About

Ben Lobel was the editor of SmallBusiness.co.uk from 2010 to 2018. He specialises in writing for start-up and scale-up companies in the areas of finance, marketing and HR.

Blog

How the over-50s are leading the small business charge

Over-50s are contributing more to the UK economy than under-50s, research shows. Robert Gordon, CEO of Hitachi Capital UK, explores the evidence.

Business management

Why it pays to be prepared when disaster strikes

Jo Gibson, operations director at First Capital Cashflow, explains why it’s vital for small businesses to have a contingency plan in place for unexpected events.

Tax

Six reasons to tackle your self-assessment tax return early

Emily Coltman, chief accountant at FreeAgent, explores why it may be beneficial to take on the self-assessment tax return early.

Office & home working

A day in the life of a flexible working IT manager

In this piece, we take a look at the average day of Chris Martin, CTO of Powwownow, for inspiration on how to maximise remote working.

Business Technology

How to minimise GDPR impact when you can’t afford compliance staff

In this piece, Gavin Scruby, CIO of SmartDebit asks: how can you adjust your business to minimise the impact and fallout of GDPR regulation?

Employing & managing staff

How to deal with tricky conversations at work

Karen Meager and John McLachlan, co-founders of Monkey Puzzle Training, discuss how to set the right tone when broaching sensitive issues with staff.

Accounting

Why quick action is key for small business cash flow management

Martin Atkins, partner and head of business services at Menzies LLP, discusses the finer points of cash flow management as a small business.

Business Technology

How to run your small business like a racing team

Just like every team in the Tour de France, every small business will have a vision and a set of values, Sanj Bhayro of Salesforce discusses.

News

Local shops join forces to save the high street

Here, we take a look at at how SaveTheHighStreet.org, a partner of SmallBusiness.co.uk, is on a mission to support and empower local shopkeepers nationwide.

Business Technology

How my company survived a ransomware attack

Chris Williams, director of containers supplier Willbox, reveals how quick thinking from the company’s external IT support meant a ransomware attack on his company could have been so much worse.

Employing & managing staff

Why Kalanick’s departure from Uber is a victory for company culture

In this piece Ab Banjeree, CEO of ViewsHub, shares some practical lessons for small businesses following Travis Kalanick's controversial reign at the helm of Uber.

Business Technology

The digital revolution and small businesses

Here Rich Wagner, CEO of APS financial, examines four aspects of the digital revolution that a new business must adopt to stay ahead of the curve.