Business crossing borders   Taking business to a new country is not easy. This may be done as part of an expansion of a successful company, one or two employees may be sent to represent the business abroad. It may be that a new company decides their business is best suited to a foreign market, [...]

Directors Remuneration Director remuneration has been scrutinised in recent times. Large pay packets can seem very out of place in a tight economy. This feature looks at the need for transparency and justification around how directors are being paid. It is important to be clear who deserves what and why. The main parties watching the [...]

Hidden Consequences of Failure Company failure is more than the end of a business. The more established a business and the more people that are involved, the more consequences there may be. There may be an instinct to push through if a company is doing badly but this can be riskier than leaders realise. When [...]

Championing and Supporting Entrepreneurs Entrepreneurs are known for their enthusiasm and tenacity. As a career entrepreneurship is unique. It is not about working your way up a ladder of promotions. It is about taking a place in the world, trying, often failing, and forging your own path to success. Nevertheless there are organizations designed to [...]

From the top – Ensuring board effectiveness as a director A boardroom is where the game changing business decisions are made. For the best board effectiveness directors need to be engaged with the company’s activities at all times. They also need to connect with the employees so that expectations are kept in line. Board effectiveness is increased when members know [...]

Blowing Industries Apart - The Next Generation of digital consumers are driving disruption in every industry. Even non-digital businesses must react to these profound changes in consumer behavior. In this feature our experts reveal the scale of change, provide market insights and discuss new business strategies for the networked economy.

Cashed up – Preparing for Investment So you’ve got the great idea, you’ve got the business vision; How do you get the money? This feature looks at preparing for investment, finding funding, and understanding what investors want. The good news is that the money is out there. Investors are more than willing to get [...]

The Exit – Preparing your business for sale It is easy for investors to have an exit strategy in place from the start of a deal. For entrepreneurs, who have built their business from the ground up, selling may be a much bigger emotional process. Sales can be [...]

Uber Disruption – The reality of innovative technology Uber is a new kind of taxi service that uses smartphone app technology to connect with customers. It is disrupting the taxi industry across the world. Even though the company was only founded in 2009 it is already valued at [...]

  No Fear – Entrepreneurship strategy for new starters David Spencer-Percival was named Smith & Williamson Entrepreneur of the Year at the National Business Awards 2013. He has a background in fashion but found his success in recruitment. He teamed up with [...]

My Obsession: Advice from successful entrepreneurs This briefing contains some fantastic advice from those who have fought their business battle and won. Hear from winners of the National Business Awards and other prestigious business accolades. These are the people who have seen their numbers go up and up, turned their industry on its head, and have been sought out by industry [...]

In the family – How high net worth families manage their wealth In these videos experts from Smith & Williamson discuss how high net worth families manage their money. Meetings may not all be done in a board room particularly when involving younger generations, but there is a lot to keep track of. How many [...]

Appetite for Risk – Investments require informed financial planning Investment always comes with risk. So how can individuals decide which risks to take and which risks to avoid? In these videos Michael Pagliari, Investment Manager and Partner at Smith & Williamson, discusses risk assessment processes and the [...]

I’m coming up. Personal wealth planning and wealth management. In this feature our experts examine key issues relating to personal wealth planning and wealth management. After student loans, mortgages and kids university fees are dealt with attention inevitably turns to personal wealth planning and retirement. You may also be earning significantly more in this phase of [...]

R&D tax relief could be significant In this briefing we examine how R&D tax relief may be available to many firms who don’t realise they qualify. R&D tax relief is not just limited to research labs. Indeed as our experts explain, you can get relief in situations that may be surprising. Furthermore it is possible [...]

Sharing the Spoils – Share Schemes for employees are tax efficient In these videos, our experts discuss the tax efficiency and advantages of Share Schemes for employees. Usually associated with high tech startups, Share Schemes for employees are now being used by a wider range of companies and [...]

Meet the leaders, disruptors and value creators who are changing the rules of business. Selected interviews added every week.

Our experts explain the Connected Economy and give their views on the changing paradigms for success.

According to experts from MIT we are now seeing the rise of cognitive computers & artificial intelligence that can ‘think’ like a person. This briefing looks at what machine intelligence means for society. Humans and machines have different things to offer the world but how easy is this to distinguish? It would seem that long as we stay [...]

Experts from Smith & Williamson discuss tax issues impacting on musicians & sports professionals.

In this briefing successful entrepreneurs like Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickenson and Martha Lane Fox give business sales advice. According to award winning businessman Colin Stevens, the best business sales advice is to base every single decision around what is best for the customer. Expert [...]

Traditionally business has focused on its own internal capabilities and value chain and taken that out into the market. But today there are so many capabilities outside in the marketplace, (like cloud services) so you need to look first to the outside world to find networks, resources and collaboration opportunities. This is a big shift. [...]

In this briefing, four UK business celebrities give digital business strategy tips. According to Julie Meyer of Ariadne Capital, digital technology is no longer a sector, but a layer which is powering high-growth. Whether it is the big corporate Goliaths, or the nimble Davids, the digital enablers are [...]

Experts from Smith & Williamson discuss pensions and retirement planning for employees. Four pension issues to consider: 1. Auto-enrolment is compulsory: Peter Maher, National head of Financial Services at Smith & Williamson says it is important to prepare for auto enrolment. It has been compulsory since October [...]

In this briefing, four of our experts offer Big Data Analytics Strategies for entrepreneurs and the mid market. Enterprise has been focussed on Advanced Data Analytics has been around for a few years now. In the networked, digital world, ‘Big data’ refers to data sets whose size [...]

In this briefing we share four Business leadership videos on the essence of business success. In the Business leadership videos each expert reveals one proven strategy they have personally adopted, or that they recommend. Business leadership videos on strategies for success 1. Work hard and create relationships: According to Jo Malone, Founder of Jo Malone [...]

New Business TV Interviews: Robert Scoble is among the world’s best known tech journalists, with an eye for what’s next in technology, business and life.  InsideFinance.tv recently interviewed Scoble for 90 minutes and we are delighted to post the first of a series [...]

In this briefing, our four experts discuss actionable Talent Attraction Strategies for ambitious companies in the modern UK market place. Despite the recent recession, competition for the top talent who can deliver results has intensified. Volatility also increases the risks of getting talent attraction strategies wrong. Each video explores a different talent attraction strategy that [...]

In the UK, we’re certainly have our fair share of legislation governing business standards and processes.  As a business leader, it’s imperative to keep on top of these changes, to ensure that your organisation is both compliant and competitive. Very few business people know that financial reporting in the UK is about to have arguably [...]

Colin Stevens is the Founder and Leader of a bathroom company based in Wigan.  Under Colin’s leadership, BetterBathrooms.com has grown to become a nationally recognised brand, serving customers throughout the UK, and in 2012 scooping two awards (including the main award) at the prestigious National Business Awards. Colin’s innovative and customer focussed approach [...]

Entrants to the workforce today have never known a time without the Internet. In 15 years, the vast untapped natural and human resources of Africa may be as central to business as Asia is now. In the last two years, computing power can finally deliver what we could only previously imagine.  All of these things [...]

Business laws have changed a lot of late, and for good reason.  But as a result, it can be tough trying to keep up with the changes and ensure that you do not fall foul of the law. Could an employee picking up the cheque for lunch put your business at risk? Most businesses don’t know [...]

‘A fresh pair of eyes could save you thousands of pounds,’ says Mark Webb, Partner at Smith & Williamson, who spotted that an often-overlooked capital allowance could save one business up to £30K over the next few years. In the flurry of activity involved in developing a business, compliance and accounting may be dull or [...]