A company can spend significant amounts of time and money developing their brand and building their image, whether that’s online or in-store. However, if they can’t manage to get noticed, then all this work might be something of a waste.
In order to make the most of your brand and engage potential customers, it is vital to get noticed and get the word out about what your business is all about. Creativity and originality are cru... Continue Reading
Even in such a difficult M&A environment, it can be hard to stand out from other potential buyers when looking to acquire a business, particularly if you are a first-time buyer. The temptation might be to jump straight in with the highest offer you can muster, but this isn’t necessarily the best way to proceed.
Acquiring a business is no small endeavor; it requires careful planning, meticulous research, and strategic execution. I... Continue Reading
As buyers struggle to raise the financing needed for acquisitions amid a turbulent economic environment, owners seeking to sell their businesses may find that their pool of potential buyers is smaller and that they are unable to achieve the kind of valuation that they’d expect. In this scenario, it may be useful for owners to think outside of the box and approach the process differently, perhaps by seeking to sell their business through an alte... Continue Reading
Virtually every business owner, regardless of their company's size, shares a common objective: to expand their business and enhance its worth. Whether you are a new business owner focused on future growth or contemplating the sale of your existing venture, increasing its value is crucial to both aspirations.
When we discuss boosting your business's value, it may bring to mind lofty and intricate growth strategies that take... Continue Reading
As a small business owner, it is crucial for you to optimise your marketing efforts to maximise its effectiveness and attract as many customers as possible. After all, the success – and even the survival - of your business depends on it. The key to success lies in crafting the right advertising strategy.
In today's digital age, having a well-defined digital advertising strategy is imperative. Social media platforms provide a ... Continue Reading
When examining a business you are considering buying, one factor will be paramount: what is its scope for growth? After all, an acquisition doesn’t make much strategic sense if it can’t deliver growth, even if growth is something that might take a year or more to achieve.
Reliably gauging the growth potential of a target business can be problematic, though, particularly during a pre-acquisition period in which the focus may be ... Continue Reading
M&A activity is one of the only reliable avenues to growth available to business owners during the current economic uncertainty, with consumer sentiment low, inflation high and costs for raw materials, labour and energy all continuing to rise.
The problem is, amid such uncertainty, the traditional avenues for securing the financing required for M&A activity are more restricted, with lenders such as banks tightening their financing ... Continue Reading
In our last blog, we looked at the basic steps that small businesses can take when it comes to minimising the risks of getting paid late, how to chase up late payments and how to escalate the issue if a customer is persisting in not paying.
A recent survey found that three-quarters of SME owners say that they have cashflow issues a... Continue Reading
A new survey of small and medium-sized businesses conducted by alternative finance specialist Time Finance has revealed that around three-quarters of SMEs have cashflow worries as a direct result of overdue customer invoices.
Furthermore, all SMEs surveyed in the report said that an increasing number of customers had been late with payments, around a fifth said that customer relationships had been damaged by being forced to chase m... Continue Reading
Amid ongoing economic disruption, SMEs throughout the UK are increasingly turning to freelancers as they look to benefit from the flexibility, skills and improved business performance that self-employed workers can deliver.
A study last year conducted by Iwoca found that 65 per cent of UK SMEs would use freelancers to support their businesses, with SME owners polled in the survey saying that hiring freelancers enabled them to minim... Continue Reading
Jeremy Hunt unveiled his first Budget as Chancellor last week and, as usual, the UK’s small business owners will have been watching closely to find out what the impact – whether positive or negative – of any new measures will be for their companies.
Overall, the reaction to the Budget from the small business community has largely been mixed to negative, with praise for some measures that will benefit small business owners, bu... Continue Reading
Making your first acquisition can be exciting and scary in equal measure and, while you probably acknowledge that some mistakes might be made (entering the world of M&A is a learning curve, after all), your first deal is one you’ll be eager to get right.
That, of course, means you’ll need to undertake an exhaustive due diligence process to ensure any potential targets don’t have too many skeletons in the closet and that you�... Continue Reading
If a business sale begins to stall, it can start to feel like the process will drag on forever and that your hopes of a successful exit are diminishing by the day. You can get in a vicious circle and become disillusioned with the sale, potentially leading you to make decisions that cause it to drag on even longer.
It’s important not to become too downhearted though, instead, you should think methodically and logically about what ... Continue Reading
It might sound odd, but one of the best decisions you can make when starting a new business is to begin thinking about when you might exit the company, what form this exit might take and what you plan to do once you’ve completed your exit.
While this isn’t to say that you shouldn’t plan to be at the business for the long term, incorporating a potential exit strategy into your business plan can deliver numerous benefits – bo... Continue Reading
With the UK on the brink of recession, many SME owners will be understandably worried about what the future may bring. The temptation at times like these may be to pause any ambitious growth plans and instead focus on just making it through to the other side of the downturn.
However, the best way to survive a crisis is in fact to focus on ways of attaining growth, which will not only improve a business’ chances of outperforming c... Continue Reading
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