How can you make AI work effectively for your business? Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to make headlines. Anthropic, the company behind chatbot Claude, has filed paperwork in the US to go public. At its last valuation, the company was worth £717 billion. AI news is not all positive, though. For…
Companies House and the IPO warn about fake payment requests Companies House and the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) are asking businesses to take special care of misleading requests for payment sent by fraudulent organisations. Invoices are being sent to companies that request payment for Companies House and IPO services. They…
Pub closures blamed on costs & disproportionate tax burden The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) have reported that 161 pubs closed across the country in the first three months of 2026. It is estimated that this has led to the loss of 2,400 jobs. Scotland has been the most…
Running a business in recent times has been a lesson in resilience. Costs continue to increase and customers are cautious. Cash is proving tight for many businesses and credit control is a core discipline for keeping a business afloat in such times. When businesses get into financial trouble, it is…
What to think about now to grow later Starting a business is often driven by an idea, a skill, or a gap in the market. But turning that starting point into a sustainable, growing business requires more than enthusiasm. Early decisions – sometimes made quickly or informally – tend to…
What Apple’s CEO Handover Tells Business Owners About Succession Planning Apple announced last week that Tim Cook will step aside as chief executive on 1 September 2026, and hand the role to the current head of hardware engineering, John Ternus. Cook will remain closely involved as executive chairman. If you…
What Buyers Look for and What You Can Do About It If you are thinking about selling your business, whether that is in six months or six years, one of the first questions you will probably ask yourself is ‘what’s it worth?’. While there are formulas designed to calculate the…
If you have been running a business for a while, maybe as a sole trader or in a partnership, you may have heard someone say, “You should incorporate”. Sometimes that is well-meaning advice, but is it true that incorporation is the smart move for all business owners? Let’s look at…
What’s the Difference for Your Company? The Insolvency Service has reported on an investigation it made into a company that was serving as a front to enable unlicensed insolvency activities previously carried out by another firm. The investigation resulted in the Insolvency Service winding up the company in the public…
Deadline Approaching for Business Rates Valuation Checks Enterprises that pay business rates are being encouraged to check their current property valuation and make sure the details held by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) are correct. If you believe your valuation is wrong, you have until 31 March 2026 to request…