Issue #34 - A crisis of confidence? 😕
Why you need to try and keep confident | Why Whiskers and Cream is the business | How to run a business audit | The best small businesses grants | The food safety 4 Cs | Tunes | Podcasts | More
🦾 G O
Don’t stop believing ✊
Welcome to Issue #34 of The Backbone - the fortnightly newsletter from Bionic.
It seems there’s a crisis of confidence across the UK. Forget the high-profile Westminster voting story, we’re talking about the outlook of business owners for the coming months.
Alison Rose, the boss of NatWest bank, has said that firms on the bank's books have falling confidence, while a PayPal study found that 52% of SME owners are concerned about future business uncertainty.
These findings were echoed in Barclays’ SME Barometer, which found that 75% of small and medium-sized companies are worried about the long-term impact of the cost of living crisis.
And it’s easy to see why there’s a lack of confidence - just as we were through the worst of the pandemic, we were hit with soaring energy costs and rising inflation. And we’re now heading towards a full-on cost of living crisis. If we’re not there already.
The Bank of England has stopped short of saying we’re also on course for a recession, but only on technical grounds. Although we might avoid the two consecutive quarters of negative growth needed to officially signal a recession, zero average growth is forecast for next year and GDP is expected to remain below 2022 levels.
In short, 2023 looks set to be a recession in all but name.
But if the last two years have taught us anything, it’s that we can adapt and tackle adversity head-on. If your business made it through the pandemic, you can be confident it can stand up to anything the world throws its way.
There are many reasons to lack confidence right now, but having confidence in what you do will help your business make it past this next hurdle.
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🗣 S H O U T O U T
#BionicBusinessStory - Whiskers and Cream 😻
Bionic spoke to Kay Allen, who runs popular North London cat café Whiskers and Cream. She told us what it’s like to work with the cats on a daily basis and why she’s excited for the future of her SME.
Bionic: What inspired you to set up Whiskers and Cream?
Kay Allen: I decided when I turned 55, I’d have a career change as my job was very stressful. But I reached my 55th birthday and realised I hadn’t got a move on with my plan. I was going on holiday to the Lake District at the time and spent some time with friends on the way. Unbeknown to me they’d booked a slot at a local cat café! It was a concept I hadn’t heard of before and the seed was sown! As a cat lover and with a love of baking I thought this was a dream venture for me.
B: What are you most excited about for the future?
KA: Developing Whiskers & Cream and working in partnership with community groups is definitely something I'm really excited about in the future.
B: What’s the best thing about working with the cats and who is your favourite?
KA: They all have different personalities and breed traits, plus we have more non-pedigrees than pedigrees. However, the biggest personality is probably Oscar our Tonkinese. He is loud, proud and loves attention. He has a huge personality and requires so much attention, you can't help but love him!
B: What keeps you and your staff motivated on a daily basis?
KA: Our staff love cats and they keep them motivated in what can be a challenging role when we are busy. We have a ‘family’ atmosphere and staff support each other and all get along.
If you’d like to make friends with any of the resident kitties at the café, check out the Whiskers and Cream website. And click the kitten’s paw 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
What is a business audit and how should you do one?
The next of our guides on setting up and running a business looks at running a business audit. This is a way of making sure you know exactly how much money your business is earning and how it’s earning it. You might feel daunted at the thought of your first audit. But it doesn’t need to be stressful and, if done correctly, it can be beneficial to your business. Our guide explains all you need to know.
The best grants for small businesses in 2022
The quarterly Small Business Index (SBI) from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has shown that successful finance applications have plummeted to the lowest level on record, with just 43% of applications approved. If you’re struggling to get business finance, it’s worth finding out what grants are available to help your business. Our guide explains all you need to know.
🤳 S O C I A L
This week is Food Safety Week - an annual event held to promote the importance of good food hygiene in the home. We’ve put the Four Cs of food safety up in this Twitter thread 👇
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
🎧 L I S T E N
Playlist
Die Tanzfläche (German for, ‘the dance floor’) is a music producer influenced by Chicago House, Electro, Techno, French House - all the good dance stuff. He recently launched his first album, Halcyonic, and did a takeover on Amazing Radio. Here’s the playlist from that takeover. If you’re not tapping your feet within seconds, you might want to go and see a doctor.
Podcast
We love tech at Bionic, and our tech-enabled experts love to save busy business owners time and money when switching business essentials. Which might make a podcast called Tech Won’t Save Us seem like a strange choice. But it’s a very good podcast that critically examines the tech industry, its thought leaders, and the worldview it spreads. Tech it…sorry…check it…out.
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🚫 S T O P
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