
As well as being incredibly rewarding and giving you the freedom to do what you love, there is also the everyday challenges to contend with such as spikes in customer demand, cash flow issues, staff turnover and seasonal changes – all of which can make a difference to your bottom line.
One such small business that understands this is Rubies in the Rubble, which makes premium chutneys and jams from produce that would otherwise be thrown away. Commenting on the volatility and unpredictable her businesses faces, co-founder and director Alicia Lawson said: “The bulk of our sales happen in a few key months in the year and we’re also having to work with the fluctuations of the seasons because all of our ingredients are taken from gluts. “On top of this we’re moving out of our current office at the moment, so it’s really useful not to have all the paraphernalia with us and we can be quite mobile.”Sales rollercoaster
So what can be done to protect yourself? The study by O2 Business found that to successfully manage both the expected and unexpected variations in the business cycle, small businesses need to remain as flexible as possible. As well as the benefit of helping you adapt when times are good, avoiding unnecessary fixed or inflexible business costs help you adapt to peaks and troughs in activity throughout the year. To help address the volatility facing small businesses, O2 Business has launched a new tariff which transforms the way small businesses pay for devices, airtime and business applications. The service, called Business Essentials, is the first flexible business tariff on the market; whether it’s the need for the latest device, a tailored data plan or new business apps, the scalable tariff makes it even easier for business owners to put digital technology at the heart of what they do. In celebrating the launch of Business Essentials, O2 Business has partnered with Real Business to provide one lucky reader with two tickets to see England vs France on 15 August at Twickenham. All you have to do is let us know your personal business essentials though a simple tweet.Tell us your business essentials to win!
Business Essentials offers unlimited calls and texts on most tariffs – business owners simply decide how much data they need from one month to the next. Unlike other tariffs on the market, costs for a customer’s phone or tablet and airtime are calculated separately as a device plan and airtime plan. Part of their monthly payment goes towards paying off an interest-free loan for their phone or tablet, and part towards the use of airtime.A tariff that fits around your business needs
Customers that sign up for Business Essentials will receive the following benefits:- Once a customer has paid off their loan on their phone or tablet, they only pay for their monthly airtime, considerably reducing their bill and giving an instant cash benefit over other networks’ tariffs which continue to charge for both the device and airtime even after the minimum contract period has finished
- The latest device and business apps at their fingertips, so they can continue to be at the forefront of technology at an affordable price
- The option of deciding which digital apps and how much data they need at any time during their contract, meaning they can fit expenditure around peaks and troughs in business demand
- Business Essentials offers unlimited calls and texts on most tariffs – business owners simply decide how much data they need from one month to the next
- The option of paying for their devices upfront to reduce monthly spend, or spread the cost with a zero per cent APR loan over 24 months
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