2016 News and Blogs

Did you know by registering on the Business Directory you can improve your digital presence as Business Wales is top on search engine results? Signing up to the Directory takes less than 5 minutes and it’s completely free of charge! Yes you heard me right, it’s completely free. The registration process is simple but if you have any queries whilst signing up we have a dedicated team of people who you can speak to through...

The new look Business Online Support Service (BOSS) is now open for business! If you are looking to start a business or an existing business looking for support then BOSS has a course for you! BOSS has over 200 bilingual business support courses, from business planning and access to finance to VAT and social media. All BOSS courses are bilingual and interactive, and contain guides, videos, downloads and quizzes to make learning interesting and fun...

Have you ever set targets for your business or had them set for you which either: You were motivated by to start off with but after a number of setbacks on the path to get them your enthusiasm for the goals was being drowned out by the fatigue; or No matter how hard you tried you couldn't quite get excited about achieving the goal? Yes we need targets. They focus our attention and our actions...

To put it simply, it’s daunting. The confusion of the legal aspects, the worry of whether or not you will succeed financially, and the sometimes overwhelming thought of ‘can I really do this?’ Starting up your own business is a difficult, blind journey into the unknown. But it’s one that you really should consider diving into. At this stage we’re small. Really, really small. As time of writing we currently have a mere 19 likes...

It may seem a distant memory now, but wasn’t the weather on the August Bank Holiday amazing?? Unbelievable....! I hope you had the chance to enjoy it. Good weather, summer hols, ice cream and bronzed faces are fun, enjoyable and magical times for family, loved ones and recharging your batteries. As the kids are now returning to school your thoughts will inevitably be turning to the months ahead and your business. A change in the...

Business Wales spoke to PORT accountants who are a firm of Chartered Certified Accountants and Registered Auditors with offices in Bangor and Colwyn Bay. The original practice was formed in Bangor in the 1920’s and has evolved to now contain four partners, Robert O’Regan, Garry Tann, Jon Owens and Ceris Evans. They provide a wide range of services to assist small and medium sized businesses, which include accounts preparation, VAT, payroll, CIS and audits. What...

Business Wales spoke to Huw Jones of Shipshape Landscape in Llandudno, where he gave us an insight into his experiences of starting a business in north Wales. Huw started Shipshape Landscape over 10 years ago and he covers everything from a simple garden clearance to a total garden make over. What inspired you to start your own Landscaping company? I had been working in retail since leaving college and an opportunity arose to start my...

If you’re running a business, you’ll need social media. But how do you make the most of the platforms out there, and use them to build contacts and sales? Here are our five top tips for getting social media to work for you rather than against you. Not Showing Up If you’re using social media to promote your business (and if you’re not, you should be), the cardinal sin is not actually turning up. If...

A Cinemagraph is a still image, with a small part moving or animated. They have been called "living images". The technique was first used in 2011 for news and fashion photographs, and is becoming more popular with the advent of autoplay on Facebook. They can be used on websites for eye-catching images. The technique involves using a short video sequence from which a still image is extracted. Or the still image is taken in hi-res...

Packaging your products and services can be a powerful marketing technique to sell more and add extra value. By packaging, we're not talking about how you wrap up the package. We're talking about the 'package offer' you present to your customers (sometimes called a 'bundled' offer). A great example of this strategy is presented to you at fast food restaurants. When you buy a 'combo meal' for your child, you are buying a package deal...