The Employment Rights Bill, set to roll out this year, will have a significant impact on the UK’s economic landscape. Businesses need to be prepared for these changes – particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups.

Two years after the launch of ChatGPT, more and more small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are concluding that they need to leverage generative AI (GenAI) to stay competitive.

Imagine a market that adds as many new digital consumers each year as the entire UK population – creating unparalleled business opportunities for tech companies.

For startups navigating the trials and tribulations of fundraising, understanding what makes a good deal can make or break their trajectory. To explore this topic, I spoke with Kimberley Waldron, Founder of Started PR, and Susanne Chishti, Chair and Founder of FINTECH Circle.

The year 2025 will not be a revolutionary one, it will be evolutionary, with developments coming into effect that were necessitated by events and happenings in 2024, and solutions to address these events reaching maturity levels that allow an appropriate, comprehensive response.

The hype surrounding AI remains prevalent in healthcare but is particularly strong in radiology. If you remember the early days of computer-aided design (CAD), it’s quite impressive how far the technology has come. A native of ChatGPT would perhaps contend that much work needs to be done before AI can reach its full potential in this field. Both views are correct. This article will examine why it is so difficult for AI to detect things, how its role is changing, and what trends to watch in 2025 and beyond.

Every new year we have the excitement of a fresh start and new possibilities and that can be the fuel for many business owners. It is the time to reset, plan, and take stock of the goals for the year. But let's be honest, by mid-February (if not before) that initial energy starts to decrease as the reality of running a business sets in, priorities shift, workloads intensify, and anxiety starts to creep up quietly like a ghost in the background leading to the unwanted burnout.

In the high-stakes world of entrepreneurship, humility often feels like an endangered virtue. We often see the media glorifying the bold, self-assured visionary – the one who beat odds and sticks steadfastly to their grand idea. However, this narrative overlooks a crucial truth: humility is not a weakness but a strength, particularly when navigating the uncertainty and complexity of building something new.

The Hustle Awards offer a golden opportunity for startups, and those within the startup ecosystem, to celebrate their achievements, gain industry recognition, and showcase the fantastic work they’re doing. As the entry portal is open already, here is why you should enter the Hustle Awards 2025!

The construction industry is known for its high overhead costs. It is one of the major challenges for startups in the sector. The project demands change which further modifies the labour costs, equipment needs, and several other things.

From 31 January, businesses moving goods from the European Union (EU) to Great Britain (GB) will need to comply with new UK safety and security declaration requirements.

You may have heard the statistic that: “Men apply for a job when they meet only 60% of the qualifications, but women apply only if they meet 100% of them.”

Recently, in one of my Connect networking groups, one of our lovely members (naming no names) said she needed more inspiration, before proceeding to then reel off alllllllllllllllllll the things she was currently working on. And, as someone diagnosed with ADHD, this sounded so familiar…

As we enter 2025, many individuals may be looking to start a new venture in the form of a business. Whether you are a coveted business connoisseur or a fresh-faced entrepreneur, it is important to take several steps to ensure you hit the ground running.

What’s important to you, I was asked back in early 2014 as PhenomGames transitioned from a scrappy startup to an operation scaling across Europe. Our EBITDA, annual recurring revenue, client relationships, and new software product were all at the forefront of my mind.

In a forward-looking perspective, Mike Hoy, Chief Technology Officer at Pulsant, Manchester colocation experts, examines the obstacles that organisations are likely to face in the successful implementation of AI projects within the next twelve-month period. He underscores the importance of a resilient and interconnected infrastructure for addressing these challenges effectively.

Managing payments across multiple providers is one of the most complex challenges for businesses operating in the global digital economy. Companies that rely on multiple payment service providers (PSPs) to cater to diverse markets or customer needs often face difficulties such as inefficiencies, technical hurdles, and high operational costs. This is where payment orchestration emerges as a powerful solution, streamlining multi-provider payment management while maximising efficiency and cost savings.  

Running a small business can sometimes feel like an endless list of administrative tasks, from onboarding and payroll to compliance. This is especially true for the UK’s smallest businesses, those employing up to nine people. Xero’s research shows that these businesses spend less than half (46%) of the working week on their core jobs because they’re juggling so many other ‘non-core’ jobs like IT, HR, admin, and finance.

Why directing budgets towards innovation clusters, wet lab infrastructure, and investment-ready Intellectual Property (IP) strategies will be key to delivering a 10-year vision.

Now is the best time to become a founder in the UK. Whilst the tech downturn has created challenges for tech unicorns and later stage VC funds, a new generation of founders has quietly been emerging, buoyed by the remarkable resilience of early-stage investment.