Business tips

Louise Scott, Managing Director at Tidalfire How much longer will we have to put up with companies – yes you know who you are –uploading PDF versions of print forms to their websites? This is slightly less annoying than the number of Word forms that we find on web sites. What has gone wrong here? Has Adobe failed … Read moreWhen will Companies STOP putting PDF Print Forms on their Websites

Ryan Falconer, Managing Director of Ryster A few well-chosen tweaks can transform a website from a sitting duck into a money-making machine. Edinburgh web design specialist Ryster shows us how it’s done. Socialise and Shout it Out – Blogging and interacting on social media platforms not only increases profitability, it’s fun and can give you a lot of … Read more6 Ways to Add Value to Your Website and Increase Profit

Watt Nicoll How many references to time do we flippantly embrace in an average day? We talk about Summertime, Springtime, Good Times and Bad Times with no real emphasis on the word ‘time’ and could very well just refer to summer, spring, good or bad – but we add the word ‘time’. We have Breakfast Time, Lunchtime, Teatime, … Read moreAre you an apprentice millionaire?

Often I hear people talking about how complicated life is and how difficult it is to get focused, and stay on course, moving forward towards their goal. I’ve noticed how we become enticed into programmes and seminars that promise to show us “Secret formulas for success” and the proliferation of get rich quick schemes and … Read moreBack to basics

Ryan Falconer, Managing Director of Ryster It’s not just religions that need converts – making a website pay is all about enticing the curious visitor into converting to an enthusiastic customer. Edinburgh web designer Ryster shows us how it’s done in 5 easy steps. Design to Delight – It’s simple but worth saying – make your site well organised and … Read moreHow to Turn Your Website Visitors into Customers in 5 Easy Steps

By Arthur Beverly of Arthur Beverly Financial Management Successive Governments have worked hard to encourage people to make adequate provision for retirement, because they know that State Benefits are simply inadequate. Because of this, the onus of providing for our retirement is being placed fairly and squarely on our own shoulders and that of our … Read morePensions, and what you need to know

By Alistair Marr of 23W VAT Change – What Happens Now? The standard rate of VAT will increase on 4 January 2011, from 17.5% to 20%. This will be the third adjustment in the standard VAT rate in the last two years. This rate change presents a number of challenges to clients, particularly as it … Read more2011 VAT Changes

By Gavin Tosh of Clerwood. In all the excitement of the chase, the friendly interchanges with the potential customer, not to mention the encouraging signs which inspire increasing confidence of a successful sale, it is easy to get carried away. Gradually as well as a lot of your time, you find that cash is being … Read morePrudence in pre-contract negotiations

By Gary Sutherland The biggest change to UK Employment Legislation in over decade comes into force today…..The new Equality Act. UK Equalities Minister Theresa May claims the new anti-discrimination rules will make it easier for businesses to comply but several business groups disagree, claiming the the new legislation will impose a heavy burden on employers, … Read moreNew Workplace Equality Rights Come into Force

By Gavin Tosh The process of establishing a contractual relationship begins with an offer being made, notwithstanding that there may have been much ‘cultivation’ of the customer and preparing of the ground beforehand. An Offer will take the form of a quotation, which could be simple and could even be verbal, or it could be … Read moreQuotations and Tenders: Introduction

By Gavin Tosh A Partnership is one kind of formal contractual relationship often adopted by businesses, the other  common ones being a Limited Company and now a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP). It is possible to have a legal Partnership with nothing in writing, however this is a high risk strategy. For example if a partner … Read morePartnerships

By Gavin Tosh When is the contractual relationship in place? For a contract to be formed an offer must be accepted without qualification. If you make an offer and the customer comes back and says ‘ok but instead of x can I have x plus y’ or any aspect of the offer is varied, that … Read moreForming the contractual relationship

By Mark Lister Do you ever notice this happening with you? 1. You’re doing some task, one you’ve done plenty of times before. Someone says something like “Why don’t you do it this way?” or “Why don’t you do that?” 2. You find yourself thinking, “That’s clearly a good idea – why on earth DON’T … Read moreJust a habit

By Jane Quinn A friend of mine told me he walked into a petrol station and was confused when asked if he would like two rabbits with his fuel. Frowning, he asked why and was told that a local girl was looking for a new home for her pets. Now the offer of rabbits made a little more … Read moreHow many rabbits are you chasing?

Relationships in business (as in life), be that with your clients or customers are all about one very simple fact, they are all built upon trust; them trusting you and you trusting them. Hark back to when you were in a romantic mood.  You spend time wining and dining your potential loved one.  This goes … Read moreRomancing Your Clients