Issue #28 - Spring has sprung 🌸
Get your bake on with Doughnotts | How to set up and manage payroll | Top tips to spring clean your SME | How to save energy during Daylight Saving Time | Tunes | Podcasts | Words
🦾 G O
Hold my beer 🍺
Welcome to Issue #28 of The Backbone - the fortnightly newsletter from Bionic.
It was hard to see how things could possibly get any worse after two years of a global pandemic and economic uncertainty. But here we are, three months into 2022 and we have a war in Europe, ever-increasing inflation, a looming cost of living crisis, and a Covid variant that won’t go away.
Even the energy crisis is somehow getting worse - posting pictures of your post price cap increase projected energy bill has become the new posting your Wordle score on social media.
2022 - the year that said, “hold my beer”.
But let’s not focus on the negatives. Spring is in the air and the clocks go forward next weekend, meaning lighter nights and warmer weather is just around the corner.
And although the Omicron variant is still lingering, if we’re all careful and considerate of one another, this could be the first time in years that we can enjoy summer like back in the good old days of 2019.
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🗣 S H O U T O U T
#BionicBusinessStory - Doughnotts 🍩
Bionic spoke to Wade Smith, CEO of popular treat shop Doughnotts. He talked of how, after starting back in 2015, they’ve expanded to have stores in Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, Lincoln and Beeston.
Bionic: What is unique about your business?
Wade Smith: The flavours we create are the unique part and the fact that we have an extensive selection of vegan options. At the moment, our most popular doughnut is red velvet, but we change our flavours every week. We have 16 different doughnut flavours on offer each week and 8 of those will be vegan friendly.
B: What is the best thing about running your business?
WS: Definitely the people. Both the customers and our team. We have about 70 people working for us now across all our stores, so it’s really grown over the years. We try to create a really nice work environment for people.
B: What has been your proudest moment as a business owner?
WS: A lot of the staff have won awards. My business partner Megan won the best businesswoman of the year a couple of years ago. But we’ve always just enjoyed doing our own thing.
B: What advice would you give other SME owners just starting out?
WS: The best advice I could give is just to keep going! It's going to be difficult sometimes, you’ll have good days and bad days but it's all worth it.
Check out the Dougnotts website to keep up to date with their latest creations. And click the Pac-Man doughnut below to read more from this #BionicBusinessStory
📩 J O I N
Get involved with our business community 🗣
Share your thoughts and tips to give other busy business owners a helping hand. Or ask a question to see if anyone can help you out.
🗞 R E A D
How to set up and manage payroll for the first time
In Issue #27 we explained how to register a business. This was the first in a series of guides on running a small business. This week we’re taking a look at how to set up and manage payroll for the first time.
If you don’t set up your payroll properly your employees might not get paid on time 一 or not at all 一 and you could be hit with a fine from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
To help you avoid costly penalties and unhappy staff, our guide to setting up payroll will walk you through everything you need to know - from understanding how to set up the system to managing it correctly to ensure your business can run smoothly.
How to give your small business a thorough spring cleaning
Spring is the perfect time to get your business in tip-top shape. Whether you run a café, own a takeaway, or fix cars in your workshop, having a good declutter will ensure your business runs as smoothly as possible.
From going paperless to declutter your office to giving your safety procedures the once over, this Bionic blog covers everything you need to get your business set for the rest of the year.
How to save energy during Daylight Saving Time
Soaring energy prices and rapid rises in the cost of living mean it's been another tough winter for many households. And the bad news is that things are about to get worse as the energy price cap increase kicks in on April 1.
One small positive is that this Sunday (March 20) is officially the first day of spring, and the clocks go forward next weekend, meaning we can soon start enjoying longer days and warmer weather as Daylight Saving Time begins.
The better weather means we need less energy to light and heat our homes. This blog from UKPower explains how you can take advantage to help lower your energy bills.
🎧 L I S T E N
Playlist
As this issue comes out just after St Patrick’s Day, we thought we’d try out #BrilliantIrishBands - Irish alternative music, Irish indie music, Irish guitar music, and Alternative St Patrick’s day songs! And, while we’re at it, now is as good a time as any to dip back into Rum Sodomy & The Lash by The Pogues and Dogrel by Fontaines DC
Podcast
Maintenance Phase is a podcast that goes out of its way to debunk the junk science behind health fads, wellness scams, and nonsensical nutrition advice. It covers everything from body mass index to adaptogens. Is protein all it’s cracked up to be? And what about that book we all read a couple of years ago called ‘Why we sleep’? Find out more at Maintenance Phase.
📊 B U S I N E S S
Get your business costs sorted 💷
Bionic - the business price comparison experts - compare a range of business essentials to help you save time, money, and hassle.
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
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🚫 S T O P
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