Home of Business Growth, Finance & Innovation

Compulsory strike off: what a first Gazette notice means and how to stop it

If Companies House has published a first Gazette notice for compulsory strike off against your company, you have two months – sometimes 28 days – before it is dissolved and its assets pass to the Crown. A compulsory strike off is the registrar removing your company from the register because

by Staff writer

3 September 2026

Business Advice Sales & Marketing

How to become a successful thought leader

PR takes many forms and approaches and will vary hugely according to your objectives. If your goal is to build credibility and trust with your audience, then thought leadership is the single most effective tactic. It’s also the tactic that more people get wrong than any other. This is how

by Paul Allen

24 August 2026

Finance

What does pro rata mean? Worked examples for salary, holiday and bonus

Pro rata means “in proportion”. In pay and HR it means giving someone the share of a salary, a holiday allowance or a bonus that matches the hours they work or the part of the year they are employed. A £32,000 full-time salary pro-rated to 22.5 hours of a 37.5-hour

by Allison S Robinson

6 August 2026

Business Advice Business Planning

When to use AI in the branding process

Everyone in the business world is talking about AI. But you don’t have to be for or against it, says branding expert Tom Livingstone, who explains how to harness the best of it for your company’s branding journey, as well as lean into human talent and creativity when needed. Your

by Staff writer

4 August 2026

Business Advice Business Development Year-End & Cash Flow

3 key insights into expanding your business abroad

While some founders are content with their business being based in one place, others have their sights set on international expansion. Oana Jinga is a co-founder at Dexory, a fast-scaling UK-based warehouse intelligence company with a presence in over sixteen countries. Sharing three core learnings, she explains how they managed

by Staff writer

3 August 2026

HR & Employment

Dealing with workplace pensions: the first steps

Part of your SME owner’s responsibilities is to provide workplace pensions. These long-term savings plans have been compulsory by UK law for eligible workers since 2012, with 11 million workers initially automatically enrolled. However, as a new small business owner, wading into the world of auto-enrolment can be intimidating. Where

by Staff writer

1 August 2026

HR & Employment

Why are HR policies and procedures important? The cost of getting it wrong

HR policies matter because they are evidence. When an employee brings a tribunal claim, the tribunal does not ask whether you meant well – it asks what you actually did, measured against the Acas Code of Practice and against your own written standards. An unreasonable failure to follow the Code

by Bryan Brown

28 July 2026

Business Advice Year-End & Cash Flow

3 founder tips on maintaining high client retention

Steve Rowbotham is an Olympic rower turned fast-scaling entrepreneur. He is the founder of Navigator, a travel ad tech business that within six years has a 75% client retention rate, works with global brands and has a goal of a multi-million pound exit. Below, he shares with Business Advice readers

by Staff writer

27 July 2026

Business Advice Business Planning

Founder lessons on international growth

Ben Fox, co-founder and CEO of global B2B marketing and PR agency, Fox Agency, has led the agency’s growth from its UK roots into an international business with an established presence in the US. Drawing on that experience, he shares six lessons for leaders thinking about international growth. For many