Business Butler Blog - business information

Fake reviews have caused frustration and despair for online retailers and shoppers alike for years but have escalated recently to record levels. Estimates reveal fake reviews account for up to 30% of all reviews online, which is a startling amount when you consider 90% of consumers use reviews as a guide before deciding whether to make a purchase or not. You will be relieved to know that all of...

It’s currently an exciting time in Wales for new businesses. During the first quarter of 2022 more than 43,000 new businesses have been set up in Wales. Half were registered during March of this year alone, which is a staggering number of businesses - this research was taken from insolvency and restructuring company R3 in Wales.

The power of the mind should not be underestimated and peak performance coach, Mr Jim Steele, proved that in the opening minutes of his captivating Business Mindset Conference in Cardiff. The event was held in the majestic Cornerstone Arts Centre and Community Hub, a converted chapel, where Steele preached to the masses about the benefits of having a business mindset.

A vibra...

What is the R&D Tax Credit Statistic Report?

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have released their latest Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credits Statistics Report; sharing data for accounting periods ending during the 2019-20 tax year. The report, published each year, provides valuable information on the number of UK companies benefiting from the relief and the va...

Business owners are renowned for making tough decisions, it’s part and parcel of what they do. From hiring and firing to expansion and closure, if you don’t like making important decisions then don’t run a business. The latest decision facing business owners is one that they would never even have contemplated 18 months ago - should they continue running the business remotely or return to t...

Cast your mind back to those days before the pandemic and you’ll have fond memories of traditional networking events where you shared breakfast with fellow members of your local business community. There was a positive vibe when likeminded people shared the same room and the sense of energy and enthusiasm was palpable. Even those who are not natural networkers and don’t feel comfortable introdu...

Small business owners across the country were waiting with anticipation to hear whether the Chancellor would be the bearer of good news when he announced the budget, after all they had suffered more than most, and any support would be welcome.

Rishi Sunak has endured a challenging year as Chancellor of the Exchequer, and as the saying goes...”you can’t please all the people all of the tim...

A Guest Blog by Graham Morgan, a Business Expert.

There were 267,000 business enterprises in Wales in 2019 according to the Office of National Statistics and this was the highest number recorded over the period from 2003. The growth from 169,000 enterprises in 2003 has been consistent year on year. Small and medium sized businesses(SME’s) accounted for 62.4% of the estima...

A Guest Blog by Deb Barrow, HR Expert.

Although the scheme was scheduled to end on November 30th 2020, it has now been extended to March 31st 2021, whilst the start of the Job Support Scheme has been delayed.

So, what are the details and are they different from the original scheme?

• Any employee on the payroll by October 30th 2020 can be pl...

It is that time of year when the clocks have just turned back, the nights are drawing in and children across the country start to feel a little bit frightened as Halloween fast approaches.

However, this year millions of adults are also filled with fear and it’s not down to the ghosts and ghouls of Halloween. No, this is fear of the unknown because the end of October marks the end of ...

The fast moving world of business has changed considerably during the past 50 years and advancements in technology have enabled businesses to undertake market research and data analysis to such an extent that just wasn’t possible years ago. However, one aspect that has remained constant is the advantages that carrying out a SWOT analysis can have on a business. The SWOT analysis was devise...

A guest blog by Rob Baker, HR expert.

It is now 10 years since the pioneering work of David MacLeod and Nita Clarke highlighted the gains to be achieved by securing the positive engagement of your workforce. In the intervening period, everyone from the CIPD to ACAS – and dozens more – have extolled the benefits of engagement as a means of gaining commitment and extra...

It’s safe to say that almost every business knows what they do. They are selling a product or offering a service, and they understand all of the facts relevant to that product or service. Some businesses even know how they do what they do, but very few businesses know exactly why they do it. Finding your ‘why’ as a business could be the difference between roaring success and ...

With the aim of kickstarting the economy, lockdown restrictions have been eased and the world of business is trying to awake from a period of enforced hibernation. Some businesses have adjusted to working from home (WFH) better than others and may prefer to keep it like that for the time being, but for others, returning to work after lockdown is a necessity and the sooner that happens the bette...

July 1st marks the start of the second stage of the Job Retention Scheme, kicking off with the introduction of ‘flexible furloughing’. What this means is that employees can be invited back to work for a determined number of hours being payed at 100% for hours worked whilst staying on furlough leave for the remainder of their contracted hours paid at 80%.

Sounds straight forward?...

The UK government’s approach to coronavirus support for businesses during the 2020 pandemic has been admirable. The Job Retention Scheme was the first to be launched and was the most inclusive, safeguarding the jobs of almost nine million workers. This was followed by a variety of business support grants, loans and rates relief schemes devised to help businesses of all sizes and across all sect...

Intellectual Property or IP as it is more commonly known can account for the single most valuable asset that a business has but many business owners are unsure about what is classified as IP and, just as importantly, how much their IP is worth.

What is Intellectual Property? 

Intellectual property (IP) can be defined simply as the ownership of any idea or ...

There are so many things to remember when setting up a business and what with all the excitement and hullabaloo, there appears to be so little time to do them all. From writing a business plan and deciding on a business name to choosing a legal structure and finding suitable premises. Then there is the bank account to open, website to design, licenses to apply for, suppliers to source, contract...

You may think that business consultants are only useful for larger, established companies, that have seen performance plateau or sales stagnate and require help to guide them in the right direction.

However, what you may not realise is that business consultants can be equally effective when working with new businesses. In fact, using the services of an experienced consultant as a new busi...

When the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) was first launched last month, it was welcomed with open arms by businesses across the UK. However, it soon became apparent that the CBILS was not the panacea that businesses hoped it would be and it wasn’t long before the scheme started attracting criticism.

In response to this, Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, r...