Member Blog

Abate Pest Management successfully carried out bird clearing and proofing works at a church close to Wisbech in Cambridgeshire. The tower and the nave of the church both date from the turn of the 14th century.

Abate is becoming the company of choice when is comes to working in churches, it follows several projects around specialist cleaning and proofing to protect these amazing buildings. 

The issues found at this location were down to Pigeons entering the church which created lots of mess on woodwork, masonry and the bells in the tower.  

Abate added special gel pots to the ledges, removed old damaged mesh and spikes and replaced with new.

Gel systems perform like a physical barrier to discourage birds from landing on the building. The gel is contained in pots which are applied to ledges and ridges. To the birds the gel is a visual deterrent and discourages them from perching.

In addition, Abate commissioned the making of a replica door made from reclaimed oak to stop new pigeons entering the church.

With the internet attracting millions of users daily, it is no wonder that many industries are now deciding to forgo traditional physical stores and opt for an online-only approach. From dwindling customers to an attempt to keep up with modernity, many big industries now partially use the wonders of the internet to connect with their customers and increase their revenue.

Betting Shops

Traditionally, to bet on a race or a football match, you would have had to walk down to your local betting store or casino, where you could see the odds available, place your bet, and track the live outcomes of the event. However, now you can bet on your favourite sport direct from the comfort of your own home, giving you the ability to watch the match on the television while deciding on which team to support. Online betting websites such as Unibet are allowing this to happen, with their range of online casino activities such as live bets, poker and even bingo ensuring that you can stake your money at the click of a button, and from any location.

Travel Agents

Although high street travel agents such as STA still seek to draw students into their shops with the glossy brochures and helpful advisors, most travel agents have now gone online only. Now, travel agents place all their holiday advertisements online and allow you to browse through yourself. Where once it may have been difficult to coordinate your flights and accommodation for yourself, the internet has made it even easier to do so, allowing you to book flights and hotels easily at the same time as each other. Not only this, but some websites even allow you to compare prices online, without the need for a physical travel agent to act as the middle man.

Entertainment

Blockbuster, the flagship DVD and Video rental company, was once a staple of the high street, with a network of 4.8 billion dollars in 1999. However, Blockbuster soon went into decline with the rise of streaming services such as Netflix, which allowed viewers to access a wide range of films and television shows straight from their laptop, television or mobile phone. Now, there is a wide selection of streaming services to choose from, including Amazon Prime and Hulu, and each of these are expanding every year, intending to make their own new content to rival household names such as the BBC and ITV.

Publishing

Although Waterstones and Foyles are still waging battle against Amazon in the UK, the publishing world was forever changed by the introduction of e-books. Although e-books started as online-only databases which held out-of-copyright books such as Project Gutenberg, they quickly became prominent with the introduction of handheld e-readers, for example, the Amazon Kindle. With reduced prices and the ability to transport books to any location, this became attractive to book-buyers. Although the sales of physical books are once again rising as of 2019, it is difficult to predict the future of the physical book or what may happen to the market in the future.

At one point or another, we’ve all shot daggers at the small spinning wheel that taunts us while a web page loads. What feels like a lifetime is in fact only 5 seconds or more, but either way it’s frustrating.

However, apart from making even the most patient saint want to drop their device from a third story window, slow page speeds can have a negative impact on your SEO in more ways than one.

1. User experience

Rightfully, one of the biggest implications of slow page speeds is the harmful effect it has on the user’s experience of a site. For any site, the speed in which a user can find the information or product they’re after will determine whether they stay on the site and whether they convert.

The navigation process on a website should be swift and effortless. If the user is noticeably having to wait every time a web page loads, the likelihood of them leaving your site and completing the conversion process with one of your competitors is high. To put this into perspective, 53% of mobile users will leave a site if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load.

Indeed, user experience is particularly important for e-commerce websites such as our client Alsico. A lengthier session than most online experiences, e-commerce sites enable users to browse a vast range of products – opening on average between 2-10 pages per session. In response to this, the browsing process needs to be quick to guarantee a conversion from the user. On top of this, businesses like Alsico don’t have a physical store, the quality of the user’s experience is where they build customer loyalty and determine the level of customer retention.

1. Bounce rate

In hindsight, you may have already guessed this one, but slow page speeds can increase your bounce rate percentage. Nevertheless, other than the most obvious downfall of this being that your users aren’t staying on the site, another downfall is that Google may perceive this is due to your website not holding the relevant information to answer the user’s search.

Read on to find out how this conclusion by Google could affect two separate areas of your marketing.

1. Google ads not appearing?

Any Google Ads experts out there will understand the pain of acquiring the perfectly balanced Quality Score for each of your selected keywords. To do this, there is a list of criteria that needs to be met, one of these being relevant content on the designated landing page to answer the user’s question.

As stated above, Google often views a high bounce rate as a sign that the content on said website is not relevant and leaves users dissatisfied. Therefore, the relevancy criteria would not be met and could lead to a below average Quality Score making it difficult to compete with competitors for certain keywords and resulting in your ads not being shown at all.

1. Dropped in the Google search results?

Alternatively, in conjunction with being well-optimised and referred to by other credible websites, user experience plays a key role when Google decides which websites should appear at the top of the first page. As we well know by now, page speed rates are a factor that can increase your bounce rate level, indicating that your user experience leaves little to be desired.

For example, our client – East Coast Insulations – have a rotating banner image on their homepage, static banner images on every other page, and various images that load elsewhere on the pages. As a result of this, their page speeds were detrimental to the user experience as there was an abundance of features that needed to be loaded in before the page was ready to display completely to the user. By carrying out a simple step such as compressing and resizing the images, we were able to reduce their loading times and bounce rate.

Not only will user experience determine where you appear in the organic search results, but also in the voice search results. Specifically, when a user searches verbally, the need for a quick verbal response from their voice assistant is urgent to not leave the user waiting in silence. With voice search expected to equate to 50% of searches by 2020, the importance to level your chances of appearing in them is high.

To round everything up, poor page speeds have more implications than just winding up your users and should be approached with similar attitude as site optimisation and link building: improve and excel.

Ever wondered whether TV advertising is still important, and how it’s adapted over the years?  Here’s a great podcast with the MD of JMS Group Francesca de Lacey based at Hethersett just outside Norwich. JMS are leaders in the field of TV advert creation, working with leading brands to create imaginative capmapigns that deliver.  They don’t just create TV adverts, but anything to do with media in their purpsoe built studios and they have a fascinating history.

Yet another world class business here in Norfolk!

Catch Francesca here: https://businessgrowthclub.net/jms-media-are-leaders-in-the-field-of-tv-advertising/

If you are the owner of a business in any sector you’re going to most likely have staff working for you, and it then makes sense to keep these people motivated as best as possible. A happy and motivated set of employees are more productive after all, which in turn will be of a huge benefit to your business. Hence the reason more and more companies like InTouch Gaming have started to take the honour of being recognised as one of “Best Companies To Work For” very seriously. And, with so many weird and wonderful ways to keep employees motivated these days, we’ve listed our top five tips below.

Performance related bonuses and rewards

One of the most common ways to keep employees motivated is to provide incentives for them to do a good job and to improve. Many businesses may go down the route of providing financial incentives which could see staff take home a bonus for hitting a certain target. However, there are other rewards that could be provided too, such as tickets to a sporting event or show, a weekend break, or even having a member of the team being chosen every month for their exceptional performance in any part of the business.

Career progression

In the main, when most of us step into the world of employment, we do so at the bottom of the ladder. Obviously, while this is good for a while, in terms of experience, most people would like to progress in their career to ultimately hold better paid positions. By showing your business is one which is comfortable to employ from within, with viable pathways up the career ladder, staff will be motivated to do a great job everyday and have a long term perspective of them being in the company.

Social occasions

As mentioned above, a happy workforce is a more productive workforce But it’s important to remember that employees have lives outside of the workplace too. Allowing the personnel to socialise outside of the office is a great way to develop team building and camaraderie, especially when management is paying. While it is common for employees to head out for food and drinks, there’s also other options to consider too, with art classes, the theatre or even an evening at a casino, all great ideas for team building.

Listen to employees

All the people within a business need to be pulling in the right direction if it is to be truly successful. Therefore, it’s important that employees feel valued and feel like their voices can be heard. Listening to employees is key, as not only can they give great feedback on how they feel things could be done better, but they can also provide insight on any potential problems that could arise, allowing them to be dealt with swiftly. If staff feel they are being listened to, it is a proven fact that their morale and motivation levels will be consistently high.

Keep things pleasant

Keeping things pleasant could apply to many areas of a business but here we focus in on the workplace itself. If an office or other type of workspace is dingy and uninviting, it’s likely employees’ moods will reflect this, therefore making it hard for them to be motivated. So, it is vital to make the work environment an enjoyable place to be. This could be done by the inclusion of bright colours in and around the place, music, a recreational area and by incorporating the latest technology.

We are happy to announce another new project we are currently working on in collaboration with React Property Solutions. The company, which specialises in commercial and domestic property solutions across London and Surrey, has sought the expertise and knowledge of SEO that our hard-working team members have acquired over a number of years and through the variety of clients we have supported and helped to successfully improve their online presence.

Following on from the huge impact we had helping other commercial and domestic property companies like Secure Site, we are excited about working with React Property Solutions to help fully optimise its website and increase the awareness about the excellent customer service they provide and the high standards of work they carry out.

About React Property Solutions

To give a little more in-depth information about the work that the team at React Property Solutions: its staff has over 15 year’s experience in commercial and domestic property maintenance sector. There range of skills and expertise in these fields is considerable, with services including outdoor cleaning, carpentry, reactive maintenance, as well as window and patio cleaning, to name just a few things the team provides.

The company has built a strong reputation in London and Surrey as a firm that prides itself on its workmanship, trustworthiness and reliability, as well as always making sure that each job carried out has been done so to the highest of standards. It is one of reasons why the business has experienced year-on-year client growth for three years and running. We want to support React Property Solutions on this huge achievement, and we can do just that by improving its Google ranking and optimising its website in a number of ways, to make it easier to index.

Ways we are helping React Property Solutions

As SEO specialists, the team has developed a wide variety of (trustworthy and genuine) tools and tricks when it comes to optimising a website and making it rank higher on Google, thanks to our years of expertise and experience in the industry that has been accumulated. This means that, depending on the project and client, our SEO techniques can vary, taking into account the individual needs of the firm we are working with. In this project, here is how we have been helping React Property Solutions to build on its success online.

Site cleaning – as we have already mentioned, we use a number of SEO techniques, and one of these includes optimising a site by focusing on the technical side of things. Making sure site has a thorough clean-up is one of the first-steps to improving a websites ranking, and it is absolutely essential to do. But what exactly do we mean by a thorough clean-up of a website? Our team has helped to ensure that every single title, description response code, image-alt text and any internal links have all been corrected to a high SEO standard. Ensuring that these have all been optimised and fixed (if needed) means a better indexing of the website by Google, which can have a huge impact on its ranking over the course of time.

We are able to carry out this cleanup due to the wide-range of tools we have considerable experiencing using, such as SEMrush, AWR and Screaming Fog. Our strong knowledge of these tools means we can quickly tackle issues that appear for React Property Solutions and fix team. It also means we can regularly monitor ranking changes, and then focus our strategy based on them.

Meta-data: another fundamental way in which we have improved the property maintenance firms SEO is through optimising meta-data. When the firm became our client, it became clear that some titles and description on its content management system (CMS) were not correctly indexed, which had an impact on their search engine ranking. We promptly solved this, by making sure duplicates were removed, as well as ensuring descriptions were relevant and of an adequate length.

Backlinks: An ongoing aspect of our work with React Property Solutions is making sure that it has strong backlinks. These are extremely important to a website’s Google ranking. Our dedicated team has focused on ensuring that the site only has strong backlinks from trustworthy and reliable websites. This is helping to make the property maintenance website easier to crawl for Google, having a knock-on impact on the firm’s SEO ranking.

Content writing: we understand that React Property Solutions has so much in-depth experience and knowledge of the property maintenance sector, and having content online that demonstrates this helps to build not only their online presence, but hopefully their client base too. Our team has been helping to write content for the website as well as for links elsewhere, to help build its reputation to a larger audience base. In addition, content that is carefully structured can also help boost SEO rankings, through using different strategies such as carefully chosen topic titles, H2 headings as well as internal links on articles.

As we start to see results with React Property Solutions SEO, we become even more excited about the potential for change in the next coming months. As we continue to implement new SEO strategies, we look forward to helping the business expand and grow over the next year.

The Search Engine Optimisation team at Tudor Lodge Consultants is delighted to announce that we will now be working wit one of the principal development finance partners in England and Wales, Magnet Capital. Following on from our our success in the property lending sector that we have already had with Bridging Loan Hub, we are looking forward to partnering with the Magnet Capital team and continuing to build our expertise and knowledge in the field, whilst helping to improve Magnet Capital’s online presence through our tried and tested methods.

About Magnet Capital

The development finance team at Magnet Capital take pride in making the loans process with them as quick and efficient as possible, keeping the process to just six stages. The lender makes sure funding is always tailored to each and every project undertaken, understanding that the needs of any development project change on a case-by-case basis. The Magnet Capital team approached us as it is looking to expand as a firm and wants to increase its online presence, and knows that Tudor Lodge Consultants has developed a strong reputation for excellent SEO results. Making sure that your website is fully optimised has become increasingly important when it comes to Google ranking, and can make a huge impact as to whether your business is a commercial success or not. Here is how we have have helped Magnet Capital to continue thriving in the property development finance sector.

What we are doing for Magnet Capital

As Magnet Capital uses a content management system (CMS) it has helped to efficiently facilitate the SEO strategies and updates that our team needed to implement in order to optimise the website. This is because using a CMS makes changes far more straightforward and faster to implement.

Site clean-up – in terms of our SEO approach, we tackle optimisation in a number of different ways. For example, making sure that a site like Magnet Capital’s is fully optimised from a technical perspective is something we know is key to its Google ranking success. As a result, we have carried out a thorough clean up of the website. This includes making sure that all titles, descriptions, internal links, response codes and image-alt text have all been optimised and fixed. Making sure these are correct enables a smooth indexing of the website by Google.

As our team has a strong level of expertise in a variety of SEO tools including Screaming Frog, SEMrush and AWR, we are able to quickly identify fixes for Magnet Capital. Our knowledge of these key tools within the SEO field also means we can adeptly monitor changes in ranking, and alter our strategy based on them.

Meta-data – meta-data is a small but incredibly important piece of information that is factored into search rankings. A number of titles and descriptions on Magnet Capital’s CMS were unfortunately not properly indexed, which affected their search engine ranking on Google. We have helped to correct this by cleaning up metadata, making sure the information is relevant, removing duplicates on the site, as well as making sure the descriptions were of an adequate length. This remains an ongoing process.

Writing new content – one of the best ways of building an online presence and gaining a good reputation in the property development finance sector is through producing excellent content.

This is important for a number of reasons. Not only do relevant property development guides and content indicate to the browser that Magnet Capital has a considerable level of expertise and knowledge of its sector, making it trustworthy, but it can also help for SEO purposes. Making sure that the content is structured correctly to meet SEO requirements can help to optimise the site. It is possible to do this through carefully considered content topic titles, as well as using the right H titles, such as h2 headings and internal links which provide structure to the site, and are something that Google algorithms particularly like.

Backlinks – another way in which we have been supporting Magnet Capital is through backlinks. With SEO, there is not just one key factor that contributes to a website’s ranking a Google, but a variety of different things that lead to a good ranking, one of which are excellent backlinks. Our team has worked hard to make sure that only reputable and clean websites are linking to Magnet Capital. The effect of this, is that it makes it considerably easier for Google to crawl the site, which in turn improves the firm’s ranking online.

Since Magnet Capital have partnered with us, we have been able to make considerable progress in their search engine optimisation ranking, with the overall results made by our hard-working SEO team anticipated in the next coming months. We have enjoyed the journey so far with Magnet Capital, and we are particularly excited as to the outcome we will see with our client over the course of the year, helping the firm to become more successful

With the first website having been launched on the World Wide Web nearly 30 years ago, the design, user experience, building process, functionality and even the way in which we find them has changed considerably.

From the very first coding language, HyperText Markup Language (HTML), where sites were mainly text orientated, to incorporating imagery and icons with Graphical User Interface (GUI), to adding styling and dynamic functions with CSS and JavaScript programming language. And, so on and so on – the rest is history.

However, pulling it back to the present, the digital age is still evolving as developers and geniuses alike find new ways to improve the way we shop, take part in experiences, and find and digest new information online. Queue, voice search. Another factor to consider when designing, building, optimising and promoting your website.

“What is voice search?” You ask.

Voice search, as the name suggests, requires a user to ask their device aloud about any queries they have or a service/product they are looking for. Now, this particular feature creates a challenge for website owners as people generally don’t verbally ask questions in the same way that they would carry out a typed search. Therefore, businesses will need to review how users will search for their site based on what they provide for a user.

Why will this affect the way my website is currently set up?

Whatever your business offers for customers will determine the kind of questions that users will ask when looking for you.

For example, with our client Garner being a local hairdressers in Norwich, often users in that vicinity will verbally ask their device for “hairdressers near me” as opposed to the commonly typed phrase ‘hairdressers Norwich’ which their site is optimised for. Whereas, our client – Goldsmith & Cooper – who provide bespoke glass installations to a larger geographical audience may need to be optimised for longtail informative questions such as “what style walk in shower enclosure should I have in my home?”.

The point is: review what your business offers, who and where you’re targeting, whether your business provides information to answer a question or the means to purchase a product or book a service, and whether your website could seamlessly help a user based on the kind of questions they would be asking about your business.

Once you’ve done this, play around with different questions and honestly look at what kind of questions you would ask in hopes of finding your business.

Are there any easy steps I can take to optimise my site for voice search?

1.      Set up a Google My Business listing and optimise this – with a large number of verbally asked questions in search of a local business as the answer, setting up and optimising a Google My Business listing is the easiest way for Google to identify your business as local to the user.

2.      Ensure your website is mobile friendly and responsive – the majority of voice searches will be carried out on a mobile whilst people are on the go and need a quick response. It would be an unfortunate missed opportunity if you lose out on these ‘in the moment’ searches that are more likely to convert compared to those searching ahead of when they need the answer, purely because your website isn’t compatible with mobiles.

3.      Answer customers questions through blog posts – for longtail keyword searches like the example with Goldsmith & Cooper above, answer these questions in the form of a blog post. Without doubt, it would be near impossible to answer every potential question within your landing pages. For that reason, take advantage of your blog and include the question in the header one and two tags so Google can easily identify that you’re answering the user’s question.

With voice search expected to amount to 50% of all searches by 2020, the time to evaluate whether your website is optimised for this and ready for the onslaught of voice queries is now. Imagine, due to taking the time to analyse and prepare your site now, when your competitors are bamboozled as to why their traffic has dropped, it’ll be you who’s reaping the rewards from all the well-earned traffic being directed to your site.

Indeed, as you may have guessed, 2019 is the ‘year of voice search’ in the SEO world. At Nu Image, our SEO experts are shamelessly excited about planning the next steps for our clients in regard to voice search. If you would like to ensure your website is ready for the next SEO revolution, don’t hesitate to give us a call on 01603 859007 to discuss how we could help you.

Whether it’s sports, online slots or taking a punt on politics, the betting industry is booming. Love it or hate it, you can’t deny that it’s popular, with almost half of people in Britain gambling. This popularity isn’t just good luck either, it requires serious business planning with a concerted effort and investment behind the scenes. With that in mind, there’s a lot that other businesses can learn from the success of betting companies…

Ensure You Are Versatile

Whether it’s betting, banking or boiler installations, every industry is subject to constant changes. One key lesson to learn early on is that in order to be successful, your business needs be versatile. No matter what gets thrown at you – whether strict competition or new industry updates – you should be ready and raring to go.

As an example, betting companies face the challenge of immediacy. Modern customers don’t want to wait about, or face hurdles when it comes to payment. They want to place a bet now, without having to go through various steps or wait for payments to be processed. The solution? Most betting companies have added new money transfer and payment options for users around the globe. Businesses would do well to learn from this versatility.

Be Creative

Staying ahead isn’t just about being versatile, it’s about delivering fresh, new products. In the case of betting companies, that means coming up with innovative new games to appeal to different users, rather than sticking to the age-old horse-racing and football betting. Online betting sites (like https://www.redbet.com/en) now offer a wide range of markets, covering almost every sport imaginable as well as a wide range of online games.

Preparation is Key

In the betting world, companies need to be ready for anything – whether it’s a quick change in circumstances for a front-runner, a big shock with an even bigger pay-out or just a massive influx of online traffic. What can you take from this? In short, it’s best to prepare for a range of outcomes and ensure customers always receive the same level of service. While your business might not be dependent on the kick of a ball or roll of a slot, there are still a lot of potential outcomes. Whether it’s providing technical support for customer difficulties or setting prices to ensure the right level of cash flow, it’s important to put in place a number of mechanisms to ensure you’re ready for what’s around the corner.

Technology Advancements

Technology is advancing quickly, and the way consumers want to interact with brands is reflecting this shift. Betting companies have taken this tech evolution on board, moving from traditional forms of gambling like casinos, betting shops and scratch cards to gambling apps purpose-built for smartphones. It’s important for other businesses to understand how their customers want to use their services too. Is it online, in person or on a mobile device? In 2019, the number of mobile users is expected to reach a whopping 4.68 billion. With more and more people getting tech savvy, audiences want fast, responsive and reliable mobiles sites.

Booming Business

Staying ahead in a competitive market place can be a tricky task, but you can find inspiration in the most unlikely of places. Betting companies offer plenty of helpful lessons to businesses from a variety of sectors. By taking them on board, you might even find more customers willing to take a punt on your company.

People often love the idea of starting a home-based business but are too afraid to take the leap and make it happen. They fall victim to common myths about working from home, allowing their fears to keep them from even exploring the possibility. Although the thought of starting your own business can be overwhelming, it is still worth considering.

If you have taken the plunge and find yourself needing that extra space for your office there is a faster way to sell your home to upgrade to a bigger place. Take a look at Ready Steady Sell for a no obligation valuation on your home.

Don’t give up on your dream, reflect on the following 10 benefits of working at home:

1. You decide when to work.

One major advantage of being your own boss is that you get to set your own hours. That means that you can plan your schedule around other aspects of your life. Are you most productive at night? If so, you can start your workday when everyone else is going to bed. Do you want to take a break in the middle of the day? All that you have to do is plan your schedule accordingly.

Of course, there are some risks associated with being in charge of your own schedule. There is always a chance that you could get distracted or that you could succumb to procrastination. To stay on task, make sure that you have a plan in place that will allow you to make good use of your time.

2. A flexible schedule means you can spend more time with your family or doing things that you love.

When you work at a regular job, finding time for your hobbies or your family can be challenging. Starting a home-based business gives you a lot more flexibility, making it easier to spend time with the people that you love. Some people are even able to homeschool their children thanks to the fact that they run their own business.

Keep in mind, however, that you still need to devote time to your business if you want to succeed. That means that you most likely will still need someone to watch your children so that you can focus on work.

3. You can design your business around something you are passionate about.

Imagine how amazing it would be to earn a living doing something that you enjoyed. Turning something you are passionate about into a business makes going to work a real joy. It is easy to get motivated to spend time on your business when you are doing something that you love.

4. You don’t have to worry about a long or expensive commute.

Think about how much time you spend traveling back and forth to work. Now, think about how much money you spend. Reducing the distance of your commute could save you a significant amount of money. Not only that but the cost of maintaining your vehicle is also usually a lot less since you aren’t driving it as often.

5. You decide how much money you want to make.

One of the biggest fears that people usually have about starting their own business is that they won’t have a steady pay-check. Although it is true that you need to plan for slow times, being a business owner also gives you a chance to decide exactly how much money you want to earn. In most cases, your earnings will far exceed what you could make at a traditional job.

You are in charge of setting your own prices. As long as you don’t undercut yourself by pricing your products or services too low, you stand a good chance of making a profit particularly if you master the art of marketing.

6. You get to take advantage of a lot of business write-offs.

As a business owner, you can write off a lot of your purchases, which can save you money on your taxes. Any supplies or equipment that you purchase for your business can generally be written off. If you use part of your home exclusively for your business, you may also be able to claim a deduction for that space. The same goes for your car. You may already be paying for certain services that you could deduct if you used them for your business. Your Internet service is a good example.

When you work for someone else, all of the money that you earn is taxed. As a business owner, however, you have a chance to deduct all of your expenses before calculating your taxes, meaning that you only pay tax on your actual income. Always work closely with a tax specialist to ensure that your business is in compliance with tax laws.

7. You are in charge of your own dress code.

If the thought of wearing a necktie or pantyhose makes you cringe, think how nice it would be to be able to wear any outfit you want to work. You can literally work in your pyjamas if that is how you feel the most comfortable.

Keep in mind, however, that the clothing you wear can impact how productive you are. Dressing up for work in business casual clothing can put you in the right frame of mind to get a lot of work done.

8. There is no one else to report to.

If you don’t like the idea of a boss or manager breathing down your neck, owning your own business is a great option. You are in charge of making all the decisions, meaning that you can do things your own way.

If you have to be late for work one day, it isn’t a big deal as long as no one is waiting there to meet you. If you wake up feeling sick, you don’t have to call in. If you want to take a vacation, you can simply go without having to get permission.

9. Owning a business can be extremely satisfying.

When you are satisfied at work, you also tend to be happier in your life. The more successful you are at your job, the better you feel about yourself and your abilities. This can positively impact every aspect of your life. When you are happier and in a better mood, people will naturally enjoy spending time around you. This can help you form deeper bonds with your loved ones while also allowing you to live a much more fulfilling life.

10. You can continually change things up.

One of the biggest complaints that people have about their jobs is that they have to do the same thing day after day. When you run your own business, there naturally will be some tasks that you have to perform every day. However, you have a lot more freedom to try new things or to change the way that you work. For example, you could take your work to a local coffee shop for a change of scenery or you could rearrange your schedule so that you do the tasks you usually save for the end of the day first.

Remortgaging is a popular option for homeowners looking to secure additional funds against the value of their home. Nevertheless, there are instances where a secured loan could prove more accessible, effective and affordable than a comparable remortgage product. Particularly when considering the various types of specialist secured loans available, such as bridging finance. In order to determine which of the two is most appropriate in any given scenario, it’s first worth considering how each of the two works:

What is a Secured Loan?

As the name suggests, the term ‘secured loan’ applies to any type of loan secured against assets owned by the applicant. In most instances, loans are secured against the applicant’s home, though it may also be possible to use other valuable assets as collateral. In the specialist secured loans arena, lenders are often happy to accept residential and commercial properties, land, automobiles, jewellery, fine art and other personal possessions to cover the cost of the loan. A secured loan can typically be taken out for absolutely any amount with no upper-limit, in accordance with the agreed value of the collateral provided. In addition, there are no restrictions as to how a secured loan can be used, allowing borrowers to allocate the funds for all personal or professional application they choose.

What is a Remortgage?

Though technically a secured loan in its own right, remortgage products are somewhat more restrictive than secured loans. In most instances, a remortgage is taken out as something of an extension on an existing mortgage with the borrower’s current provider. Their home is therefore the only acceptable collateral for the loan, which may limit how much they can borrow. In addition, the remaining balance owed on the mortgage and the borrower’s history of timely payments (or otherwise) may affect their eligibility. In addition, remortgage products are usually only available for very specific applications. Examples of which include improving or extending the property itself – restrictions varying from one lender to the next. As is the case when applying for a mortgage in general, securing funds by way of a remortgage can be a time-consuming and complex endeavour.

When Is a Secured Loan the Preferred Option?

By considering the points outlined above, it becomes clear that there are certain instances where a secured loan could be preferable to a remortgage. If the funds are needed as quickly as possible, a secured funding solution like a bridging loan could be ideal. If you intend to use the funds for a non-standard purpose, a secured loan may be the only option. The same also applies if you have an imperfect credit rating or proof of income, which could count you out of the running for a remortgage (iConquer). This isn’t to say remortgage products aren’t without their advantages and shouldn’t be considered. Instead, it’s simply a case of ensuring you explore every available option, prior to submitting your application.

Seek assistance from an independent broker or financial adviser, if unsure which secured funding solution best-suits your needs.

It has taken far too long but we are finally waking up to the fact that our planet is vulnerable, its resources are finite and that the lifestyle choices of everyone is contributing to the destruction of our environment. Going ‘green’ is not just some fluffy tree hugging eccentricity it is an essential shift in our social behaviour, and businesses should be setting an example and acting as responsible role models to their employees.  If you are still not convinced by the environmental arguments, then how about the economic ones. The average business that employs 10-49 employees spends £12,327 on electricity and £7011 annually on gas, and those figures are certainly ones where by adopting more energy efficient practices, significant savings can be made. Consider these suggestions, make your business an example of an energy responsible environment and trim your outgoings in the process.

Do you know what your business consumes?

The first step toward making savings on your energy consumption is accurate data on what you are using, not estimates. How does your energy consumption fluctuate during the year?

Look at your business premises with energy efficiency in mind

Is there scope for using more natural light and less electric light? Is your building sufficiently well insulated?  Are doors and windows draft free?  Are heating appliances located in the optimum position or is their heat being blocked?

Choose new equipment for its energy efficiency

Laptops use less electricity than conventional computers and offer more scope for creative ways of ways of working but whatever new equipment you are buying, whether it’s a photocopier or a fridge, there will always be an option which is more energy efficient than another.

Make your staff energy conscious

The UK wastes £171 million a year by leaving lights on. Only 5% of the power drawn by a charger is used to charge a phone.  All those chargers that are left plugged in are wasting energy and costing you money, it’s not for nothing that it’s known as vampire energy. Reduce the brightness of monitors and set screens to go to sleep after five minutes. Encourage staff to fill kettles with the amount of water they need rather than always boiling full kettles.

Don’t provide single use plastic

The UK throws away 2.5 billion coffee cups every year and less than 1% is recycled. Microplastics are a serious threat to our environment and the use of plastic cups and plastic bottles is economically wasteful. There is nothing sophisticated or business like about chucking plastic cups in a bin, provide your staff with a proper cup. 

Go paperless

Going totally paperless may not be possible but even a small reduction will result in financial savings and increased efficiency.  Digital documents are quicker to access, receipts and invoices can be scanned, clients can be emailed or texted, which is faster and cheaper. Digital files can be accessed from any location and cloud-based accounting systems provide automatic backups on a pre-scheduled basis, so you don’t have to spend time doing it. Cloud-based systems also offer a high level of data security.  The days of fax machines and document couriers are long gone and if you still have an energy hungry photocopier then maybe it’s time to say goodbye to that too. Think of all the money you’ll save on ink cartridges once there’s no more paper.

Provide recycling facilities

Make staff aware of the need to recycle and provide facilities for the recycling of batteries and paper.

It makes PR sense

Making your business an energy efficient business is an essential part of a positive public image. Why not hold a fundraiser and donate to a renewable energy charity?