Business Directory UK Blog | Business Tips and Advice

The UK business blog will provide information and advice on a wide range of business related topics including finance, employment, law, marketing, training, the Internet and everything in between!

Our goal is to provide our visitors with a valuable source of information, offering guidance from industry experts to help you to grow your business throughout 2012 and beyond. Our experts write for all experience levels, so whether you're new to business, a serial entrepreneur or a seasoned business professional, we hope you’ll find our articles of interest and share your thoughts with others.

Sales slow? How about being a nicer person!

Posted by: Alexandra Eager
Date posted: 3rd August 2015

Well we’ve all met obnoxious, arrogant yet successful people. When you leave their company it’s hard to find something good to say about them, but what are the traits of the people who leave a mark on your heart? Continue reading “Sales slow? How about being a nicer person!” »

Inspirational Thoughts to Keep You Motivated

Posted by: Alexandra Eager
Date posted: 15th July 2015

Ramblings of a business blogger and a few great ideas to keep you going and inspire new thought…

Forgive me if you’ve heard some of these, but life and business can be a challenge and sometimes we just need a little nudge, so here are some great “nudges” that I like – I hope you like them too.

Remember the drains and radiators – If you’re spending too much time with people who drain your energy, shift the balance and spend more time with people who warm your heart – they’ll feel the same way.

If you’re writing, try not to stop with a sigh when you reach the end of a chapter, try to start the next chapter with enthusiasm. When you pick up your pen or brush again (ok put your finger on your keyboard again) you’ll know exactly where to start.

If you hit writers block, don’t allow it to stop you in your tracks. Make some memorable note, perhaps change font colour and just carry on with the next point. Your subconscious will most probably fill the gaps in whilst you’re at lunch and you’ll come rushing back to carry on.

Try and take a few moments every day to thank the powers that are greater than all of us for the good things in life – sometimes it’s difficult, but it’s also habit forming and really does put things in balance and helps though the more difficult days. Glass full rather than empty and all that. Sounds trite but positivity is a habit that can make you happy.

Remember how your favorite music fills your soul? Well take 5 minutes and play some to yourself, then head back to work with renewed intent.

If your life is getting you down, always remember you can change it – Yes you can! Of course they’ll be consequences, but you can change things and just maybe the consequences are stepping-stones to a better life.

Remember, even back in (I think) 1934 Dale Carnegie said “don’t settle for being mediocre or setting your sights too low, you could be selling yourself short!

Until next time…

July 2015 Budget Key Points

Posted by: Alexandra Eager
Date posted: 8th July 2015

Here is a key point summary

Growth & Inflation

Economy grew by 3% in 2014
GDP growth forecast for 2015 revised down from 2.5% to 2.4% then to 2.3% in 2016

Borrowing

2015 borrowing forecast is revised down to £43.1bn
Government debt as a proportion of GDP 79.1% for 2015/2016
Savings of 12bn to come from welfare cuts and 5bn from tax evasion

Duties

No changes for alcohol and tobacco
From 2017, three new Vehicle Excise Duty bands will come into force for new cars in England only, starting at £140 annually. “Every single penny” from VED will go to a Roads Fund to fund improvements from 2020.

Personal Tax and Pension

Inheritance tax threshold to rise from £325,000 to £500,000 per person This ostensively means that married couples and civil partners will be able to pass on assets worth up to £1m, including a family home, without paying any IHT at all.
The personal income tax allowance will rise to £11,000 from April 2016
Higher rate of tax threshold rises from £42,385 to £43,000 from April 2016
Mortgage interest relief for buy-to-let homebuyers to be restricted to basic rate of income tax.

Permanent non-dom tax that allows some UK residents to limit the tax paid on their earnings outside the country that are not brought into the UK was abolished. Anyone resident in the UK for more than 15 of the past 20 years will now pay full British taxes on all worldwide income and gains.
The amount people can contribute to their pension tax-free to be reduced for individuals with incomes over £150,000
Pensions tax annual allowance to be gradually reduced to a minimum of £10,000 from next year.

Business

New national living wage for all employees aged over 25, starting at £7.20 an hour from April 2016 and set to reach £9 by 2020
Corporation tax will be cut to 19% in 2017

Stand Firm on the Price!

Posted by: Alexandra Eager
Date posted: 7th July 2015

You see, there seems to me to be such pressure from customers on businesses to discount or “do a deal”. Continue reading “Stand Firm on the Price!” »

Planning Your Market Research-Business Guide Part 7

Posted by: Alexandra Eager
Date posted: 19th June 2015

Of course we’ve all heard about Market Research to get some answers to the big question of who’s going to buy your new-fangled product, but few will tell you how to go about it (or at least that was my experience), so can I suggest you plan it, just like planning most other processes. Continue reading “Planning Your Market Research-Business Guide Part 7” »

Budgeting-Setting Up Your Business- Part 6

Posted by: Alexandra Eager
Date posted: 5th June 2015

In my last blog I wrote about brainstorming to come up with a business idea and importantly afterwards to eliminate all of those ideas that failed for some reason or other. Continue reading “Budgeting-Setting Up Your Business- Part 6” »

How To Avoid Rookie Business Mistakes

Posted by: Alexandra Eager
Date posted: 17th May 2015

If you’re an experienced business person, regardless of whether your our experience is online or on the high street, I think you’d agree that we can take for granted certain processes or actions that come naturally to us. Of course that’s why we found ourselves self employed. Continue reading “How To Avoid Rookie Business Mistakes” »

Brainstorming-Setting up Your Business Part 5

Posted by: Alexandra Eager
Date posted: 5th May 2015

In my last blog, I wrote a lot about inspiration and ideas, indeed I think we decided you were setting up a Yoga studio!? I jest, but such fluid thought is really important and that’s what the process of “Brainstorming” is all about. Continue reading “Brainstorming-Setting up Your Business Part 5” »

Setting Up your Own Business- Part 4

Posted by: Alexandra Eager
Date posted: 8th April 2015

New business? What are you going to sell? Continue reading “Setting Up your Own Business- Part 4” »

9 simple ways to attract more customers to your store

Posted by: Alexandra Eager
Date posted: 30th March 2015

Since the crumple of the economy in many countries across the world in 2008, businesses are struggling. Although the main economic pain may have past, many businesses are still finding slender profit margins. Continue reading “9 simple ways to attract more customers to your store” »

Setting up your own business- Part 3

Posted by: Alexandra Eager
Date posted: 26th March 2015

Following on from my last blog, “setting up your own business” Continue reading “Setting up your own business- Part 3” »

2015 Budget Summary

Posted by: Alexandra Eager
Date posted: 18th March 2015

The election was of course uppermost in the Chancellor’s mind. Continue reading “2015 Budget Summary” »

So you want to set up your own business -Part 2

Posted by: Alexandra Eager
Date posted: 17th March 2015

Following on from my last blog, “Have you ever wondered about setting up an online business?” Continue reading “So you want to set up your own business -Part 2” »

Have you ever wondered about setting up your own business?

Posted by: Alexandra Eager
Date posted: 9th March 2015

Many of us have and the challenges are many. Continue reading “Have you ever wondered about setting up your own business?” »

Free Top Online Business Listings

Posted by: Alexandra Eager
Date posted: 24th February 2015

There is so much written about businesses who do well on the Internet ,how to improve your online business, how to improve conversion or sell more of a given range or item, but what if all you have just a small website and no visitors to it and effectively no online presence? Continue reading “Free Top Online Business Listings” »

Is it worth advertising with a Vlogger?

Posted by: Alexandra Eager
Date posted: 11th February 2015

Given that promotion on the Web in most any format is thought to be a good plan, I was most interested to read that companies who promote their brands using video blogs (or vloggs) are according to the article; simply wasting their money! Continue reading “Is it worth advertising with a Vlogger?” »

The 6 Marketing Weapons for ANY Pop Up Shop

Posted by: Alexandra Eager
Date posted: 20th January 2015

Pop up shops are, quite literally, popping up everywhere. No one can deny their popularity, nor question their trendiness. Continue reading “The 6 Marketing Weapons for ANY Pop Up Shop” »

The story of a logo…

Posted by: Alexandra Eager
Date posted: 12th January 2015

Ok, I’m opinionated, I admit it, but I wonder if I’ll be vindicated here and I’ll explain more… Continue reading “The story of a logo…” »

The Offer of Government Apprenticeships

Posted by: Alexandra Eager
Date posted: 9th January 2015

When I was at school I recall some of the boys getting apprenticeships with the then Austin Rover Continue reading “The Offer of Government Apprenticeships” »

The Peter Principle

Posted by: Alexandra Eager
Date posted: 30th December 2014

Is there such a thing as the Peter Principle?

After being introduced to a dynamic, tenacious businesswomen recently, a close friend of mine decided to invest in her company, because the only thing lacking seemed to be a decent level of funding. Continue reading “The Peter Principle” »

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