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  Our Mission UK Business Advisors facilitate SME success by solving client problems. We do this by applying our extensive experience together with robust and innovative solutions both as individuals and as a highly collaborative group.   Our …

Completed online in about 5 minutes – Free to a limited number of Business Owners Pondering on whether things will ever return to normal is a waste of time. Businesses must rethink their future. Our online toolkit is a great place to start, as it provi …

The seismic and devastating impact of Covid-19 on the majority of business plans cannot be overstated.   It is a fair assumption that things will never be the same again for some time; if ever. Hence the appearance in the media of the phrase “The New N …

Businesses are being turned down for claims on their Business Interruption Insurance policy during the Covid-19 pandemic. Often their brokers or insurers are telling them that their cover is not valid for a claim due to the impact of a pandemic. They m …

Uncertain if you can make an insurance claim arising from the disruption of your business as a result of the present Covid-19 lockdown?   WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP YOU. We are living through difficult times, without precedent, and whilst the Govern …

Our UKBA teams regularly meet by Zoom video call. Today, our London and South East team  reviewed the support given to companies in the last couple of weeks, and we would like to share this with you.   You are also encouraged to visit our gen …

Other than the cruel personal impact of COVID-19, there is unequal pain and gain for UK businesses. Hospitality businesses are grounded and businesses with sought after services and products are struggling to cope with demand and managing their supply …

As premier advisors to UK Small and Medium sized businesses, we are ready to play our part to help our clients and the wider business community during the Coronavirus emergency.

Contact us   Nationwide network of UK Business Advisors available to help you survive and then thrive   Businesses and individuals are facing unprecedented challenges and uncertain times due to the COVID-19 emergency. Like you, we are feeling …

Contacting UK Business Advisors   Please use the following contact form, rather than our phone number or email address, as we will be able to respond quicker. Please ensure that you fill in all the fields so that the most appropriate advisor can g …

Every business needs to make sales.  From responding to leads to actively selling, you must ensure you have the right person in place to secure those essential business wins. LGBA’s international business development expert Lesley Rubenstein outlines t …

Why keeping your accounts up to date could mean all the difference between running a successful business, limping along, or failing. Would you fly a plane while wearing a blindfold? I ask new clients ‘Would you fly a plane while wearing a blindfold?’. …

One of the biggest assets to grow your exports is free – THE U.K. FLAG – are you making the most of it?   500 years ago, if a ship arrived offshore, would you run for the hills or fire up a feast? It’s pretty likely you’d make a snap judgement based up …

IR35 in the Public Sector   How could this affect your business?   Introduction IR35 is a piece of legislation that allows HMRC to collect additional payment where a contractor is an employee in all but name.   If a contractor is operating through an i …

As the New Year dawns, some changes to the detail of your employment contracts, leave arrangements and holiday pay will need to be made in April. Furthermore you will need to start to think about how you are going to resource your business with changes …

Start with an EORI number Do you currently export with all or some of your international sales focused upon the EU? If that is the case, then after the UK leaves the EU, those firms that trade with the EU will need an economic operator registration and …

Strategy Targets Accounts Marketing People   However you voted in December, and whatever your preferred outcome, we know the UK will be leaving the EU on 31st January. The clock starts on the transition period… but don’t worry, this is not a Brexi …

Quarter 4, planning the office party, trying to bring in orders before the second week of December. Oh…..and BREXIT and a General Election.   Right now, thinking about a strategic review and thinking about growing your business through exporting maybe …

At the heart of every business one factor continuously calls for our attention – improving communication with a view to unlocking business growth and success.   Over the years many a consultant has advised and implemented varying communication sce …

In order to manage your business effectively you need to be sure that it has enough cash to keep trading and that it is running profitably.  To ensure this happens, I recommend you review your financial status at the start of each and every business we …

The use of the word ‘continuously’ is purposefully placed in the title of this blog article. Why? Because I fully believe that if a company does not continuously sharpen its competitive edge, it won’t be long before they do not have one in today’s ever …

In my experience of working with MDs of their own companies over the last 14 years it doesn’t take very long before they start talking about why they set up their business, what is important to them in running the business and keeping it solvent/profit …

Very few businesses are lucky enough to be able to bootstrap their way to success, most rely on securing business growth funding. Getting funding at the right time is critical to surviving yet alone thriving and growing. Without funding it is much hard …

It’s not often that I write an article for business people telling them to do something. Typically, if someone tells me to do something, my urge is to do the opposite! Due to that fact, I avoid telling others to do something unless I feel very strongly …

Do you truly know how your customers perceive your brand?  When running a business, it can be all too easy to get caught up in day-to-day operations and to lose sight of what your customer is thinking.   Unfortunately, if you’re not actively working to …

Many businesses reach a stage when they are at a crossroads about the direction to take next or are “stuck” without a clear strategy. It may be a crisis point or it could be an opportunity to take a different path. Directors may no longer be aligned wi …

With the current skills shortage in the technology sector and ever-increasing demand it is simply not enough to broadcast a role when you are recruiting for your leadership team.   Placing an advertisement or hoping a quality candidate will alight upon …

Background Following a period of rapid growth, the business had outgrown its finance systems, processes and controls. The business was approaching the audit threshold and quarterly corporation tax payments, so cash control and forecasting needed to be …

Background Following a period of rapid growth, the business had outgrown its finance systems, processes and controls. The business was approaching the audit threshold and quarterly corporation tax payments, so cash control and forecasting needed to be …

Sales, sales and yet more sales……….PLEASE A simple innocuous request a month ago to a client of ours got me thinking! I had simply asked that at our next monthly meeting if they could give me a “Sales report” for the previous month. I did not think any …

Your annual accounts are ready to be prepared but could you find ways to reduce your tax bill or get a cash payment to support your new product development? Well it might be that you can if you are undertaking development activities that qualify as Res …

Part 3 – What do you need to watch out for? Back in March I looked at your strategic reasons for buying a business and in April I gave pointers on searching for a new business to acquire. This month, in the final part of our series, I will highlight so …

Part 2 – Where do you start your search? Last month I started by considering the strategic reasoning you need when buying a new business.  This month, we shall consider how to optimise your new business search. Having decided why you want to buy a …

I am often asked by clients what is the real cost of executing a strategy badly? In this short article, I will provide some highlights and lookouts on the implications of executing strategies poorly. Good v Bad Strategy Execution Planning Every busines …

Litigation should never be embarked on lightly. There is no such thing as a “clear-cut case”. Most lawyers will rarely give even the strongest case more than a 70% chance of success. There are a number of questions which you need to ask yourself before …

Part 1 – What is your strategic reasoning for acquiring a business? Why you want to buy a business, where to search and what to look out for. To start with, it helps to be clear about why you are buying. Acquirers can have diverse motivations: a carefu …

When you start a business you need to be aware of the risks you are taking. Government statistics show that 97% of new start-up businesses fail within 3 years. To prevent this from happening to your business you need to understand RISK. By understandin …

Concerns about how Brexit might impact export expansion plans are completely understandable, but it should not hold you back. You just need to get serious about how you research and plan your export strategy. That strategy should form an integral part …

The answer to this poser invokes the old, ‘nature’ versus ‘nurture’ argument. Maybe we need to study twins who were separated at birth, where one became a business leader, and determine what happened to the other?  In the real world, business leaders, …

In the last newsletter we talked about what to do about awarding a Xmas bonus. [If you missed it click here to find it] Now we talk about putting a bonus scheme into place for 2019. If your financial year-end is say March, the next few months could be …

In December 2018 Forbes Magazine placed the UK as number 1 in its list of Best Countries for Business.  There is no doubt that the UK offers tremendous opportunities for businesses to be set up and to thrive.  However the fact that this is so …

How do you value your business when you’re selling it?  In recent years there seems to be more significant differences in expectation of valuation between buyer and seller, and increasingly the Earn-out clause has been used as an appropriate way to bri …

Gordon Carmichael Business Strategy, R&D Tax Credits and NED Gemma Clarke International Business – Growth and Brands Michael Collett Business Planning, Sales and Market Development Stephen Cowburn HR Support Susanne Currid Sales & Marketing Adv …

To be ready for May25th and the need to conform to GDPR This does not include DPO, as you won’t need one. Information you hold You should document what personal data you hold, where it came from and who you share it with. You may need to organise an in …

UKBA recently held one of its bi-annual National Conferences, the chance to meet up with colleagues you don’t see between one meeting and the next, apart from exchanging emails. Really good to renew relationships, discuss common issues and concerns, an …

You will probably be familiar with the adage: Productivity = Potential – Interference. Many of us are battling daily with interference of one sort or another, both external and internal. Potential is not always something that is easy to quantify, or to …

You will probably be familiar with the adage: Productivity = Potential – Interference. Many of us are battling daily with interference of one sort or another, both external and internal. Potential is not always something that is easy to quantify, or to …

Many entrepreneurs and their management teams don’t devote enough time or attention to the process of preparing annual budgets, especially when they operate in rapidly growing or uncertain markets. A financial plan in a private company is at risk of be …

Congratulations to our colleague and marketing advisor, Susanne Currid who recently participated as an expert judge on the final of The Apprentice on BBC1. Susanne told us, “Back in June, I had a very unexpected email.  A TV producer had got in touch a …

  Urgent business support during the Coronavirus emergency from our nationwide network of Business Advisors Businesses and individuals are facing unprecedented challenges and uncertain times due to the COVID-19 emergency. Like you, we are feeling …

…or GDPR as we are more generally referring to it by, is not another Y2K moneymaker, but a potential timebomb. We all need to prepare for this as soon as possible. In May 2018, all businesses need to be GDPR compliant, whatever the size of that busin …

As an expert in IT support for small business, I routinely work with clients looking to fully establish an IT department after previously relying for years on the collective efforts of multiple employees from other departments. Establishing a dedicated …

In the digital age in which we now conduct business, having a reliable and robust IT system is not an option. Everything from internal computer systems to local and wide area networks have to be up and running at all times. To lose access to computer s …

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How serious a problem is ransomware? According to Symantec, makers of the popular Norton suite of cyber security products, hackers employing the ransomware tactic are making millions of pounds every year. In one particular case they studied, 168 infect …

(image: Pixabay) Operating a fleet is a great way to make your business grow. For SME owners, it’s one of the best methods to get your business recognised especially if you’re relatively new in the industry. A fleet can be used to build your brand and …

Not more spreadsheets to analyse and chart… Always a regular cry in the office.  Reports produced on a regular basis need to be embellished, with charts that involve some fairly complicated calculations – cross-reference look-ups, previous month compar …

Under the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) you must: use personal information fairly and lawfully; collect only the information necessary for a specific purpose(s); ensure it is relevant, accurate and up to date; only hold as much as you need, and only f …

The benefits of Non-Executive Directors are well understood by many successful business owners. They bring an independent view and additional experience that enable better decisions to be made by the management board. Our Home Counties and London Group …

Maybe you are creating apps or adapting existing software for cloud delivery (SaaS), or creating tools to make sense of big data, or using CNC machines to mill complex parts, or developing wearable tech or designing new medical devices …… the list is e …

1. Watch the cash! Obviously, for a start-up, this goes well beyond spending money on technology, but it’s important to keep it in mind when choosing software. Where possible, invest in systems that allow you to pay monthly with no tie-in.  Even if you …

As MDs think about the New Year or start planning for the next financial year there are a number of forthcoming employment law changes that may affect you and your business. Gender Pay Gap True this applies only to large employers (employing over 250 e …

The law on workplace pensions has changed.  Every employer with at least one member of staff has new duties – enrolling those who are eligible into a workplace pension and to contribute towards it.  This is called Auto Enrolment.  Auto Enrolment has be …

Marketing is a very important but often neglected part of the business development process. Statistics are available which indicate that companies that produce a written marketing plan are more likely to survive for more than three years. But it is not …

Jan 2016 Newsletter – Social Media for Business Mar 2016 Newsletter- Getting the Most From Prospect Meetings

[expand title=”UKBA”] All UKBA Client services Marketing tools Administration Finance Minutes Planning Recruitment and Mentors User Guides [/expand]   [expand title=”UKBA Marketing Plan 2014″] Email Social Media Telemarketing Website [/expand] …

These are some of the E-Books and Whitepapers we offer for free. More are being added all the time so please revisit from time to time to see the latest updates. E Books A guide to e-marketing for SMEs This e-book covers many of the most important aspe …

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Why exit planing is important for any business Relying on a buyer to miraculously appear out the blue and pay you want you think your business is worth has a very low chance of success.  In fact 75% of all businesses never sell, they are closed down an …

The best place for any SME to go to raise finance is their own Bank. You will have a track record with them and they will in most cases be the least expensive option. But where can you go if your Bank says No? There are many alternative sources of fund …

Environmental Impact Analysis Environmental sustainability is about making decisions and taking actions on those matters which will impact on the capability of the world to continue supporting human life. All companies large and small should have an un …

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You might often hear the term intellectual property (IP) thrown about and wonder what it refers to. Maybe you know it relates to inventions but are unsure of what else it covers? Perhaps you’re aware of copyright but not confident that you can identify …

Ano are a successful company that installs business critical equipment at business premises. They also provide ongoing support & maintenance of this equipment. Ano have a superb credit rating and are acknowledged to be market leaders in their field …

Business Property: acquired, planned, designed and built to budget Radiance Medispa http://radiancemedispa.co.uk/ in Exeter have secured new premises to provide 8,000ft of Life Care facilities to expand their growing empire June 2013 Careful selected n …

Products and issues: Company developed range of instrumentation products that automated the processing marking and tracking of haematology (and other ologies) samples/slides throughout the laboratory process. These were world beating products and they …

Products and issues: The company is one of the UK’s leading financial protection insurers; they sell Income Protection, Critical Illness cover and Life Insurance. They employ around 1000 people in administration and sales offices around the country. In …

Company: Advance International – Industrial Sewing Machine manufacture, supply & maintenance Help Required: Company was not profitable following loss of turnover during recession and in danger of going out of business. Actions taken: Business was r …

Company: Rotating Maintenance Services Limited Help required This engineering Company whilst profitable was experiencing a number of issues that collectively were damaging the business. This included a troublesome employee, a falling order book, a comp …

Company: Rotating Maintenance Services Limited Help required This engineering Company whilst profitable was experiencing a number of issues that collectively were damaging the business. This included a troublesome employee, a falling order book, a comp …

Products and issues: Company developed range of instrumentation products that automated the processing marking and tracking of haematology (and other ologies) samples/slides throughout the laboratory process. These were world beating products and they …

Products and issues: The company is one of the UK’s leading financial protection insurers; they sell Income Protection, Critical Illness cover and Life Insurance. They employ around 1000 people in administration and sales offices around the country. In …

Company: Rotating Maintenance Services Limited Help required This engineering Company whilst profitable was experiencing a number of issues that collectively were damaging the business. This included a troublesome employee, a falling order book, a comp …

Company: Rotating Maintenance Services Limited Help required This engineering Company whilst profitable was experiencing a number of issues that collectively were damaging the business. This included a troublesome employee, a falling order book, a comp …

Products and issues: The company is one of the UK’s leading financial protection insurers; they sell Income Protection, Critical Illness cover and Life Insurance. They employ around 1000 people in administration and sales offices around the country. In …

Commercial Property Solutions Project Management and Acquisitions by Build Consultants Ltd Any plan can go wrong so maybe chaos reigns and a sense direction and planning is required using advisors that really know the business needs and how to negotiat …

Marian Chapman has been working with an electrical component assembly firm who provide bespoke, specialist solutions for a range of customers. We have: Re-designed their website including new logo, copywriting and product photography. See www.flairelec …

Task Abbot Copier Engineering was small company providing photocopiers and proactive servicing. The MD wanted to grow the company, attract potential buyers and eventually profitably sell the company Strategy The first stage was to identify a marketing …

Ano are a successful company that installs business critical equipment at business premises.  They also provide ongoing support & maintenance of this equipment.  Ano have a superb credit rating and are acknowledged to be market leaders in their fie …

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You might often hear the term intellectual property (IP) thrown about and wonder what it refers to. Maybe you know it relates to inventions but are unsure of what else it covers? Perhaps you’re aware of copyright but not confident that you can identify …

May 2015 UKBA Newsletter – What is Crowd Funding? July 2015 Newsletter- Traits of a Leader Sept 2015 Newsletter – Are you engaging with your audience Online and Offline Nov 2015 Newsletter – Revenue Growth Strategies  

With the approaching General Election due on May 7th we are being presented with a blizzard of facts and figures to prove almost any point the politicians care to dream up. In fact in many cases the figures cited, frequently taken out of context, are o …

UK Business Advisors is growing fast.  We need more business advisors to join our Group. Could that be you?   Please visit: https://ukba.co.uk/career-opportunities/  

UK Business Advisors (UKBA) is the nationwide network of consultants and business advisors that helps SMEs to achieve their ambitions. All advisors, who have a wide range of experience knowledge and skills have all held senior positions in larger compa …

UKBA newsletters for 2014 August 2014 UKBA newsletter – The Changing Pace Of Advertising July 2014 UKBA newsletter – The Keys To Success In Business June 2014 UKBA newsletter – The Entrepreneur’s Checklist May 2014 UKBA newsletter – What’s Your Persona …

  UK Business Advisors and our regional groups work with ambitious business owners and directors to help them achieve growth, sustainable profitability and to add value to their business. We are a progressive organisation with highly skilled and experi …

UKBA newsletters for 2013 January 2013 newsletter – Employee Engagement – A Key To Your Success February 2013 newsletter – The Four Pillars Approach to Profitable Growth March 2013 newsletter – Setting Your Vision & Mission and Defining Your Values …

UKBA Newsletters – 2012 January 2012 newsletter – Employee Engagement – A Key To Your Success February 2012 newsletter – Grow Profits From Your Customer Base March 2012 newsletter – Keep Your Cashflow Under Control April 2012 newsletter – Project Manag …

We publish regular newsletters with useful information for businesses.  To see our past letters please use the links below. 2016 UKBA Newsletters 2015 UKBA newsletters 2014 UKBA newsletters 2013 UKBA newsletters 2012 UKBA newsletters If you would like …

Our use of cookies Our website uses cookies, as almost all websites do, to help provide you with the best experience we can. By using the site you are consenting to the use of cookies. Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer or mo …

Please make sure you have a decent quality photo available in the first place – it must be at least 400 x 600 pixels and not more than about 2mb in size. If your photo is too small it will either not work at all or will look horrible. You can crop your …

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Privacy Policy This Privacy Policy governs the manner in which UK Business Advisors Ltd and group companies (“UKBA”) collect, use, maintain and disclose information collected from users (each, a “User”) of the https://www.ukba.co.uk website (“Site”). T …

Contacting UK Business Advisors You can contact us, or a specific advisor, in one of several ways.   Use the contact form below and let us know what you need (preferred and quickest method) Call our call centre on 0333 444 8522 where an operator w …

National and local UK Business Advisors is a national organisation but one of our strengths is that we are local too. We find most business owners want to deal with someone in their area who understands local business issues, someone who can be availab …

These case studies are summaries of real projects carried out by UKBA Advisors so you can get a through understanding of what we do and how we do it. If you would like to know more about any of these case studies contact us now. Having worked with Ian …

If you would like to see or receive our business newsletters go to the newsletters page. An Overview of FSBA Download File Marketing plan outline for SMEs Download File Cashflow template for SMEs Download File Business plan outline for SMEs Download Fi …

All UKBA Advisors are good at getting their hands dirty. We work with businesses owners to implement recommendations, rather than producing big reports leaving you to do something with them. Our Advisors run their own companies themselves, plus we all …

To find your nearest local advisor go to our Local Groups page and click on the group for the part of the country you are in. UKBA is a network of senior business people with knowledge, experience and achievements spanning every business sector, we all …

  Practical advice from the independent experts It’s hard running a business isn’t it? And never more so than today. Even if your business is successful you may worry it might not last.   That’s where UKBA comes in. We have a network of exper …

It’s hard running a business isn’t it? And never more so than today. Even if your business is successful you may worry it might not last. You may think there is no help to be had (unreceptive VAT people, banks who don’t want to talk to you, and account …