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Check out our blogs section where Chamber representatives, members and high-profile business figures write about a range of topics. If you are a member and want to submit a blog, please click here.

Sep 23, 2021
Cultivate & Invest: My no-nonsense guide to referrals & introductions

By James Brodie | Business Buzz for Birmingham & Warwickshire

It’s time to renew your car insurance, & a few providers are offering a cheaper option than your current policy. Do you switch provider, & if so, which one do you switch to? After scouring Google, what do you do? You ask around – have any of your friends or family had experience of any of these insurance companies? When we look to invest in a product, a service, or anything that requires our time, our commitment or our hard earn money, having a reliable recommendation makes us feel more at ease about entering into a new transaction. With someone we trust making a recommendation, we gain a certain level of confidence that what we’re about to invest in is going to be worthwhile. With the theme...

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Sep 22, 2021
UK house builder becomes first to divert asbestos away from landfill

By Neil Munro | Acorn Analytical Services

We’ve heard some fantastic news about asbestos in the UK during the past few days. Leading developer Lovell has become the first UK house builder to actively tackle the challenge of asbestos waste. The firm is collaborating with Wolverhampton-based Thermal Recycling to safely package and convert asbestos waste into a safe and reusable cement substitute. You may remember that back in June we published a blog about Thermal Recycling opening the world’s first plant for environmentally responsible asbestos disposal. The company uses a scientific process called denaturing to convert materials containing asbestos into a new asbestos-free material. It then produces a sustainable aggregate for the...

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Sep 22, 2021
Would you rob a bank alone?

By Chadd Blunt | Millennium Cargo

Would you rob a bank alone? As you know, I’m not a big fan of the news. I take great care of my mindset and I believe that everything we read, watch or listen to has an impact on our way of thinking.The newspapers here in the UK are packed full of doom and gloom, super-biased propaganda. But every now and then there’s something in them that catches my eye - like the bank robbery in Brazil.Now, just to be clear, I’m not at all condoning this robbery. People died, hostages were traumatised and damages were caused at a significant cost to society.The bank robbers are bad people and I hope they are caught.But that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from them. While the crime they committed was terrible,...

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Sep 22, 2021
Changes to restrictions on winding up petitions

By Stuart Turner | Sydney Mitchell LLP

The Government has recently announced that, from 1 October 2021, the restrictions on the use of winding up petitions imposed by Schedule 10 to the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (“CIGA20”) will cease. They will however be replaced by a slightly more lenient set of restrictions which are to remain in place from 1 October 2021 until 31 March 2022. The restrictions contained in CIGA20 placed restrictions on a creditor’s ability to use the statutory demand procedure against a corporate debtor. They also placed restrictions on the Court’s ability to make a winding up order against a company unless the petitioning creditor had reasonable grounds for believing that coronavirus had not...

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Sep 21, 2021
How can e-learning be implemented in a practical way to improve the quality of education?

By Reza Pazhoheshnia | Star IT Euro

eLearning has become an important part of our educational system and has changed the way we view teaching as a whole. With technology advancing with each passing day, soon we might be able to provide a form of free education to everyone in the world, regardless of class or financial stability. E-learning as an ideal solution eLearning in today’s generation has refined the core aspects of teaching and has made schools perform more efficiently. In the past, using technology in education was a very controversial topic. Many people criticized it by saying that modernizing education would lead to many negatives in society. Along with these negatives, there were also a huge number of positives by...

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Sep 21, 2021
Three steps to nail company culture

By Alistair Ward | Coinadrink Limited

Company culture is a hot topic at the moment. As the return to the workplace speeds up, many companies are wondering how they can create a culture that promotes happiness, connection, and productivity. It is believed that there are three steps to nail company culture and ensure your business is a great one to work for. Company culture can make or break staff attraction and retention, so it shouldn’t be ignored. The following content is shared by Anne-Marie Headley, a people consultant who has worked for Google, Uber, and Cisco. 2020 was a big turning point for company culture. It made CEO’s, leaders, and such wake up to the importance of delivering a great place to work, one that empowers...

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Sep 21, 2021
How delivering SME finance is vital to achieving the ‘Levelling Up Agenda’

By Lauren McGowan | BCRS Business Loans

The UK government is committed to levelling up across the whole of the country to ensure that no community is left behind, particularly as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. In a nutshell, the ‘Levelling Up Agenda’ aims for a more even spread of economic and social opportunities across the country. In order to achieve this, the UK government has launched three new investment programmes in collaboration with local partners to address the challenges and opportunities communities are facing right across the UK. This will support regeneration of town centres and high streets, increase employment opportunities, improve local transport links, invest in local culture and give communities a stronger...

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Sep 20, 2021
Top tips for making returning to the workplace easier for employees

By The Leadership Coaches | The Leadership Coaches

For more than 12-months, employees have been advised to work from home where possible to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. As the Government revokes this guidance, at least 51% of organisations globally are favouring hybrid workplaces. Though many employees are looking forward to returning to the workplace, many have discussed their concerns and worries about doing so. Uncertain about what the future may hold, a large proportion of individuals returning to the workplace are left feeling somewhat anxious. To ensure that employees feel optimistic about returning to the workplace, leaders and organisations must provide support and assistance as and where needed. Our Top Tips For Making Returning...

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Sep 20, 2021
The September issue

By Heidi Stewart | BHSF

September marks a number of workplace milestones. Tens of thousands of commuters poured back into central London on the first Monday this month, with the capital seeing its busiest morning rush-hour since the pandemic hit. And then at the end of the month, employers will need to decide whether to take back their furloughed workers or make them redundant as the government’s furlough scheme comes to a close. There is no doubt that employee wellbeing has suffered over the past 18 months.  We surveyed 2,000 of the UK’s working population who have worked from home during the pandemic to explore how they are feeling. We captured this insight, in ‘The Big Return’ report, which powerfully highlights...

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Sep 20, 2021
Selling the family business: It is never too early to start preparing for sale!

By Andy Kay | Crowe UK

There comes a time in the lifecycle of many businesses where owners will want to consider their exit options. This is often with one eye on retirement or a new challenge. A trade sale can be seen as an ideal exit route for shareholders who have nurtured a business for many years and now wish to move away. Generating value from a sale can be a challenging, complex and time consuming. However, if well managed it can generate a significant capital sum which can provide financial security for the owner and future generations. To maximise both the value and the chances of success there are several areas to focus on. What follows is not an exhaustive list. How reliant is the business on the owners...

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