Electricity prices for smaller businesses can vary by as much as 220% Prices vary by as much as 220%, depending on contract status Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) each save on average £1,121 annually by shopping around, but barely 7% of firms switched electricity supplier in 2010 SMEs trapped into excessive charges by unclear contract renewal windows Want to reduce the cost of gas and electricity? Our Save More team want to help. Check your bills and find out when your current contracts expire. Close to £2 billion is being lost from the UK's small business sector each year by firms unnecessarily paying inflated electricity prices. Despite each small firm saving on average £1,121 annually by shopping around for the best deal on their electricity bill, barely 7% of businesses switched electricity provider last year, according to the research. "It is alarming that SMEs can pay such a vast variety of prices for what is essentially the very same product. Killer Watts (nice pun, huh?) Can Switch, Won't Switch Rollover Trap
The Average Cost of Small Business Insurance Insurance for a small business typically consists of coverage for liability, property damage and health. Various types of small businesses can purchase a small business package that will cover many of their insurance needs. Small business insurance can be customised to include additional coverage options, which can affect the price you would pay for the policy. The average cost of a policy can vary, depending on what a business requires for coverage. Property insurance Property insurance provides protection for various types of losses by the business, including fire, theft and vandalism. Liability Insuranace Liability insurance offers protection in case of injuries to customers or visitors to a small business. Health insurance Small businesses often provide health and safety insurance coverage. Deductibles A small business that buys a small business insurance policy can choose from various deductibles. Premiums More slideshows
What Should You Spend on Advertising? By Steve McKee One of the questions I'm frequently asked is: "How much should my company spend on marketing and advertising?" It's a conundrum that vexes many corporate leaders, from emerging entrepreneurs to seasoned CEOs. As a rule, emerging companies focus most of their time and talents on meeting the needs of customers, as well they should. The Big Question: How Much? While there is no definitive answer as to how much any business should spend on marketing, there are general guidelines any company can use to develop a formula that works for them. Your first step should be to try to find out what the advertising-to-sales ratio typically is in your field. You'll also need to ask yourself if your business is built to leverage volume or to leverage margin. The retail industry provides some good examples. If you're in a services business, you might want to bump your starting point higher than 5%. Marketing, Not Just Advertising It's important to make a qualification here.
How to Estimate Restaurant Sales - All About Restaurant Business Plans A crucial part of any restaurant business plan is an estimate of your future restaurant sales. You need to have a base number of how much money you think you will bring in on a daily, monthly and yearly basis. Estimating your restaurant sales can be based on the number of seats in your dining room, check averages or seasonal highs and lows. You can also divide restaurant sales between food and liquor sales. Look at the Turnover Rate When looking at the number of seats in your restaurant, estimate how many times they can be turned overduring a shift. Understand Check Averages Once you’ve estimated the number of guests at your restaurant at any given shift, you need to estimate the check average. Chart your estimated restaurant sales by month, to include in your restaurant business plan. Once you have established your sales, next you need to establish your restaurant expenses.
Percent of a Business Budget for Salary Determining your business budget requires you to consider many facets of your operation. For your company to become successful, you may need to hire employees right away or sometime in the future. Accounting for your employee costs and your own wages is important to keeping your budget accurate. Being realistic and taking all aspects of employee expenses into consideration is part of how to calculate the percentage of salaries in your business budget. Operating Budget A business generally requires a variety of budgets. Business Sector Each business sector may have its own requirements for the percentage of salary in the operating budget. Related Reading: How to Budget for a Startup Business Employee Salaries The percentage of your budget allotted for labor, which includes employee salaries, also takes into consideration payroll and unemployment insurance taxes, benefits, reimbursements, overtime, workers compensation, leave time and holiday pay. Owner Salary About the Author Have Feedback?
Start Up, Small Business and Medium Business software - Microsoft Business Centre Welcome to Microsoft Business Whether you are classed as a small business, an aspiring enterprise, or an entrepreneur, Microsoft Business provides business hints and tips, various how-to guides and many IT solutions to help you with your business challenges. Many of these challenges can be overcome by using the power of technology: whether that’s to get more done, work better together, or you’re in need of the most up-to-date software, Microsoft Business is here to help you and your business become more efficient. Talking Business Starting Your Business Running Your Business Growing Your Business Planning to Start Up It's an exciting time to start your business. View Details Technology Basics As a newcomer to technology, or someone who has better things to do than get your hands dirty with it, technology might just be the best thing since sliced bread for your business. Top Devices Browse the latest powerful, professional Windows 8 laptops and tablets. Managing Cash Flow Keep Business Secure
25 Best Business Software Tools and Web Services Anyone who says their business "runs itself" probably owes a great debt of gratitude to a small army of software applications and Web services that tirelessly feeds the machine from behind the scenes. From creating and storing documents and staying on top of e-mail to keeping the books and getting teams working together, it takes a lot of code to run a business, or at least to run it well. But setting up your company isn't as easy as just fishing apps out of a barrel. You want the best you can get, and at a price that isn't through the roof. With capability and frugality firmly in mind, we rounded up 25 of our favorite software tools and Web services that we deem the best for powering small and medium-size businesses. Of course, not every business needs every type of program or service, but if your small business could use some help in any of the categories below, our list will give you a pretty good shot at picking a winner. Accounting Software Intuit QuickBooks Pro Backup and Recovery
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