Is ESG relevant for SMEs? ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) and Scopes 1, 2 and 3 are not terms in common usage for many SMEs. However, they should be. Carbon saving matters! A business can save money, highlight the integrity and sustainability of their brand, and gain critical advantage in winning contracts by reporting on […]
Should a small business be net zero or working towards it? Yes! And here are three good reasons to be reducing carbon emissions: to future-proof your small business, ready for new net zero legislation because your customers expect you to be doing the right thing we are in a climate emergency! What is causing climate […]
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL! We would like to thank everyone who entered the 2022 awards. Entries closed on December 12th 2022 and every submission showed an exciting range of achievements, making shortlisting difficult. Judges will have the challenge of selecting the category winners over the next six weeks. The 2023 Awards open this September. If you […]
The UK Government has announced a ban on single use plastics from October, but what is a small takeaway or restaurant owner to use instead? The answer is one of the many alternatives made out of materials like sugarcane or wood, paper and metal. The next question is whether these materials are a viable and […]
A report published by the FSB has several interesting statistics about women in business. The contribution of women owned business to the UK economy has been estimated to be approximately £105 bn, with an increase of 40% since 2012. The number of women owning businesses and employing people in their own businesses has also increased significantly. […]
Love it, hate it or simply ignore it, it’s still Valentine’s Day today. Traditionally, a day for lovers, we’ve decided that it should also be a day for small business owners. So here are three oh-so-important ways to express love if you’re a small business owner. Ready? Love yourself Small business owners are so susceptible […]
You own a good camera, yet still shoot in full automatic setting? Feeling overwhelmed by all the settings and buttons on your camera? We’re hosting a brilliant workshop this February with Nemo Roberts. This is a hand-on workshop for people who want to understand basic camera skill ‘exposure’. The word simply means the brightness […]
Do you have an idea that could change the world? Maybe you’ve been toying with the thought of starting your own business and this might just be the year that you finally take the leap and go for it. We asked some of our small businesses for advice that they would give people starting out. Reading through their replies, I […]
Welcome to 2018, a new year, a new start, an exciting new sales plan? When you run your own small business you wear multiple hats. There is barely time to reflect or think about the direction you’re headed and if it’s right for you. Statistics show that small businesses with sales or business plans in place are more […]
Are you caught up in the busy Christmas season, and yet dreading the impending January slump? We’ve come up with three easy ideas for you to implement right away to give yourself additional opportunities for sales during this period. 1. Create digital gift cards. If you don’t already offer gift cards or vouchers, you should. If you […]
As part of our Power of Positive Shopping campaign, we are building bridges between retail outlets and Blue Patch members. This includes pop-ups. Being temporary spaces, they offer a relatively low-cost way for brands to take creative risks, generate buzz and reach new audiences, which are all GREAT benefits. Our first foray into the world of large scale events was the task of organising […]
Christmas is on its way. There. We’ve said it. Yes, it’s a wonderful, magical time of the year with delicious mulled wine, sparkly lights, Christmas trees, pretty baubles and such (Go on Scrooge, I dare you to disagree…) BUT As much as we’d like to leave Christmas things till next month when we can properly […]
Taking on your very first employee can be a very exciting moment. It can, also, be stressful. All those “i”s to dot and “t”s to cross to ensure that things are done correctly before their first day of work. HR guru Olga of CrosseHR is here to share her tips with all prospective employers and employees. The characters […]
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