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Grants now being offered
For Herts Start-Up programme clients, the following grants can be applied for (subject to eligibillity requirements and terms and conditions): Start Up Grant of £1,000 for businesses under 6 months old and £3,000 grant for businesses up to 3 yrs The grant can be used for expenses costs such as: marketing/promotional material (leaflets, business cards […]
Employed, or self-employed? That, is the question.
How businesses take on workers has come under the spotlight, with the government announcing an Employment Practices Review. And about time too! With zero-hour contracts, casual staff and so called ‘self-employed staff’, there is a lot to investigate. If your business uses self-employed people, this makes essential reading. We’re going to tell you what’s happening, […]
What experiential marketing is and how it can help your business
Whatever size your business, exploring new ways to reach and engage with your audience is a vital part of growth and marketing strategy. Whilst traditional approaches to marketing offer easier to track metrics and a much clearer way to analyse return on investment, the high level of competition and saturation online and in media advertising […]
Great start to Herts Start Up Programme
I was impressed with the extensive knowledge and exciting ideas from both Mark and Mel and I came away with a headful of new thoughts. Please can you extend my appreciation to both men for inspiring me in my new business? That is what Elisabeth Grover of The Garden Sanctuary said after her first […]
The importance of events as a marketing tool
If you want to build connections and drive brand engagement (and let’s face it, what small business doesn’t?), there are a variety of ways to reach out to others and achieve your goals, especially in this age of social media and smartphones. But while the online world has become a valuable addition to the marketer’s […]
Top Tips to running a cost efficient small business
Aim for zero cost at all times How much can you get for free? Get office furniture by picking it up on Freecycle or the ‘free stuff’ section on Gumtree. Barter goods and services with other businesses. Look around the net for free versions of software you usually have to pay for. See if big […]
Show off your best assets with Google’s Trusted Photography!
You will probably be familiar with Google Street View, the Google Maps feature that enables you to delve deeper into the 2D map and feel as if you’re walking down a street. You’ve probably even used it to see what your own house looks like on there – I know I have! Did you know […]
Five no-cost ways to motivate your employees
Here are five things a small-business owner can offer to motivate their employees, by Paul D Foster. 1 Flexibility The old school philosophy is you have to put in long hours because that’s what the boss had to do when he/she was young. Well, the world has changed. The next generation wants flexibility in their […]
Weighing up the risks of alternative finance
Alternative finance is fast becoming the go-to place for business loans, especially as there are so many options to choose from. A host of alternative lenders that provide invoice discounting, merchant cash advances, peer-to-peer lending, crowdfunding and online business loans have been popping up over the last few years offering their services to SMEs and […]
STANTA wins FSB award
At STANTA we are very proud to have won the Community Business Award at the Federation of Small Business’s Awards dinner on June 11. Competition was stiff, with finalists from the charity and business sectors, including another St Albans company, Cheeky Munkey. Mel Hilbrown, Executive Director, said: “This is the first time STANTA has entered an […]
