Here is this week’s news round-up for home business, micro business, sole-traders, freelancers, self-employed and any one who is interested in small business news from the United Kingdom and Ireland:

• PM calls for end to “burden”of European regulation: Prime minister Gordon Brown has said less European regulation on small firms would help protect the growth of Europe’s business.
• The internet ‘mixed blessing’ for SME’s: Although the internet offers small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) vast opportunities, not all businesses are using it to its full advantage, says a report.
• Family businesses ‘more resilient than other SME’s: Economic uncertainty is less of a threat to family businesses than to other SMEs, according to a specialist family business lawyer.
• Fuel costs ‘put an unfair burden on SME’s‘: The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is asking the government not to go ahead with the increase in fuel duty planned for April 1st.
• Bank warns of economic risks: The Bank of England deputy governor warns of uncertain effects of the “largest ever peacetime liquidity crisis”.
• UK orders broadband review: The government will review the future of broadband amid calls that it should help firms pay for new infrastructure.
• Domain names ‘are running out’: Businesses gain “an online presence” through well-named websites but “many of the domain names have gone already”, according to a domain name website.
• SME’s ‘unaware’ of WEEE regulations: Many SMEs are still unaware of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) legislation a year after it was issued, claims new research.
• Small and thin - but the phone of the future must bend too: Circuitry can be wrapped and phones may also be able to sense their surroundings.
• Digiweb wins broadband licence: Broadband and web hosting provider Digiweb has won a national wireless broadband licence for UK and Northern Ireland, according to Britain’s broadcasting watchdog Ofcom.
• Banks to speed up cash transfers: Bank transfers over the phone or by the internet will soon take only one day to clear instead of three.
• Cameron promises tax cuts for businesses: David Cameron today aimed to present the Conservatives as the friends of business as he promised to cut taxes and regulation and put an end to ‘economic incompetence and reckless borrowing’

As always this list is not exhaustive, but I hope it will give you a little overview. — ST.

Here is this week’s news round-up for home business, micro business, sole-traders, freelancers, self-employed and any one who is interested in small business news from India:

• Canadian company to supply parts for Tata Nano: Samco Machinery Ltd, a Canada-based roll forming system manufacturer, will supply auto parts for world’s cheapest car Tata Nano, unveiled by the Tata Group last month.
• Loans to get cheaper as SBI cuts rate again: There is good news for people repaying home loans. After going up for months, EMIs are set to come down.
• Biocon buys German firm: Biotechnology company Biocon has acquired a 70% stake in German pharmaceutical company AxiCorp for 30 million Euro (Rs 173 crore).
• Please all Budget likely this year: BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said that the coming please- all Budget would further intensify economic challenge.
• Bharti joins 5 global telco for US-Japan sub-sea cable: Bharti Airtel has joined hands with 5 international cos including internet giant Google to construct a new high-bandwidth, sub-sea cable system linking the US and Japan.
• India’s troubled north-east: Economist Kaushik Basu travels to India’s north-east to find it has been left out of the economic boom..
• Tax cuts will raise consumer demand: CEOs: Consumer demand is expected to receive a major thrust with the likelihood of Finance Minister P. Chidambaram scissoring income tax limits in the upcoming budget of 2008-09, a leading industry chamber said Wednesday after a survey of chief executives.
• Nano research centres at 3 cities in India: Aiming to increase research in nanotechnology, the Centre will set up three national institutes in different parts of the country.
• Tata to expand network services to China: Mumbai: Telecom firm Tata Communications Ltd (TCL) today said that it has formed a partnership.
• Knowledge Service for business transformation: Infosys BPO is focusing on the depth of its Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) services, says Joydeep Mukherjee, Vice President and Head of Knowledge Services, Infosys BPO, in an interview with Dow Jones. Mukherjee believes that Infosys BPO is an industry leader due to its knowledge-focus and investments in technology and manpower.

As always this list is not exhaustive, but I hope it will give you a little overview. — ST.

Here is this week’s news round-up for home business, micro business, sole-traders, freelancers, self-employed and any one who is interested in small business news from the Australia and New Zealand:

• The Kitchen Table Millionaire: Setting up a home business is exciting and liberating. You are freeing yourself from the shackles of employment and becoming your own boss. In future, you can work whatever hours you want and not answer to anyone. You will no longer…
• Omens of recession seen in economy: New Zealand faces conditions that are eerily similar to those which preceded the 1998 recession, the Bank of New Zealand says.The bank is forecasting a slowdown, but not a recession, this year but it says the risks to the economic…
• ANZ Bank benefits from NZ business: ANZ Bank has declared a $2.1 billion profit for the half year to March 2007 and says its New Zealand business has made a successful turnaround.
• World worries over China’s Inflation: The world is nervous that China’s next big export could be inflation.
• Emerging markets drive IT spending: IT spending growth in emerging markets is nearly double that of Western economies and is becoming a major factor in GDP growth, according to Gartner..
• iPhone ‘could breach Australian law’: The release of Apple’s iPhone in Australia could be illegal under current trade practices laws, according to a group of Queensland law researchers.
• Sharemarket: Market remains in black: The New Zealand sharemarket slipped into positive territory today despite another down day for Telecom. The benchmark NZSX-50 index rose 1.13 points or 0.03 per cent to 3570.75 after a weakish performance most of last week.
• As predicted, markets finish up: As predicted, the Australian stock market started the week mildly higher, after a positive late turnaround on Wall Street on Friday helped ease US recession concerns.
• Strategic likely to stay: Strategic Finance is not likely to be part of an asset sell-off announced by Australian listed investment company Allco Finance Group but its ultimate owner, Allco subsidiary Allco Hit, will be subject to a review.
• ZFX Bid For AGM Stumbles: Zinfex’s $1 dollar a share bid for would-be nickel miner, Allegiance Mining (AGM) looks dead after the Takeovers Panel made a declaration of unacceptable circumstances and final orders regarding the Zinifex bid.

As always this list is not exhaustive, but I hope it will give you a little overview. — ST.

Here is this week’s news round-up for home business, micro business, sole-traders, freelancers, self-employed and any one who is interested in small business news from Canada:

• Blowing the Whistle on Whistleblowers: It turns out the best detectives of corporate fraud aren’t the paid ones.
• Seven-Minute Marketing: A critical plan.
• Ecommerce - The New Must-Have: “Once the domain of trail-blazing tech pioneers and large companies, ecommerce is becoming a must-have component of every successful business — big or small,” says Joel Schlesinger, writing in the…
• Tucows reveals key domain name portfolio assets:TORONTO, Feb. 20 /CNW/ - Tucows Inc., (AMEX:TCX, TSX:TC) a leadingprovider of Internet services to web hosting companies and ISPs worldwide, today announced that as of February 14, 2008 the Company had over 150,000.
• You Don’t Need a Fortune to Start a Business: The title of this post is the title of an article by Rick Spence. Writing in The Financial Post, he gives a lot of good advice for people starting a…
• Do you really need another beer? He hopes so: The challenge How to persuade Canadians to buy imported beer, an already crowded market segment The plan Tap into expats through inexpensive guerrilla marketing campaigns and event sponsorship The payoff Access to one of the nation’s largest market segments - beer drinkers.
• Small businesses favour some form of Sunday Shopping: Charlottetown - As the Standing Committee on Economic Development gets set to meet for the last time, a report by Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) finds that a majority of small, independent business owners favour some form of Sunday shopping.
• Detroit funds sue Yahoo over Microsoft rebuff: Two Detroit pension funds sued Yahoo Inc. and its board on Friday for rejecting Microsoft Corp.’s unsolicited US$41.2-billion offer in a sign of growing shareholder frustration with the online search and media company.
• Miscalculating the risks: Statistical geniuses of finance at the banks and hedge funds were lulled into a false sense of security by their spreadsheets and risk models. Meanwhile, the old-fashioned wisdom of contrarians like Prem Watsa saw trouble. And profited.
• Philly Fed index hints deep recession in the cards: Economists are no longer talking about a U.S. recession but a deep recession after figures yesterday showed business sentiment continued to plummet in early February.

As always this list is not exhaustive, but I hope it will give you a little overview. — ST.

Recently I ordered services and was very happy to have found a supplier. We had agreed prices, scope and timescale of the project. Later I received the contract by email and started reading it. Everything seemed to be as agreed, until I got to the payment terms. There I found an unusual insertion:

We will charge 2% extra for PayPal payments.

Te motivation is quiet understandable, Paypal will charge you 2% to process your inward payment. But should you really charge your client extra for this? I would think not, since this is a great business turn-off. More business is lost through little charges here and there, it generates the feeling in the buyers mind of hidden charges. While at the same time the buyer will wonder why he/she should pay for the suppliers bank charges.

I was given options to send a cheque or pay by bank-transfer. This makes the whole situation even worse, since you would be inclined to send a cheque, which would take weeks to clear through the banking system - this was a international transaction. You would certainly not use the bank transfer option since it would cost even more. The whole problem was no made easier by demanding stage-payments.

It seems to me the solution here is to increase your prices by 2% and don’t talk about it, or enquire before hand which payment method should be used. One needs to remember that getting payed is of the utmost importance for any small business, so PayPal seems a good way to go in this instance.

Look at your payment terms and do not create unnecessary business barriers. — ST.

Here is this week’s news round-up for home business, micro business, sole-traders, freelancers, self-employed and any one who is interested in small business news from the United States:

• The Future of Customer Service - Mobile technology is changing the way consumers search for answers.
• The New Rules Of Moneymaking - America’s daily routine: climb out of bed, climb into the car, and - with any luck - climb up the corporate ladder. But in today’s diverse dog eat dog workplace, how do you make sure you get to the top? Susan Spencer reports.
• The Telltale Signs of Recession - Here are four indicators with good track records at predicting downturns. Watch them to see where the economy is likely to go next.
• Taking a Green Initiative - These 3 entrepreneurs are taking advantage of green marketing tactics the right way.
• Be a Millionaire Franchisee - How to build your franchise into a big business.
• It’s on to Plan B as a Hot Trend Cools Off - With growth in the meal assembly industry slowing, shop owners are trying to find new ways to bring ready-to-cook meals to the masses.
• Making the Breakup Much Easier - Tangles in business partnerships can be avoided with a buy-sell agreement: a business prenup or a postnup, depending on when owners draft it.
• Google Experiments with Health Records - Google Inc. will begin storing the medical records of a few thousand people as it tests a long-awaited health service that’s likely to raise more concerns about the volume of sensitive information entrusted to the Internet search leader.
• General Liability Insurance can be Essential for Many Businesses - In today’s litigious society, even small mishaps can result in large lawsuits. That’s why general liability insurance, along with property and workers’ compensation insurance, is essential for most companies. Liability insurance protects the assets of a…
• Rebate Fact and Fiction - The recent economic stimulus bill passed by Congress and signed by the president promises checks in the mail to millions of taxpayers. But the question of how much you get — and when — will no doubt result in some confusion.
• Group Says US Economy to Slow Further - The slowdown in the U.S. economy, coupled with a steady drip of bleak economic data, is starting to echo the conditions that presaged the country’s most recent recession. Data released Thursday by the business group the Conference Board showed its…
• An easy way to steal critical information / Encrypted data is vulnerable to cold blast of air - A group led by a Princeton University computer security researcher has developed a simple method to steal encrypted information stored on computer hard disks. The technique, which could undermine security software protecting critical data on computers, is as…
• Microsoft opening key parts of its software - Microsoft will open key parts of its software to developers, partners and customers, the company said Thursday, vowing to make its products work better with other software, openly document how the popular software works and lower the cost of patents.

As always this list is not exhaustive, but I hope it will give you a little overview. — ST.

Hat - tips to:
Michelle Stingletary;Hemscott;

Here is this week’s news round-up for home business, micro business, sole-traders, freelancers, self-employed and any one who is interested in small business news from the United Kingdom and Ireland:

• EC cuts euro zone growth forecasts - Euro zone economic growth is expected to slow to 1.8 per cent this year from 2.7 per cent in 2007, and inflation should stay well above the European Central Bank target, the European Commission (EC) said today.
• Credit crisis turmoil claims new victims - Losses resulting from the credit market turmoil - until now largely limited to the world’s biggest investment banks - are starting to be felt much more widely, by wealthy individuals, local government and even sports teams, presaging a new and potentially litigious phase in the crisis.
• Office waste cost UK business £15bn, campaigners say - Campaigners are taking a giant rubbish bin to the streets of London today to highlight how much waste is generated in offices in a single day.
• FSB calls for Peers to save small retailers - The Federation of Small Businesses today called on Peers to support the Retail Development Bill, which will receive its second reading in the House of Lords today.
• FSB urges integrity of Camden Market re-development - With up to three hundred small businesses having suffered in last weekend’s catastrophic fire at London’s famous Camden Lock Market the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is warning that the subsequent re-development needs to retain integrity and loyalty to the small business owners affected.
• Invest in telecoms without breaking the bank - With research showing that, struggling to compete with bigger businesses, small firms spent more last year on IT and telecommunications than in 2006, the FPB is advising members to take advantage of the savings available through its partnership with Chess.
• FPB joins campaign against road pricing in Manchester - The FPB is warning that a proposed road-pricing scheme in Greater Manchester will prove disastrous for many smaller businesses, which could struggle to find the money to pay it. In addition, it is likely to deter potential entrepreneurs from setting up business in the region.
• FSB Conference 2008 attracts big speakers - Boris Johnson (Conservative), Brian Paddick (Liberal Democrat) and Sian Berry (Green Party) will all undergo a grilling in a London Mayoral Question Time session at the Annual Conference of the Federation of Small Businesses’ (FSB). Present Mayor Ken Livingstone has also been invited and is expected to attend. The Mayoral Question Time will be independently chaired by the former news presenter, Moira Stuart.
• Entrepreneurs’ attitude towards work’ determines their success‘ - ‘Focus’ and a ‘realistic’ approach are essential for a successful home business, according to BT Business.

As always this list is not exhaustive, but I hope it will give you a little overview. — ST.

More and more of the work-force in large corporations work from home, or have a “hot-desk”, they share with others while they are in the office. This trend is driven by the ever present need to feed the profit hungry shareholders of these often public companies. But is this trend only some thing big business should consider, or has teleworking a place in the small business?

If it is then what would the advantages are for micro business to allow teleworking for it’s small work-force? Here are some reasons why you may consider to allow your staff to work from home or on the road, with only a temp-desk in your office:

• Efficiency - you may come to the conclusion that your staff member does not need to be in the office to do their work, bookkeeping staff for instance, customer care staff can also work from home. They would save the trip into the office, saving time and money while reducing carbon footprint.
• Cost-effective - consider how much office space you could save, with that money on rent, furniture, heating and electricity, again reducing carbon emissions.
• Recession-proofing - having lower over-heads/fixed costs during times of an economic slowdown helps your small business to survive.
• Growth of Business - you could stay longer in the same property while your business is growing, with the same above effects, plus savings on time, money by not having to move. No to mention the business interruption before, during and after the move.
• Lean & Mean - is not only something that big business needs to worry about, if they could they would run the whole Microsoft, GE, Barclays empires with ten people, in order to boost profits. Ultimately that is why you run your small business too.
• Enabling disabled workers - this point is often overlooked. We are concerned with not having a educated workforce, while highly educated but disabled people sit hat home without adequate work, that seems a waste to me.

I think it is sometimes important to remember how good it feels to get up in the morning and go to your small business without any real financial worries. Unfortunately this is not the reality for many self-employed, sole-traders and other micro businesses, that is a shame. Making decisions about how and where your work-force works is part of that process that will get you there in the end.

After working from home full-time now for over nine years, only going to the office for meetings has not only be a financial success but also liberating. — ST.

Resources:

• OnlineOffice - run your office, staff and business from anywhere.
• Business Link - one of the best guides I’ve seen.

The Silicon-Valley based Institute for the Future is telling us what small business or micros business is going to look like within a decade, older, younger, more feminine and above all far more global. What I have been proclaiming as Globalization 3.0, has received validation in this new report out in the last few weeks.

The U.S. has now over 26 million micro businesses, like home businesses, sole-traders, freelancers and other forms of self-employment, the growth is explosive and with good reason as this report details the way into the next decade.

Some key findings make for great reading, if you are a budding entrepreneur, that is:

• Small business will be better positioned than large corporations to provide customers with highly targeted, customized, and relevant products.
• Outsourced innovation from big business will increase opportunities for small business.
• Small business will reclaim manufacturing, fueling small-scale and specialized production.
• Plug and Play infrastructures will make small business more competitive and successful.
• The shift to variable cost structures for core business operations will reduce risk and increase opportunities for small business.
• Almost half of U.S. small business will be involved in global trade by 2018.
• Social networks will fuel border-less commerce.
• Globelization will increase small business diversity and amplify economic value.

This report makes for some great reading and I have to agree with it’s findings. There was never a better time to start your own business and be successful, and the times are getting better and better, as far as we can tell this trend of rapid growth in the number of small business and business start-ups shows no signs of slowing.

Some good news in these economic difficult times for small business, great work. — ST.

Not only I, but others are always looking looking for cleverly written copy, for their ads and other marketing material. Should you have these skills, you are in demand, especially if you have experience in this area too.

Skills needed: Excellent writing skills, past experience in advertising, copy writing or related.

Business Environment and Set-up Cost: You can run this business from home, you’ll need a computer, internet, telephone, dictionary and you’ll be in business. Even if you have non of these items, $2,000.00 / £ 1,000.00 / € 1,500.00 should get you started, have a look at second hand equipment.

Marketing Techniques:

• Online newsgroups and discussion forums related to marketing;
• Cleverly designed signature file for email, forums and other public communication;
• Do some free work to get reference clients, to be used on your
• Web-site, blog and newsletters;
• Develop as many links to your website as possible, especially in the marketing arena.

Complimentary business idea: To earn additional money you could offer design or pr-agency services.

Notes: You can work internationally. However, you will have to make sure you are familiar with the cultural differences to your target market.

Online Examples:

• Laughing Lion Design - they offer exactly that service and do it well.
• Graphic design blog - here you can get some ideas, what others are doing.
  
• Nick Usborne - Copy writing business.
  

For more small business ideas see my category Business Ideas.