Blog Posts: October 2011

Most small businesses learn early on that there is a difference between being busy producing and selling goods or services and actually getting paid for them. The temptation to extend credit terms to customers so they can buy your goods might seem like a good idea at first but, in reality, you are lending them money, which presumably they have been unable to obtain from their bank or other sources. Do you really have the funds to risk on customers who may never be able to afford to pay? It&rsquo.... (read more...)

What are your plans for the future? At the present time it might be simply to hang on in there and stay in business. Despite that most business plans will include future expansion and/or exit strategies at some stage. In either case, those plans should include making sure the business is legally prepared for the expansion or exit process and all it entails. At an early stage the process is likely to involve an investigation by any potential investor or purchaser into the business, often referred.... (read more...)

Approaching your landlord to renegotiate your lease can be a daunting prospect, especially if you’re a small business owner and the landlord is a large institution. Making sure you are fully informed before you start the process is certainly worthwhile – although in my view there’s no better approach than asking an expert to negotiate on your behalf. I’m often asked by small business owners how they can renegotiate the terms of their commercial lease, especially those who.... (read more...)

Despite initiatives such as the government’s Red Tape Challenge , all businesses seem to have increasing amounts of red tape that they have to comply with in order to keep on the right side of the law. Solicitors certainly aren’t immune – in fact we are affected by a whole new set of regulations that came into force only recently. One of the details was that we now all have to make it clear that we are not only ‘regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority’ as b.... (read more...)

M & S has been fined £1m for breaches of health and safety legislation. The Crown Court said it had failed to protect customers, staff and workers from potential exposure to asbestos whilst refurbishment works were carried out to a store. Ceiling dust possibly containing asbestos fell to the shop floor whilst it was open. M & S were also ordered to pay £600,000 costs after the prosecution by the Health & Safety Executive. Marks & Spencers we.... (read more...)

One of the consequences we have seen as a result of the current recession is a rise in the number of people who have come out of employment and set up as independent consultants in their chosen field. You may be one of them. If so, then you will also have had a whole range of issues to deal with from setting up an office and your online and social networking presence, opening up a business account and possibly a company, to marketing your new business to bring in those much needed clients. Among.... (read more...)