Business Feeds

Nimbys look away now.

Here’s what Brighton would have looked like if the “Gherkin” had been built just off North Street.

The image has been created using a new computer programmecalled Skape, developed by geographic information products specialist Infoterra.

It has been designed to help people visualise how proposed developments might look and how they would affect neighbouring properties.

Buildings can be “demolished”

and replaced by new ones, which will help architects sell their visions to the public.

Brighton is one of the firstUK cities to be created in 3D and Paul Fearn, business manager at Skape, said it was chosen because of its distinctive architecture.

He said: “Skape is the perfect tool for planning consultations.

“T

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There are quite a bit of obstacles that every aspiring entrepreneur faces as they strive to do all the right things in order to make their dream business a reality.

It can be an overwhelming experience especially if you have limited support, funding and tools at your disposal. Whether you have a product or service to bring to the marketplace careful planning and execution can greatly improve the success of your new venture.

To help you in your preparation I have assembled my top 25 rules which can greatly improve your ability in obtaining the credit your company needs.

1. Select the proper entity structure that best serves the needs of your business.
2. Choose a business name that does not trigger red flags with the business credit bureaus.
3. Assemble a winning financial team that understands the nature of your business and its vision.
4. Avoid selecting a high risk SIC and NAICS classification code for your company.
5. Do not use a P.O.

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In uncertain times, it gets harder and harder to predict financial results. Some business owners throw up their hands in disgust and wing it instead. Bad idea! Instead, when budgeting gets harder, do it more often. And for a shorter time frame.

• Shorten the horizon. I am not suggesting you ignore a 12-month budget. But put more effort into a three-month budget.
• Budget cash flow as well as profits. Both are critical now.
• If money is very tight, use a rolling, 13 week cash flow. Update it weekly.
• Meet with your staff about it. If you are in a crunch, make sure everyone is aware and onboard.
• If you get a windfall, celebrate. But then take a good look at that 13-week cashflow again.

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Lets’ face it, most of us would rather be anywhere else than at work.

That’s why every good employer recognises the importance of keeping staff as happy and engaged as possible.

The issue is about much more than just money. After all, some of the highest paid jobs are also the most stressful.

In fact, being a good employer can just be about making sure staff are given as much opportunity to broaden their ambitions as possible.

That’s certainly the case at Brighton-based IT firm FDM Group, which took home the Best Employer trophy at last year’s Sussex Business Awards.

Judges were impressed by a heartfelt application from Nabila Salem, who joined the company as a marketing assistant in 2007 and is now in charge of a team of three.

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Banks bailed out by the taxpayer are still not doing enough to help small businesses, it has been claimed.

All the “big four” high street banks reported their half-year financial results last week with HSBC and Barclays the strongest performers, enjoying profits of £7 billion and £3.9 billion respectively.

But all eyes were on the two partially state-controlled banks.

Lloyds Banking Group, 40% owned by the taxpayer, produced better-than-expected profits of £1.6 billion while Royal Bank of Scotland scraped a slim £9 million surplus against a £1.04 billion loss a year earlier.

Both have attracted the anger of business owners, who think lending criteria is far too tight.

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In part one of how to improve your cash flow with receivables, you were introduced to how your payment collection methods and policies can make a big difference in your overall cash flow. Here are more ways to improve cash flow with your receivables.

Make Regular and Quick Deposits

At the minimum, you should make a bank deposit every day of your daily sales, which includes all cash and coin, checks, money orders, and travelers’ checks. If you have a spry business that receives a lot of cash and checks, you might consider making two deposits – one at mid-day and another after business hours.

Try to make a deposit before the bank closes at the end of the day, even if that means tallying your tills before your business day ends. You

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Celebrities have been able to fulfil some of their childhood ambitions thanks to a television production company.

Brighton-based Electric Sky is hoping its series First Love, for Sky, will become a massive hit both at home and abroad.

Each week it will feature a famous name from the world of comedy, radio, TV or journalism who will try to re-learn long-forgotten skills from childhood.

They will work with a professional mentor before showing what they have learnt in front of a live audience.

Among those appearing are Sussex-based ITV newsreader Katie Derham, who tries her hand at classical violin, Lenny Henry, who eventually fronts a soul band at London’s famous Jazz Café and DJ Mark Radcliffe, who has his first drum lesson at the age of 52.

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In-house payroll for small businesses seems the likely choice for those with just a few employees. However, whether you have 10 employees or 1,000, there still are certain payroll laws and IRS reporting guidelines to which you must adhere, not to mention your own cash flow to manage.

Here are four tips to help you make payroll a smooth operation every month:

1. Use Software

   Whatever you do, utilize a software program to help you with payroll. Alternatively, simply use an excel spreadsheet that helps you calculate and save payroll data. The old way of doing payroll by hand in a ledger is outdated and invites too many errors.

   Many small to medium businesses have great success with payroll software like Intuit Payroll, which integrates easily with Quickbooks, and EZPaycheck from HalfPriceSoft.

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A digital media agency is helping residents tackle crime and disorder.

Mosaic Brighton has created a website for the Safer Arun Partnership which aims to make the community a safer place to live.

The Safer Arun Partnership, which replaces the previous Arun Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, wanted to find a cost-effective way to put its message out to the 146,000 people living in the Arun district, and asked Mosaic Brighton, based in Gloucester Road, to get involved.

Georgina Holland, community safety manager at the council, said: “When we undertook customer research we realised that people simply didn’t knowenough about us, so we decided we needed to change that.

“But it’s not just about making people more aware of what we do. We need

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