Issue #74 - It's a wrap! 🎁
2023 was a relatively calm year (compared to the previous few anyway) but high inflation remains an issue. As we approach 2024, let's take a look back at how 2023 was covered in The Backbone.
🦾 GO
2023
2023 was a relatively normal year - lockdowns have become a distant memory and the energy market calmed - but we still had to deal with alarmingly high prices across the board. Although inflation is coming down, the cost of things isn’t. As we head into 2024, let's look back at how 2023 was covered in The Backbone.
Here’s 2023, wrapped 🎁
📅 JANUARY
The government announced a replacement for the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. The Energy Bills Discount Scheme looks and sounds like the previous scheme and will run until March 2024. But support has been less generous and wholesale rates haven’t hit the discount threshold since December 2022 - three months before the scheme started!
We got the yoga blocks out to explain how it worked…
📅 FEBRUARY
Everyone was talking about Chat GPT, so we got it to write an intro for The Backbone…
Hello there, small business heroes of the UK!
Can you believe it's already been two weeks since the world went back to work? Time flies when you're chasing that sweet, sweet cash, eh?
Anyway, in case you've been too busy hustling to keep up with the latest news, here's what you might have missed:
First up, did you hear that the Bank of England kept interest rates at a record low of 0.1%? That's good news for borrowers, but not so great for savers. Looks like we'll all have to keep working hard to make those pennies count.
In other news, the government has announced a £20 million scheme to help small businesses make the switch to electric vehicles. So, if you've been thinking about upgrading your company car, now might be the perfect time.
And finally, there's been a lot of talk about the shortage of HGV drivers in the UK. It's causing all sorts of problems for businesses that rely on deliveries, so fingers crossed the government comes up with a solution soon.
That's all for now, folks. Keep hustling and we'll catch up with you in another two weeks.
Not a bad effort, but our writers aren’t worried that it’s going to take over the newsletter any time soon.
📅 MARCH
We always want to make sure our readers are one step ahead of the rest, so we did a deep dive into the analogue switch-off to get you ready for 2025.
What is the 2025 digital switchover? ☎
The analogue, copper wire phone network is being retired, meaning you’ll no longer be able to use your landline phone. And if you have other systems connected to your phone line, like alarms, telecare systems, CCTV, or even some half-hourly electricity meters, then they’ll stop working too.
But what does that mean? And why is the old system getting switched off anyway? Our guide explains everything you need to know.
📅 APRIL
To celebrate National Tea Day on April 21 (the perfect excuse to get out and support your local independent cafe or tea shop) we wanted to know how you take your tea.
📅 MAY
Revealed: The UK's top borrowers 🏦
If you’re looking to grow your business, you might need to borrow the money to cover expansion. The same goes for covering short-term measures like cash flow issues. But which businesses borrow the most money? And are certain parts of the UK bigger borrowers than others? The number-crunchers at Think Business Loans - the finance division of Bionic - looked at the data to find out.
📅 JUNE
At Bionic, we love anything that makes a tricky topic easy to understand. Macrodose things economics, including inflation, interest rates, and more.
📅 JULY
Bionic worked hard with suppliers to offer a solution for business owners who signed a new energy contract when prices were at their highest. We landed on blend and extend contracts, but they weren’t the best option for all businesses.
Those yoga blocks got another outing in our latest explainer video…
📅 AUGUST
How to build brand loyalty 🤝
Increasing your customer base and drumming up new sales is vital to keep your small business thriving. But building brand loyalty should also be a key part of your marketing strategy. Let’s take a look at what brand loyalty is and why it’s important, along with the different ways that you can build and track brand loyalty.
📅 SEPTEMBER
The millions of micro business owners across Britain are rarely given a voice. We launched The Backbone Business Community Facebook Group to give business owners a platform to help fellow business owners run their businesses better. Get involved 👇
📅 OCTOBER
News of the small business owner who had 1.6m stolen from him in barely 20 minutes got us thinking about cybersecurity. Check out Issue #70 - This is NOT a scam ⚠ to find out the difference between phishing, smashing, and vishing, how to tell if your business has been hacked, and more.
📅 NOVEMBER
The 2023 Autumn Statement was all about tackling inflation and growing the economy. And with “110 growth measures” designed to turbocharger economic growth, it had to be good news for businesses, right? But we wanted to know if you thought whether it really was a good Budget for businesses.
📅 DECEMBER
We look at ways to get your business festive-ready and caught with Mik Povall from Gravity Health and Fitness - a Wirral gym with a close-knit community feel.
And that’s 2023 wrapped. Oh, aside from the obligatory festive funny (well it’s festive at least)…
…and TWO festive playlists!
🙏 Thanks to everyone who has supported The Backbone over the last 12 months - we hope it’s kept you informed and entertained. Here’s to a wonderful holiday season and a great start to 2024. See you on January 5 for Issue #75.
📨 S U B S C R I B E
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