Generally, most contractors who enter the UK will have the same set of questions when receiving their first pay cheque, the one question that features prominently is, what is National Insurance (NI) and why do I need to contribute to it?
Dragons' Den is a venture-capitalist TV programme on the BBC. Entrepreneurs pitch their money-making ideas in order to secure investment finance from business experts — the "Dragons". This is a spoof version from the British comedy duo Harry and Paul, where two entrepreneurs pitch the idea of a new month - Augcember:-
"This job is killing me!" That statement may seem to be an exaggeration, but in looking closely at the work environment, it has become apparent there is a serious malady affecting the productivity of organizations. This malady has been coined 'professional suicide,' by a company which was among the first to become aware of the problem.
It seems multi-tasking is the flash word of the digital age. With a plethora of technology around us, gadgets and gizmos allow us to do many things at once. With hand-held mobile devices we can be listening to music, while text messaging a friend. All the while, we're watching a digital monitor at an airport to catch that flight to wherever we're going.
Although it is hard work, and at first can be financially tough, setting up a small business is extremely satisfying. As your company develops from a simple idea into an economic reality, you will be able to learn a lot about the industry that you are working in, and also about yourself.
With apologies to Ralph Waldo Emerson for paraphrasing his quote , here’s an easy way to make your company stand out from the rest, in a good way or in a bad way.
It’s called consistency.