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Business owners generally focus most on the sales that bring in the income, rather than on their suppliers. That’s understandable, but it can also be short sighted. Recent research by retail bank Aldermore has found that well over half of SMEs have suffered supply-chain problems in the past year — and this has cost a total of £1.9 billion. Why Are There Supply Chain Delays? Disruptions to supply chains have been goin

There have been many signs recently that the economy is in trouble, most obviously the most recent announcement of interest rate rises. Another troubling sign, though, has been given less publicity — a sharp rise in business insolvencies in May. What’s behind this, and what does it mean for you as a business owner? The Rise in the Figures Business insolvency figures have been rising for a while, but it’s been possibl

With rampant inflation and a cost-of-living crisis in progress, it would be easy to assume that businesses would be consolidating and cutting costs. While some may be, though, the attitude where SMEs are concerned looks surprisingly optimistic. There are challenges, however. So, should you go for growth or concentrate on playing safe? SMEs Planning for Investment A recent survey by retail bank Aldermore has revealed

During the Covid pandemic, surprisingly few companies went into administration. This was because a raft of government support measures, such as furlough and bounce-back loans, allowed struggling companies to survive. But this is over, now, and it’s showing, with new issues adding to the effect. The number of companies entering administration in March 2023 was the highest for three years. The Covid Effect on Administr

One of the major financial innovations of the past decade has been the rise of open banking. This term describes the use of open APIs (application programming interfaces) to allow users more control over their banking. While uptake has been limited among consumers, it’s proved popular with SMEs. Recent research has shown more than 750,000 SMEs using it in the UK. What Is Open Banking? Open banking is the general term

With many businesses devastated by the Covid pandemic, government measures like furlough and bounce-back loans were often lifesavers. However, when the time came to start paying back, not everyone repaying as easy as borrowing. Sometimes this was due to ongoing challenges, but some cases were self-inflicted. Bounce-Back Loan Fraud — Convictions Begin Because of the urgency of the situation, bounce-back loans were oft

You have a lot on your plate as a business owner, and keeping your accounts up to date might seem like something that can be put off till you have more time. This is unwise, even if nothing goes wrong, but there are circumstances when getting caught with your accounts undone could lead to disqualification as a Director. The Case of Mitchell Smith The government has recently announced the disqualification of Mitchell

Official inflation figures have just been released for December, and it won’t be a surprise to many people that the news is bad. The figure is 5.4% — the highest inflation since March 1992. This is clearly bad news for consumers, especially those on low income, but what is it likely to mean for your business? Inflation Squeezing Household Spending Much of the recent inflation, the highest this century, is obvio

The liquidation of a company doesn’t always have to be a traumatic event. There are many reasons why a decision may be taken to close down a company and, as long as it has enough assets to pay all creditors in full, this can be done in an orderly fashion through a solvent liquidation. However, occasionally this procedure goes wrong, and the liquidator is forced to convert the process to an insolvent liquidation

Many sectors of the financial world have their own independent oversight bodies. The best known is probably the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) but similar organisations operate in various areas of finance. One notable exception, though, has been the debt enforcement sector — but that may be changing. A prominent think-tank has brought together various sides of the sector and proposed a framework for a new oversigh