Issue #40 - Enough is enough 🛑
It's time to write to your local MP! | How to go about letting an employee go | Do you know if you're a micro business? And why does it matter? | 5 Businesses, 1 question | Tunes | Podcasts | More
🦾 G O
Pens at the ready 📝
Welcome to Issue #40 of The Backbone - the fortnightly newsletter from Bionic.
Enough is enough. That’s the growing feeling among business owners and business leaders who can now see how serious the issue of energy prices has become.
It’s something we’ve been banging the drum about for ages, but it finally seems to be picking up traction in the media. This piece in The Guardian, for example, cites how one small business has been quoted an annual energy bill of £36,000, six times higher than the £6,000 it has been paying to date.
Many businesses across the country will be faced with the same problem. And it’s a problem that could force many businesses to close.
But what can we do about it?
The British Chamber of Commerce has forwarded a five-point plan to the government. this includes a cut in VAT on energy and Covid-style support by introducing Government Emergency Energy Grant for SMEs.
The Federation of Independent Retailers has written to the Chancellor and the Business Secretary asking for more financial help from the government and for an energy cap to be applied to businesses.
Six of the UK’s biggest brewing groups - JW Lees, Carlsberg Marston's, Admiral Taverns, Drake & Morgan, Greene King and St Austell Brewery - have written an open letter to the government calling for urgent intervention, including a support package and a cap on the price of energy for businesses.
And you can help by writing to your local MP.
To find out who your local MP is, visit this government website.
Check out these tips on how to write to your MP for an idea of what to say, how to say it, and why your views are important.
A letter to your local MP might not sound like much, but it’s a way to make sure that the people making decisions on your behalf know how you want to be represented.
🗞 R E A D
How to dismiss an employee fairly
No one likes to let an employee go, but it’s something more and more small business owners will need to consider as energy prices spiral and the cost of living crisis continues to bite. If cutting staff is the only way to keep your business afloat, then it’s a consideration that needs to be taken seriously. This Bionic guide explains how to dismiss an employee in the correct way to help you avoid any confusion and issues during the process.
How does being a micro business affect your energy contract?
If you run a micro business, then there are certain rules and protections in place for you when it comes to energy contracts. And more changes are coming in later this year to make sure micro businesses get a fairer deal from brokers and suppliers. But what are these changes? What exactly is a micro business? And why does it matter? This guide explains it all.
🗣 S H O U T O U T
#BionicBusinessStory - 5 businesses, 1 question 🤔
We love hearing all about how small business owners got to where they are. The stories of how they’ve built their business, the things that keep them awake at night, their biggest achievements, and how they cope when life feels like it’s going at 60 miles an hour. We asked five business owners one simple question, and here’s how they answered…
Bionic: What makes your business stand out from the rest?
🥤 “I believe my business is unique because I make each product to order. The customer has a say in how they would like their end product to look.” Debbie Richardson - Resin by Debbie
🖥 “That I’ve kept going no matter what. It's not been the easiest thing to start something up from the ground and keep at it.” Martha Omasoro - BYTMXG
🌑 “That I use Reiki in my treatments. After a whiplash injury back in 2001, I tried Reiki, which for anyone who isn't familiar, aims to banish a range of different ailments through palm healing and is a form of Japanese alternative medicine.” Alison Savage - New Moon Holistic Therapies
🎨 “Probably my brand work. As my life progressed so has my love for advertising. I love creating brand-centric imagery alongside more personal art pieces.” Jillian Kelshaw - Jillian Kelshaw Art
🧟♂️ “The fact that none of our attractions are ever the same because people have different fears. We’ll have a dark attraction, then maybe a claustrophobic one, one might be really foggy, and one could be colourful and bright, like a carnival. They're all unique.” Bex Williams - AtmosFEAR
Click on the open shop sign below to check out more Bionic small business stories 👇
📩 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.
📊 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
🎧 L I S T E N
Playlist
It’s September. The nights are slowly drawing in, there’s a slight chill at night, and the first flutterings of autumn are in the air. That means there’s no better time to share Autumn en Violette - a playlist that’s the perfect soundtrack for taking long walks and kicking leaves during the shortening days. Bonfires on the Heath by The Clientele is a particular highlight.
Podcast
Described simply as a ‘biographical series in which guests choose someone who has inspired their lives’, Great Lives from BBC Radio 4 is much more interesting than it sounds - think Desert Island Disks but with great life stories instead of great records. Highlights include Pat Nevin on Johan Cruyff, Terry Christian on Tony Wilson, Tom Allen on Kenneth Williams, Jesse Ware on Donna Summer, and Rick Stein on Jim Morrison (no, really).
👩🤝👩🏾 S H A R E
If you love The Backbone (or even if you just quite like it) share it with someone who has equally great taste in email newsletters.
🏡 H O U S E K E E P I N G
Check your folders 📁
If The Backbone isn’t landing in your inbox every other Friday, please mark this address as ‘not spam.’ If it isn’t in your spam folder, it may have been moved to another folder, like ‘Promotions’ or ‘Social’.
🚫 S T O P
Thanks for making it to the end of another Bionic bulletin 🤝🏻
Please leave a comment and let us know if there’s anything else we should be featuring.
And don’t forget to send this link to all your friends and get them to subscribe ✌🏻