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Today, work type and working environment have changed a lot. therefore, it is necessary for teams within a company to collaborate in new ways. This helps employees subjected to high amounts of stress to create and implement different things.According to experts, currently for a company to be successful, there is a need for innovation; however, the fact that their workers are not creative could stop their growth.Fortunately there are techniques that help improve the mood and performance of workers, which are directly related to fun, because when a person enjoys their work, they turnabout proposing new things.To do this, companies must make their employees feel confident to innovate and create fun in their environments.In the market there are already companies that do not require their workers to abide to a set schedule to work; i.e., they do not start and finish at rigid times every day, but are left to organise their time to work as they see fit, in order to meet their objectives.There are also companies that offer their workers a playroom in order to enable them to overcome stress and thus coexist with each other to achieve and establish new projects.Another way to achieve a friendly atmosphere is decorating the office with bright colours and funny pictures, in common areas where everyone can see them.The HR department from time to time should implement some dynamic activity with all members of the company, as this will be vital to promote integration and creativity of workers.Remember that the conduct in meetings where all your employees participate could enhance the sense of teamwork, generating an atmosphere of trust where you can be more fun and so innovative.

Making decisions is an essential part of our lives. Our choices shape our lives, and of course, a business decision is what makes a company successful or not. But often it can be difficult deciding on either option, so here are a series of tips to help you.

Collect data, but not too much

We hate uncertainty, and by nature a decision is to opt for something without guarantee of what might happen. One way to reduce uncertainty is to gather data. If you are reporting about the pros and cons of each decision and their potential impacts, you can at least make an informed decision. But beware of the risk of spending too much time collecting and analysing. The danger of "analysis paralysis" is always present.

Looking outside for counsel

Sometimes two minds work better than one and three better than two. If you get stuck, you can seek advice from others. In the end the decision is yours anyway, but it can give you a different approach.

What advice would you give to someone in the same situation?

Sometimes what blocks us is the emotional part of the decision. Therefore, imagine that a friend has the same problem, and think about what you would recommend to them. It does not always work but it can be helpful if in doubt.

Be devil's advocate

Sometimes we have an immediate preference for any of the options, with no rational basis or data to support it more than others. This has its own danger, because we can let ourselves unconsciously be influenced by the facility, or other emotional factors. Taking the opposite party and acting as devil's advocate is an excellent exercise that allows you to better weigh the alternatives.

Confront the tough decisions

As a business, there are many decisions to make and it is quite common that our human nature drives us to neglect or postpone the most difficult dilemmas. This is very dangerous because opportunities are then lost and you can even jeopardise the future of the company. Therefore, be courageous and proceed to take action sooner.

Have a plan B

Deciding fast does not mean being reckless. Every major decision you make should have a plan B in case things do not work as expected in the beginning. This is so you can quickly adapt your strategy, should you meet an unforeseen obstacle, without going back to square one.

Having decided to be your own boss, you have to do away with the job search and all the stress that employees undergo. This kind of thought brings out the entrepreneurial spirit in you. However, the decision is yours when it comes to the kind of business you want to go into. You can choose to set up a limited company or to register as a self-employed sole trader. Here are some questions you need to answer to help you with the kind of business that is best for you.

What industry will you be working in?

The industry you get into plays an important role in how clients view your business. In some industries, it`s very common for freelancers to be sole traders. On this basis, clients are usually very happy to deal with them. For instance, writers or artists may decide to form limited liability companies. Clients prefer to deal with bigger organisations that are registered. The main reason for this is due to their transparency as the details of the company is displayed publicly in the company house.

How much paperwork do you want to do?

Whether you are a sole trader and the owner of a Limited Company, or you are a director of a Limited company, you`ll have to complete a self-assessment tax return with HMRC every year. The difference is that there will be extra paperwork for the director of a Limited company. The penalties for wrong filing of paper work are usually higher for the directors of a company than it is for sole traders. Limited companies must produce Year End Accounts (also called statutory or annual accounts) and also send HMRC a Company Tax Return and Companies House an annual return.Both limited companies and sole traders must register for VAT if their estimate for annual takings is estimated to be up to £81,000 at the year.

How much responsibility do you want?

As a sole trader, you are entitled to all the profits as long as you have paid tax and National Insurance contributions. However, you are responsible for the losses your business incurs. For this reason, you might lose all your assets if you eventually run into debt.If you form a limited company, you will be taxed for any money you withdraw from the business. More so, you have to record what you want to use the money for (e.g. salary or loan). As a director, tax and both employee and employer`s NI contributions will be deducted from your salary by PAYE. This means that you`ll pay more NI this way than you would as a sole trader. However, the benefit is that your personal assets are all protected against any debts your business may incur. Again, your legal liability is limited as well.

How much money do you need?

It is much easier for a freelancer to work for a big organisation or apply for business loans if he chooses the limited liability route. The Limited company gives you an edge due to its legal and financial protection.

Don`t forget you can change your mind.

If your decision is to form a limited company, we can help you with that. You will receive a certificate of incorporation indicating the registration date and the company number.However, if you choose to be a sole trader, you will need to register for self assessment with HMRC by 5th October following the end of the tax year. Contact us if you need more advice or information on registering as a sole trader.It is very possible to shift to the structure that suits you if the nature of your work or that of the clients you hope to attract, changes.For more information on this matter and lots more tax and financial news, see Your Virtual Office London blog today!

Forming a business is available to almost everyone today, as new technologies allow us to start at a fraction of the cost of traditional businesses. Of course, it all depends on the type of startup you are going to want to form, so here are summarised six basic tools for those thinking of beginning a journey into the business arena.

1. A Smartphone

Because the Internet is going to be one of your main tools, you'd better have a smartphone. No need to have the latest iPhone or Samsung, but choose a device that allows you to at least access basic services like Skype (to make free phone calls), Whatsapp and of course email.

2. A good internet connection

Obviously, you'll need to have an Internet connection. You could opt for a 4G solution, but many data plans are usually quite expensive, so you will an ADSL line (or cable).

3. A good laptop

It`s better to have a laptop than a desktop, mainly because you'll need to move from one side to the other, and if you want to limit investment, it is better to have only one device.

4. Business Cards

Some say they belong to the past, but they`re still very practical in many cases, especially in those moments when you meet many people in a short time, such as conferences, seminars, fairs and other events of this type. Also, if you always have a card available, you can communicate about your project even if you had not anticipated it, and always with a professional image.

5. A point to meet with customers or suppliers

Starting a business from home is certainly one of the easiest ways to start. However, sometimes you need another place to meet with clients. You can use various tricks, but it is important to have it clear before, because you never know when you'll have to. There are places that rent offices for days, or you can opt for a quiet coffee shop.

6. A web or blog

Having a website with your own domain will cost you very little. With the tools available, and without knowing anything about computers, you can make a rather professional page in a few minutes. Another option is to have your own blog, where you can demonstrate your expertise in the field you're trying.

To think that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have the infrastructure and financial characteristics necessary to export their products is overkill for some people, if not a pipe dream. However, despite the difficulties and scope, it is possible to achieve.In the first instance, it is prudent to note that within the SME segment, midsize companies (a workforce of between 51 and 250 employees) are more likely to export. This is because its corporate structure is better defined and allows them to envision a brighter future compared to small businesses.Here we present some concepts and practices to be considered by small and medium scale businesses to make their products penetrate foreign markets:Creating quality export products. The basic principle of an exporting firm is a product for its quality and freshness. To ensure these qualities, businesses must implement quality systems, whose functions in simple terms are eliminating unnecessary activities and the tuning of key production processes.Production capacity. Companies can capitalise in the SME segment by being more flexible and to more smoothly modify their production lines. This is important because when exporting products, companies must ensure double coverage: the domestic market and external.Leverage corporations. SMEs can place their products abroad with the support of exporting firms. This will provide access to distribution channels and marketing independently.Knowledge and expertise. Companies with export potential should have updated information on the behaviour of foreign market information. Also, to acquire the corporate, financial and legal expertise to deliver your offers in completely different national contexts.A great way to help SMEs comply with these requirements in foreign trade is outsourcing. Entrepreneurs in the small and medium sector have several options available. To choose the best option, you should explore and analyse each alternative according to the demands of their initiative.

When you start a business, and also later when you are consolidating, there is a question you'll have to ask often, and that is whether a task requires outsourcing or needs to be done internally. This is an important topic, because it has a lot to do with choosing the priorities of your business.

The classical company integrating system

Until recently, companies tended to integrate all possible functions. Obviously, that was a more pronounced trend in medium to large companies, simply because they had more resources and many of the support functions of the core business had a sufficient volume for one or more jobs, (payroll, travel organiser, equipment cleaning, photocopying service, a lawyer, an accounting department and many more.)

The trend: specialisation

Over the years, things have been changing gradually. Some services were outsourced before others. For example, instead of having a person on the payroll dedicated to organising trips, many companies chose to have a contract with a travel agency. In some cases, the agency placed one of its employees in the offices of the company, in others, it was all done remotely. As a result, not only did the company save resources, but benefited from the expertise of a specialist travel company.This same phenomenon has happened in many other support functions. Over time, companies have realised that it was more interesting to devote resources to core business activities (producing and selling, basically), while it saved time and worked better having specialised suppliers outsourced.

When to outsource and when not to?

The question is not whether to outsource some services or trying to do everything in procedure. Many functions have no other option to outsource because you have a sufficient volume of activity to have a person dedicated to it, albeit part-time. Then, even if you had the time, in many other cases you would be paying much more with outsourcing, and not benefit from specialisation with these companies.The real question is when you have to choose to outsource and when not. You should analyse which are the most strategic functions of your business. Essentially, you should take maintain a direct and immediate control over what constitutes the heart of your business. On the other hand there are many support functions that today cannot be outsourced because the volume of work involved is too small to interest a foreign company, even with new technologies emerging every day.

A recurring question

The issue of outsourcing activities or not is a question you have to ask regularly. The environment changes, your business changes, your priorities change. At some point you may decide to rethink an internal function you had outsourced because you decided it is more strategic now than in the past, and vice versa. Companies are living structures, and the model is changing constantly. There is no right answer forever. Everything is about adaptation.

Between 2009 and 2013, e-commerce has more than doubled. It has long since ceased to be a marginal sales channel, and has been integrated into our lives naturally. Even television ads now include many spots for all types of digital services. But how do you manage profit from this growth?

A market that continues to grow strongly

According to data, E-commerce has grown 22% more than the previous year. In all the years during the recession, the sector's growth has been in double digits. The lowest growth year (2009) still grew by 11%. This is proof that if you haven`t already, you should be getting in on some of the e-commerce slice.

There is scope for more

E-commerce still has the potential to quadruple in size given the current growth rates seen. The scope for e-commerce remains vast and as smartphone technology only increases, so too does the expectation of e-commerce as a mobile friendly facility. The trick is for you to take advantage of this and go one better than your competitors – don`t settle for second best, spend the extra money on getting a truly unique and fluid e-commerce platform up and running for your website.

Being present on the Internet is very simple

Today, there are no excuses. Anyone can start a website, the only thing stopping them are excuses. You don`t need a programmer to sort out your online business presence anymore. There are companies that provide you a hosting service with tools that allow anyone to create a site without technical knowledge. Even having a “turnkey” site and not having an online store with specific services will make life easier.

E-commerce has changed the way we buy

When I see that my parents' generation have become accustomed to looking for a product on Amazon and buy it online, I realise how far we have come in recent years. I still remember the sceptical comments when I bought my first airline tickets online many years ago. The forms of consumption have changed a lot, so it's important to have this in mind for the business you're thinking about promoting.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if a natural disaster, epidemic or a widespread power failure affected the operation of your business? Do you think your company is ready to face this kind of adversity, without stopping its production processes?If the answer is no, it's time to think about implementing a business continuity plan. A BCP is a program of actions aimed at protecting the critical processes of the companies and of generating activities for risks and contingencies.The continuity plan, unlike what many people think, is not limited to creating mechanisms to react to the loss of sensitive information. It is also not exclusively a response to events that violate the technological infrastructure of business, or to create backups or backups of data - as envisaged by the disaster recovery plan – but to trace the guidelines for action if every segment of the business face risk.Experts note that the BCP is not only designed for corporations, but also for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), regardless of their order or their specific characteristics. The business continuity plan seeks to make events, such as those discussed earlier, have the least possible impact on the assets, human factor and finances of the company.Some of the risks covered or that should be covered by a business continuity plan are: infrastructural damage phenomena or natural disasters such as floods, high winds, explosions or fires, the loss of confidential information, computer breakdowns and diseases that threaten the health and productivity of workers.To develop this program, you must follow this process:1. Define processes and potential risks. The first step in creating a BCP is to analyse the operation of your business. Determine which are essential to generate profits and those you think are at most risk, so you can time the project activity after an unforeseen event. Identify weaknesses and work on them.2. Know your infrastructure. Check your facilities and equipment. Determine what its significance is for the purposes of your productivity and evaluate their strength.3. Fix critical needs. Imagine you experience any of the events described above and think about what you need for your business to remain active. Create multiple scenarios and define the activities that are most important for your business to remain standing.4. Solution Document. Create a document of possible solutions to the likely risk scenarios and include mechanisms you can use to implement them.5. Test the plan. You need to run simulations of dangerous events and define the roles of each area and make the necessary corrections. Remember that all staff must be capable of performing the practices mentioned in the plan.It should be added that while the development of this should be encouraged and promoted by the company management, the staff are key in detecting vulnerabilities and the subsequent execution of the program.

2014 was a booming year in the United Kingdom for startups and small businesses. According to the Department of Business, Innovations, and Skills, there were a record 5.2 million private sector businesses at the start of 2014, which was the first recorded time that the business population had exceeded over 5 million in the UKThis record increase of 330,000 new businesses since 2013 validated the 2015 public perceptions that the economic woes of 2008`s Great Recession are finally a thing of the past, and a quickly fading bad memory in this part of Europe.99.3 percent of the businesses in 2014, out of the 5.2 million private sector businesses, were small businesses that were once fledgling startups. They established themselves on the road to success by pure economic courage, perseverance, and a newfound faith in their nations` economy.

The three main categories that made up the business population at the start of 2014 were:

1. 1.5 million - Large companies - 29% of the total.2. 460,000 self-employed partnerships at 9%.3. 3.3 million - Were sole proprietorships that made up an astounding 62% of businesses.They say that statistics don't lie. It would seem a safe assumption that 2015 is going to be one of the most opportunistic times in which to launch a new startup in the United Kingdom.When speaking recently to Ryan Gallagher, the CEO of IOVOX Call Tracking and Phone Analytics, he had some wise words for anyone contemplating a start up in today`s economic, technological and social climate.I had a boss in Alstom once who had a saying that always stuck in my head. His name was John Rebus, and he used to tell me speak with data. If you believe something, go and prove it, or get as near close to that as you can then come and talk to me.” This has been one of the many useful pieces of advice that I have acquired over the years, and I still constantly use it to this day.Following this useful and professional advice in life has led to huge amounts of opportunities that might never have come about otherwise. Rarely do I ever act upon something these days without thoroughly evaluating and properly assessing it first.Wise words from a successful man and when you follow suit and evaluate and assess the current state of UK start-ups, it is clear that now is the perfect time to seize the momentum of a recovering economy that has been held back for far too long. Now is the moment to seize the bull by the horns, and tame it to your needs and aspirations in life. These are not things that are easily given; they must be taken by force with one`s sheer strength of will, intelligence, and abilities.Markets globally are expanding at a steady and encouraging rate in Asia, the U.S., and Europe, offering business opportunities locally with bigger markets opening up almost daily across the world; all eager to promote their businesses and trade abroad.With this trade, brings the need for more services with these new services comes more employers with more new jobs to offer, which circles around to more disposable income to be spent locally on small businesses and entrepreneurial startups.This in turn completes and repeats the cycle of growth by fueling and supporting the rising local economy. Understand this cyclical pattern and you can ensure your future success.Listed below are a few other inspirational quotes by successful modern day entrepreneurs, who envisioned their goals, seized the moment, and then strategically ran with them to create successful operations:

Matthew Woodward of Matthewwoodward.co.uk

"When starting out in business you should discover what you love in life first. Then, find a way to make money at it"

Patrick Drake - Co-founder and head chef at Hello Fresh - Hellofresh.co.uk

William Wordsworth, said "To begin, begin" and the advice still rings true today. One of the greatest killers of a new business is hesitation and procrastination. Don't spend 6 months creating (what you think is) the perfect product, take it to market and realise it's not what the market wants. Instead release a prototype early to test the reaction and then develop your product based on real customer feedback. In other words - Just Do it!"

Adam Connell of Bloggingwizard.com

When you start a business you can either dive into an ocean full of bigger fish and fight to get your fill or you can swim further out into uncontested space. This means either coming up with a unique idea or finding a market with very little competition. When you make the shift into uncontested space, you'll notice a significant positive change to the growth of your business.” This is also known as the Blue Ocean Strategy (also a great book worth reading).

Sofia Quintero - Head of growth at Geckoboard

"Focus on what matters. Anything that is not helping your customers to succeed with your product is a distraction."Great minds, great quotes, great ambitions, who utilised great opportunities in order to fulfil great dreams; this is what all these people above have in common.Last year, the International Monetary Fund`s Managing Director Christine Lagarde, had to publicly eat crow by admitting that they totally underestimated the strength and potential growth of the UK`s economy. This year and beyond will be the time that the great lamenters of the world will feel the same embarrassment that the IMF did in 2014, because they also underestimated, and failed to realise the potential growth for entrepreneurial startups in 2015.The United Kingdom`s future CEO`s however, will be the ones with the drive and vision to enter themselves and their businesses into the up-and-coming positive economic upswing to come, and will become the envied happy and successful haves of the U.K. Unfortunately for those who do not, they will be destined to remain the have nots of years past, by failing once again to seize the moment of today.

For an entrepreneur, networking (i.e. creating a network of personal contacts) is very important for long term success. Even if your project is 100% online, you should not reject the idea of personally meeting other professionals - it has many advantages for the new business owner. Its important you network the right way, Forbes produced some tips on networking.

We trust who we know

One of the main benefits of networking is to enter a circle of trust of like-minded people. It's very simple: between a stranger and a person you know, the chances are you're going to trust the one you`ve made a connection with. Therefore, in the medium term, having a wide network of contacts will improve your chances of getting customers, partners, strategic suppliers, and various collaborations.

It is very easy to build a network

Anyone can network; it boils down to motivation and perseverance. Look to directories for similar companies to your own. Commit to visiting relevant industry exhibitions or conferences and lectures about your own business line. Opening the doors to communication often opens the doors to success, so share stories and gain valuable knowledge from others who have experience too. Make sure you take their contact details down to create a bond of trust. You never know when you might need their advice!

It is timeless

A network of contacts is always useful. This is because even if you change your occupation, many of the people you've known previously will remain of interest. And eventually others also are changing in their respective careers, so you'll have access to other sectors very naturally.You don`t have to go looking for a short-term outcome with networking. Just know what you're doing and let collaboration opportunities arise between people.

A source of motivation

Starting, consolidating and maintaining a business is a difficult task, especially if you undertake it alone. It is normal to pass through phases of discouragement. Having a network of contacts allows you to exchange these times with others, see that you are not the only one with concerns. It offers a change of scenery, advice, and to help recover lost motivation.