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.
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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.
The GBCC has represented and lobbied as the voice of local businesses since 1813. View our document downloads to find out more about recent campaigns.
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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.
Debunking SME research and development (R&D) tax credit myths
By Yasser Khan | SRK Accounting
Over the last few months I've come across several business owners who are aware of the Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credit Scheme but didn't think in a million years their business could qualify for it. When people hear the words ‘research and development', many think of onsite laboratories, workers in white coats or corporate research teams making ground breaking technological advances. However, if your company is taking a risk by innovating, improving or developing a process, product or service, it can qualify for R&D tax credits. Even better though is that R&D isn't just related to large items of expenditure but can cover staff, material and premises costs. There are thousands...
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Be a mastermind of your business
By Simon Chapman | Yee Group Limited
Have you ever considered what would be your specialist subject if you were a contestant on BBC2's Mastermind? How would you go about choosing your subject? Maybe, discuss it with your 'family team' to get their input. After all, they will know you very well. They could help you to pinpoint a subject. You could look back over your interests and agree with them that you've been a long standing Quo fan. You may be already asking yourselves what has this got to do with business? Well, I can see some immediate connections. In my experience in business, you are constantly searching for a distinctive proposition that gives you a competitive advantage. You may have set out with the intention...
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Discrimination in the workplace
By Jade Linton | Sydney Mitchell Solicitors
If you suffer discrimination in the workplace you can be compensated for injury to your feelings as well as for your financial losses. A £12,000 award was made for injury to feelings in one striking case in which a woman was told that she was being made redundant on the same day that she put in a request for maternity leave. The woman, who had a senior managerial role in a large company, was so upset and shocked on being told that she would lose her job that she had to go on sick leave, suffering from stress. In her absence, her bosses proactively looked for errors in her work and informed her that she faced disciplinary action. She ultimately resigned. After she took legal advice and lodged...
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Perks of accounting software
By Juwayriah Alvi | Advantage Services
Learning new perks can boost efficiency in any aspect of life, so make the most out of them starting off with accounting software perks. Accounting software records and processes a firm’s financial accounting transactions, such as revenue and costs. Perks for such dynamic software are only going to extremely improve your business. Accounting software can analyse the information that it gathers overtime and can identify trends, declines and some may even analyse opportunities. Accounting software can also automate tasks which overtime improves efficiency whilst reducing costs, as you or an employee are spending less time since its being automated. Better financial decisions can also be made...
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What's trending in business?
By Dr Steve Walker | ART Business Loans
ART Business Loans, a long-standing Chamber member, was a pioneer lender to businesses unable to meet their needs from the banks when it opened its doors on 26th June 1997. Since then we have helped over 900 local businesses to create or protect in excess of 7,000 jobs with loans totalling over £21m. As we approach our 20th birthday, it seems like a good time to reflect on what has – or hasn’t – changed in business finance. 20 years ago the major source of finance for all businesses, and probably for the vast majority the first point of call for finance and advice, was the banks. But even then they were starting to move away from supporting the small business sector with the standard overdraft...
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Does my project qualify for R&D tax credits?
By Nick Biden | RD Tax North West
Does the term research and development immediately put you in mind of scientists in white lab coats, test tubes or high tech robotics? You’re not alone if it did. Many business owners feel that research and development (R&D) simply isn’t something that their company gets involved with; which is why many are surprised to learn that they may have already conducted R&D without even realising. In fact, there are businesses that have successfully claimed tax relief for R&D work that involves website development, computer software creation, bespoke products, construction techniques and even improvements to the companies own processes and working environment. So, the question remains; is your business...
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GBCC Board Member: Liz McKenzie
By Liz McKenzie | GBCC
The Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce are delighted to welcome our new board members: Saqib Bhatti (Younis Bhatti & Co), Steve Allen (Mills & Reeve) and Liz McKenzie (Wesleyan). This week we are asking our new board members to share their stories with you, our members, and how they hope to help our Chamber go continue to thrive and connect, support & grow local businesses. Here Liz, McKenzie, Chief Operating Officer, Wesleyan, NED GBCC, shares her story: I’m delighted to join the Board of the GBCC, here’s a bit about me and how I hope to contribute. I started my career as a Production Engineer, at the business that sponsored me through Loughborough University. It was a great business,...
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GBCC board member: Saqib Bhatti
By Saqib Bhatti | GBCC
The Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce are delighted to welcome our new board members: Saqib Bhatti (Younis Bhatti & Co), Steve Allen (Mills & Reeve) and Liz McKenzie (Wesleyan). This week we are asking our new board members to share their stories with you, our members, and how they hope to help our Chamber go continue to thrive and connect, support & grow local businesses. First Saqib Bhatti, Director, Younis Bhatti & co, NED GBCC & VP Birmingham Chamber of Commerce shares his story: My earliest recollection of the Birmingham Chamber is from when I was 8 or 9. It was the Institute of Asian Businesses Annual Dinner and my father was the Chairman giving the keynote speech at the International...
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Essential apps for small business owners
By Lucy Elizabeth Moffat | SRK Accounting
If you are a small business owner, then chances are you have limited resources, time and money. Therefore, it is essential to take advantage of advancements in technology which make it even easier to maximise efficiency in your business. Working for a small business I understand this struggle all too well, so I have compiled a list of essential apps that we use at SRK and that I'd recommend for all small business owners. 1. Charlie Charlie acts as your online HR team (or in our case our only HR team)! This software currently provides 7000+ teams a safe, central location to store employee information without the hassle of spreadsheets or drawers of physical files. It even has a guided onboarding...
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Family partnerships only work so long as good relationships persist
By Kamal Majevadia | Sydney Mitchell Solicitors LLP
Family partnerships can be highly effective vehicles for running businesses, but that depends on good relations being maintained. In one High Court case in which ties of blood were sadly not enough to prevent discord, a father and son engaged in a bitter dispute over ownership of a hotel and campsite. The father ran the business in partnership with his son and daughter-in-law. After a breakdown in relations, they agreed that the partnership had been dissolved, that its affairs should be wound up by a receiver and that its assets and liabilities should be divided between them. The father and son were, on paper, equal joint tenants of the property which formed the main asset of the partnership. However,...
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