need to take preventative action to avoid a lawsuit payout from ever affecting your company.
It is important to understand what exactly public liability insurance is to understand the need for it. In minimal terms, this type of insurance covers your business if any customer suffers an injury while on the premises of your business. In addition, it extends cover if their property is damaged while either on your business property. For example, if a car was on the property of a mechanic and it was damaged by fire or accident then you could be sued even if you were not involved in the accident. In addition, all legal charges are covered in the case that a claim is filed.
One thing that it is important to understand is that all businesses have risks associated with them whether they are evident or not. Some business owners make the mistake of believing that since they run a simple small shop or boutique they are not at risk and do not need public liability insurance. However, accidents can occur and something as simple as a slip in your shop due to a rain puddle can lead to a very high legal bill if the customer sues.
Finally, it is vital to understand that you need coverage while working on the property of a client, and not on your own business property. For example, if you are a locksmith and you damage property inside of the home while attempting to open the door you will be liable for damages. Although you are not on your property, when you enter the another’s home or business for business purposes you become liable for any damage you may cause whether intentional or not. Therefore, it is important for all business owners to carry some type of personal liability insurance.
Article for Directlineforbusiness.co.uk
By Alan, on March 13th, 2012
 The SME Finance Monitor is a survey that looks at how available funding is for small and medium-sized enterprises.
It recently came to the conclusion that at the end of last year, the vast majority of businesses that apply for finance with banks were approved.
The survey showed that around 80 percent of applications for overdrafts were approved by banks, and around 60 percent of loan applications that were put forward were also approved.
This might sound atypical to the other news that has been circulating about the availability of finance for small businesses. It is important to take into account that the number of applications for finance has significantly dropped however. This is probably not because businesses do not want the finance, but because they believe they will be denied it. This seems to be a factor that is particularly affecting firms that have less than 10 employees.
It is expected that the situation is going to further improve in the coming months. The budget, which is shortly going to be announced by the Chancellor, is expected to outline a credit easing scheme by the government. Furthermore the new bank, Aldermore, is going to have a focus on funding small businesses with a good business model.
Peer-to-peer funding is also starting to establish itself. Funding Circle is a new company which works in a similar way to Zopa, however, unlike Zopa, Funding Circle allows money to be lent from investors directly to companies. The funding company allows investors to select which small companies they want to invest in, as well as allowing them to spread their investment over several small companies.
So far, the returns for investors have been excellent and have been at around eight percent, furthermore, the bad debt ratio for the small companies involved in the scheme is very low. The success of Funding Circle has caused a great deal of interest in the industry and it is expected that several banks are going to be establishing similar programs in the near future.
This type of funding is seen as particularly popular for small businesses that are operating in the technology sector. One of the reasons why the model seems to work so well is because investors believe lending to small companies is a good way to use money that they have spare.
The establishment of this kind of lending system is a testament to the validity of free-market economics. Many small companies are being refused funding from larger banking institutions, and they will later go onto receive from funding bodies such as Funding Circle.
As the success of Funding Circle has proven, most of these companies are very successful at paying back the amount they owe and using the investment wisely. In many ways it is a lesson to banks that the loans they are refusing to small companies are being refused unfairly.
A small business that has been seeing a great deal of success despite the economic downturn is the manufacturer of ready to cook meals, Charlie Bigham’s. The company was founded 15 years ago and was targeted towards people who were wanting to buy a ready meal that was not of a low quality. Using premium ingredients the company created a range of ready meals that can be quickly prepared but are healthy and delicious.
Initially, the company had a presence in small delicatessens, but since that time their products have been taken up by Sainsbury’s as well as Waitrose. The products are more expensive than the cheapest ready meals you can buy, but they are a premium product, and even in these times of economic hardship, people still think that they are worth purchasing over the cheaper alternatives.
The company attributed the vast majority of their success to the fact that people market their products by word-of-mouth. They have stated that advertising is very hard to do for small businesses and most of the growth has simply come because people want to tell their friends about the product.
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