News

November 15, 2013

Also in the news this week – 15 November 2013

Why face-to-face meetings could boost revenue

New research suggests that British companies could increase revenue by 21% by investing in more face-to-face meetings. A global survey commissioned by Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts reveals that businesses could be missing out on nearly 24% of additional revenue because they are not investing enough time in face-to-face contact. The survey found that 23% of British business people believe they have lost a contract or client because they didn't have enough face-to-face meetings. And while 54% of UK respondents said that the number of virtual meetings they attended has increased, 87% said face-to-face meetings are better for building strong client relationships.

HMRC to help start-ups on Small Business Saturday

Business start-ups can take part in four free live tax webinars run by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on 7th December as part of Small Business Saturday. The HMRC Start-up Saturday webinar programme is aimed at new and prospective businesses. Webinars will last an hour and will have the opportunity for questions. Topics include self-employment and HMRC, company directors - your responsibilities to HMRC, business expenses for the self-employed and VAT awareness.

FSB helps SMEs to embark on exporting

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has published a series of tips to help more small businesses get a foot into overseas markets. Recent FSB research showed that £792 million could be added to the economy annually, if its members who say they want to export for the first time took the plunge and did so. John Allan, FSB national chairman, said: "This week is Export Week and it gives us the perfect opportunity to help businesses understand what they need to do to take advantage of overseas opportunities. Our members alone that want to export could make a huge economic contribution." The tips are available on the FSB website.

New one-stop-shop to boost UK inward investment

The government has announced the launch of a new Regeneration Investment Organisation (RIO) to be administered by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI). RIO will direct investors to UK industry-backed development opportunities throughout the country, helping boost international investor confidence and ensuring good local projects get the investment they need to succeed. Prime minister David Cameron said: "This will act as a one-stop shop for our major inward investment opportunities – with £100 billion of possible projects on the table."