smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

'Mine's a pint, please'

For all the numerous and well-documented benefits of exercise, it...
Have your say »

RSS

Guides & Tips

Chip and PIN – what you need to know

If your business accepts face-to- face credit or debit card transactions, you need to ensure that the system you have in place is secure and that the risk of fraud is minimised.

Getting paid by credit and debit card

Being able to receive payments by credit and debit card enables you to do business using internet, electronic or paper-based systems, making it much more versatile than cash or cheques - and setting up a system is quick and easy.

Setting up Switch payments on your website

How you set up website payments for customers depends on how many transactions you’re processing and whether you have an existing card processing relationship with a bank.

Don't Miss

Loans scheme for start-ups falls flat

Last month the government launched a finance package to help struggling small businesses access bank loans, but SMEs say they aren’t seeing the benefits.

Is your current account as good as it should be?

In the UK, most people have a current account of some sort, and the reality is that most people don't spend a huge amount of time thinking about anything other than the balance in them. Usually, people stick with their current account provider for years and assuming mistakes aren't made, pay little attention to them beyond that.

SMEs remain unimpressed by budget proposals

Businesses say "no" to PBR

Slashing VAT and increasing National Insurance has left the nation's owner-managers decidely underwhelmed. Here SmallBusiness.co.uk gets their reaction to the pre-budget report:

Business Banking News

CBI: Credit conditions easing

New figures from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) suggest credit conditions for businesses are starting to stabilise.

FSB: Small firms see improved outlook

Small companies are experiencing a tentative recovery from the recession, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) suggests.

UK small firms 'have credit rating troubles'

The majority of the UK's small businesses have a credit rating which could damage their chances of obtaining finance, a new study claims.

Pessimism over UK economy

The UK economy will not return to growth next year, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) claims.

Lending falls to nine-year low

Lending to businesses fell by the largest amount in nine years over May, says a report by the Bank of England.

Govt quizzes small firms on finance

Small companies are being asked to give evidence in a government review of access to finance.

London loan fund unveiled

The mayor of London has launched a new loan fund designed to support small and medium-sized businesses through the recession.

EEDA supporting small firm funding

Small companies in the east of England are to benefit from a new regional development agency scheme to help them find new funding.

CBI: Economy starting to stabilise

The UK economy has left behind the worst of the quarterly falls in gross domestic product (GDP), a new forecast claims.

NIESR: Recession may have ended

Growth could have returned to gross domestic product (GDP) and the recession may have already ended, according to a new report.

Banks boost small firm lending

High street banks increased their lending to small businesses by £287 million in April, the British Bankers' Association (BBA) reveals.

Events Calendar

City University & Knowledge Connect: Free money from the LDA for your business

29th June, City University, Ground Floor, Room AG07

BT Business Experience 2009

29th June, The Farmiloe Building, London, EC1M 4BE

Business Startup

28th November, Olympia, London

Protecting Your Business

6th September, Best Western Country Hotel, Caerphilly

Store

FT Guide to Personal Tax

Formerly the Lloyds TSB Tax Guide, the FT Guide to Personal Tax is now published by Pearson Education. Written by Sara Williams, CEO of Vitesse Media Plc and Jonquil Lowe, this unique guide gives step-by-step advice to completing your tax return as well as 100 tax-saving tips.

FT Guide to Business Start Up

Formerly the Lloyds TSB Small Business Guide, the FT Guide to Business Start Up is now published by Pearson Education. Written by Sara Williams, CEO of Vitesse Media Plc, this unique guide has sold over two million copies. It offers practical advice about starting and running your own business.

Growth Company Investor

Growth Company Investor is widely recognised as the leading magazine for investors interested in AIM and smallcap companies. Published 10 times per year, and brought to you by an award-winning analyst team, it offers subscribers unrivalled insight into high-potential smaller companies. Subscribe today with a 50% discount in your first year.

What Investment

What Investment is the leading and longest-established investment magazine in the UK.

Regular Small Business newsletters
Access to all our experts in the Q & A forum
Post comments on articles

Upgrade business equipment, Reduce energy costs, with a 0% loan

Improve your bottom line by upgrading old equipment. It could save your business £1000s. And the Carbon Trust is offering a 0% loan to help. Apply for your 0% loan now

Payment Gateways from £5 a month

Easy, secure & fully featured Payment Gateway solutions. Whether you are a start-up, SME or mobile business, accept credit & debit card payments with PayPoint.net. Find out more

Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance

Invoice finance enables a business to release cash against their business to business invoices without having to wait weeks or months for payment. It improves cash flow and saves time by eliminating internal invoice ledger management. Get an online quote now.

Taking payment from customers Resource Centre

How to set up a direct debit

Bacs' site features detailed information about direct debit, explaining its advantages how it works in practice.

Buy a cash register

Cash Register Group is an online shop that specialises in cash registers and EPOS systems.

Find a merchant business account

Optimal Payments provides merchant accounts for businesses to enable them to accept credit card and debit card payments via any sales channel.

Information on accepting credit and debit cards

Accepting credit and debit cards is essential for telephone and online sales and it's a are a convenient and flexible way for customers to pay. Here's a guide from Business Link.

Accept credit and debit cards with PayPal

PayPal allows customers to shop on your website and pay securely by credit or debit card.

Use Bacs to make and receive payments

Bacs is a simple, secure way to make and receive all your business payments and it can reduce administrative time and costs.

Online merchant accounts

Nochex specialise in providing smaller online businesses with simple, accessible, easy to use, online payment services.

Protect your online sales from fraud

Escrow.com reduces the potential risk of fraud by acting as a trusted third party that collects, holds and disburses funds according to Buyer and Seller instructions.

More Taking payment from customers Resources

Other Business Banking Resources

Polls

Video

BT Tradespace

Hear more about BT Tradespace, an online platform for small businesses provided by BT.

Easy and effective email marketing

Parker Trewin, Director of Marketing and Communications at Genius.com, demonstrates how Genius Pro can help you manage your email marketing campaigns more effectively.

Marketing an SME online

No matter what kind of business you are in, an online presence has become a vital tool for promoting your company and selling your products and services.

Competitive advantages from home working

Research shows that 69% of UK employees would like to work from home, with a further 20% saying they would take a pay cut for this type of flexibility.

Blogs

Will Alan Sugar sweeten business prospects?

Marc Barber 10/06/2009

While any help singled out for small businesses should be welcomed, the appointment of Sir Alan Sugar as ‘Enterprise Tsar’ smacks of gimmicky desperation. Have your say »

Inflation is King

Penny Proffit 19/06/2008

A look at inflation and why Mervyn King has had to put pen to paper... Have your say »

Basic building block of any Internet marketing campaign

Guest Blogger 07/07/2008

For almost all sectors of commerce today, the Internet, or more specifically the World Wide Web, is now a key tool for business. In the field of marketing in particular it has become crucial.

(1 comments) Have your say »

Q&A

Register or login to ask a question to our panel of experts...

Tax and VAT expert

Clive Lewis, ICAEW

9 posts

Latest questions answered

Q: Business bank account Q: Personal family loan Q: Why use business banking? Q: Bad banking practice Q: Acquiring a small business loan Q: Securing a business loan whilst managing debt Q: Opening a business bank account with bad credit

Prize Draw

Enter our Small Business competition and win a laptop!

Are you an entrepreneurial legend in your local community? Has your business savvy seen you blossom during the boom times and bootstrap during the bad? If the answer is "yes", then you'll be intrigued to hear that Smallbusiness.co.uk has teamed up with Insurantz.com to discover 30 of the UK's best run small businesses. Click here to enter

Flexible funding solutions whatever the forecast

It can be difficult to know what lies ahead for business in a changing economic climate. We can help.

Bibby Financial Services is an independent specialist provider of business finance solutions, releasing cash tied up in your outstanding invoices while dealing with late paying customers. Call 0800 91 95 92.

Flexible health cover for your business

Every year sickness absence costs the UK economy around £13 billion. Want to know how much sickness absence could be damaging the health of your business? Click here to find out and receive a personalised quote.