Public Sector Contracts

July 7th, 2008

Admin

Supply2.gov.uk - the official lower-value (typically below £100,000) contract opportunities portal - was created by the Government to reduce the barriers facing SMEs competing for public sector contracts, enabling small businesses to grow and stay competitive.By registering on Supply2.gov.uk you can select a free location and benefit from:

Daily email notification of Government contract opportunities relevant to your business

Promotion of your company to the public sector market

Online contract search facility

Resources to assist you when tendering

Market intelligence

Until 31 July 2008, new registrants can benefit from access to lower-value opportunities throughout the whole of the

UK – free for 3-months

. The free trial is part of the Department for Business’ Enterprise Strategy released in March, which outlined new measures to increase the amount of government business that is won by small firms. To register for the 3-month free national upgrade trial and for further information please visit www.supply2.gov.uk before 31 July 2008.

Small Business Bonus Scheme

May 2nd, 2008

Admin

On April 1st 2008 the Small Business Bonus Scheme was introduced in Scotland to replace the Small Business Rates Relief Scheme.

The Scottisch Government have introduced the new scheme in a bid to help the true “Small” business! Rates are responsible for the largest proportion of the outgoings in many small businesses and paying them damages their profit margins; more so than the larger businesses, who have a greater turnover enabling them to cover their rates easier.

The introduction of a scheme, specifically designed to keep more money in the bank of  the small business, aims to level the profit margins between small and medium size enterprises and will hopefully allow the business community to benefit as a whole?

With less money to pay out on your rates you have more money to invest in your growth or help you to sustain your business in the current economical climate!

Over the next year this scheme will progressively help those enterprises with properties where the combined ratable value is £15,000 or less.

It is delivered in three different categories and they will apply:

up to £8,000

£8,001 - £10,000 

£10,001 - £15,000

To discover more about the new scheme and to see if it applies to you, please visit:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/212130/0056430.pdf

Report Crime Every Time!

April 24th, 2008

Admin

Have you ever had a crime (anything from anti-social behaviour, verbal abuse right up to major theft of property) committed against:

You and your business?

Your business premises?

Your staff members?

Did you report it to the police to be investigated or handled? Was it too small to worry about? Would it have cost you too many business working hours to put together a file worth reporting? Did you think it wouldn’t be investigated? Are you still waiting for police input? Do you feel there aren’t enough police with the ability or specialist training to deal with business crime? 

So, if the last one is true then who is to blame for the lack of dedicated police officers? Is it ministerial, police authority or even ourselves, the business community?

It is probably a very logical conclusion to make, that the answer to the above is a mixture of the 3 different areas! One of the reason’s being cited, which justyfies the inclusion of the businessis community is that:

::only 1 in 8 crimes against businesses:: in the UK is reported to the police (approx)!

This is one very serious statistic- if we do not report a crime (no matter how trival!) no-one will ever be aware of the extent of crimes against the business community or indeed the type of criminal activity being carried out! It then follows that no-one will ever be fully aware of the number of police officers that are required to combat corporate crime!!!

:: So how do we rectify it?::   

::WE REPORT CRIME…EVERY TIME!::

A national campaign is being jointly managed (Northumbria Coalition Against Crime and FSB) to encourage businesses to do just that, to continue to call 999 in an emergency (or the local police if not urgent) but also to report it on-line!

By reporting EVERY CRIME EVERY TIME a more accurate and measurable picture can be formulated against the type and calibre of crimes against businesses! Then we have valuable statistical evidence to promote the need for MORE police officers!

You can help yourself and your neighbour by going on-line and reporting the incident! For more Information & an On-Line Reporting Form please go to:

http://www.thecoalition.org.uk/ecet 

http://www.fsb.org.uk/ecet

http://www.businesscrimecentre.org.uk/ecet

This really is a case where everyone has to work together to get the assistance the business owners require. Yes it is hard work and yes it takes up many, many business hours collecting all the information needed to report a crime - BUT at the end of the day unless WE DO IT EVERY TIME we will only have ourselves to blame when there are not enough police officers to cover our area and those available are unable to concentrate on preventing corporate crime as they are too busy trying to catch the corporate criminal!

New Style Blog

April 24th, 2008

Admin

NSN Blog is pleased to welcome on board Simply Networking UK and all of their visitors to this shared portal of information.

From July 7th 2008 this Blog will  share information between businesses, proving that Networking is the way forward and easily accomplished with co-operation between enterprises.

Welcome www.simplynetworkinguk.com  

Welcome to the new style of NSN Blog.

From now on this Web Log will contain vital pieces of information for growing a business - that could be:

.: from New Start-Up to Micro

.: from Micro to Small

.: from Small to Medium and full E-Commerce

What ever topic I can write about to give you the latest information concerning growth and prosperity will be found posted on this site.

Good luck with your venture and please keep logging-in for latest up-dates or snippets of information.

Kim

Hosting Thoughts

April 24th, 2008

Admin

Before you can decide who you are going to host your web presence with (be it a front page business profile or full e-commerce site), you have to take time out and think about what you want from your Hosting Package?

.:Do you only require to have your business profiled on the Internet so you can be found and people can write to you via your Contact Page and Email Forwarding system?

.:Do you anticipate growing your web presence into a larger, functional website sometime soon?

.:Do you have a full E-Shop and want all the space and up-time you need to run it effectively? A site where you have full control over it via a very easy to use Control Panel?

.:Do you want a web presence but really want someone else to maintain it for you - ideally the Hosting Company?

.:Do you want a Local Company to look after your web hosting needs - so as you grow you continue to have that personal service?

.:Do you want to have a Hosting Firm that also has the expertise in individual, personal Web Design and Marketing Abilities?  

Once you have chosen what it is you require you only need to find the right Hosting Company for your needs, based on your “Wish List”!

It is important to think ahead as not all Hosting Companies are the same and many offer different packages as well as very different prices!

Just because they have been around for a few years does not automatically make them the best Hosting Company for your needs! Newer Companies can be more forward-thinking and offer just as good a package (if not better!)!

As this Blog grows so will the information about Hosting Issues and things to consider or things of importance. These will become invaluable topics for any business - be it a new start-up a micro or a small, everybody has different areas of expertise and this area will be dedicated to helping you make the right choice for your business and your future.

Thanks for joining us and please help others by posting valid comments when you wish!

Keeping Trade Local

April 24th, 2008

Admin

As an FSB (Federation of Small Businesses Ltd) member I attended a Mass LOBBY of Westminster in March. The purpose was to encourage Government Ministers to acknowledge the importance of keeping Trade Local.
I spent a very informative and encouraging time with one of the MPs, who gave me a lot of important insight into this matter.
To continue the momentum of this I will soon be out and about asking local business owners to add their name to the existing 10, Downing Street petition? You can go on-line a very easily sign it also - please visit http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/keeptradelocal/
This is a campaign that is VITAL to Moray - if we lose our local traders (be that the small Newsagent to the local plumber) we all will feel the difference!
The Moray Economy will slump and that will mean our daily shopping prices will be hit and increase!
SO PLEASE back this campaign (business owner or public member) and add your name to the PETITIONS you will be seeing in local businesses around Moray. IT IS A MESSAGE THAT IS OF VITAL IMPORTANCE TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US!
IF you wish to gain further information or submit your name to the petition please contact me through the contact page and I will be happy to provide you with details.
Although this is being managed by the FSB it is important that everyone has the ability to back this campaign and for that reason NSN is 100 percent behind it - please do the same.
Many thanks.
Kim

Beware warn McAfee

April 24th, 2008

Admin

McAfee has discovered a PHISHING attack that appears to be playing on the fears of some of the 25,000,000 people whose confidential details were on the Customs Computer Discs that went missing last year!

Criminals appeared to be targeting names, many believed were from the lost discs, offering the chance to ::claim back a £215 TAX REFUND:: There was of course the obligatory link to a suspect site within the Email!

.:McAfee:. acted swiftly in closing down the site but would still like to ::WARN:: everyone that SIMILAR sites may start-up, using the same technique as this one.

Further information can be obtained by visiting www.mcafee.com (please copy and paste in your URL bar - as you should with any link).
______________________________________________________________________________
:: We can ALL help these organisations, that act on our behalf to prevent Scams and Phishing, by forwarding the UN-OPENED message direct to the company it is supposedly being sent from.

:: If the Email is a con the analysts will have a lead in closing down the criminal site.

:: If it is not a con the company will thank you for your vigilance and validate the message.

.:REPORT EVERY CRIME EVERY TIME:.

Scam under Google Adwords name.

April 24th, 2008

Admin

Please be aware of this ::spoof:: Google Adwords:: scam that is doing the rounds! It appears legit. but could end up costing you a fortune!
It states “it has suspended your Google Adwords Account as there are insufficient funds in your account to cover it and could you re-enter your account details” - obligatory link site enclosed!
This has been bought to our attention by clients who have been receiving the Email but do not even have an ADWORDS account!
Please do not be caught out - it looks authentic (they are getting better all the time at designing these!) and just delete without opening the link as normal.
Many thanks.

How PayPal can keep your business safe!

December 18th, 2007

Admin

I recently attended a Seminar on business usage, PayPal and eBay (Thanks to Gordon from Love Life Ltd) and had my eyes opened in many ways! The main point that I want to discuss however involves your business and a business PayPal account.

Many businesses do not do any transactions on-line, so therefore see no point in opening a PayPal account in the Business name. If you are 1 of those enterprises then this is a SECURITY ISSUE you need to address!

With increased incidents of Identity theft you are in a vunerable position and could have your business bank account emptied before you even knew anything was wrong! All the thief basically needs is access to your bank statements?

With Gordon’s informative Seminar and my own (recent) personal experience I feel very strongly about this matter and making others aware of it. If my bank had not been very particular in documenting transactions I may have lost everything, all due to a PayPal account being opened in the name of my business!

I already had a PayPal account so would not have been any wiser if I had not noticed a different PayPal account number on my statement! As Gordon pointed out PayPal have many security checks in place to ensure only 1 account can be opened for any 1 business, in my case the person had closed my original PayPal Account and because that person had access to my business account set up a new PayPal account, one that only they had access to!

Because of this episode I would advise everyone to open up a PayPal account on their business account (it does not matter that you may never use it)! Remember only ONE PAYPAL ACCOUNT CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR BUSINESS NAME at any one time! The very fact that your business has a PayPal account will stop others opening one if they happen upon your banking details!

How would you know someone has set up a PayPal account? If you never use it you will see either 2 small amounts being credited to your account by PayPal or you will notice a PayPal transaction ocuring on your statement! If you regularly use your account for receiving payments for business transactions you should keep a note of your PayPal account number and if  this changes you will need to find out why?

Luckily I caught the changes to my account instantly, losing approx. 100 pounds before I managed to report the details to PayPal who investigated it further for me and actioned the bank to cancel that account.

You may not be so lucky!!!! So please start the very simple process of registering your business with PayPal today - before somebody else does it for you!

Another PayPal Scam!

December 18th, 2007

Admin

The scams, using PayPal are becoming more and more realistic! The latest looks as though it is a legitimate message from an eBay user and his PayPal account!

It states you have been using his account to bid for items on eBay then proceeds to direct you to copy and paste a link, enabling you to explain your actions? 

Obviously I have not entered the designated area so I am unable to tell you the reasoning behind it, I have however had confirmation from PayPal that it is in deed a ’spoof’.

This brings me on to another serious matter concerning both of the above! Please read the article I have posted in Business News for further information.

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