Issue #18 - The big question 🤔
A family-butcher at the cutting edge of business | Can you get a better business energy deal? | Protection from Pegasus | Microshops | Digital driven SMEs | Playlists | Podcasts | More...
🦾 G O
To switch, or not to switch…💡
It’s been two manic weeks since the last issue, but energy prices and energy suppliers are still all over the news. Although loads of uncertainty around gas and electricity costs remain, the tech-enabled team at Bionic are working hard to find the best rates from our panel of trusted UK suppliers.
Most business energy suppliers have already increased their out of contract rates by anything from 15% to 120%. This means that, unlike domestic deals, there may be commercial fixed rates that are cheaper than those out of contract rates. If your current business energy contract is up for renewal, it’s worth giving our energy experts a call to see if they can get you a better deal.
We’ll go into more detail on why it might be worth switching later on, but for now, let’s get stuck into Issue #18 of The Backbone…
🗣 S H O U T O U T
#BionicBusinessStory - C.R. Potters & Sons 🍖
Bionic caught up with Drew Stagg who works for C.R. Potters & Sons, a family-owned butcher in Northamptonshire. We get the low down on the perks of being part of a small business and what he hopes the shop will achieve in the future.
Bionic: How did you start working for Potters?
Drew Stagg: “I used to be a chef and had studied catering at college, but I didn’t like the unsociable hours, so I turned my hand to butchery instead as I enjoyed those modules when studying. I started off in a little butcher's shop on a farm for two years, but they lost a few contracts, so I started looking for another job. One of the other employees had a few months earlier and helped get me a job at Potter’s where I am now.”
B: What’s the best thing about working for a small business?
DS: “The best thing for me is the praise, I often get a ‘well done’ or a ‘thank you’ for working so hard that day. But another thing is the relationships I've built with the other employees, we get on great and have a laugh together.”
B: Is technology a big part of promoting business?
DS: “We don’t really know how to use technology for business. It would help us a lot, I know my last workplace used to use Instagram and Facebook a lot which helped advertise and bring custom, but my current employers don't use social media for business use.”
B: What’s your advice for someone wanting to set up their own business or work for a smaller company?
DS: “My advice would be to go for it, it's really nice to work for a small business and feel part of one big team!”
You can find out all about this family-owned butcher over on Facebook. And to read more from this #BionicBusinessStory, click on C.R. Potters & Sons’ well-stocked meat counter below 👇
📩 J O I N
We want to hear about you and your business 🗣
💡 How did you end up running your own business?
😟 As a business owner, what keeps you awake at night?
🤩 What’s your proudest achievement as a business owner?
🤔 What advice would you give to someone starting their own business?
Leave a comment to get involved 👇
📰 N E W S
Can you get a better energy deal? 🔥
Martin Lewis has been making headlines by advising households not to switch energy suppliers amid rocketing rates. But what about the thousands of business energy users across the country?
Domestic energy users are protected by the Ofgem energy price cap, which means rates on standard variable tariffs (SVTs - the one you’re switched to when your fixed-rate contract runs out) are capped. Energy prices are currently so volatile that rates on domestic SVTs are lower than anything suppliers can currently offer on fixed-rate deals. So, staying put will make sense for most households across the UK.
But business energy customers aren’t protected by a price cap and suppliers are putting up their out of contract rates by anything from 20% and 120%. This means anyone on a commercial energy contract could see their prices soar if they let an existing deal expire without arranging a new one.
If your energy deal is coming up for renewal, speak to the tech-enabled experts at Bionic. We’re working hard to find the best rates from our panel of trusted UK suppliers and – unlike many other brokers and price comparison websites – we have energy deals you can switch to.
Pop your postcode on the Bionic business energy page to get in touch with our tech-enabled team.
📊 B U S I N E S S
Get your business costs sorted 💷
Our tech-enabled team will answer all your questions in simple terms, and help you find the best deal on business energy, insurance, phone, broadband, or finance. No jargon. No-fuss. #BeABionicBusiness 🦾
Check out more ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Trustpilot reviews
👩🤝👩🏾 S H A R E
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🤝🏻 T I P S
How to protect your iPhone from Pegasus 📵
If you’ve never heard of Pegasus, it’s a mind-blowing type of spyware that can enter a smartphone undetected and gain access to everything on it, including its camera and microphone.
This podcast series from The Guardian explains all you need to know.
Now, being targeted by this type of spyware is probably not something the vast majority of us will have to worry about - as of 2019 there were 55.5 million smartphones in the UK, so why would anyone want to target yours or mine?
But the sad truth is that all of our devices are susceptible to cyberattacks, even the notoriously secure ones produced by Apple. The California tech giant tightly controls which apps are available on its App Store, vetting all apps to avoid allowing malware through.
But that doesn’t mean they’re completely secure. Pegasus uses a zero-click infection method, which means it can infect your phone without you ever clicking a dodgy link or opening an infected file. Once the spyware is in, it can turn on your camera and microphone, record messages, texts, emails, calls- even those sent via encrypted messaging and phone apps.
The good news is, Apple issued emergency software updates for a critical vulnerability in its products on September 13. So, if you have an Apple device, make sure you run the following updates now.
iOS 14.8
macOS Big Sur 11.6
watchOS 7.6.2
No, really, do it now.
🗞 R E A D
Nearly three-quarters of small businesses have boosted their online presence as a result of the pandemic, and it is now starting to pay off as confidence grows.
Digital drives small business recovery
An initiative to help small and upcoming businesses has got off to a good start in St Helens. Microshops work in a similar way to a market, with retailers owning a stall to operate their business from.
Microshops helping small business owners get off to a flying start
🎧 L I S T E N
Playlist
Chosen by Les, Content Manager at Bionic, 100 of the best hip hop songs of all time does exactly what it says on the tin, taking you from The Sugarhill Gang to Lupe Fiasco, via Run DMC, Beastie Boys, Eric B. and Rakim, NWA, The Pharcyde, Naughty by Nature, and loads more.
Podcast
Any Other Business is a brutally honest window into the daily reality of running a growing business. Rob Bence and Rob Dix started Property Hub in 2012 – and despite the seeming success of growing to a team of 50 across two cities, the reality has been anything but glamorous.
🔥 H A S H T A G
If you want to hear more from us, check out our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn feeds.
Get involved by using the hashtags #BeABionicBusiness and #BionicBusinessStory.
🏡 H O U S E K E E P I N G
Check your folders 📁
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🚫 S T O P
감사 해요*
Thanks for making it to the end of another Bionic bulletin 🤝🏻
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*Korean for ‘thank you’ - chosen purely because we’re well into Squid Game right now.