Each week we’ll be featuring a great tip, with all sorts of offers and advice provided by the Business Owners Panel.
Tip of the Week
Say No to 0870!
Saynoto0870.com is a directory of non-geographic telephone numbers and their geographical alternatives. It offers alternative, cheaper or free phone numbers for companies beginning with 0870, 0845 and 0800. This can reduce your call cost on standard telephone numbers to as little as 4p fixed cost, down from 6p per minute plus a 9.3p connection fee charge, which many companies actually get a cut from.
For a full list of numbers, click on http://www.saynoto0870.com/
Free recruitment help for small businesses
A professional recruitment service set up by Jobcentre Plus to help small firms recruit is offering free advice on job advertisements, ranging from design and layout, placement, guidance on the interview process and help with finding the right candidate for the job. Bosses can also place a free advert on the Jobcentre Plus website, with applications scanned by Jobcentre Plus themselves.
This service can save companies commercial recruitment fees which, according to The Department for Work and Pensions, can be up to £2,000 on average for jobs paying salaries of up to £20,000 a year, and 20% or more of salaries over £20,000.
For more details, call 0845 6012001.
Free subscription to 'British SME' magazine
‘British SME’ is a new bi-monthly magazine for small businesses and it’s free for the next 12 months. Offering the latest banking, finance, insurance, legislation, taxation and technology news, it has regular features and articles offering independen
t information, ideas and opinion for small and medium sized businesses – SMEs.
Fill in this form to subscribe and opt to either be sent the magazine or a monthly e-newsletter.
http://www.britishsme.co.uk/contact-us/british-sme-subscription-form/
Free Business Link guide to the first two years in business
Business Link, the government-funded business advice and guidance
service, has recently published a 28-page guide to help new businesses get through their first 24 months.
Topics covered include advice on recruitment, financial control and how to find new premises. The guide also offers help and tips on how to keep on track during the recession.
Running a new business, your guide to the first 24 months, can be downloaded from http://online.businesslink.gov.uk/SouthEast_files/24_Months_150610.pdf
Free Microsoft Security Essentials anti-malware service for small businesses
Microsoft Security Essentials, Redmond’s anti-malware service for Windows
PCs, will be free for small businesses to install and run on up to ten PCs from this October.
This easy-to-use security service is a fantastic offer for small business and shops with tight budgets and uses the same core anti-malware engine found in the company’s enterprise software.
You can download this service at http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/
25 Top Tips for Small Businesses
Free expert advice 25 Top Tips for Small Businesses is available as a free download from Nectar Business. TV Dragon James Caan and Business Link offer their best advice in this guide that has tips on marketing, cash flow, business and the environment and social media. The website where you can download the guide has 282 more tips volunteered by a complete range of business owners.The guide can be downloaded from www.nectarbusinesstips.com.
Find out if your employees are eligible for childcare vouchers
The government is offering help in deciding whether employees would be better off receiving tax credits or taking childcare vouchers from their employer. By using an online calculator staff can determine whether they are eligible and if they would benefit from the voucher scheme.
Childcare vouchers can save many parents with children aged up to 15 up to £1195 per year for the parent (£2390 if both parents apply), enabling employees to pay for childcare out of their Pre-tax and National Insurance income.
As the employee doesn’t pay NI on the vouchers, this also equals big savings for the employer.
For further information and an overview of the information you need to input into the calculator, visit http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/calcs/ccin.htm.
Post your packages and parcels more cheaply this month
Parcelforce Worldwide is offering 15% off International and UK Services at Parcel Force during September. Simply head to Parcelforce Worldwide, go shopping as usual then enter voucher code T5H9 at the checkout! Simple.
Recover small debts using Money Claim Online
Want to make a small claim against another business but not sure how or where to start? Money Claim Online, a service for claimants and defendants, has been set up by Her Majesty’s Courts Service to make it easy to make small claims.
Suited to small business disputes, whether it’s compensation for faulty goods or services provided or disputes with staff and landlords, Money Claim Online is a simple, convenient and secure way of making – or responding to – a money claim and is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Claimants can request a claim online, check the status of the claim and, where appropriate, request entry of judgment and enforce a judgment by way of warrant of execution.
Head to https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk for more information.
Business Rates Too High?
Find yours and appeal for free on the VOA website.
The rateable value of commercial properties changed on 1st April this year. Find out what yours is and how it compares against neighbouring businesses by putting your postcode in to the Valuation Office Agency website. It also tells you how to appeal against your valuation if you think you’re paying too much. The rates apply for the next 5 years so it’s worth finding out if it’s higher than comparable properties or doesn’t bear any relation to the rent you’re paying. 160,000 small businesses successfully appealed in the 2005-2010 period including Make It Cheaper – we saved over £11,000 at out London HQ – so well worth doing.
For further information please click here.
£20 cash back offer with Linksys by Cisco
Linksys is offering small business owners who buy any Linksys by Cisco Wireless-N router the opportunity to trade in their old unit and get £20 cash back. Partnering with PC World, the promotion enables customers to upgrade their home office network at a fraction of the cost while also doing their bit for the environment.
Fast, powerful and simple to install, Linksys by Cisco Wireless-N routers are great for small businesses, particularly hom workers who wish to connect multiple computers and devices, including smart phones and printers, whilst also enabling the rest of the household to play games, stream TV wir
elessly, or surf the net simultaneously at optimum speed.
To redeem this offer please click here.
Offer expires: 27/08/2010
Energenie Automatic Standby Shutdown Plug
Energenie, the manufacturer of energy and money saving devices, is offering Business Owners Panel visitors an exclusive 70% discount on its Automatic Standby Shutdown plug.
Purchase now for £3.99 including P&P (RRP £12.99).
To redeem this offer please click here, add the item to your shopping basket and add voucher code ‘BOPoff’ when you check out.
Offer expires: 29/08/2010
The Ink Team Voucher Codes
The Ink Team, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of ink cartridges for the home and office, is offering 10% Off Plus Free Delivery from The Ink Team to all customers using Offer Code INK10. Visit www.theinkteam.com and input code: INK10 during purchase.
Offer expires: 31/08/2010
Euroffice
Euroffice, the UK’s leading stationery & office supplies Web site for small/mid-sized businesses and consumers, is offering 15% off Orders Over £129 at Euroffice. Simply head to www.euroffice.com and input code: MS0915 during checkout.
Offer expires: 31/08/2010