For the first time the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) assembled an influential cross-party group of MPs to identify possible solutions to the deterioration of payment practises in the UK. Hosted by Debbie Abrahams MP, who has previously convened her own cross-party inquiry into the issue, she said: “Late payment is something that CEOs and […]
Continue ReadingThe accountancy firm BDO run an annual economic update seminar and with their confidence index showing an upswing, it’s interesting to put this into perspective. Douglas McWilliams, chairman of CEBR gave his thoughts for the upcoming year, some of which are highlighted here. They say if you have three economists in a room you get […]
Continue ReadingWritten business plans with clear financial goals are one of the differentiating elements of a successful business. It may be a bit hackneyed, but failing to plan is very often planning to fail and this 10 point guide published by the SME Insider and sponsored by Washington State University, serves as a useful reminder of […]
Continue ReadingYou can’t opt out of paying your taxes and pension contributions on time, without incurring penalties. Why should your government and its large customers opt out of paying you on time? The National Audit Office’s recent report highlights some disturbing government behaviours and a distinct lack of policy delivery expertise. Whitehall needs to set a […]
Continue ReadingIn a pre-Christmas address, the Pope has lambasted his team, citing a catalogue of 15 ills including indifference to others, excessive activity and mental and spiritual petrification. It makes any burst of anger from the corporate world look distinctly timid. The FT’s Andrew Hill translates his message for CEOs – let FDs beware… […]
Continue ReadingNew proposals have just been published by the Business Minister Matthew Hancock at the department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) obliging large and listed companies to publish detailed information about their payment practices and performance. The government is to consult on further measures to tackle late payment, but this new mandatory reporting regime could […]
Continue ReadingAre you are start-up looking to raise some money, perhaps by crowdfunding, but not sure how much your business is worth? The US based company EquityNet has a great little valuation tool. Not for the faint hearted, but a useful starting input to your strategic discussion.
Continue ReadingAccording to the Daily Telegraph last month, there is an elephant in the room with crowdfunding. With the arguable exception of the German platform, Companisto, investors have yet to make any money from their crowdfunding investments. Nevertheless with Nesta reporting a market growing by 200% to £84m year-on-year, it’s clearly an equity funding which has […]
Continue ReadingWith all the hype around crowdfunding one might think it was the answer to a maiden’s prayers. Not so for ParcelHero’s MD. In an interview for realbusiness he explains what went wrong. 60% of all crowdfunding pitches fail. His errors? Launching in the summer; no early strategic investor; a poor introductory video; too much writing; […]
Continue ReadingSimon Kuper, the Financial Times columnist knows a thing or two about writing. He’s won awards for his works. His advice to would-be authors – “To survive in this former profession, you probably need a rich spouse or rich parents” The median annual income of British professional writers (ie people whose main job is writing) […]
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