SmallBusinessNewz

Energy Companies Giving Small Businesses Raw Deal

Small business owners who haven't already done so should look at lining door jams with weather stripping, shutting off empty rooms, covering windows with thick curtains, and purchasing programmable thermostats.  New data shows that energy companies in the UK are making it tough to save money.

FPB Chief Exec Warns Of Double-Dip Recession

According to the Forum of Private Business's chief executive (and, perhaps, common sense) small business owners shouldn't start giving away caviar samples and coating everything in gold just because the recession technically ended.  Indeed, Phil Orford warned that we could head back into recession territory.

Bad Weather May Cost Small Businesses

In many parts of the world, it's really, really cold right now.  Snow's falling, too, which has made it even less likely that people will travel to their workplaces.  And the Forum of Private Business has estimated that employee absenteeism could cost something like £230 million in the UK.

Small Businesses Stand Ground On Environmental Issues

In case you were wondering, the recession hasn't caused the average small business to either take another look at coal or replace all of its light bulbs with the latest in LED technology.  A new report indicates that businesses' environmental policies have more or less remained the same.

Phoenix Companies Contributing To Payment Problems

It's a fact of life that businesses sometimes fail, and if one happens to fail while it still owes another company money, there's often not a lot to be done.  But a class of firms known as "phoenix companies" has been using some business-related death and rebirth cycles to abuse small businesses.

FPB Wary Of Government Spending Cuts

Generally speaking, it's hard to disapprove of government spending cuts.  Considering that so many countries are billions or trillions of dollars in debt, ideas that'll stem the flow of cash often seem great.  But the Forum of Private Business has spoken out against the idea of the UK government lessening its support for small businesses.

UK Conservative Party Proposes NI Tax Holiday

Small business owners in the UK may want to keep a little something in mind the next time they get the chance to vote: the Conservative Party would like to implement a tax break on employers' National Insurance contributions.

FPB Checks In On Lending Rates, Growth Expectations

New survey results from the Forum of Private Business once again focus on how hard it is for small companies to get money from banks.  Otherwise, small business owners seemed to be fairly split between adopting optimistic and pessimistic outlooks.

FPB Issues Good News/Bad News Lending Report

We'll let you be the judge of whether this qualifies as good news, but a new report indicates that banks aren't saying "no" to the idea of small business loans as often as before.  Instead, they're charging an arm and a leg when they sometimes say "yes."

A Focus On The Environment May Save Money

Earlier today, there was a small fire at Google's UK headquarters, and the incident (in which no one was hurt, but a tree was reported burned) fairly well illustrated that safety is more important than "greenness."  Still, a new report indicates that a focus on environmental issues can save small businesses money.