By Georgina Bagnall, below, patent attorney, Adamson Jones Registering a trade mark in your chosen jurisdiction(s) is only half of the journey. You also need short and long-term strategies for strong brand identity and brand longevity. Here, I  explain why investing in a watching service should be a key part of your strategy. Some brands need no introduction. We recognise them by a simple image, font, or colour, before their names are even spoken. Since 1990, more than 15 million trade mark applications have been submitted worldwide, with the highest brand value estimated at more tha ..read more

A new report out today reveals that small business labour productivity remains below pre-pandemic levels in the UK, putting pressure on already struggling small businesses. The report by Xero – Small business productivity: Trends, implications and strategies –  which is based on anonymised and aggregated data from more than 240,000 Xero small business customers, looks at small business labour productivity in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. It identified that productivity is below pre-pandemic levels for all three countries, but the UK is lagging further behind Australia and New Z ..read more

Sole traders who need to comply with the new requirement to report their profits at the end of the tax year can access a GOV.UK interactive tool to help them navigate the changes. The tool will help sole traders complete their 2023-24 Self Assessment tax return correctly based on the details they provide about their business, profits, losses and other information. Around 280,000 sole traders along with around 250,000 partners in partnerships and LLPs will be affected by the changes being introduced by Basis Period Reform, also known as tax year basis reporting. There is guidance available for ..read more

With the Flexible Working Bill now in effect, UK businesses will need to be prepared for a potential deluge of incoming flexible working requests. As such, SME gathered the thoughts of some experts within the future of work space to discuss what the flexible working bill means for businesses and how they can navigate it effectively Chris Mills, Global Head of Customer Success, Slack The way we work is continually evolving, and the Flexible Working Bill reflects how employee expectations have also changed in recent years. Our research found that more than half (55%) of UK small business employe ..read more

New research reveals that candidates overwhelmingly believe that recruiters are biased in some way – although the proportion has decreased since 2022. When Tribepad first did their Stop the Bias research in 2022, every individual surveyed said there was something about themselves that they believed would hold them back in the recruitment process. And now in their latest Stop the Bias report, 11% chose the option ‘none of the above.’ This suggests some progress, but that still leaves a huge 9 in 10 people (89%) who believe that they are likely to suffer prejudice when applying for a role ..read more

A line-up of the nation’s smallest and greatest firms has been revealed, as Small Business Britain announces its 2024 Small Awards shortlist. Ninety small businesses, from all corners of the UK and representing all sectors, have been selected as finalists for this year’s ‘Small Awards’. Now in its eighth year, The Small Awards spotlights the nation’s dynamic and thriving small business community, from legendary sole traders to sustainability heroes, supply chain champions and mission-driven social enterprises. “Massive congratulations to all of the shortlisted small businesses, they ..read more

Leanne Rothwell, above, CEO of Not On The High Street, gives her view on why small businesses should not fear HMRC’s ‘new’ mandates around side hustles and explains the advantages of joining a digital retail platform to scale your business Earlier this year, HMRC announced a new mandate around the ‘side hustle’ tax which attracted a lot of media attention. Having officially gone into recession as a nation, sensationalist headlines like this can be hugely unsettling for small businesses, with business owners worrying about whether paying a ‘new’ tax might tip the balance for them financially. A ..read more

By Liina Vahtras, above, Managing Director, e-Residency The UK, historically renowned as a vibrant hub for entrepreneurship, seems to be facing new challenges in maintaining its appeal to homegrown talent. According to the latest Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, the UK has slipped to number 25 out of 51 countries on the quality of its entrepreneurial ecosystem. Once known for a dynamic start-up scene and as a launching pad for several successful companies, it now faces the reality of its entrepreneurs increasingly looking towards more favourable destinations. We’ve seen this with Arm choosing ..read more

Government figures indicate a growing entrepreneurial spirit in the UK, with more than 800,000 new businesses formed last financial year – a 6.4% increase on the previous year. But what do you need to know about setting up your own business? And where do you start?- business experts offer their tips. Here, Kyle Eaton, money.co.uk business bank accounts expert, outlines some key steps to take if you’re aiming to start a business or side hustle Identify your market and niche Start with what you know and where you can leverage your skills, experience, or network. Conduct market resear ..read more

By David Ross, below, international strategist and founder of Phoenix Strategic Management  It is so easy for me to remember leaving an old employer’s meeting room, years ago, gauging the reaction of my middle management colleagues to “the launch of our new strategic plan”. It had been a dry, weird one-way conversation – one where senior staff often didn’t even talk at us, rather there were a lot of in-jokes between them. It was, however, particularly easy to remember because my colleagues all had the same response as I had to the C-suite’s spiel: confusion and bewilderment. “[With ..read more