The European Commission is asking for the views of small business on which aspects of VAT legislation could be removed - comments can be sent electronically.

Law firm Addleshaw Goddard have produced, in conjunction with the CBI, a booklet about the changes being made by The Companies Act 2006. The booklet, has been completely updated to reflect the revised implementation timetable and market practice as at April 2008. Read more...

Working from home always sounds so attractive. No more 9-5, no boss looking over your shoulder, flexible working, time with the kids. Sounds great. The reality though is much harder. And finding the right opportunity that enables a positive work-life balance is equally difficult.

Remote Employment founder Ken Sheridan is hoping his new specialised, online recruitment business www.remoteemployment.co.uk can help bridge the gap between employers and workers as well as providing help for home-based businesses, freelancers, flexible workers and franchisees. Remote Employment is aiming to help people working from home strike a better balance between work and family life enabling careers to continue and families not to pushed to the sidelines.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said that small, independent shops have been let down by the Competition Commission in its inquiry into the grocery sector.

Despite a committee of MPs estimating that 2,000 small shops are going out of business each year, the FSB said that the Competition Commission had failed to come up with any remedies that would halt the decline. Throughout the two-year investigation the FSB has been dismayed that the Competition Commission failed to consider the impact of supermarkets on independent retailing.

In response the FSB set up its wide-ranging Keep Trade Local campaign to highlight issues that the Competition Commission failed to address. The campaign also aims to raise awareness of the value that small, independent retailers provide to consumers. This includes local products, more personal service and speciality goods not available in supermarkets.

Clive Davenport, FSB Trade & Industry Chairman, said:

"During the course of three investigations in seven years the Competition Commission has consistently failed to understand the value to consumers of small independent shops. This latest inquiry has again missed the point.

The remit of this inquiry was far too narrow. Supermarkets are forcing small shops out of business in many areas of retailing, not just groceries. Important issues such as the travesty of almost limitless free parking at out of town superstores while independent high street shops face ever-more stringent parking restrictions were not even considered.

People up and down the country can see that we are losing our small shops, but this report does little to solve the problem. We are in danger of sleepwalking into the death of our high streets. The FSB has been left with no alternative but to campaign across the country and raise political awareness. It is now up to our elected representatives to step in and prevent disaster."

Maidenhead was the location for the recent launch of marketing expert Nigel Temple's The Marketing Compass. The event was attended by over 60 local entrepreneurs each of whom were asked to share their 'three-year vision' while talking in the present tense about such factors as turnover and customer numbers.

During the event, Nigel discussed the ingredients for a concise marketing plan and low-cost ways of generating enquiries, sales and keeping customers. The Marketing Compass focuses on low-cost marketing techniques emphasising planning, market segmentation and a 'giving to get' philosophy.

Nigel is an experienced marketing consultant, speaker and writer with clients across the world and from the very smallest right up to large corporations.

His latest book How to Get Clients To Come To You is described by The Guardian 'as full of nuggets' and is available from Words At Work.