Connections are crucial to the success of any business. Visit our latest news to keep up to date with the latest business news from across the region.
Connections are crucial to the success of any business. Visit our latest news to keep up to date with the latest business news from across the region.
Connections are crucial to the success of any business. Visit our latest news to keep up to date with the latest business news from across the region.
Become a Chamber member today and access a range of benefits to connect, support and grow your business
Connections are crucial to the success of any business. Visit our latest news to keep up to date with the latest business news from across the region.
Blogs
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.
10 things you should definitely update on your website
By Aneela Hoque | Digital Glue
Picture this scenario; you are a successful business owner with a website to advertise and help sell your products. You set the website up 8 years ago and hired a marketing agency to create a beautiful website for you. You were so proud when it first launched! But now you can see your web traffic has drastically decreased, the bounce rate has gone up and you’re getting fewer leads coming through to your site month by month. Sounds familiar? You’re not alone, many companies find themselves in a similar scenario. The internet changes rapidly and it can be hard to keep up, so we’ve put together a list of 10 things you definitely need to update on your website, in order to increase traffic to...
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Why a phased approach to the acquisition process pays
By Carole Taylor | Vail Williams LLP
No matter what type of organisation you are - from business, educational institution to hospital or charity – it’s important to ensure that your premises is flexible and works for you. If it doesn’t, it won’t allow you to develop and thrive, and this can result in you having to acquire or lease new premises. The prospect of expanding or relocating into a new property can be daunting, but if planned effectively, and with the right advice, there’s no reason why it can’t prove to be a straight forward process. But what should you expect when leasing or buying a new property? Here’s our 10-stage guide, taking you step by step through what you can expect from the acquisition of a new premises –...
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The definitive guide to tradesman insurance
By Adrian Littler | CLA (Risk Solutions) Ltd
Tradesmen face many risks while carrying out their work for the public and other clients. Like any other insurance policy, making sure it is suitable for your own unique circumstances needs to be calculated carefully. A one size fits all is not going to be suitable for the wide variety of trades and professions. Building trades such as electricians and plumbers instantly come to mind when we think of a tradesman; however, fitness instructors, hair dressers and dog walkers will all need insurance to cover them if they are injured at work, sued by a member of the public or a claim is made by a member of their own staff. Tradesman insurance covers a range of risks that could stop you working...
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Why 'website coming soon' is bad for business
By Darren Lanlgey | Darren Langley Web Design
The period when your website is under construction can be a frustrating time. While we would all like an instant site that delivers all the functionality we need, the reality is that these things take time. In the interim period between having your new website go live or while waiting on a complete redesign of your existing website, you’ve probably thought about putting up a holding page. We’ve all seen them – this is generally a page that just informs the visitor that your website is coming soon. They’ve been around since the internet and webpages became a thing. I’m going to show you why having a holding page isn’t necessarily a positive step. Your site will probably be delayed It is...
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Investing in Solihull: Solihull College
By John Callaghan | Solihull College and University Centre
This blog post has been produced for the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce to provide insight on the findings of our new publication Doing Business in Solihull: An Economic Snapshot. Doing Business in Solihull: An Economic Snapshot is produced by the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce policy team. It offers an introduction to the local economy and business community within Solihull. The report is sponsored by Prime Accountants Group, one of the West Midland’s leading independent firms of chartered accountants, forensic accountants, business and financial advisors. This post is featured in the full report here. There’s never been a better time to be part of Solihull College & University...
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Stress and poor mental health in the workplace
By Wayne Hodgson | Safety Management Limited
In the 2017/18 financial year 15.4 million working days were lost due to work related stress, anxiety and depression, with over half a million workers reporting they were suffering due to work. One in four people in the UK will have a mental health problem at some point in their lives – with the most common conditions being anxiety and depression. Work related stress, if prolonged, can cause both physical and psychological damage – including anxiety and depression. Every employer wishes to avoid poor mental health in their workforce and would never want to be the cause of it, but what can be done and what, if any, legal requirements are there? Every employer has a duty to protect their workers...
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GDPR – one year on. Is your CCTV compliant?
By Mary Vadaie | JM Security Systems
It’s been one year since GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) was introduced. Companies spent months working hard to ensure that their processes were compliant and how they handled client data was correct. When it was introduced on May 25, 2018, it updated the 1995 directives and meant that Europe had the strongest data protection laws in the world. Yet, 12 months on, it’s important to remind businesses that their CCTV systems must be compliant. Video cameras are vital for many businesses – installing them is a visual deterrent that helps to reduce vandalism, thefts and burglary, it contributes towards staff safety and it also makes customers feel more secure. However, there are strict...
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Diversity in Leadership: Spotlight on female leaders
By Hemehra Sajid | Mazars
This blog is part of the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce’s (ABCC) Diversity in Leadership campaign. The Diversity in Leadership campaign works with some of the regions’ biggest employers in order to boost the numbers of women and those from black and minority ethnic (BAME), lesbian gay bisexual and transgender (LGBT) and disability groups being represented on boards of directors and in leadership roles. Click here to find out more about the campaign. In this blog, Hemehra Sajid, a senior internal auditor based in Birmingham, at Mazars, shares what made her want to become an internal auditor, what has contributed most to her success and how she faces challenges when times get tough. I...
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Cargo, containers and craziness: $2.41 Trillion…
By Chadd Blunt | Millennium Cargo Services Ltd
Did you know that more than around 90% of the world trade is carried out by the international shipping industry? I don’t know about you, but I think that is pretty nuts! Despite the many technological advances over the last 50 years, cargo shipping still remains the most popular way to move goods throughout the world. It may not be the fastest, air freight holds that title, but it is safe, reliable and affordable. The internet has opened up the world of trade even more. Now anyone with an internet connection can buy goods from anywhere in the world and ship them to their home country. For many manufacturers, business is booming! And so is shipping. There are thousands of ports all around...
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Investing in Solihull: Solihull Council
By Councillor Ian Courts | Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
This blog post has been produced for the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce to provide insight on the findings of our new publication Doing Business in Solihull: An Economic Snapshot. Doing Business in Solihull: An Economic Snapshot is produced by the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce policy team. It offers an introduction to the local economy and business community within Solihull. The report is sponsored by Prime Accountants Group, one of the West Midland’s leading independent firms of chartered accountants, forensic accountants, business and financial advisors. This post is featured in the full report here. One of the most productive economies in the UK, Solihull remains top...
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