Posts by Simon Measures
In times of uncertainty, hold your nerve and keep Doing the Marketing.
Originally written and published in May 2019 but still relevant today! During the current climate of uncertainty about the current and future economy, it is very easy to ‘batten down the hatches’ and hold out for an improvement later. The risk of this strategy is missing out on current opportunities and worse, allowing a competitor…
Read MoreIs a culture of late payments undermining UK SMEs?
The latest Small Business Strategy from the Business and Trade Committee has urged the Government to address the late payment crisis that disproportionately affects smaller UK SMEs. According to this survey, businesses are currently owed an average of £66,770 in unpaid invoices, representing a 10 percent increase from the previous year. While the survey does…
Read MoreAre we jumping from one Sale Offering to another?
It appears that sales for UK retailers took a hit in October, as shoppers seemed to hold off for Black Friday bargains. Supermarkets, clothing stores, and even online mail order businesses all experienced declines in sales, which the ONS (Office for National Statistics) attributed to consumers postponing purchases ahead of the annual Black Friday sales.…
Read More26th November the date for the Autumn budget
We have looked online and as usual there are as many ‘experts’ disagreeing on what may or may not be contained in the budget, as there are areas where bills for the small business owner could increase. It is exactly this amount of indecision that hurts business almost as much as the eventual, possible tax…
Read MoreAre we over the worse yet?
You know things are bad when the only positive numbers are those shown in the Business Distress Index (produced by Real Business Rescue). This looks at the financial health of UK SME’s and gives a regional breakdown of distress levels. Regionally it shows that, compared to the same period in 2024, the South East has…
Read MoreInterested to know of any concerns you have – A seemingly simple question?
We were contacted recently by the constituency office of our local MP asking a seemingly simple question “interested to know of any concerns you have relating to the future of your business, both due to issues affecting you nationally, as well as locally.” I say ‘seemingly simple’ as we all know, as SME owners, the…
Read MoreA short catch-up this week to give some good news for business
Despite the negative international news emerging from the markets recently, with warnings of slowdowns and major companies reducing their marketing spend in 2025, the online sales news for the UK is showing a more positive outlook. In figures reported in June 2025 online sales across the UK showed an increase of 2.3% in online spending,…
Read MoreAre Small Businesses under attack?…or is that just how it feels?
Recently, a number of changes, such as increases to National Insurance for employees, Identity Verification for Persons of Significant Control and Directors, increases in the numbers of online attacks, scammers and finally, and probably most significantly, the fluctuations in energy prices, fuel costs and vehicle excise duty, have increased the pressure on small business owners.…
Read MoreUncertain Times for Business
From a recent publication from the House of Commons Library entitled – Economic Update: Uncertain Times for Business, we have deduced the following key information. The picture for economic growth for businesses over the coming months of 2025 is one of little or no growth. Put against a background of virtually no increase in the…
Read MoreMy business is slowing down, is it me or the economy?
Most experts agree that a definitive recession is unlikely in 2025 but the economic forecast and data do suggest that growth will be extremely sluggish, potentially even zero. With high interest rates, increasing costs and market uncertainties all conspiring to give your business quiet periods throughout the coming year. When you are in one of…
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