fbpx

Taking Care Of Your Vision With The Right Insurance

August 11th, 2020 Posted in Business, Jobs and Careers
No Comments

There are few things more precious in this world than being able to see. If you wear glasses, or you use contact lenses, you may have been offered vision insurance or benefits as part of your employment package. While vision insurance may seem like a perk worth having, there are potential drawbacks. As the infographic below shows, not all insurance policies represent the best value for money.

If you’re an employee, and you wear glasses or contact lenses, you’ll probably be thrilled that vision insurance is part of your employee benefits. The trouble is that policies that are offered to employers often make it difficult for employees to source affordable glasses. This is largely due to the fact that insurers provide access to in-network stores, which are often more expensive than out of network providers. If you shop online, for example, you could save up to 50% on prices for similar or superior products. The range of free frames and lenses may also be limited, and therefore, unsuitable for individuals who need better quality glasses due to their prescription. There is also a risk of losing out on benefits if you don’t use them before a specified deadline. 

For those who do have vision insurance as part of their employee package, it’s advisable to set a reminder to make sure you use your benefits and to consider the option of buying out of network to save money and access a wider range of products and services. Employers may also wish to think about switching flexible benefits to Health Savings Accounts. This prevents business owners from paying for benefits that will expire. 


Infographic Created By Eyeglasses.com
,
Read More

5 Things To Consider When Making Major Renovations To Your Business Premises

July 6th, 2020 Posted in Business, Entrepreneurship
2 Comments »

If you’re thinking of making renovations to your business premises but don’t know where to begin then don’t worry, you have definitely come to the right place. Whether you’re investing in a new location or renovating the one you already own, you need to be as prepared as you can when it comes to getting started. Luckily, there are lots of questions you can ask to ensure exactly that. From setting yourself a budget to finding the perfect contractors, the more questions you’re asking the better. With that in mind, here are 5 things to consider before renovating your business premises: 

5 Things To Consider When Making Major Renovations To Your Business Premises - coffee shop interior image
image credit – Pixabay

What Is Your Overall Budget? 

One of the first things you need to consider when it comes to making major renovations within your business premises is your budget, as this is the best way to ensure you’re not spending more than you can afford. You can explore grants that you could qualify for to make business improvements – check out Grants Assist reviews for more information. A grand could be just what you need to make some valuable improvements to your business.

The best way to put together your budget for your project is to think about each individual aspect of your renovation separately. Take a look at the average price for the work you want to be done, adding them all together to get your final figure. It might take some time but it will definitely be worth it when you know exactly how much you’re going to be spending. 

What Changes Will You Be Making? 

As you’re working on your budget, you may also want to think about the changes you’re going to be making, as this will make it much easier to price up. 

If you’re unsure where to begin when it comes to your major renovations, you may find it helps to make a list of priorities. You won’t be able to do everything at once, but you will be able to do them in order of importance. For a guide to prioritising as a business, you can visit this site here. 

Do You Need To Hire Any Help? 

Although you may be able to do certain aspects of your renovation alone, often it’s better to leave it to the professionals. Whether your premises are within a historical building or you’re undertaking projects that are not within your skill set, a little bit of help can go a long way. For more information when it comes to Historic Building Conservation, you can visit this site here. 

Do You Have A Timeframe In Mind?

Another important thing to consider is whether you have a timeframe in mind. Although it may not be overly important, an end date can help with motivation. For tips and tricks when it comes to staying motivated during a renovation, you can visit this site here. 

Do You Have A Contingency Plan?

Finally, you need to ensure you have a contingency plan in place. 

With lots of important questions to be asking, you can be sure you’re as prepared as you can possibly be when it comes to making major renovations. What else do you need to do? Did we miss anything important off of the list? Let us know your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below. 

, ,
Read More

These Mistakes Can Cost Your Business Serious Money!

June 1st, 2020 Posted in Business
No Comments

Whatever the other aims of your business, staying economically viable is likely to be right at the top of your list. Unfortunately, doing so is often easier said than done. In fact, many businesses go under because they end up paying out more than is coming in. The good news is that you can avoid paying out for costly business mistakes. Just keep reading to discover what they are and how to dodge them! 

These Mistakes Can Cost Your Business Serious Money! - business success image

Employing the wrong people.

Unless you can run your business entirely alone, you will need employees. However, employing the wrong people can mean you risk a great deal of money. After all, the recruitment and training process is never cheap. Not to mention the impact on the day to day running of your business that a poorly chosen employee can have. 

That is why you must make the right choice when it comes to new employees. Of course, this means paying due care and attention to the recruitment process. Additionally, considering potential employees personality types and ways of working can make the process of picking the right people a great deal more accurate and cost-effective. 

Not attending to your tax correctly. 

Tax is something that all businesses will need to attend to. Unfortunately, there can be a great deal of cost and risk involved if your company taxes are not dealt with properly. 

For example, if you do not declare the correct tax status for the type of business that you run, the government can take a very dim view. Sadly, the guidance that covers this known as the IR35 is very complicated. Therefore, it can be very confusing as to whether your business counts as inside or outside of these laws. 

The good news is that there are tax specialists such as https://www.qaccounting.com/ir35-contract-reviews/ that can review the contracts that your business operates under. Thus being able to tell you whether you fall under the IR35 regulations or not. Something that can help minimise your business’s risk of breaking the rules, and so reduce any chance that you will need to pay levies or fees because of this. 

Not asking enough for the products and service you provide.

Believe it or not, some businesses lose out finally because they do not realise what the products and services they provide are actually worth. Unfortunately, this tends to apply mostly to smaller and independent businesses. The reason being that they tend to be so eager to establish their brand, that they end up undercutting their competitors and even their own costs to gain pole position. Of course, this is not a sustainable model and can cause some severe issues in the long term. 

With that in mind, knowing the real value of the products and service you provide is essential. Luckily, this can be gleaned fairly easily with a little market research. In fact, where possible testing the market before you launch your products, perhaps with a soft launch can help you avoid costing your business a greedy deal of lost money in the long run. 

http://credit-n.ru/kreditnye-karty.html
,
Read More

5 UK Organisations That Offer Funding For Start-Ups And SMEs

May 29th, 2020 Posted in Business, Entrepreneurship
No Comments

Starting your own business is both exhilarating and challenging. One of the main reasons that startups can’t get off the ground is due to lack of finance. If you’ve got a winning business plan, it’s a shame to be held back by money. Luckily there are a number of schemes available in the UK which can help budding entrepreneurs, and existing small businesses, to access the funding they need.

5 UK Organisations That Offer Funding For StartUps And SMEs - successful business meeting image
Photo by fauxels from Pexels

1 . Princes Trust 

The Prince’s Trust started providing grants to entrepreneurs back in 1976. As well as funding, they provide an enterprise program, mentoring young people who want to set up their own companies. Grant applicants must be aged between 18-30, and applicants can start the process by filling in the form on the website. The Prince’s Trust believes that all young people should have access to career building tools. On the site you’ll also find links to free professional courses, and other career based content. 

2 . CRACK IT Challenges

CRACK IT is a challenge-based competition which funds collaborations between SMEs and academics. The goal is to solve science or business based challenges in society. Previous challenges have seen winners secure three year contracts and £1 million in funding. Current challenges in process include a handheld device for monitoring rheumatoid arthritis, and developing a method for tracking gene therapies. 

3. Tradeshow Access Programme 

The tradeshow access programme helps companies with promotion by offering grants to visit overseas trade shows. TAP offers businesses support with market knowledge, foreign export, and funding. To apply for the grant, you should be a UK small business who has been exploring a few export opportunities already. You should also attend one of TAP’s events. Many entrepreneurs forget all about trade shows, due to all new digital marketing techniques. Marketing yourself in person is more authentic and suited to expressing brand story.

4. New Enterprise Allowance

This grant is specifically for those who are currently unemployed, and would like to set up their own business. Successful candidates on the scheme receive weekly payments over 26 weeks, in the past these payments have been around £120 a week. The New Enterprise Allowance scheme also offers mentoring and help to set up your business.

5. Innovation Programme 

The Innovation Programme was made for small businesses who are creating innovative products or services. As far as criteria goes, past companies have worked in areas of assistive technologies, IT connectivity, data or energy. To apply for the program, your company should have under 250 staff members. Applicants should be made through Coventry City Council. 

When you’re starting out as an entrepreneur, should you take all the personal finance tips you can get! These are just a few of the funding options for small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs. Be sure to apply for everything that you are eligible for, you never know what big opportunities your applications could lead to.  As a small business or startup it’s important to take care of your financial health. To help you do this, MNE Accounting offers some great outsourced accounting services, which can be accessed on their website here.

http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi.html
,
Read More

Legal Issues That Courier Businesses Are Likely To Face

May 21st, 2020 Posted in Business, Entrepreneurship
No Comments

Starting a courier business is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs because there is a huge demand for delivery services. We spend more than ever on online shopping, and delivery services are becoming the norm for most goods that we buy. Although the big courier services already deal with the biggest retailers, and many retailers handle their own deliveries, there are still plenty of companies out there that are in need of a courier. 

Legal Issues That Courier Businesses Are Likely To Face - truck image
Pixabay

However, when you start any business, you need to manage the legal issues, and that is especially true with a courier company. If you are planning to start your own courier company, these are some of the big legal issues that you need to manage. 

Licensing 

Licensing is a big issue for courier companies. If you are operating heavy vehicles, all of your drivers will need specific licenses. As a business owner, it’s up to you to make sure that all of your drivers have the correct licenses and they do not have any driving bans in place. If you do not check the paperwork when you are hiring people, you may be held liable for allowing people to drive your vehicles without the correct licensing. 

Driving Infractions 

If your drivers commit an infraction of some kind while behind the wheel of one of your vehicles, that can be a serious problem for you. Not only does it have a negative impact on your image, but you may also be held responsible. In some cases, if the infraction is a serious one, like drink driving, you may need to look into criminal law assistance for your employee. You can avoid issues like this if you pay attention to your hiring process and make sure that you are carrying out thorough background checks. You should also consider installing a telematics system in your vehicles so you can monitor speed and make sure that your drivers are following the rules of the road. 

Insurance Issues 

When you are starting a courier company, insurance is one of the most important things to consider. If you are delivering goods for clients and they are damaged, you are liable for that damage, so you need to make sure that you have the right insurance coverage in place to pay for it. If you don’t, you will end up paying out of your own pocket and you will soon end up in financial trouble. 

You also need to consider what will happen if one of your drivers is involved in an accident. In some cases, the other driver involved with the crash may attempt to sue the company, and if your employee was at fault, you may be forced to pay a large settlement. If you have the right insurance coverage to protect your business, that’s not too much of an issue. But if you have to pay it yourself, it could spell disaster for your business. 

If your new courier business is going to be a success, it’s important that you are able to deal with these potential legal issues. 

http://credit-n.ru/trips.html
,
Read More
Older Entries
Newer Entries