Xero Blog

houseof is a lighting retailer, but that description alone undersells the incredible design that permeates the brand’s products. The company specialises in bold forms, creating striking lamps, wall lights and ceiling lights, all designed from scratch with a firm grasp of purpose and usage.  

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the financial fallout on small businesses has been well documented. It’s time to pay equal attention to the emotional toll on small business owners who will collectively fuel our economic recovery. 

The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has unveiled a new cash injection for UK sectors that will be the most affected by the new national lockdown.  To help retail, leisure and hospitality businesses through to Spring, they will now be able to access grants of up to £9,000.

At Xero, we love connecting with other great technology and organisations to make your life easier. Globally, we have a marketplace of over 800 apps, and over 20 of these are South African born – some of these include Payfast, SME Snapshot, Syft, Simple Pay, HelloHR and PaySpace.

As we head into the holiday period and reflect on an extraordinary year, small business owners all over the world will be hoping for a return to some sort of normality in 2021. 

Lots of customers and workers were homebound for big chunks of 2020. That separated small businesses from their two most important sets of people. Many sought digital solutions to help solve the problem.

This year, for many of us, the world seemed to stand still. In this way the pandemic has acted as an equaliser, with people across the globe sharing similar experiences. Small businesses have been no different – having faced extraordinary challenges in their professional lives along with many changes that have affected their personal lives as well. 

A couple of months ago, Xero introduced a study that we commissioned through Forrester Consulting – The next chapter for small business: How to thrive in a changed world. The study explores the impact of COVID-19 on small businesses, and identifies some strategies that have proven successful in helping small businesses survive and even thrive.

2020, what a year it has been. This year, more than ever, I’ve been looking forward to Christmas. Looking forward to ‘looking forward’. In a year of unknowns, the holidays can definitely help to banish the pandemic blues.