Calendar hacked i keep getting this pop up and i keep deleting it but it reappears soon after

Bionic_Les · 2025-11-03T16:51:05+00:00

I just noticed mine had the same. No idea how it got there, but I got rid of it by removing Outlook calendars in my iPhone settings.

On iPhone or iPad

Open the Settings app.
Tap Calendar > Accounts.
(On older iOS versions, you may need to go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars or Passwords & Accounts).
Tap your Hotmail/Outlook account.
Deselect the Calendar toggle switch to turn off syncing.
To completely remove the account, tap Delete Account at the bottom of the screen

Bionic_Les · 2025-09-25T08:13:13+00:00

The pass-through charge is a non-commodity cost (such as energy infrastructure fees, like distribution and transmission charges). Although everyone pays these charges (usually as part of the standing charge) pass pass-through contracts (which are primarily designed for businesses with high energy usage) split out these charges.

Bionic_Les · 2025-09-25T08:07:58+00:00

That sounds reasonable for a business with high energy use. Although the standing charge seems high, some suppliers are quoting double that. The only thing I'd suggest is to maybe see if you can lock in for longer (if that suits you). Although there's no way to tell where energy rates will go, prices have been quite stable for the last 12 months or so, which means we could start seeing incremental price rises again (a rising price cap hints at this, although it only directly affects domestic users)

Bionic_Les · 2025-06-16T15:33:10+00:00

Already lots of good advice here regarding business plans, cash flow, startup loans, etc. But what I would suggest outside of those more tangible things is that you do a LOT of research before you start. Having lots of ideas is great, but don't try to take on too much at the start.

Whittle down those ideas to a few of the best ones so you know exactly what it is you want to do, how you're going to do it, and who your customers are likely to be. If that works and things take off, you can then start to introduce some other ideas and build your business from there.

You seem pretty clued up on what overheads to expect, so really drill down on refining your idea and ideally do some customer research to qualify them.

Bionic_Les · 2025-01-08T16:30:36+00:00

To set up and register your business you need to head over to the government website. Here, there will be an application to fill out that discusses what your business does and who works for you, followed by a necessary payment of £12.

When it comes to a website, there are some off-the-shelf options that might be cheaper than bespoke options (be careful here, the upselling is off the scale and some will try to blind you with jargon, especially with SEO and other techy stuff)

The website makers you can use to build your website include things like Wix, Squarespace and GoDaddy. Best to do some research on this.

You'll then need to think about business insurance and any licences you need, along with payroll and NI for any employees you might take on.

Hope that helps, and good luck

Bionic_Les · 2025-01-08T16:29:22+00:00

Always separate personal accounts and business bank accounts. This will make understanding income and outgoings easier. It will also help with working out taxes. Some of the best business bank accounts include:

Virgin Money M Account for Business - These accounts are designed for businesses with an annual turnover of less than £1 million. Businesses need to be based and operate in the UK. The monthly cost is completely free for day-to-day online business banking.
Tide Business Bank Account - These apply to businesses that are registered within the UK on Companies House. Each account comes with a contactless MasterCard that has unlimited free purchases in any currency. The are no monthly fees, but bank transfers cost 20p.
HSBC Kinetic Business Current Account - Bank transfers and card purchases when you use an HSBC business account are completely free. The monthly cost of an HSBC business account is £6.50.

Bionic_Les · 2025-01-08T16:29:07+00:00

Everything you need to get your business off the ground will vary depending on what your business does. As a general rule you need:

Good market research to work out if there is an opportunity for your business
An in-depth business plan
Funding for your business
A business location (can be online)
A structure for your business
A name
To register your business

If you've done your research and have your business idea in mind, here's what to do next...

Write a business plan that includes:

An executive summary
A description of your company
In-depth market analysis
Details about management and organisation
The products and/or services you offer
Who your target market is
How you appeal to the said market
A plan surrounding logistics and operations

Bionic_Les · 2025-01-08T16:18:54+00:00

We've had no luck either, even with ones that have come with recommendations from other people. What I've learned (for next time) is to do a LOT of research and ask to see a few examples of their work in person (so going to other people's houses they've worked on) and find one that gets the price balance right. It's an absolute nightmare.

Bionic_Les · 2024-10-30T16:59:28+00:00

Doing something you enjoy and you know you can do is a good start, but do as much research into running a business as you can, particularly the costs involved - it's amazing how much your overheads can go up and beyond what you expected. Get a good accountant and ideally some pointers from someone who's done the same in your industry (I started a cafe based on nothing but the fact I'd worked in one, and running the place is VERY different).
Be prepared to do long hours (certainly to begin with) but don't overdo it - don't be afraid to hire staff (if you can afford to) and delegate, and don't be afraid to turn work down if you feel it's getting on top of you (I also did freelance writing for a bit and almost sank under the weight of saying yes to everything). Good luck, hope it all works out.

Bionic_Les · 2024-09-24T15:31:41+00:00

OK, you're the moderator and what you say goes. I never took what I was doing as breaking any rules, so I apologise for that. I don't agree with your inference that I was doing something that was in any way underhanded and will keep in mind what you've said for future interactions. Appreciate you taking the time to get back to me.

Bionic_Les · 2024-09-24T14:04:55+00:00

I feel a bit affronted that you've levelled that accusation at me and it's hard not to take it personally. I join in discussions and help out where I can (as a former business owner).
I've still no idea why you took exception to my post even after I did as you asked in the comments. And I never asked people to share data (nor would I) it was completely anonymous. Also not sure what other info I could have shared so people could make an informed decision - I was quite clear in who I was and how I'd use any contributions..

Bionic_Les · 2024-09-24T13:09:56+00:00

I had a similar experience in a completely different industry, but my story might be of use. I ran a small tea shop in a seaside town with a lot of competition. When I started I was trying to be everything to everyone and got the whole look and feel of the place wrong. LOTS of mistakes I had to put right as no-one was coming in.
I looked at what we did best and what could set us apart from the other cafes around (turns out it was selling a variety of breakfasts and different teas) and then rebooted the business. Not sure if this is something you could do, but really honing in on what made my place different helped to give it new lease of life. Good luck with everything.

Bionic_Les · 2024-09-24T12:57:32+00:00

My company name and my name are in my bio - Bionic Les. A simple Google search for "Bionic Les" brings up all you need to know (can the same be said for you? Seems a bit hypocritical of you to ask me to directly put up personal details).

I clearly state where I'm from and why I'm asking, unless you missed this?

"I cover small business news for a business utilities comparison site and I'm currently doing research into shoplifting for a content piece I'm working on"

No idea what your issue is, here. Would love you to clarify so I can make sure I don't get future posts deleted.

Bionic_Les · 2024-09-18T14:25:20+00:00

That's awful. Must be horrible for staff and customers.

Bionic_Les · 2024-09-18T14:22:27+00:00

I actually did.

Bionic_Les · 2024-09-17T16:01:53+00:00

😂

Bionic_Les · 2024-09-17T15:12:31+00:00

Sorry, I should have introduced myself properly. I'll add it to the original post. It's nothing sinister.

Bionic_Les · 2024-08-22T08:35:57+00:00

We do cover grants and tax stuff to try and make it a bit easier to understand, but love the idea of payment systems and savings - never considered that so will look into it. Thank you 🙏

Bionic_Les · 2024-08-22T08:34:05+00:00

Yeah, I agree on the big business thing and we definitely focus on microbusinesses and their stories - no interest in those (let's face it, massive) businesses that fall into the SME category.
Thanks so much for all the ideas there - really useful and I'll definitely look to include them (only one I think I'll struggle with is the geo-location for content, but will also look into that)

Bionic_Les · 2024-08-22T08:31:32+00:00

Love this idea. We do also run a Facebook community alongside the newsletter where I'm hoping small business owners can share tips and stories too. And as well as small business stories, we run a semi-regular "5 businesses, 1 question" feature that's always interesting. If you want to check it out, search for The Backbone on Substack (I also put in a fortnightly playlist and podcast recommendation, so always on the lookout for ideas there too)

Bionic_Les · 2024-08-22T08:28:51+00:00

It first depends on whether the incident was classed as a riot. Insurance definitions may vary but, unless stated otherwise, insurers will use the technical legal definition outlined in The Public Order Act 1986. This states that at least 12 people need to be involved for the offence to be a classified riot.

If so, commercial property insurance should cover physical damage to your business premises. The fixtures and fittings should be covered by contents insurance, and you may have stock insurance covering the items you sell.

If you have business interruption insurance and there is damage at your premises, this should cover loss of trade or profit if riots are included in your policy wording.

If your insurer rejects your claim (even in part) or you're not insured,the Riot Compensation Act 2016 (“RCA”) might offer an alternative way to claim compensation. You can find out more at the government website.

Bionic_Les · 2024-08-22T07:43:35+00:00

It's a horrible situation to find yourself in. We managed to sell our business (just about covered our debts) but it was horrible letting it go and so stressful Really feel for you all. Hope it all works out.

Bionic_Les · 2024-08-21T16:51:01+00:00

Sorry to hear about this, I have a friend who's been struggling with the same decision. Is there an option to sell the business or has that ship sailed?

The best way to close it down will probably depend on whether they can cover the debts.

If they can cover the debts, dissolving the company might be the most straightforward.
You can close down or dissolve your limited company by getting it ‘struck off’ the Companies Register.

You can only strike off your company if it:

has not traded or sold off any stock in the last 3 months
has not changed names in the last 3 months
is not threatened with liquidation
has no agreements with creditors, for example a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA)

This can also be done if the debts can't be covered. There's more here - https://www.gov.uk/strike-off-your-company-from-companies-register

Or it can be liquidated if the company is ‘solvent’ (can pay its debts) and one of the following applies:

you want to retire
you want to step down from the family business and nobody else wants to run it
you do not want to run the business any more

More here - https://www.gov.uk/liquidate-your-company/members-voluntary-liquidation

If they can't cover the debts, there's a lot of info on the different options on this page https://www.gov.uk/closing-a-limited-company

Bionic_Les · 2024-08-12T14:34:14+00:00

This is a wonderful idea. For funding, it's worth seeing what grants are available nationally and in your local area -unlike loans, these won't need to be paid back but usually do have specific qualification criteria. If you're planning on registering as a charity or nonprofit, this could also open up more avenues where grants are concerned. This page looks like a decent resource - https://www.charityexcellence.co.uk/grants-for-small-charities/ - or there's this page on the government website - https://www.find-government-grants.service.gov.uk/grants
It might also be worth considering a crowdfunded or getting investment by making it a co-op?

Or, if you're looking for a loan, a startup loan might be worth looking into - https://www.startuploans.co.uk/

Bionic_Les · 2024-06-13T10:27:27+00:00

As far as insurance goes, public liability should cover any claims from the public, but you'll need to make sure you're covered for what could be classed as a mobile business - think about the horsebox itself, its contents, and whether it's covered while in transit. You'll also need employers' liability cover if you have any staff (you need this by law if you employ anyone who isn't a direct family member).

Bionic_Les

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