This year has seen 50,000 fewer business start ups compared with 2007. However, Barclays predict that the decline in start up business numbers will ease by the end of 2008.
Because SMEs are now starting up with a greater degree of caution, they are likely to be better placed to survive the current economic downturn. With [...]

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As the economy tightens, SME owners are spending more time at work than at home. Research suggests that UK business owners are dedicated to the long term success of their business with 28% of owners planning at least 25 years commitment to their company, and 20% planning to work into their seventies.
Subsequently, the attention [...]

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The Federation of Small Businesses has presented it’s letter to Downing Street, outlining key reasons why the government should ensure SMEs automatically receive commercial rate relief.
The FSB are campaigning for automatic qualification of the benefit because a significant proportion of SMEs are unaware of their eligibility. This has resulted in an estimated £200 million [...]

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Businesses are not taking adequate responsibility for protecting personal data, according a recent survey.
The Open Rights Group have highlighted the need for companies to underpin their data protection policy more securely so that employees and consumers are properly protected. The risk an occurrence of fraud is rising year on year, but according to ORG, [...]

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The Financial Reporting Council has warned businesses to be vigilant about fraud. As fraud cases reach record levels in the UK, the FRC estimates that fraud has cost UK firms over £1 billion so far this year.
The FRC’s director of corporate reporting, Ian Wright, believes businesses need to be very attentive to internal fraudulent activity. [...]

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The Forum of Private Businesses believe small companies are now extremely vulnerable to the effects of increased business rates.
The leading lobby group pin-pointed the reform of the Empty Property Rate Relief as a main contributor to the financial strain on SMEs. The reform was enforced in April 2008, which meant businesses now only qualify [...]

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According to the Association of Consulting Actuaries (ACA), 31% of small businesses will opt out of their private pension schemes once the new Personal Accounts are introduced.
394 small businesses were questioned and the results revealed that 40% of companies with fewer than 250 employees are likely to withdraw from the Personal Accounts scheme because they [...]

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SMEs are reminded that licensing out a product can be an extremely effective way of capitalising on mature products. As SMEs search for ways to survive the slowdown, it is being sold as a method of creating an easy roll of income for small manufacturers.
According to Julian Nolan, intellectual property expert, this strategy allows businesses [...]

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