April 2012 Blog Posts (13)

The headlines screamed out this week that the UK economy had re-entered recession after two negative quarters back to back.There are many of us who believe the economy has been in recession constantly since early 2008.

It does however, throw up marvellous opportunities for those of us with large databases of customers and contacts built over previous years. So here are a few ideas to help you grow your business, and I am happy…

We increasingly see photographs and personal information about directors and employees both on websites and in marketing materials. This could also include company Facebook pages and other social networking sites.



A word of caution...



Under the Data Protection Act 1998, photos, names and work histories of employees are considered to be "personal data".  This information can only be used for the…

April showers are here - an ironic reminder that we’re experiencing a sub-Saharan drought and won’t be able to use the hose to water the rhubarb, or indeed, wash the car (‘every cloud’, as they say :0)

So you’ll see me swanning around in my dusty jam-jar proudly claiming to be ‘doing my bit for Britain’ (or at least for the sun-dried south!)…

Grass Roots, a well known research agency recently published interesting research using the ‘mystery shopper’ methodology as a tool. This is a summary of their findings...…

Average rates across two- and five-year fixed products have crept up, and borrowers on their lender’s Standard Variable Rate should be wary of future rises and look to fix sooner rather than later.

The warning comes after a number of lenders announced hikes to SVR (Standard Variable Rate )rates which come into force on May 1. Analysis has found that the average rate for…

Teachers are in the news again, with allegations that it takes too long and is too difficult to dismiss poorly performing teachers. In the private sector, it is argued, incompetent employees can be given their marching orders much more easily, whereas in the public sector it can take up to a year to remove somebody.

So what are the grounds on which an employee may be fairly dismissed, and what should an employer do, faced with an employee…

How many times have you been asked this question?

Whether in first meetings, on the golf course, down the pub  or at networking events, having a succinct & well thought out answer will avoid that embarrassing pause that makes you look silly or stop you from launching into your life story in the hope that something useful will fall out 20 minutes later. Meanwhile your questioner suddenly has a pressing…

I had an interesting exchange of ideas with Arnie Fabius this week, using the inernal messaging system here within NiS, so I thought I'd share my side of the story here...

Are there too many alternative channels of communication out there these days?…

You may have heard, Companies House are cracking down on Companies with business stationery that do not meet the mark, directors who fall below the requirements could face prosecution and a fine of £1,000.

The stationery they are talking about are all letters and emails must show the registration number, registered name and address and…

An 11-year-old boy has been highly commended for his imaginative entry to a competition to find a credible plan for a euro exit.

Jurre Hermans was among 452 candidates who submitted entries to win the £250,000 Wolfson Economics Prize. Although his idea was not among the five shortlisted, Jurre received special mention from the judging panel and will receive an €100 gift voucher, the Telegraph…

Borrowers on standard variable rate interest-only mortgages need to think about remortgaging fast as nine lenders have now cut their maximum loan to value.

Anyone with an interest-only mortgage that is currently on a lenders’ own variable rate (Standard Variable Rate) needs to think very seriously about protecting their position following the recent sudden surge in lenders reducing the Loan to Value on…

An astonishing poll of estate agents claims that 40% believe that property on their books is over-priced.

The claim has emerged in a poll of over 200 agents conducted by review site MeetMyAgent.

The poll was conducted between March 20 and 24 and claims to show that 38% of agents believe that more than 30% of their stock is over-priced.…

Mary Portas –The saviour of Britain’s High-streets?

Mary Portas conducted a review of the current state of high streets and town centres in the UK due to their great decline resulting from an ever increasing recession combined with the expansion of large international retailers and the progressive increase in online shopping and growing…