We’re in Back to School mode here. If you’re feeling that too, it’s a good time to take a step back and do some planning before you dive into the detail of your day job. We round up some resources that can help.
In the news, research shows that small companies are recruiting but still struggling to find people with the right skills. And, for the first time ever, Facebook had a billion users in one day.
Top news stories
66% of small business owner managers admit that they have regretted hiring someone for a job.
Half of employers say they support their workers’ mental wellbeing
Research shows employers recognise the importance of their role in supporting their employees but even so, 28% rate stress levels in their organisation as being either high or very high.
Chancellor must act to help British firms export more
John Longworth, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said that in the Autumn Statement George Osbourne must announce measures to boost exports, since the UK is years away from meeting its targets.
39% of people say they won’t need cash by 2025
Cards and the rise of contactless payments mean a further 25% think they’ll be able to do without notes and coins within five years.
For the first time, Facebook has a billion users in a single day
Mark Zuckerberg announced the figures, saying that “1 in 7 people on Earth used Facebook to connect with their friends and family".
Key dates for your diary
31 August: Bank Holiday Monday
Useful resources for business planning
As the summer draws to an end (how did it go so fast?), now is a good time to review what you’ve achieved before you start the push towards Christmas. Taking some time to look at your plans again helps you to check your progress, see if there are any factors influencing your business and refine your targets and activities.
We’ve rounded up some of the best sources of information to help.
Planning tools
With the wealth of data available, it can be hard to know where to start. Here are some resources that can help:
- Business Review template: this free template from Futurpreneur gives you a framework for recording your data.
- Financial review template: this is set up in dollars but it’s easy to change over to pounds and it gives you a good insight into how you’re performing, as well as asking you questions for next year.
- Business Planning template: our template will take you through all of the steps to get the data you need.
Data from external sources
Having the right data allows you to view your company’s performance in the context of the wider business environment. Here are some of the best places to go for this information.
The latest business trends
There are so many reports coming out about everything from business confidence to employment, it can be hard to track what’s going on. BDO compiles all this data into a simple report, which is available each month. You can access them here.
Data about your local area
Keeping track of local trends is important if you’re to understand what’s happening in your area. Barclays Local Insights gives you access to information about consumer spending, business turnover and information about start-ups. You can access the reports on the Barclays website.
Benchmarking against your competitors
Knowing exactly how you fare in comparison to other businesses in the same field can have a significant impact on your performance. Companies like Winning Moves offer a full benchmarking report that compares your business to others in your sector, so you can see what you could do to improve.