companies house made easy

30% more risk without a website

Small businesses that do not trade online are 30% more likely to fail than SMEs with a web presence, according to a new report.

minimum retirement age to rise in April

With changes to retirement and pensions will be brought into force on April 5th, people are being encouraged to look at their retirement plans.

a year at 0.5%

For the 12th consecutive months, the Bank of England�s Monetary Policy Committee has kept interest rates at 0.5%.

view all news

Small Business champion Lord Alan Sugar has caused upset amongst SMEs with his first speech to the House of Lords.

In his speech, Lord Sugar spoke out against entrepreneurs, stating that “Government and banks can’t just write out blank cheques to anyone who thinks they have a good idea”.

This comes shortly after his criticisms of SMEs that "have lived in the unrealistic Disney World in the way banks dished out money".

Organisations such as the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and the Forum for Private Business (FPB) have previously voiced their concerns over the appointment of Lord Sugar to the House of Lords as an enterprise tsar, as many feel it was a populist move, and not designed to further the interests of small businesses.

Lord Sugar’s recent remarks certainly indicate that he has little sympathy with the argument that SMEs are struggling because of a lack of available credit.