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.

Employing & managing staff

Top five tips to ace employee engagement during Wimbledon

In this piece Neil Pickering, customer and industry insight manager at Kronos, gives five tips to keep employees engaged during Wimbledon.

Alternative finance

Raising money on Funding Circle: A small business guide

Here, we look at Funding Circle, the largest peer to peer platform, and discuss how it can benefit small businesses.

Small Business Insurance

Addressing the insurance needs of an employee engagement consultancy

Jane Sunley, CEO and founder of employee engagement consultancy Purple Cubed, discusses the key insurance cover she put in place.

Business Technology

Phlashing and your small business: Staying vigilant

Jasons Howells, EMEA director for Barracuda MSP business, discusses the threat of phlashing, or PDoS attacks, to small businesses.

Business Ideas & Planning

Inspiring ambition in the female founders of the future

Kate Jack, country lead for UK Innovation Hub, discusses what needs to be done to encourage more women to pursue careers in STEM subjects and entrepreneurship.

Crowdfunding for Business

Crowdfunding on Indiegogo: A small business guide

In this piece, we look at how to approach crowdfunding your business on Indiegogo.

Office & home working

How to successfully ride the gig economy wave

Chris Bohlin, director of products at Grasshopper, explores why it is important for entrepreneurs to understand how to get the most out of the gig economy.

Business Ideas & Planning

How to jump on foodie trends without losing your brand identity

Here are a few key points to consider when choosing which trends to adopt, which to ignore and how best to implement your campaigns.

Marketing

Why affiliate marketing could be the best way to make money from home

Here, we look at why affiliate marketing can be a great way to make money on the side, or even replace your main income.

Accounting

Why accountants should embrace Making Tax Digital

Here, Manchester-based accountancy firm Alexander & Co outlines how companies can embrace Making Tax Digital.

Business management

Start-up mistakes: The errors to learn from when launching a business

Jon Ostler, CEO of personal finance comparison website finder.com/uk, discusses some of the common small business mistakes he has witnessed over the years.