Skills Hub

This guide is for business owners to understand what they should do, how they can support their teams and workers and help the transition toward remote working as seamlessly as possible.

Access the guide via - https://www.adapt2digital.com/virtual-leadership

Awin have developed a self-managed service tier called Awin Access. It is the perfect option for smaller businesses, giving you the chance to try out affiliate marketing without a long contract commitment or with the burden of heavy costs.

Awin are providing a free 30 minute consultation for FSB members with one of their experts to help you decide if affiliate marketing can help your business. 

You can access this offer through the following link - https://www.awin.com/gb/advertisers/fsb

PopUp Business School are helping small businesses navigate through the next few months of choppy waters. They have trained over 6500 people in five countries in their alternative approach to starting and growing small business. Access their PopUp Business Schools for free information, inspiration and insights from the PopUp Team. 

Access the guide via - https://www.popupbusinessschool.co.uk/survival-guide.html

Zway is an on-line business productivity software suite. It aims to enable companies and all of their employees the ability to work from home during these difficult times.

Users can access all of the features of Zway (fully integrated) for free until the end of 2020 if they are FSB members. The suite includes highly featured and sophisticated applications that are all joined up with a task based cover sheet making it easy to use.

Access the offer by vising www.zwayonline.com quoting FSB

As part of ActionCOACH's commitment to supporting the business community, this free online webinar will help you create a proactive plan of action for the critical next 90 days. 

This 11 step webinar will share with you the key information on how to pivot your operations to tackle the economic impact of the current global health crisis.

Watch the webinar on demand at - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf9vmczUfXo

The INtouch platform allows you and your team to work on up to three devices and make and receive calls as you would in your business premises. The platform features: 

• Mobile App - Manage the whole phone system from your mobile phone.
• No Hidden Charges, All prices include VAT
• 1000 Inclusive minutes to call UK Local, National and Mobile Numbers.

Unite are offering FSB members a 10% discount on the package. Visit https://unitesmallbiz.co.uk/intouch/ and quote FSB Offer when ordering

Reach solutions are offering a suite of free products to help support small businesses in England, Wales and Scotland during the current crisis. 

This includes free landing pages, videos, marketing health checks, consultancy services, webinars and more. To find out more, please visit https://local.reachsolutions.co.uk/therewithyou/

As used by the Office for National Statistics, this time-use diary allows employees to enter time spent on granular level tasks and for managers to view via dashboards, time spent. Useful for tracking staff time and also for understanding how small business employees are using their time (both in and outside office hours). 

Find out more at www.panlogic.co.uk

In response to COVID-19, the DBS removed their costs for Enhanced DBS checks on 31 March and said they would fast-track adults’ and children’s barred lists checks. Verifile can deliver free and fast criminal record checks in line with the government’s own commitment. 

To support the emergency recruitment of health and social care employees and volunteers dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, both the DBS and Verifile have temporarily removed the admin fees for Enhanced DBS checks resulting in a free service for this check. 

As an umbrella body of the DBS, Verifile's direct link and automated processes can deliver fast-tracked responses in line with the government’s commitment to a 24-hour turn-around time.

Find out more at - https://library.verifile.co.uk/free-dbs-checks

Equipsme provides health insurance plans for businesses, employees and their families.

Equipsme are offering businesses with 2-20 employees access to their healthcare plans, free until 1st August. There’s is obligation to stay on the plan, and businesses can cancel at the end of July without paying a penny.

Find out more at - https://www.equipsme.com/

Smarty CRM delivers an all-in-one customer relationship management, sales and marketing suite that is perfectly tuned to help small businesses grow and prosper. Take advantage of features like building the pipeline to manage sales, and web forms to help with lead generation.

We are offering a special FREE version of the Smarty CRM or Smarty ACCOUNTING for 6 months to help startups and small businesses run a business online. The offer includes also free training and an account set up.

Visit https://www.smartysoftware.net/fsb to take advantage of this offer 

Save my local is a non-profit service for small businesses built by volunteers. It allows you to setup your own online page selling vouchers and gift cards within minutes.

Small business an easy online registration process that will allow them to set up personalised page so that they can start selling vouchers now, for products and services they’ll supply later once the lockdowns are lifted.

Visit https://savemylocal.org/ to create your page.

TaxAssist Accountants are offering a FREE telephone or video consultation to help explain the various Government support package that are available to small business owners and self employed professionals.

TaxAssist are offering a large range of information through their COVID-19 Business Support Hub, free webinars and business clinics to join in and ask any questions you may have and a range of newsletters and social content to keep you updated with the latest Government announcements.

Find out more at - https://www.taxassist.co.uk/who-we-help/fsb-members

FSB members are offered a free 30 day trial to my Mind & Body Interactive Fitness App. Many people's mental and psychical health needs extra help at this at a time like this. 

Access your free trial via: https://fitt2020.clickfunnels.com/optin1585300294657

This online self-coaching programme will walk you through a step by step process of building a Thriving During Isolation Strategy for both you and your employees. 

Find out more at: https://www.mindset.co.uk/thriving-during-isolation-fsb/

Goho have created a series of virtual events aimed at SMEs and those managing teams in other larger corporations. Bringing together their illustrious ‘Creative Network’ the series consists of quick fire, fast paced discussions around some of the topics all businesses currently need a helping hand with. Upcoming topics include Wellbeing, Recruitment and HR and marketing.

To access the webinars visit - https://www.thisisgoho.com/webinars

The Six Circles platform is designed to heighten community engagement digitally. The platform allows you to engage with your community as well as allowing your community to interact with each other in multiple ways.

Six Circles are offering small businesses free set up and three month fee free useage of the platform. To find out more, visit - https://www.sixcircles.co.uk/

FutureLearn are offering free courses to help small businesses during this time. 

Courses include: 

Collaborative Working in a Remote Team
Computer Programming for Everyone
Digital Skills: Digital Marketing
Digital Skills: Web Analytics
Introduction to Cyber Security
Learning Online: Communicating and Collaborating
Wellbeing and Resilience at Work
Wellbeing at Work: An Introduction
Business Growth: Tackling the Scale-up Challenge
Business Model Thinking
Demystifying Entrepreneurship: How to Think Like an Entrepreneur
Uncovering Your Entrepreneurial Potential

UpSkill digital have developed a series of free webinars to support businesses in readjusting their workforces to working from home and keeping morale high. 

Access the webinars at - https://upskilldigital.com/upskill-virtual-academy

Boosting your business is easy (and free) with The Open University (OU). Gain access to our digitally-savvy, self-motivated, skilled and experienced student talent pool all over the UK and beyond. Advertise placements or vacancies for free on the OU’s OpportunityHub. Access funding for virtual internships. Meet OU students in an online briefing, a virtual company visit or a virtual booth at our online careers fairs. Currently OU are offering their services to employers free of charge. 

For more information, visit - http://www.open.ac.uk/employ-ou-talent/

Cashplus are offering FSB members a digital banking service and payment card, which gives back to SMEs and will save them time and money.

1% cashback is earned on all qualifying monthly card spend and the first year's annual fee (normally £69) will be refunded.
This unique offer is the best cashback rate on business accounts in the UK.

To find out more please click here

At Amdaris we know the importance of continuing to innovate. However, budgets are stretched and this makes it harder for people to pursue their digital roadmap. To help this we have introduced special discounts during the pandemic. These will equate to a saving of up to 30% discount for the next two months during the current pandemic.

To find out more visit - https://amdaris.com/

LiveLead is a sales lead generation platform that provides its customers with visibility and access to almost every public sector tender and planning application lead in the UK. LiveLead are offering free use of their sales generation system to all UK businesses to help them fill their sales pipeline whilst the country is on lockdown.

Find out more via: https://www.livelead.co.uk/news/read-articles/livelead-providing-help-and-support-to-uk-business-during-lockdown-payitforward

Amos Beer is offering free, no-obligation mentoring for SME's until the COVID-19 crisis is over as well as access to a free online cash-flow management tool for small business. 

Find out more about the Seams tool at: https://www.seams.app/

Contact Amos via: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amosbeer/

Keep your fire and security systems maintained and your business protected. SecuriGroup is SSAIB inspected, accredited to ISO 9001 and holds Safe Contractor Gold approval. Our qualified engineers have expertise across a range of products including: fire detection, intruder alarms, access control, CCTV and cutting edge thermal screening technology.

Securigroup guarantee to reduce existing security and fire system maintenance and monitoring by 20%. 

Find out more at: https://www.securigroup.co.uk/

Complimentary taster of ‘bite-size learning’ with a Bridgford Consultancy facilitator with a quote for virtual training on what is most relevant to you. Leadership, communication and personal development topics.

Bridgford's most popular bite-size training sessions are ‘Facilitating online meetings: top tips’, ‘Focus your energy’ and ‘Being heard: conveying an important message’.

For virtual classroom, participants join remotely and participate fully in a small group, enabling your team to train together, wherever they are.

Find out more here: https://www.bridgfordconsultancy.co.uk/our-services/virtual-classroom/

Buzzbar are offering a free 30-minute consultation with a Marketing Specialist to talk about coming out of lockdown strategy and beyond. Speak with an expert who can help you with marketing strategy, content and social media expertise.

Find out more: https://buzzbar.co/book-a-specialist/

Safepoint is an award-winning platform which allows businesses to ensure the safety of their employees when lone working whilst easily staying compliant with today's safety regulations.

During this difficult time Safepoint are offering a completely free month of Safepoint for any small business who needs it. Sign up at https://www.safepointapp.com/ and use the code PROTECTMYSTAFF at checkout.

Jo by SaveTheHighStreet.org are offering free educational content and business health-checks for all high street businesses as well as a discount on their 12 week COVID-19 accelerator programme for local independent businesses.

The course runs for 12 wekks and is designed to help small businesses develop and implement a plan to ‘Reduce your costs’, ‘Sell in new ways’, ‘Adapt your marketing’, ‘Collaborate locally’, ‘Prepare for the future’ and ‘Fund your business’.

Jo are offering FSB members a 15% discount on the course. Click here to find out more.

ShopAppy.com is a digital platform, supported by VISA, that makes it easier for customers to browse local businesses, book local services and buy local products with easy click and collect after the shops have closed from one single collection point and home delivery.

ShopAppy.com is FREE to use for businesses (B2C and B2B) until at least 31st July 2020. There are no commissions on sales and no obligation to continue, we simply want to support businesses to survive the current challenges so we all have something to look forward to after the restrictions have ended.

For more details and how to apply, visit: https://shopappy.com/support-local-covid-19

The Magazine for exporters and importers, with original articles, essential information for International Traders, Customs & Compliance Updates; How To...Guides; Ask the Experts advice; Training Directory; Region Focus; Sector, Finance & Logistics Features, all written by experts in their field.

Normally subscription only, The Exporter have release the May digital edition as free to read. Visit https://www.the-exporter.com/ to read your copy. 

Capita are offering their Pay360 Call Secure Digital, a secure phone and ecommerce payment system, free of both licence and implementation charges to enable small businesses to take payments securely from their homes during the Covid-19 crisis.

This is available from 12 May 2020 for six months. Further details and information can be found at: https://www.pay360.com/free-call-secure-digital

Managing the safe return to the workplace of UK workers needs careful planning.

SOM’s free toolkits, produced with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Business in the Community (BITC), and Mind, the mental health charity, will help businesses plan to reopen workplaces.

Find out more at: https://www.som.org.uk/som-and-partners-launch-free-toolkit-help-employers-create-safer-workplaces-returning-employees
 

DigitalNext are a team of Google Premier partner website experts and marketers who believe that developing a multi-channel strategy is paramount to online success.

For companies who need swift reactive COVID 19 bounceback strategies, DigitalNext are offering website, marketing and cybersecurity appraisals and a free 30 minute call with our top-level Google Premier partner experts, all they need to do is contact me and I can arrange this for them.

For more details, contact: [email protected]

The Online Business Course from Marisa Guthrie Coaching is a four week series of masterclasses to help small business owners who have been financially affected by Covid-19 build confidence in their business.

The course is offered at a reduced rate for small and micro business owners who have been financially affected by Covid-19.

Find out more at: https://marisaguthriecoaching.co.uk/online-business-course