Tag Archives: support

News

Q saddles up to support cycle delivery scheme

A Shropshire financial firm is helping the chain take the strain by throwing its weight behind an innovative cycle delivery scheme.

Q Financial Services is sponsoring work to promote Shropshire Cycle Hub’s free Cycle Delivery Scheme in Wellington which delivers shopping to people’s doors across the town.

A team of volunteers use electric bikes to deliver shopping from town centre stores to customers three days a week – helping boost town centre trade, cut down on traffic and carbon emissions and taking the weight off shoppers who no longer have to struggle with heavy bags.

Shoppers send a text to a special number and the volunteers then ride into action to pick up the shopping and deliver it to the customer’s home.

Q Commercial Finance director Steve Parry – who has lived in Wellington all his life and works at Q’s base in Haygate Road – said he was delighted to be backing the scheme.

“This is an absolutely fantastic service which is staffed entirely by volunteers and is totally free for the people who use it. The cyclists collect people’s shopping from stores taking part in the scheme and then deliver it to their home so they don’t have to worry about carrying it.

“It operates within a three-mile radius of the town centre and is a real boon to the elderly, people with mobility issues or anyone who does not have a car and struggles carrying their bags on the bus or whilst walking.

‘The ethos of doing something which benefits not only the customer but the town and the environment very much reflects our own philosophy at Q. The scheme has the potential to benefit the whole town centre and that is something we are delighted to support.”

Wellington Cycle Delivery Scheme volunteer Paul Kalinauckas said Q’s help could not have come at a better time.

“We have tremendous support from Shropshire Cycle Hub, which has loaned us one of the two bikes we use, and we really want to grow the number of people who use us. We pick up from the independent shops in the town centre and the market so people can come into town and not worry about how they are going to get their shopping home.

“Everyone who has used us so far says what a fantastic job we do and we now want to expand the scheme and attract more people to use it.”

Felllow volunteer Anthony Lowe – deputy mayor of Wellington Town Council – said all volunteers were fully trained and insured.

“This free of charge service provides convenience for Wellington shoppers and supports our distinctive range of small shops and market traders.

“It also reduces unnecessary car or van journeys as people can come into the town by foot or public transport and then get their shopping taken home later,” he said.

Shropshire Cycle Hub, a community charity which improves access to healthy, sustainable transport, administers the scheme, which is currently operating on Thursdays and Fridays from 10.30 am until 2pm and 9.30 am to 12.00 pm on Saturdays.

Delivery can be booked by calling or texting 07398 136120 during operating hours.

Steve added: “The more people who use the scheme, the better it will be for the whole town. My own family has used it and I cannot recommend it enough.”
For more information about Q – which has bases in Wellington and Shrewsbury – visit https://www.qfinancialservices.co.uk/

News

Health on the shelf as Kirsty’s commitment to Net Zero helps it retain major retail deal

A Harrogate manufacturer of award-winning gluten and dairy free chilled ready meals, frozen pizzas and deserts has retained a major UK retail contract thanks to support from the Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP).

Kirsty’s, which was started by entrepreneur Kirsty Henshaw after her son Jacob was discovered to be allergic to nuts and intolerant to gluten and dairy, is working towards being Net Zero by 2050 which is a key requirement of one of its largest retail customers.

Having a plan to reach net zero has helped safeguard the jobs of Kirsty’s 49 staff, including 18 new recruits brought on to help support its expansion.

The company reached out to MGP to part-fund an environmental audit and bring in a specialist consultant that was experienced in complex food manufacturing and could support its carbon reporting and help it put in place its Net Zero plan.

“Our retail customer announced in January this year that it wanted all suppliers to have a plan in place by the end of the year to get to Net Zero by 2050,” explained Natalie Parker, Marketing Director for Kirsty’s.

“We’ve only been manufacturing our own products in Harrogate for two years, so as a small SME this was a massive challenge, and we needed some external assistance.”

She continued: “This is where the Manufacturing Growth Programme came into play and we found the adviser very easy to work with, very understanding of the challenges of our business and very keen to put us in touch with experts and funding that made a real difference.”

The Manufacturing Growth Programme is currently the UK’s largest and leading business support programme for SME manufacturers.

The initiative, which is designed and delivered by Oxford Innovation Advice and funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), has secured nearly £15million in grants for 4300 companies over the last three years, creating and safeguarding over 10,000 jobs in the process.

With ERDF funds being phased out, MGP is due to end in early 2023 unless the ‘essential lifeline for small to medium-sized manufacturers’ can be incorporated into the Shared Prosperity Fund.

Shaughan Farrow, Manufacturing Growth Manager for MGP, added her support: “The Covid-19 pandemic impacted many businesses across the UK, but Kirsty’s was still able to grow its turnover by more than 11%.

“Bearing in mind she set up her business with the remnants from her student loan, when Kirsty Henshaw says she has set her sights on reaching a turnover of £25m within the next three years, we can genuinely see that happening.

“This business is a success story for other budding entrepreneurs, recognising a need in the market based on a personal situation, having an idea, and having the guts to go for it!

“It also shows that fast-growing companies need expert support at certain parts of the journey and, by accessing MGP funding and advice, it has secured a major retail contract that has given it the platform to grow and create 18 new jobs.”

Kirsty Henshaw initially launched her business selling ice-cream in health food shops across the UK.

However, trying to juggle work, parenthood and making ice-cream, she took a leap of faith and entered the Dragons Den in 2010, becoming the youngest entrepreneur to receive funding from ‘Dragons’ Duncan Bannatyne and Peter Jones with her range of free-from and ice cream alternatives.

Today, the meals business is worth more than £10m and supplies ready meals from its manufacturing facility on Springfield Business Park in Harrogate and frozen pizzas and frozen desserts through co-manufacturing agreements.

Finance and Banking, Midlands News, News

Design and print company builds for the future thanks to grant support

A thriving Shropshire design and print company is building for the future thanks to £10,000 of help from a grant programme.

Newport-based AYP Ltd secured the support through the Small Equipment Grant scheme to help it purchase a new digital die cutter, which will allow it to expand and offer more services to clients.

The grant scheme is supported by the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership and its business support arm, the Marches Growth Hub, and receives European Regional Development Fund assistance.

AYP managing director Martin Hall – who founded the business with his wife Sandra in 2006 – said the grant was crucial in helping the company to invest in its future and offer a wider range of services to both new and existing customers.

“The grant has allowed us to invest in a Veloblade Volta, a bespoke die cutting machine, which will enable us to produce one-off samples without going to the expense of having a cutting tool made and then sending the work out to a finishing company.

“Not only will we save time and money as a result of installing the machine, but we will be able to diversify into new target markets such as packaging because we will have the capacity to cut materials to any shape and size.

“This is cutting-edge equipment so we can now offer services and products which are not widely available elsewhere. We’ll be able to run single sheets to trial new concepts which will also greatly reduce paper and card waste and the expense of transporting materials to different sites.

“There is no doubt that this grant and the equipment it has helped provide has made us more robust by broadening our customer base and range of products.”

Rachel Laver, Marches LEP chief executive, said: “This is another example of how the Marches LEP and Marches Growth Hub can help deliver real support to companies across the region so that they can plan for the future and grow.

“The support on offer from the Marches Growth Hub has enabled hundreds of businesses like AYP to expand and will continue to do so.”

Small Equipment Grant programme manager Caroline Cattle said the scheme had proved hugely successful.

“We have been able to help companies across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin invest in the equipment they need to grow, which is good for them and for the overall economy. The scheme remains open and we would particularly welcome applications from Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.”

Grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 are available under the programme.

The grant is available as a contribution of up to 50 per cent and primarily covers B2B companies. Items purchased must exceed £500 in value and have a life expectancy of three years. Eligible projects must lead to the creation of at least one part-time job within six months or the creation of a new product or service to be used by other businesses.

Because of restrictions imposed by the ERDF, the scheme is not available to retail businesses, restaurants, drinking establishments and fast food takeaways, online retail or rental businesses, farms involved in primary production, or local social welfare facilities.

Herefordshire Council is the accountable body for the scheme.

News

Key Marches Growth Hub Covid role revealed in new figures

The huge role the Marches Growth Hub played in helping businesses through the height of the pandemic is revealed today in new figures. 

The hub – the business support service of the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership – had more than 30,000 separate interactions with businesses across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin in just 12 months. 

The figures – for the period from April 1 2020 to March 31 2021 – are contained in the hub’s annual report to the Government showing the success of its work in supporting the business community across the Marches. 

They reveal: 

  • A total of 30,277 business interactions took place – a 197 per cent increase on the year before 
  • 782 individuals were helped to start a business – a rise of 16.7 per cent  
  • 13,980 referrals were made to partner organisations – including EU programmes worth £19.5million – a 1,017 per cent increase 
  • There were a total of 235 virtual growth hub events attended by 5,930 people 
  • The national Business Support Helpline (BSH) handled a total of 1,457 Marches calls – a 210 per cent increase 
  • The Marches Growth Hub website received 45,990 website visits with 30,663 unique visitors – increases of 35 and 37 per cent respectively 
  • Customer satisfaction was consistently high – between 4.5 and 5 on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is poor service and 5 is excellent
  • The website’s coronavirus and EU Exit advice pages featured daily updates on the latest advice, ensuring the hub became an essential part of the region’s toolkit for tackling the pandemic and EU Exit 

Dave Courteen, Marches LEP small business champion and chair of the Marches Business Support steering group, said the figures showed the huge role the hub – which is delivered in partnership with Herefordshire Council, Shropshire Council and Telford & Wrekin Council – had played at the height of Covid. 

 “These figures show that when the pandemic struck businesses turned to the Marches Growth Hub for advice, support and help in record numbers. 

  “They did so because they knew that in the hub they had a trusted, valued partner which could offer clear, up-to-the minute and relevant help and guidance in the midst of the unfolding crisis. 

 “Alongside that, the hub was also at the forefront of offering the latest updates over our exit from the EU, something which before the pandemic was at the top of the agenda for a huge number of businesses. 

 “The scale of help we were able to offer – despite being curtailed ourselves by Covid restrictions – is a huge testament to the hard work and passion of the entire Marches Growth Hub team as well as our local authority delivery partners. 

 “We quickly moved many of our workshops, seminars and advice sessions online, developed access to 45 new one-to-one business specialists who alone helped 178 businesses, and worked collaboratively as part of the West Midlands cluster of growth hubs to ensure maximum impact through our work. 

 “The fact that we were able to maintain the highest level of satisfaction from the businesses we were helping at such a difficult time just underlines the professionalism and skill of all those involved with the hub.” 

 The hub brings together national, regional and local support in one place to ensure that businesses have the help and advice they need to both start up and grow. Its   comprehensive website features links to advice programmes, workshops, events, funding information, regional and national assistance and an unrivalled database of business support. 

News

Laserfiche launches package to support post-pandemic Digital Reopening

Laserfiche — the leading SaaS provider of intelligent content management and business process automation — has today announced the introduction of a Digital Reopening package of prebuilt process templates aimed at supporting organisations’ efforts to restore, recover, reimagine, and rebuild work in a post-pandemic world.

The new package is an expansion to an existing collection of over 100 solution templates that allow Laserfiche users to download process diagrams, workflows, template fields and reports, all of which can be configured to fit an organisation’s specific operational requirements for rapid solution deployment.

Linda Ding, senior director of strategic marketing at Laserfiche said: “Laserfiche is committed to supporting organisations across industries in their quick response to recovery from the pandemic. We worked with innovative customers, industry leaders and technology partners to develop this package’s low-code workflow templates that can be deployed quickly, with the goal of increasing accessibility of services and visibility into safety procedures when employees, customers, students and constituents need them most; and reclaiming time for organisational leaders to focus on the well-being of their communities, and the future of their enterprise.”

The package includes three categories of process automation users can utilise for a variety of contexts: short-term emergency response, medium-term workflow modernisation, and long-term digital transformation. The first of these new solutions are available now, with additional releases planned for August and October 2021. The initial release includes the following solutions:

  • Daily employee symptom report enables faster pre-screening for employees and supports continued safety at work. The solution allows employees to submit a daily symptom report online before starting work for the day. A human resources representative is notified by email if an employee has an elevated temperature, reports any symptoms or has come in contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19. These employees are then notified via automated email to stay home and rest or are recommended to work remotely.
  • Work from home experience survey supports employers’ ongoing effort to monitor employee well-being while working remotely. Employers can use this survey solution to assess how well their employees are adjusting to working from home, what works well, and what could be improved. Survey questions can be easily tailored to organisational needs.
  • Inventory tracking and equipment request enables IT teams to track hardware provided to remote employees and manage equipment inventory. To track hardware originally used in-office, employees provide information associated with their hardware, like device ID number, via an electronic form. The form can also be used to request additional equipment. When a request is submitted for additional hardware, an IT representative is automatically designated to assign equipment to the employee.
  • Return to work questionnaire allows employers to collect needed information such as employee symptoms and intended return to work schedule to inform and support organisation’s reopening strategy. Based on employee answers, they can be assigned to a specific cohort or phase that aligns with guidance from local health officials, corresponds to your reopening strategy and enables your organisation to manage in-office capacity.
  • COVID-19 time-off request helps support compliance with the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to provide employees with paid sick leave or expanded medical and family leave for reasons related to COVID-19. An employee can submit a time-off request via an online form; it is then automatically assigned to a human resources representative for review and approval. An automated email notifies the employee whether the request is approved or denied.

In addition to enabling the rapid deployment of automated solutions, the Digital Reopening package gives organisations the tools to track requests and process data, allowing for continuous optimisation. Organisations around the world have leveraged Laserfiche throughout the pandemic, developing robust IT infrastructure and business continuity plans, and transforming the digital experience for employees and customers during major disruptions. To learn more about how organisations have used Laserfiche throughout the pandemic and in planning for the future, visit Laserfiche’s Digital Reopening Resource Page.

News

Only 20% of businesses on Government entrepreneurship schemes reach their first growth milestone

Only 20% of businesses on Government entrepreneurship schemes achieve any growth milestones, according to new research by emlyon business school.

The study, conducted by Greg Croidieu, an associate professor in entrepreneurship and innovation at emlyon, alongside colleagues from Aalto University School of Business, Babson College, and Economic Development Collaborative, investigated whether innovative businesses ventures achieved growth outcomes from government programs and found that growth is less than likely.

The researchers conducted three sets of analyses on data from the Small Business Development Centre in Southern California addressing biases, unobserved factors, and using different measures of growth. The analysis was on over 1,700 business, from sectors ranging from technology to manufacturing.

The research found that in most cases, public support programs lack sufficient resources and they often misallocate resources away from clients who need it the most.

The findings also show that innovative ventures are not guaranteed to grow more than other ventures, unless support is targeted directly for them.

If additional government support is explicitly targeted at innovative ventures, they have more opportunity to receive in-depth advice, learn from experts, and translate this into productive growth outcomes., as long as the participants are willing to learn and the correct treatment design is used.

The researchers observed that treatment design is more crucial than selection for innovative firms to achieve growth but selection ensures the right participants are chosen.
“The research determined that for innovative ventures to achieve more growth milestones, they need sufficient advising support. This depends first on having the formal criteria used to allocate support, therefore innovativeness must be included as part of the criteria to ensure these ventures receive sufficient support,” says Professor Croidieu.

The study highlights that policymakers play a vital role in allocating resources to promote innovative entrepreneurship as a means of spurring economic growth in regions.

This research can be applied to other specific sectors, as long as those sectors are explicitly included in any formal criteria used to allocate support, to ensure businesses are recruited correctly and matched with qualified advisors.

This research was published in the journal Research Policy: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S004873332030130X?via%3Dihub

Business Advice, Energy, News

5 top tips for business owners who want to save money and improve their green credentials

Business renewable energy specialists Opus Energy share their top tips for business owners keen to reduce their carbon footprint and save money

For business owners, managing your energy consumption is no longer just about keeping tabs on your outgoings – it’s a prerequisite for doing business. Consumer-facing companies that aren’t seen to be environmentally responsible face losing customers, while those further up the supply chain are now being asked by prospective clients to prove their green credentials.

Putting sustainability into practice should now be at the top of the agenda across every industry. Companies are becoming increasingly bold in how they communicate this to customers and stakeholders; at the end of January, The Guardian reinforced its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint by announcing a ban on advertising from fossil fuel firms.

For most business owners, however, it needn’t be that complicated. One of the simplest ways to reduce your impact on the planet and improve your bottom line is by switching to renewable energy and being smart with the energy you use. But how do we navigate the sea of information out there and find a solution that truly works for you and your company?

In this article, the experts at Opus Energy, one of the leading providers of renewable energy to businesses, gives 5 top tips on how to become more sustainable and save some money in the process. All of these can be scaled in a way that works for you – no matter what size your business is.

Start small

Implementing more sustainable practices into your business needn’t break the bank. In fact, there are plenty of small steps you can take that, when measured over time, end up going a long way. For example, did you know that turning the office heating down by 1°C you can reduce your annual heating bill by up to 8%? So, if your business spends £500 a month on energy, that small turn of the dial would save you £480 each year – the equivalent of one month’s energy.

Similar savings can be made across other aspects of your business. Take electricity costs for lighting as another example: leaving the lights on in the meeting room never seems like a big deal – but, by using motion sensitive lighting you could save enough energy to make up to 300 cups of tea.

Likewise, using energy-efficient lighting can save businesses about £1,500 a year.

Another tip is to have a company-wide switch off policy. While it may seem trivial, leaving 50 computers on overnight for a year would create enough CO2 to fill a double decker bus – and cost your business £1.76 a day.

Company cars: Choose the right vehicle

While a lot has been said about leveraging the benefits of car-pooling and subscription-based mobility services, the use of cars for some companies is an unavoidable part of doing business. If your business offers company cars to your employees, it pays to ask yourself the right questions when deciding on what vehicles to go for. How long will your drivers be on the road for and what distances will they be covering? Will they be driving in city centres where Clean Air Zones are in place? And if they were to drive an electric vehicle (EV), would they have access to charging points along the way?

Taking all of this into consideration is key in saving money and reducing emissions, as it can make a huge difference in determining the correct type of vehicle necessary.

It’s also crucial that you look at the whole life costs when choosing a vehicle. It’s easy to focus on the headline sticker price – this is often the case when looking at EVs which in the past have carried a heftier price tag – but there are many other costs involved, from taxes and insurance to fuel and vehicle depreciation. So, when you add all of these up, you might find that switching to an EV fleet isn’t as expensive as you thought.

What’s more, EVs are becoming increasingly affordable, so there’s never been a better time to think of making the switch. They offer two solutions at once: reducing exhaust-related emissions and reducing the use of fossil-derived fuels. By switching your business-use vehicles, including fleet vehicles, to EVs, you can make a drastic cut your carbon footprint.

Use a smart meter

The UK Government estimates that installing energy efficiency measures could reduce the energy costs for SMEs by between 18% and 25%. One such example of this is the smart meter, which gives SME owners access to vast quantities of real-time data-related insights into how and where they use their energy. This transparency allows businesses to be smarter and more energy efficient, providing them with an easy way to be more sustainable.

Smart meters are also the backbone of the Smart Grid, which will play a significant role in the UK Government’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions to net-zero by 2050 by ensuring that supply and demand are always in balance. For companies looking to be proactive in their efforts to cut their carbon footprint and play their part, the smart meter is a savvy move.

Invest in renewables

If you’ve already switched your energy supply to a more environmentally friendly tariff or provider, why not look into generating your own renewable power? If you are able to, installing solar panels are a cost-effective way of ensuring the energy your office or building uses is completely renewable.

Making this switch to renewable energy can reduce not only your environmental impact but contribute towards the wider decarbonisation across the UK’s electricity network. It’s also a way for your business to diversify, by bringing in a new stream of revenue. If done right, it can be low effort, high impact and great for the environment.

Think long term

When it comes to saving money through sustainable practices, it’s crucial that we train ourselves to think long-term, rather than simply thinking about immediate gains. The change associated with moving towards sustainability can often be a deterrent for business owners, as there is a perception that these come at a large cost. But making small changes really can pay off in a big way, both for the environment and your bottom line.
Every business is different, but by taking inspiration from the tips above and combining this with your own research, you should be able to find ways that work for you and your budget.

Business Advice

6 ways your SME can thrive during the Christmas season

It’s that time of year again. For some, it may feel like it’s been creeping up for a while, but for others, Christmas can really feel as though it’s come out of the blue. For SME owners, the festive period can be a particularly stressful and overwhelming time, with demanding customers, increased workloads, and the added pressure of having to contend with out-of-office suppliers and financial dependents. Research from last year found that 53% of small business owners in the UK worked over Christmas, and 18% of those worked more than 18 hours straight a day.

With this in mind, Opus Energy, renewable energy provider to businesses, has shared its advice to combat burnout over the festive season and ensure your business continues to operate smoothly.

Managing tighter budgets effectively

End-of-year bonuses, annual donations to charities, lower sales – budgets always feel tighter at this time of year. The best way to deal with this is to plan for it. Start setting a small amount of money aside right from the beginning of the year, and create a special account for it, so you know you can’t touch it. Preparing financially for the holidays over the course of the entire year will make your financial strains a thing of the past.

Making the most of increased sales and customer traffic

If you own a storefront, the holidays can be the craziest time of the year, with a heavier footfall and demanding customers, often with urgent requests. Be prepared by hiring part-time holiday employees to cover the rush. Any extra money you spend on staff can easily be made up in sales, thanks to better and more attentive customer service.

Consider utilising the extra sales by running promotions over the holiday period. Convince your customers that now is the time to spend their money on exactly what you’re offering. Perhaps it’s a holiday sale, or a buy-one-get-one-free event – word-of-mouth promotion can make a huge difference to your sales figures over the festive period.

Improving cashflow

The Christmas period and the first few weeks of January are often a critical time for small businesses, not least because many managing directors, clerical assistants and finance department staff are on holiday over Christmas and the New Year. As a result, payments often don’t get made, cheques don’t get signed and small businesses often experience real problems with cashflow at this time.

During the festive period, many business owners often resort to costly bank overdrafts to see them through or, worse still, the company credit card, both of which can exacerbate their weak cashflow positions in the short term. To avoid this, try to forecast potential financial problems to ensure you, or your staff, aren’t caught short this Christmas.

You should also make sure you send invoices to your customers as soon as possible to avoid delayed payments. Make extra effort to follow up debtors earlier on, as the chances of receiving payment become increasingly less likely the closer to Christmas you get.

Working with reduced business hours

It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, you will inevitably be clocking in fewer hours around Christmas, due to statutory holidays and employee vacation time.

The best thing you can do to prepare for this slow period is to account for it in your business calendar. If that means you need to adjust your sales targets for the rest of the months of the year to make up for that reduction, factor that in as well. It can do wonders for your wellbeing to go into the holidays knowing you don’t have to achieve unrealistic goals between December 24th and January 2nd.

Dealing with distracted employees

It’s the time of year when we all have extra things on our plates. Your employees may be spending company time planning the party they’re hosting, or making their shopping list, resulting in lower productivity. Why not offer more flexible working options, so they can get things done that they might have otherwise tried to do at their desks?

Don’t forget to thank your employees for their efforts over the holiday season, especially if a Christmas party isn’t on the agenda this year. For budget-friendly ways to say thank you, check out our tips here.

Combat your personal stress

Having to worry about not just your own income but also your employees’ during a slow period can be hard on a business owner. The regular responsibilities remain, but the personal responsibilities also begin to pile up, which can lead to an overwhelming situation.

Make sure to take time for your own self-care, whether it’s meditating, exercising, Christmas shopping, or just leaving early to have dinner with friends or family. It can clear your head and put you back in the holiday spirit. Remember, it’s your Christmas too so try to switch off where possible during this festive season.

Leadership

6 tech solutions to enhance your SME

Recent studies have shown that as many as 65% of small and medium sized businesses are losing time and money through failing to adopt technology and use it to its full potential.

Although the large majority of SMEs use the internet for business purposes, including online banking and emailing customers, many of these owners have admitted to not possessing basic digital skills and knowledge beyond this. This is despite a proven correlation between digital skills and a high business turnover.

So why wouldn’t an SME want to adopt a few simple tools to help streamline their business processes? In this article, Opus Energy, renewable energy provider to businesses, shares its top 6 tech solutions for helping business owners save both time and money.

1. Get a project management tool

Being able to stay on top of your workload is important, but when you’re juggling twenty different tasks, it’s easy to lose track of where you are.

There are lots of handy online tools to help you manage projects more efficiently. For example, Trello and Asana use the Kanban methodology, a production-line style approach which enables you to see what work you need to complete, and when.

This can help you stick to deadlines, keep your priorities organised and ensure nothing gets forgotten or dropped.

2. Make the most of the cloud

It’s been argued that the one of the biggest impacts on businesses over the last few years has been the introduction of cloud technology, but not everyone is reaping the benefits yet.

In the past, people would use programs on their computers or building servers to do their work, but cloud-based software allows the same programs to be accessed through the internet. As long as you have an internet connection, you can complete your work anywhere, when it suits you.

Cloud software like Office 365 allows multiple users to simultaneously collaborate on the same document, without creating multiple versions.

Users can see changes in real-time, including who has made what changes, which saves time as you don’t have to wait for other people to finish editing before you can start.

At the same time, it’s easier to protect sensitive information and prevent data loss with cloud-based software. For example, Office 365 has advanced security features to safeguard your data. From encrypted emails to mobile device management and threat intelligence, you can be confident that your data and intellectual property is well protected.

3. Train yourself and your employees online

As a small business owner, it’s vital to continue to develop and expand you and your team’s knowledge, whether that be in your specific sector, or more general business updates. In an ideal world we would attend all of the seminars, meetings and training events possible, but these can be costly and time consuming.

However, self-paced training and online business training programs, which are often free or low cost, are the ideal way to expand your know-how.

There are various business training resources that will cover everything and anything you need to research and educate yourself on, so get familiar with these tools and pick the right options for you and your team. Don’t forget podcasts either; they can be a great source of entertainment, but they are also a viable tool for education, and you can listen at any time, even on the commute.

As a business owner, it’s important to think about developing your leadership skills to help your business grow – and unproductive commuting time is an ideal time to use technology to expand your skills. 

Serial award-winning turnaround CEO Peter Ryding recently created ‘VIC Your Coach‘, a new online leadership coaching system for CEOs AND their employees.  The system coaches leadership skills with small, bite-sized tips and short, snappy videos on over 200 business topics, delivering useful, actionable advice on your handheld device. Peter explains:

“For years, blue chip organisations have paid me to mentor their leaders, boost profits and increase business turnover.  The internet has allowed me to create a coaching system that anyone can access for a fraction of the cost – meaning the same strategies, advice and tips I use to support top CEOs can now be easily accessed by the smallest start-up.”

4. Share your calendar with everyone and anyone

Finding a time that works for you and a supplier, a new client or even a lunch date with friends can often be an exercise of email tennis, with dates and times suggested back and forth over email for weeks before anything is set in stone.

Using online calendars will allow others check your availability for meetings. This not only takes the management of your calendar out of your hands but will save everyone a lot of admin time and hassle.

5. Digitalise your invoices

When it comes to getting paid, the easiest way to track and log your finances is online. There are currently several companies offering similar invoicing services, so businesses need to do their research to ensure that the chosen system will complement their working methods and will be adaptable to their business.

In fact, a digitalised and streamlined online invoicing service may be an appropriate alternative for your business that allows you to manage your billing process quicker and more proficiently.

6. Track every second of your time

Whether or not you bill customers and clients by the hour, there is much to be gained from keeping track of where you and your team’s time goes each day. This not only ensures you bill those who pay by the hour, but helps you spot where you can be more time efficient, and which tasks are taking up too much of your time.

Like bookkeeping tools, there are many of these time-tracking tools available so be sure to select one which will integrate easiest into your day to day activity.

It might not be possible to adopt all of these solutions for your business, and some may not be relevant. But for businesses, time is a great commodity; freeing some up and saving money can go a long way to building a more lucrative and sustainable business.