Blog

Setting up a public limited company isn’t a step to be taken lightly, but for some businesses, it makes sound sense. Let’s take a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages associated with a plc.

If you’re unsure what a plc is, and how it differs from a private limited company, there’s a good briefing from Bizfluent here – https://bizfluent.com/about-5514187-definition-public-limited-companies.html.

1. You can raise capital to fund growth

In a plc, the public buys shares in the company. That differs from a private limited company where you have control over who has shares, and what percentage of the company is owned by you and others. When the public buys stock in your company, they effectively raise very cheap capital for the company, to fund future growth.

2. You can remain in control – if you’re careful

With a plc, you still remain in charge, if you retain enough shares because no single shareholder will be able to exert control. Whereas with venture capital, or an “angel” investor, you may find that you no longer have complete control over the business.

3. Personal liability is reduced

With a plc, any liability, as a result of legal action or a commercial dispute, will fall on the whole company. The share price may drop to reflect any problems, but that’s because the whole company will contribute to any settlement. With a private company, a small pool of directors will personally share the cost of any legal problems.

4. Reporting and governance are more stringent with a plc

For a start, you’ll need a qualified person to act as company secretary, and take responsibility for ensuring that the company complies with all of its financial and reporting obligations.

5. Boardroom politics can have major repercussions

Even though you have kept a large tranche of your company’s shares, other major shareholders could band together in opposition to you. In extreme cases, they could oust you from the board of your own company. Cheltenham accountants such as www.randall-payne.co.uk can help you to structure the plc so that the chances of this happening are greatly reduced.

For companies that have ambitious growth plans, or have already outgrown the private limited company structure, becoming a plc offers almost unlimited opportunities. Just bear in mind that it’s important to get the initial structure right.

If you’ve noticed condensation on your windows, don’t panic. It’s perfectly natural, and there is a cure. Leave it untreated, however, and you can store up some serious problems.

What is condensation?

Condensation forms when warm water droplets hit a cold surface like glass or a mirror. In fact, condensation can be a good indicator that the glass in your windows is doing its job and sealing your house.

Condensation often forms on the inside of your windows in winter, when warm air inside the house condenses on the cold window panes. Excessive moisture inside the house can damage your windows and the walls around them.

What does excess condensation mean?

If you’ve noticed frequent and excessive condensation, you may have a problem, including structural damage to your property. This is particularly true if you have double or triple glazed windows that are developing condensation between the panes. This could be a sign that the seal has been broken and the glazing unit needs replacing.

Excess condensation can cause paint to peel and flake or result in mould and mildew inside the home. These can cause a range of allergies and are bad for respiratory health.

How can I solve the problem?

Because condensation is caused by excess moisture, there are plenty of straightforward ways you can try to reduce it. Use a dehumidifier to suck excess moisture out of the air in bathrooms, kitchens and basements. If you use a humidifier, turn it down or off.

Run your cooker extractor hood every time you cook. If you have a bathroom fan, run it when you use the bath or shower. If your bathroom isn’t ventilated, invest in a mechanical fan. You should also make sure there is proper ventilation throughout the home to allow air to circulate and wick away the moisture.

Check your windows, and use weather stripping to block up any cracks. Contact emergency glaziers in Leicester, such as www.nanduglass.co.uk/boarding-up/, if you have a problem with broken window panes to ensure they’re properly boarded up before replacing them with double-glazed units.

Preventing damage

Reducing the excess moisture inside your home will prevent damage to your interior. Use a window coating to repel rain on the exterior of your windows, and remove any condensation with paper towel to stop the problem.

You may know that conducting a personality test for your sales recruits has become mandatory in the recent years. But you must also remember that your existing sales team needs to be evaluated based on the analysis. Follow this post to find the benefits of keeping a personality test for the current sales team members in your organization.

Personality traits are essential for sales employees. Apart from the skills they have, they need to know how to attract customer’s attention. Only the personality they have can help them to convert customers to clients. Hence you must know the test benefits to hire and retain the critical sales resources.

To Benchmark these Sales Employees

You must execute a Sales Personality Test to your existing sales team to not only evaluate their performance. But, more than that, yes, you can know the traits of the best performers and set a yardstick for your recruits. Personality plays the crucial role for every sales professional job profile. You can see the results very precisely and compare between employees. This will help you to know the secret about the successful employees. You can make use of their traits to hire new resources and mold them right from the beginning.

To Improve the Performance

First, you learned that the test could help to a set a standard and help in hiring the cream of the resources in your sales team. Also, above that the test conducted can help to you know the performance of your entire team. This will let you offer more training to the individual who lacks any particular skill. The tool will provide inputs to you regarding the specific areas where the individual requires support. With the detailed results, you can guide the average workers and make them top performers. You can also step forward to offer the required support. Few may be weak in only some areas. You need not invest in retraining from scratch but can just touch upon those areas to fine tune.

Take Decision Quickly

So you got to know the weakness of every salesperson and started training them. At the end of training quickly put them through another test. Based on the results you can evaluate whether they can gear up to your companies expectation or not. When you think that you are investing time on a wrong employee, you can immediately take a decision. You need not give more chances to them by trial and error method and waste your organizations time and money.

Final Thoughts

The personality test conducted for every sales professional can help you eliminate future hiring mistakes. You can make sure to select the best sales resources in your team. By using this test on your current team, you can understand their level of performance. You can offer training wherever required and even decide to remove them to avoid further damage to the organization.

Make the best use of the sales personality online test available to increase your sales turnover of your business.

For companies looking to streamline processes and increase efficiencies, one of the best ways to do this is by investing in technology that makes their lives easier, saving their staff time and cutting costs.

Technology is essential to most business functions these days. This includes accounting, where it allows finance teams to do more than monitor income and expenditure; they can also forecast future business trends, helping them have a real impact on a company’s success.

It’s also a focus of the UK government and HMRC, who are looking to digitise the way companies file their taxes starting with the 2018/19 tax year.

It is vital, therefore, that businesses consider the technology supporting their accountancy processes and identify the right accountancy firms to meet their needs.

Technological changes

There are two major trends in accounting where technology is having a significant impact. The first is modelling and benchmarking. Companies use accounting software to analyse the vast amount of data they hold and produce financial models that inform decision-making and benchmark their services to better understand risk. Accountants can feed into strategy development, produce more accurate budgets, and help increase a company’s revenue as a result.

The second technological trend is cloud computing, and the accountancy profession is seen as industry leaders here. Cloud computing allows accountants to access data from anywhere, which means they can provide a higher level of support to clients and in real time; there is no longer a need to visit an office and review hard copies. This improves efficiency and the speed at which work can be done.

Many accountancy firms are now using cloud-based systems. If you’re unsure about whether you want to invest in the technology, you can still access it by using outsourced accounting services such as those provided by www.mushroombiz.co.uk/homepage/services/accounting/.

Training

As technology changes, accountants will need to update their skills. Many software developers provide training on their systems as part of their implementation. There is also certified finance training available online, including cloud migration and data security, through Microsoft. The firm offers a certification programme and ISACA qualifications.

Using these technological tools, businesses can leverage their finance teams or external accountancy firms to help develop a clearer picture of their future financial growth and identify any risks to that growth.

It’s no secret we waste a lot of valuable working hours in meetings. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are eight quick tips to make every meeting better.

1. Do we need this meeting?

Often meetings are called because an individual thinks they ‘should’ have one. But travelling to a meeting and prepping takes time. If you can, set up a discussion on Slack or elsewhere instead and let people contribute to the topic.

2. Create a structure

If you do decide to have the meeting make a list of what needs to be discussed and allot a time for each issue (not necessarily equal portions). Warn participants when ten and five minutes are looming for each topic. You’ll often find this helps wrap things up.

3. The fewer the better

At Google, a meeting never has more attendees than can be fed with two pizzas. If you need two pizzas, you need two meetings. The more people you have, the less cross-over involvement.

4. Find a neutral space

An office where your boss resides is not the place to hold a meeting. If you don’t have a neutral meeting room in your office, book one. There are plenty of Windsor meeting rooms available for individual bookings. Look online for office meeting rooms or hotels such as the https://royaladelaide.com.

5. Have a chairperson

If you have a schedule, you need a chairperson that no one is allowed to overrule. Sometimes an external department assistant or a graduate trainee best fills this role, as they won’t play favourites.

6. Ban self-promotion

When someone talks it must answer the question. Don’t allow people to monopolize the conversation with stories of their own experiences. This is just loosely veiled boasting. If someone starts to drone on about their achievements or abilities – interrupt and move on.

7. Close laptops

If participants have enough time to multi-task in the meeting, they shouldn’t be there. Meetings should be intense, efficient and short! Laptops and phones need to be closed and face down except when needed in the meeting space.

8. Finish on time – every time

And finally, don’t allow meetings to cannibalize participants’ free time or work time. When we know the constraints of an activity we more often give it our full attention.

If you or a loved one need additional help and care with everyday life or have an illness that will make daily tasks increasingly difficult, you may well have thought about receiving care in your own home. This is a popular choice with people, as it allows the person to be able to remain their own home amongst familiar surroundings and home comforts, which can ease many of the worries that the individual and their family may be facing. Of course, it is not a viable option for everyone, but if it is something you are considering, here are a few things to think about that may be helpful.

The first thing is to establish what sort of care level is needed. This can vary wildly, even two people who have the same illness will not necessarily need the same level of care, so the individual will need to be assessed to determine what they require from a care service. Speak with the person if possible and any doctors or nurses that have cared for the person who will have a good idea of what the person requires.

There are a wide variety of tasks that a home care agency can assist with, ranging from help around the home, help with shopping and cleaning the house, to personal help with feeding, washing and getting about, such as to and from the bathroom. This is something that you would discuss with a care company. Check in your local area to find care workers Gloucester based company http://www.futurescare.com/  is one company that offers this sort of service.

When you meet with the care agency, you will be able to discuss with them what you are looking for, be able to ask any questions about the care that you need to know, and if you have any concerns or worries speak to them as they will be able to help put your mind at ease. It can be very difficult making these sort of decisions, especially if you are caring for someone with a terminal illness.

If you have explored this and home care is not a possibility, there are plenty of other options available, depending on the severity and nature of the persons needs. Some other options to consider include hospice care and residential care homes. Remember it is a personal choice and what works for one person may not work for another, so don’t feel as though you have to make a certain decision if you are not happy about it, and always remember to ask questions if you are unsure of something.

Your back is one of the most important part of skeletal system, both for protecting your spinal cord and also to enable you to move around. But it is often the one body part that we don’t look after well enough and millions of people throughout the country deal with an element of back pain each day. If your back pain is persistent or affecting your ability to be able to carry out your usual activities it would be worth seeking the advice of Osteopaths Cheltenham https://www.cmosteopaths.co.uk/

In the meantime, here are some ideas for what you can do to help keep your back in tip top condition:

Really relax at night.

When you lie in bed at night, your spine takes a well-deserved break from all the activities that you have asked it to b e a part of during the day. This is when you really can pamper your spine by making sure that you have a good quality mattress and pillows. The type of mattress you choose and how many pillows you place your head on is down to your individual choice. But you want to make sure that your body and back in particular feels supported and comfortable.

Strong to the core.

One of the modern-day problems of not looking after our backs is the increase in the number of people experiencing lower back problems. In order to take some of the pressure away from this area you need to work on strengthening your core and abdominal muscles. These then work to support your lower back during your day to day movements.

Desk slumping.

As many of us are now working in predominately desk based jobs and we have increasingly sedentary lifestyles, our backs start to pay the price. In order to combat this, you should regularly stretch out your back, arms and neck throughout the day to keep them flexible and reduce your chances of muscles injury. The other way you can support your back at work is to ensure that your desk ergonomics are correct for you. There is no such thing as a standard desk set up. Everyone is different and will have different requirements for their desks. Many employees offer a work desk assessment in order to have you sitting or standing position correct at your desk. If this isn’t something your company can help with it is worth mentioning to the Osteopath when you visit them, as they should be able to help out.

Are you feeling cramped in your current office space, or is it just not working for you anymore? It may be time to think about moving your office space. This can be a daunting task, especially as many business owners are extremely busy and may not have the time or knowledge to seek out a new space. Luckily for you, office movers have put together a few tips on choosing your perfect new office space below, so read on and find out how simple it can be!

1. Take the time to choose the right space: One of the most important things about picking a new office space is that it may take some time, and rushing through the process never has positive results. If you are taking the time to do the move, you want to make sure you are benefitting from the work. Setting out a reasonable time frame in which to move your business is the first key to being able to find a great space. Some people may find what they are looking for quicker than others, but it is important that the time is available if you need it, and no rush decisions are made.
2. Figure out your criteria: Next, you want to make sure that you know what you are looking for. Don’t forget that the decision to move your office space does not just affect you, and your employees should be consulted too. Do this by having one on one meetings, brainstorming sessions, and thinking about your business goals and how they can be reached. Observing your employees doing their daily tasks is another great way to uncover flaws in your current space. While setting your criteria, don’t forget to note what is currently working in your space, so you can hopefully replicate those functions in your new space. Also keep in mind that compromise may play a role when it comes down to choosing a new space, and you may not be able to check off every box on your list.
3. Set a realistic budget: Since you have your own business expenses and need to make revenue, you probably don’t have an endless budget to buy a new office with. It is important to set your criteria before your budget, as you will have a better understanding of what your money needs to cover. Once you have a price in mind for the space, be sure to leave extra money for moving costs, legal fees, or unexpected costs such as repairs.
4. Carefully consider your options: Finally it’s time to decide! As you begin to look at potential new spaces, keep your lists of criteria at the forefront, and even print out a checklist if you prefer to have a hard copy in front of you. While some spaces can look tempting, always go back to your criteria and make sure the space will work for you, including your wallet. It is also a good idea to seek professional advice from a commercial real estate agent or business broker to make sure that you are making the absolute best decision. Once you have found the perfect space, the tough part is over and you can enjoy your new and improved office!

If you’ve just turned 17, you’re probably considering the all-important question of whether you should learn to drive. Everyone has different motivations for beginning driving lessons, whether that’s embarrassment at getting lifts from your folks, you hate getting the bus or you just can’t wait for the independence. If you’ve been procrastinating, here are some compelling reasons why you need to book those lessons today:

1. The Back of the Bus

It’s an unwritten law of the land that the coolest kids always get the back seat of the bus. However, after a certain age, your days of being ‘cool’ on the bus are numbered. As the number of mates joining you diminishes (as they pass their tests), you’ll go from looking cool to just plain odd in a very short space of time!

2. Getting Lifts

You might be delaying lessons because you have a mate who gives you lifts everywhere. Remember that this will not last forever. That mate will either get sick of never receiving petrol money, move away to Uni or get a girl/boyfriend and no longer wants you along as the third wheel! Then you’ll be back on the buses (sat at the front this time). For a Driving instructor Market Harborough, visit https://demarcodriving.uk/

3. Public Transport

Whilst we salute public transport for the wonderful work it does, we also acknowledge that sometimes it’s less than ideal. Catching the last bus or train home is stressful, smelly and full of people you’d rather not make eye contact with!

4. No More Excuses

Sick of having to leave parties/night’s out early? No more excuses or fear of being caught having your mum pick you up around the corner. You can be independent and decide when to leave.

5. Music

One of the best things about driving is choosing the music you want to listen to and singing along as loud as you like. It’s a liberating form of self-expression. Just remember hands on the wheel and eyes on the road at all times.

6. The Joy of the Drive-Thru

As sad as it sounds, there is something quite exciting about driving through a drive-thru for the first time as the driver of the vehicle. Think of all those times you could have murdered a milkshake or some fries. Now you can merrily take yourself.

 

7. Unknown Talents

If you don’t learn to drive how will you ever know if you are blessed with the power to parallel park like a pro? You could be a natural. Or you could spend the rest of your driving life avoiding the manoeuvre at all costs like most people. But you won’t know unless you try.

8. Petrol Money

Asking for lifts from mates will ultimately end in the demand for petrol money. It’s a tough one to negotiate. You don’t want to pay over the odds, but you also don’t want to become known as a cheap-skate. Do away with the whole awkward issue by getting your own wheels.

9. The World of Work

You can only fight it for so long. At some point in the not-so-distant future, you will need to get a job. Job hunting is a whole lot easier when you have transport. You can get to interviews easily, travel to nearby areas thus widening your search and ultimately, get to the job every day.