Green issues and sustainability have perhaps never been more important to consumers as they are now. Which of course means that it’s important for your business to demonstrate its green credentials in order to gain the respect, trust and commerce of today’s more environmentally aware customers.
By extension, green concerns are also now more important to other businesses and you will perhaps equally need to demonstrate your susta... Continue Reading
When you find the perfect business to buy it's easy to want to jump straight in and make an offer. However, it's important to remember that you may not be the only person who is interested in taking it off the market. No matter whether you're battling with a confirmed rival or simply attempting to pre-emptively bat away any possible competition, you should make every effort to make yourself attractive to the current owner if you wa... Continue Reading
This month, thousands of retailers across the UK will be able to reopen their doors to customers again. Although the UK’s roadmap out of lockdown looks increasingly shaky given the rise of the Indian variant of COVID-19, hospitality businesses are set to follow them and return to full capacity next month.
After so long not trading, or trading under the various restrictions imposed during the pandemic, business owners will undoubte... Continue Reading
If you’ve decided to buy a business and have identified a target, or list of targets, the next step is to start thinking about how you’re going to approach the owner over the possibility of a deal. This can be a daunting process, especially if the business you have in mind isn’t formally “for sale”. However, there are several trusted, effective ways of approaching a potential acquisition in a professional, respectful manner.
Continue Reading
Problems with onboarding new employees are thought to cost the UK’s SMEs millions each year. Significant numbers of workers either don’t start a job or leave within six months due to poor onboarding practices. This costs businesses both in recruitment costs and in terms of their brand value as an employer
Clearly, merely focusing on getting employees through the door while paying little or no heed to ensuring they are welcomed, p... Continue Reading
As the owner of a small or medium-sized business, there might come a time when your business’ growth means that you outgrow your current quarters. Maybe you’re in a home office and looking to move somewhere more professional or you’re thinking of swapping your small office for something bigger.
Whatever your situation, and whether this is your first, second, or even third change of office, planning the move and getting it righ... Continue Reading
A vital element of selling your business will be determining a valuation, which you can then use to guide your sale price. Due to the valuation’s central role in your sales process, it’s something you will need to be certain you get right.
Undervalue your business and you run the risk of attracting a fee that doesn’t reflect your company’s true worth. Overvalue and you may find that potential buyers are unwilling to meet you... Continue Reading
The Spring Budget arrived last week, setting out a plan for the UK’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the crisis still very much ongoing for the time being and significant restrictions in place for the next few months, business owners at the UK’s SMEs will have been keen to hear what kind of aid the government will provide for what are, hopefully, the final few weeks of lockdown.
Financial support con... Continue Reading
It’s no secret that times are hard for the UK’s SMEs at the moment. Even for those that aren’t facing imminent peril from the threats of COVID-19 lockdown or Brexit, the problem facing high-potential SMEs is how to generate growth with the economy in a state of paralysis.
With the UK set to reopen over the next few months as the vaccine rollout progresses, some SME owners will understandably want to turn their thoughts from su... Continue Reading
When it comes to selling your business, arguably the most crucial thing you can do is to get people around you who have experience of the process and who, most importantly, you know you can trust.
Having the right support throughout your business sale will be vital to navigating the various issues and problems you are likely to encounter and, ultimately, to achieving a successful sale.
Here, we’ve compiled the top th... Continue Reading
When you first start your business, planning your exit from it is unlikely to be at the forefront of your thinking. At the beginning, you’re probably thinking more about your vision for the company and its growth over the first couple of years and obviously we don’t want to discourage this.
However, thinking early about how and when you might exit the business has numerous benefits, some, obviously, that will pay off a few years... Continue Reading
Planning a business exit during COVID-19 is difficult and many who had been eyeing a sale may have long ago shelved their plans in order to wait for the market to recover.
However, if you’re intent on selling your business and not inclined to wait out the crisis, then you want to both maximise your chances of a successful sale, while minimising your exposure to risk.
One way to broaden the pool of potential buyers fo... Continue Reading
Completing the arduous process of finding the right business for you and then finalising the acquisition is a great feeling. But, of course, you’ll be aware that the hard work has really only just begun.
Whether you acquired it in a distressed state and it needs a total turnaround, or if the business needs an injection of modernisation and innovation, knowing how to go about restructuring your new company will be central to ensuri... Continue Reading
After four and a half years that seem to have lasted a lifetime, the UK will finally leave the European Union on January 1 2021 when the Brexit transition period ends.
While some issues, including the small matter of a trade deal, remain up in the air, the imminent reality of Brexit is something that everyone needs to face up to. This is perhaps especially true for business owners.
With so much uncertainty still surrou... Continue Reading
So, here we are again, in another lockdown during which non-essential businesses must close their doors to customers. As an SME owner, you’ll know you’re not alone in battling a mixed feeling of deja vu and dread at the prospect of such another difficult disruption to trading.
While there are no doubt numerous similarities with the lockdown of the spring and early summer, this second lockdown will also be a different experience ... Continue Reading
For just £30 your business for sale will feature at the top of and in the sidebar on business for sale pages, making your business stand out from the crowd