BUSINESS INSIGHT

Several hundred people are killed each year and hundreds of thousands suffer ill health and injury at work. Following standard health and safety procedures is essential for every business to help ensure the happiness and security of both staff and visitors.

Public liability insurance protects you in the event of third party injury or damage to property as a result of your negligence. If you regularly interact with clients or customers, either at their place of work or yours, you should consider taking out public liability insurance although for most businesses it is not legally required.

Writing a business plan can be confusing for first-time entrepreneurs. Our sample outline provides you with a skeleton framework for writing a solid and well-crafted business plan.

In today’s world, many businesses are very reliant on technology. Employees will use computer screens for many hours; choosing the right monitors is important to keeping staff happy and maintaining high levels of productivity and output.

Protecting your intellectual property is essential to remaining profitable. Our guide explains the many ways in which you can get protection including patents, trademarks and ensuring your products are first-to-market.

Running your business from home brings an enormous number of benefits. However, it can also bring difficulties, such as a closer fusion of work and domesticity. One of the most difficult challenges home-based entrepreneurs face is maintaining professionalism at all times; these five tips should help you do so.

Controlling stock is essential to a business’ success. Overstocking can result in insufficient liquidity whilst understocking can make it impossible to satisfy your customers’ demands.

Learning to negotiate with investors will help you secure the best possible deal for your business. Your investor will try to strike a hard bargain – remaining strong but being flexible is key to success.

Private equity provides businesses with finance in exchange for a proportion of the business, most often in the form of shares. It is a popular method of financing because private investors often provide support and guidance in addition to capital.

Angel investors provide significant amounts of capital to start-ups and established businesses in exchange for an equity share of the business – they can also provide advice and industry contacts, but may want a say in the company’s future decisions.

Leased lines offer a dedicated, high-performance alternative to standard broadband lines. These robust connections to the internet are rented from a specialist provider, typically on an annual basis, and offer a host of benefits that help deliver outstanding speed and performance to businesses.

We all have days when we feel a bit ‘down in the dumps’, but there’s a fine line between feeling stressed about occasional workload and becoming isolated and, in some cases, depressed. This is a guide to stress at work, both identifying it and managing it.

Choosing commercial property is an essential step for any growing business. Making the right choice is paramount to success; the wrong lease and location can stifle your firm and bottom line.

Small business grants are available from both government-sponsored funds and also private organisations such as charities and Regional Development Agencies. They are typically for small amounts but offer very attractive repayment terms – in many cases the grant is a gift that doesn’t need to be repaid.

Many entrepreneurs looking for bank loans have been turned away. There are many reasons why banks reject loan applications; some are easy to fix whilst others may take a substantial amount of time and energy.

Logos can be worth their weight in gold, revealing a company’s brand and values instantly. Yet for all the great logos you see, there are hundreds of bad ones. Making sure your logo ticks all the boxes can really set your business apart from the rest.