Latest updates and stories from Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce and its Members

As an entrepreneur or small business, you’re always on the hunt for new business opportunities. Being able to spot these opportunities is essential for growth, especially in today’s business environment.

Referrals can be incredibly powerful for your small business - they are the simplest and most consistent way to grow your customer base.

Just as good cash flow keeps a business afloat, poor cash flow can sink it. Poor cash flow is a big reason why one in every four businesses don’t make it past the first year. And why more than half don’t survive past the fifth.

Essential, a family owned and operated business supplying branded apparel and corporate clothing from Dunstable, has been crowned one of the winners in the East of England heats of the Chamber Business Awards 2019.

The Best Business Women Awards have announced their finalists for 2019. The business world is full of talented and dedicated female entrepreneurs who not only run successful businesses but,

The onboarding process is one of the most important parts of an employee’s experience and it sets a precedent for what they can expect from their new employer. You only get one chance to make a great first impression and for new employees the first few weeks are critical.

The British Chambers of Commerce today publishes an evaluation of official UK Government guidance to businesses on critical operational issues in the event of an unwanted ‘no deal’ exit on 31st October.

Wyboston Lakes Limited has won a coveted Focus 50 business award.

Over two-fifths (43%) of businesses have had employees absent from work for more than four weeks due to ill health in the last two years, according to new research by the British Chambers of Commerce and Unum. 

Abel Bunu, Senior Planner at Robinson & Hall, Land and Property Professionals details the recent important planning changes you should be aware of.

hrworksmart provide flexible HR support to businesses across the country and cover three core areas: recruitment, training and retention.

The British Chambers of Commerce has today released its latest economic forecast, downgrading growth expectations for the UK in 2019 to 1.2%

Face to face networking remains a powerful way to grow your business, perhaps surprisingly in the age of smartphones and social media.

For freelancers and small business owners, it’s a great way of meeting other local businesses,

Back in March this year, we wrote a blog post advising small businesses on how to prepare for the UK leaving the EU. At the time, we were approaching the original Brexit date of March 29 2019.

Businesses who are ready to scale-up are being offered support to attend a new programme launched by Cranfield University. The new programme 'Growth through green: ready to scale’ is aimed at entrepreneurs, micro/SME or freelancers who want to take their business forward and 

Commenting on the latest UK GDP statistics, published today by the ONS, Suren Thiru, Head of Economics at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

“Although there was a rise in GDP between June and July, the zero-growth recorded on the underlying three-month measure points to an economy under pressure

New research from the British Chambers of Commerce shows a concerningly high number of UK firms aren’t ready for a no deal Brexit. Business has consistently called on government to avoid a messy and disorderly exit but in light of the political turmoil and relentless uncertainty, clearer and more consistent information is needed to help them prepare.

As the fastest-growing large economy in the world, with a large youth demographic and a rising middle class, India offers exciting export opportunities for UK businesses.

The nation is in the midst of a serious skills shortage, and it’s costing UK businesses an estimated £6.3bn every year, according to a report by The Open University.

Responding to the latest Westminster developments, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said:

“Businesses feel like Westminster is playing an endless game of political chess, while their futures and the health of the UK economy hang in the balance.

Commenting on the government announcement on proposals to simplify planning rules to improve rural mobile coverage, Mike Spicer, Director of Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

The Ministry of Defence today announced the winners of the Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award; 

When people think of research and development (R&D), they often picture large corporations or specialist science, tech or pharmaceutical companies. This explains why, despite

Central Bedfordshire College is delighted to be expanding its course provision at its Leighton Buzzard campus.

Commenting on the announcement that the government will act on the BCC’s call to automatically issue businesses with an EORI number, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General, of the British Chambers of Commerce said:

East of England based Streets Chartered Accountants, a top 40 accountancy practice, hosted their eighth annual Charity Golf Day last month raising £7,256 for the Air Ambulance.

The Hatters return to the Championship, following back-to-back promotions has put Luton Town firmly in the spotlight. In the ground, season tickets were capped and sold out a 7,000

Marketing a commercial property for sale or rent can be a confusing and time-consuming process. It is essential to ensure everything is in place to achieve the maximum return from your property.

Many UK exporters are treading water at a time of deep uncertainty, according to the latest Quarterly International Trade Outlook from the British Chambers of Commerce, in partnership with DHL.

Commenting on the latest UK GDP statistics, published today by the ONS, Suren Thiru, Head of Economics at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

“The latest figures suggest that the UK economy hit the buffers in the second quarter. We’re seeing the unwinding of heightened levels of stockpiling, growing