Tag: business support

Tenants at Heathhall Business Centre Ltd Dumfries

How to Support Small Businesses-Without Spending Money

‘Shop Local’ is a new Community Chest card in Monopoly as part of the board game’s first major revamp in 85 years to better reflect what community means today. Fans can vote for it and other new cards but how else can you support small businesses without spending money? 

Word of mouth

Small businesses will be relying on every single scrap of support and goodwill going in a post-Covid world and even though we’re all digital-doolally, one of the slickest ways to spread the good word about a small business without spending money is through word of mouth. 

We don’t have to tell you that if someone we know is all a-glow following a positive experience we’re far more likely to use that business blah blah blah. Likewise, a bad word about a small business is the biggest turnoff ever.  

 

Follow small businesses on social media

Take two wee minutes to follow the social media accounts of all the businesses you want to support. All ours come under the Heathhall Business Centre banner plus some have social media accounts of their own. They’re all easily Googleable and findable.  

 

Like, comment, share and tag on social media

The next step is to like, comment, and share the posts so that they get in front of loads more eyeballs and slink their way into the news feeds of people that don’t follow the business so that it garners new followers that will benefit from knowing what a good job it’s doing. 

All very simple and what a tremendous difference you can make to boosting the health of small businesses with such minimal effort and, again, without spending money. 

And please be sure to use the mighty hashtag (you could always create one if the business doesn’t have one) because this will make your post easier to spot by others looking for reasons to use the business. 

Tag friends and family in posts that relate to what they bent your ear about lately and if the service has been particularly first-class and for the ultimate thumbs-up, take a picture of the product or service and post it on your page with the company tagged in it. 

 

Write a review

Everybody’s opinion has the power to go global. Good reviews can set the Internet alight in that little corner of it where the small business lives because it sends up a flare of trust to other potential customers. Even a neutral or, heaven forbid, a negative review can help that business make the necessary improvements to stop this from happening with future reviews. 

Rather not do this in the public domain but you’re fuming internally at bad service and risk giving yourself a hernia?  Then send them an email with your feedback.

 

Sign up for the newsletter on the small businesses website

Nobody wants a clogged-up email account and if you regret adding your email address to a newsletter subscription you can always unsubscribe by scrolling down the bottom of the emails but signing up to a newsletter has its compensations. 

Keeping you up to date with offers, promotions and all manner of what have you aside, the more subscribers a small business has, the healthier it is and the more likely you are to get a slicker customer service and better deals. Forwarding it on to a friend if you think they’ll be interested costs nothing either. 

 

https://upcity.com/

https://www.merchantloanadvance.co.uk/

Covid-19 Support for Business in Scotland

The right Covid-19 business support,  at the right time,  is vital. These are difficult and strange times for everyone, everywhere – and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic will be felt for years to come, of that there is no doubt. In today’s news, the Bank of England warns that we’re facing the deepest recession on record as a result of the pandemic.

The Bank’s modelling scenario shows the UK economy entering its first recession in more than a decade. The economy shrank by 3% in the first quarter of 2020, followed by an unprecedented 25% decline in the three months to June.

Key Business Support Schemes

The UK and Scottish Governments quickly announced a response to provide financial and other support for business to keep the economy afloat and protect jobs. We’ve summarised just a few of the key Covid-19 business support schemes below, and signposted where to go for further help or to apply. All information below is correct at time of publication.

Support for Business Ratepayers

There are two types of grant available to ratepayers – these one-off grants are designed to help protect jobs, prevent business closures and promote economic recovery, and more than 90,000 ratepayers across Scotland will be able to benefit.

Small Business Support Grant (£10,000)

A one-off grant of £10,000, and £7,500 for each qualifying property is available to small businesses who (as at 17 March 2020) are in receipt of either Small Business Bonus Scheme rates relief or Rural rates Relief

Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Support Grant (£25,000)

Retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with a rateable value between £18,001 and up to and including £51,000 (as of 17 March 2020) will be able to apply for a one-off grant of £25,000, and a subsequent grant of £18,750 for each qualifying property after the one-off grant.

Support for Employers

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme 

If you cannot maintain your current workforce because your operations have been severely affected by coronavirus (COVID-19), you can furlough employees and apply for a grant that covers 80% of their usual monthly wage costs, up to £2,500 a month, plus the associated Employer National Insurance contributions and pension contributions (up to the level of the minimum automatic enrolment employer pension contribution) on that subsidised furlough pay.

Support for Self Employed

Small and micro-businesses are the lifeblood of our economy, so it’s good to see support for the self-employed available for those new to self-employment and those longer term self-employed, the former scheme being administered through local authorities.

Self-Employed Income Support Scheme

The Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will provide a grant worth 80% of profits to a cap of £2,500 per month for the self-employed with profits less than £50,000 per annum. It will be based on average profits declared in the last 3 years tax return and is open for 3 months initially, with payments expected in June 2020.

Newly Self-Employed Hardship Fund

The Newly Self Employed Hardship Fund is for people who became self–employed on or after 6 April 2019 and are not eligible for the UK Government scheme mentioned above.

Covid-19 Business Support Helplines and Websites: 

For further help on business support for Covid-19, or training opportunities and managing the impact of Covid-19, contact your local Chamber of Commerce or Business Gateway office. Many business support networks have switched training delivery to online via webinars and are Business Gateway webinars are free to attend.

Links

Chambers of Commerce

Business Gateway 

Advice for Businesses in Scotland

This information is correct at time of writing, and does not imply eligibility or constitute legal advice. Please check sources mentioned for up to date guidance.