A durable guide to handling enquiries, complaints, and follow-up so local businesses stay reliable when the owner cannot be everywhere Good customer service is not a personality trait. It is…
Pricing foundations for Colchester businesses that want margins, not just sales
Price is not only a number on a leaflet or a website. It is how your business turns time, materials, skill, and risk into enough cash to pay people, suppliers,…
Hiring foundations for Colchester firms that want to grow without the chaos…
A lasting guide to recruiting, onboarding, and keeping people when your business is still small enough that every hire matters Hiring is one of the highest-stakes decisions a small business…
Cashflow basics every Colchester business should lock in early
A practical, lasting guide to keeping money moving so local firms stay solvent through quiet weeks and busy seasons alike Cashflow is not the same as profit. A firm can…
What’s in the box: Bill and Bert’s wins national gift retail award
Colchester’s Sir Isaac’s Walk independent gift shop turns social media unboxing into a national prize, after years of drawing shoppers from across the country. On Sir Isaac’s Walk, Bill and…
Lily & Fern, West Bergholt: florist and creative studio on Colchester Road
Wedding, funeral and event floristry, workshops and a walk-in shop, trading as LILY & FERN LIMITED under director Lisa Anne Doonan. Lily & Fern is a florist and creative studio…
The Barn, Stanway: family garden centre and café on Turkey Cock Lane
Plants, gardenalia and a refurbished café at the Stanway site opened in 1986, now run by Richard and Rachel Doubleday under THE BARN PLANT & GARDEN CENTRE LIMITED. The Barn…
Colchester Business Awards voting closes Thursday 17 September
Eight days left to cast a public vote before the cut-off, with the Town Hall ceremony still ahead Public voting for the Colchester Business Awards 2026 closes on Thursday 17…
Essex SMEs face a cooler vacancies market, with verified hiring support still open
UK vacancies edged lower again in the May to July period, while the East of England still posts the highest regional employment rate. ONS does not publish regional vacancy counts.…
High-street footfall still soft as Colchester rateable values reset
National BRC-Sensormatic data show August footfall down on a year ago, with England weaker than the UK average. Valuation Office figures for the 2026 revaluation give a verified Colchester rateable-value…