CLEVER BUSINESS HABITS GUIDE
(7 November 2006)

Given that up to 30 per cent of small businesses fail after their first year in business*, getting the essentials right and listening to sound advice is crucial. With this in mind, Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank has launched the 'Clever Business Habits Guide', to help businesses in their quest for success. The guide was developed in conjunction with research from 300 SMEs and advice from 17 award-winning small businesses and offers top tips on how to turn a start up into a successful venture.

With the number of small businesses increasing each year**, more SMEs are fighting to establish themselves in the marketplace and looking for new ways to be smart and successful. The top three tips given in the Clever Business Habits Guide on how to run a successful business are:

• Know your market place
• Enjoy it!
• Know your competitors

Steve Jennings, Director of Business Banking at Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank, said: “The Clever Business Habits Guide is designed to pass on wisdom from established and successful companies to newer SMEs, equipping them with the knowledge and tactics to become smarter, better businesses.”

Steve Jennings added: “Small businesses can’t just rely on business angels, like the investors on Dragon’s Den, to fund their future. They have to explore other options including lending facilities and choosing a business bank that supports them in the early days.”

The award-winning Business Builder Current Account from Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank offers two years free banking to ensure a new company gets off to the best possible start.

The 'Clever Business Habits' Guide can be view online at:
www.alliance-leicestercommercialbank.co.uk/cleverbusiness

SOURCES

* East of England Development Agency
** Office of National Statistics, October 2005