Interest Rates The base rate of interest in the UK remains at 0.5%, an all time low. The cautionary note came from the notes to the last MPC meeting which showed 2 of the panel voting for a rise, this is the first real split in opinion for some time. So does this mean interest
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What Are Growth Vouchers The Government have several initiatives aimed at helping small businesses succeed. There is a real recognition by Government that small businesses need support, the surprising thing to many is just how many schemes there are available. Growth vouchers are available to most businesses in England and offer up to £2,000 of
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Manor Royal Know Your Neighbour Event Great to meet last week. We were delighted to exhibit at the 2014 Manor Royal ‘Know Your Neighbour Event’. The day was busy and it was great to exhibit alongside the best local small businesses and the larger stalwarts of the Crawley business community. For anyone who we didn’t
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Cash Flow Screw Ups Or, how to screw up your cash flow. Not the positive note you are supposed to start any article with, but this is pretty much the biggest thing to go wrong with small businesses. Let’s be honest, if you screw up your cash flow then you have pretty much lost control
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Increase Profit Margin If only it was that easy! You sell something for more than you paid for it, pretty much the theory behind all businesses. Margin is the difference between sale price and cost of the goods being sold. In accounting terms this is called ‘Gross Margin’. Take off all your overheads, those things
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Auto Enrolment This is something we have been asked about by clients many times. It is not something we directly work with, so in the interests of giving the best possible information the below is provided by Paul Stow of Lighthouse, a man with over 25 years financial experience and to whom this subject is
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The Cost of Finance Commercial Finance What is the cost of commercial finance? The most common answer surrounds interest rate and fees, which is a fair answer. If we were to say that the cost of commercial finance can actually become an income, or negative cost, then it starts to raise eyebrows. The theory is
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The Real Reason Banks Wont Lend To Business Anytime Soon The economy is growing, inflation under control, interest rates expected to stay static in 2014, a bit more feelgood in the country. The banks are saying the right things, funding initiatives everywhere. So, why are small businesses still finding it hard to get commercial finance?
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