Despite Coronavirus lockdown measures being cautiously eased throughout the UK, there are still huge challenges for businesses to face as we negotiate the choppy waters of the pandemic and the subsequent economic headwinds it has caused.

In conjunction with our partners and collagues from The Entrepreneurs’ Club, Devonshire Green has a fantastic FREE webinar to offer clients, which covers ‘Surviving Lockdown’ with the ’90-day business plan’. We also have a fellow business owner who shares their experience of the lockdown so far.

As your business develops and grows, it is worth considering the different types of personal and business insurance that can give you peace of mind that should anything untoward happen, then you and your business are protected.

Here is a whistle-stop tour of the kinds of protections available for you and your business:

We have broken this down into three broad categories:

• Personal protection insurance
• Business protection
• Small & Medium Sized Enterprises (SME) protection

There have been significant changes to small business VAT in recent months that your small business might have missed. Some have been brought out by the Government’s coronavirus response, while others were part of continued efforts to tweak the VAT system. In this guide, we’ll go over the crucial small business VAT changes and schemes you need to know about, including:

• Permanent VAT reduction for the supplies of e-publications
• Temporary VAT reduction for personal protective equipment
• Cash accounting schemes and reduced rates
• Deferrals of VAT payments closing
• Getting help with your small business VAT

Small business survival in a post-COVID-19 world will depend on reinventing your business. As shops are hit with restrictions and people’s shopping habits are undoubtedly changing, you need to be clever in how you attract and serve customers. In this post, we’ll look at the ways you can reinvent your business, including how to:

• Provide customers with the option to shop online
• Introduce creative queuing solutions
• Collaborate with other small businesses
• Understand the financial impact of the coronavirus
• Get help with your small business survival strategy

The Government has introduced a range of measures to combat the financial difficulties businesses are facing due to the coronavirus pandemic. Among these is the introduction of a flexible furloughing scheme. Here’s a look at the scheme and things like:

• What are the major changes to CJRS?
• How will employees be paid on the flexible furloughing scheme?
• Will employers require employee consent for flexible furloughing?
• Can you furlough any employee on the flexible scheme?
• How to find more information and help

While the country begins to ease back from strict coronavirus restrictions, the Government has continued to review and adjust the various coronavirus schemes to support businesses across the country. Most recently, they announced a second SEISS grant and SSP extension. In this guide, we’ll look at:

• The second SEISS Grant – Available grants, eligibility and the application process
• The SSP cover extension – including ‘track and trace’ self-isolation into the scheme
• Getting help with the SEISS grants and SSP rebate scheme

The coronavirus pandemic has introduced several schemes and legislative changes that small businesses should know. One of the most important ones is the Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme, which helps small businesses that might have faced direct issues with COVID-19 related sickness of self-isolation. This guide will introduce the scheme and how it works by covering questions such as:

• What is the scheme?
• Who is eligible to use the rebate scheme?
• What periods are you allowed to claim for?
• Where can you claim for the Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme?
• What information will you need to provide?
• How to get help with the rebate scheme

The UK Government has outlined its first tentative steps to reopening, with some small businesses having reopened already and some set to restart trading in the coming weeks. What does reopening small business look like in the current climate and what should you know about it? We’ll examine the issues surrounding reopening post lockdown by answering questions like:

• Which small businesses are allowed to reopen and when?
• What are the conditions for reopening small business?
• How can you prepare your small business?
• Can your employees refuse to work?
• How can you limit the financial impact of coronavirus on your small business?
• How we can help your small business

The Government unveiled last week how its Coronavirus Self-Employed Scheme application process will work. The scheme could provide important relief to self-employed people and this guide will help you make the most of it. The guide will examine topics like:

• What is the scheme and who is it for?
• Who is excluded?
• How to make the Coronavirus Self-Employed Scheme application
• How to you show the adverse impact of COVID-19 on your income
• How to get help with your self-employed business

Small businesses are going to need a lot of support to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government’s latest tool is aptly called the Bounce Back Loan Scheme and this guide will introduce you to the scheme by providing answers to questions such as:

• What is the new small business loan scheme?
• Who is eligible to use the Bounce Back Loan Scheme?
• When and how to apply for the new small business loan?
• What are the other tools available to small businesses?
• How to get more small business advice