Welcome To Small Business Pro

Small Business Pro offers help and advice for starting up a new business and building an existing business.

Whatever you are a sole trader, have a family run business be it a retail shop, restaurant, consultant, hairdresser or a small hotel you'll get inspiration as well as advice and help to improve your marketing, get loan finance, turn more prospects into customers or simply start your business by learning from successful entrepreneurs.

Please add your own experience to our articles to help other small business owners.

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Feature Article #1

Unsecured Business Finance

If you are thinking of starting a new small business or have an existing business that you are expanding then it’s likely you’ll need some form of financing to get things started or to improve your immediate cash flow.Certainly new business owners find things difficult when it comes to financing because a) they have no […]

February 10th, 2008 | Continued

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Feature Article #2

Thinking of starting a small business ?

There are more that 500,000 small business startups in the UK each year. Additionally over 300,000 small businesses fail or close down each year. It’s never been easy starting and running your own business but with careful planning you can avoid being one of the failure statistics and actually enjoy paying your annual tax bill […]

January 18th, 2008 | Continued

Most Recent Small Business Advice Articles

10 Reasons to start a small business

10 Reasons to start a small business

Last year over 500,000 people started a new business in the UK - this continues to underpin the UK’s realiance for small businesses in the UK economy and shows the continued entrepreneurial qualities we have been taught in schools and possess naturally.
It’s really easy to start up and get going no matter what you want […]

April 28th, 2008 | 1 comment | Continued
Initial Marketing Ideas for New Businesses

Initial Marketing Ideas for New Businesses

For new businesses getting initial customers can seem to be a struggle. It’s those first customers that get a business going because word of mouth is a powerful strategy once the snow ball effect begins.
But getting people to try your products or service at first and move from an existing supplier or favourite shop is […]

April 21st, 2008 | 1 comment | Continued
Google Adds Dates to SERPS

Google Adds Dates to SERPS

If you have a blog, a forum or news site check this out.
You will see that Google is adding the date of the post as the first item in the snippet in the search engine results pages. At a guess this is for the freshness of the result for users but could be an issue for […]

April 11th, 2008 | your comments | Continued
Can British Airways Survive Long Term ?

Can British Airways Survive Long Term ?

The ongoing fiasco with the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow has hit British Airways hard and Today BA announced that it is postponing its permanent move to T5 until June.
Terminal 5 is destined to be the home of all British Airways flights but in the first few weeks of operation they have cancelled hundreds of […]

April 11th, 2008 | 1 comment | Continued
Now Google and Yahoo Announce Partnership

Now Google and Yahoo Announce Partnership

Hot on the heals of Microsoft’s hostile bid to buy Yahoo and Yahoo saying their offer is too low, there comes the most extraordinary announcement.
Yahoo is to start testing Google’s advertising system Awords and put the results in the Yahoo search results.
The Internet company said it would begin a limited test of Google’s search advertising […]

April 9th, 2008 | your comments | Continued
How to Start Your Business Plan

How to Start Your Business Plan

So you have your idea all mapped out and want to put everything down on paper - yep, you need to write your business plan but where do you start? You know that a business plan is going to help you longer term, map out your ambitions, help you ensure you meet your financial objectives […]

April 9th, 2008 | 1 comment | Continued
Fresh Content for Google a Myth

Fresh Content for Google a Myth

How nice that all the people who run article marketing websites or software that “writes articles for your site” tell us we always need fresh and ever changing content for our websites. Well today I have proof that this is NOT required. All you need are “fresh links” to your “up to date” content - […]

April 7th, 2008 | your comments | Continued
UK is Still a Nation of Small Businesses

UK is Still a Nation of Small Businesses

The old adage that the UK is a nation of small shopkeepers could never be truer. Recent research by Barclays Bank showed that over 471,500 people started a new business during 2007  - the highest since records began. This shows that the UK is full of entrepreneurs who want to take the plunge and become […]

April 1st, 2008 | your comments | Continued
Online Chargeback Fraud Merchant Pays

Online Chargeback Fraud Merchant Pays

As a consumer, you’ll probably get frustrated when you spot something on your monthly credit card statement that means nothing to you. Or your credit card is stolen, you inform your card company but still eroneous charges appear on your statement.
Obviously you are a victim of credit card fraud. No worries you think. Just call […]

March 29th, 2008 | your comments | Continued
How to get Self Employed Loans

How to get Self Employed Loans

If you are self employed getting loans to start or develop your business can be tough going. In this article we explore some of the most common methods to secure your loan whether you have started your business or need additional financing.
If you are looking for unsecured loans most loan providers used to ask for […]

March 28th, 2008 | 1 comment | Continued
Prospects Today = Customers Tomorrow

Prospects Today = Customers Tomorrow

The prospects you contact and collect today are those that you’ll want to transform into customers tomorrow, next week or next month. As we’ve discussed before people may not want your products today so it’s important to capture their information at the earliest possible moment and then start a dialogue to move them from a […]

March 28th, 2008 | 1 comment | Continued
Are Your Customers Ready For Your Products ?

Are Your Customers Ready For Your Products ?

The trouble with being a small business owner is you go day to day with the frustrations of “not quite making it” - you know you have great products and services and you have communicated these to your customers either by direct mail, email marketing or other traditional methods but you just haven’t made the […]

March 26th, 2008 | 3 comments | Continued
Small business should reclaim unfair bank charges

Small business should reclaim unfair bank charges

Over the past year or so many consumers have managed to reclaim thousands in “unfair bank charges” - many of these claims made the headlines and websites popped up to help consumers reclaim either via the courts or by simply writing to their bank. Unfortunately all of this is on hold and awaiting a judgement […]

March 25th, 2008 | your comments | Continued
HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards

HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards

The eighth HSBC startup stars awards has recently been announced. The start up stars awards is looking for new UK businesses that show exceptional drive, creativity and business acumen. The top prize is a whopping £50,000 that goes to the most inspirational startup business - and the entrepreneur behind the success.
The 2007 prize was won […]

March 22nd, 2008 | your comments | Continued
Worthless shares targeted to UK investors

Worthless shares targeted to UK investors

When people are approached out of the blue by a friendly person selling shares that are “certain to rise” most of use would think twice and believe in the old adage that “if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is”
But last weeks new that a husband and wife team operating out […]

March 22nd, 2008 | your comments | Continued
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