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Despite soaring operational costs and crumbling consumer confidence, a new survey suggests most small business owners are in remarkably good spirits. Find out why in this week's round up, plus the latest from our wonderful Startups 100 alumni Unfabled, Living Things Soda, Holy Moly | B-Corp™, Emilia's Crafted Pasta, Fussy, Sensat, and Gaia

"If you run a pub, café or restaurant in 2026, a 10-minute park promenade isn’t going to cure your anxiety." In his bi-monthly column, F&B expert Matt Harris serves up food for thought (with plenty of takeaways advice) from the inhospitable world of hospitality. This week, Matt talks about the real root of stress for independent pub, restaurant, and bar owners in 2026.

Late payments have been strangling small businesses for decades. But last week, something changed‼️ The #KingsSpeech included a real, concrete commitment to crack down on late payers — and Small Business Commissioner Emma Jones CBE has broken down exactly what that means for your small business. Spoiler: large firms can no longer hide behind 90-day payment terms, and the consequences for ignoring the rules are now a lot more serious. ☝️ Swipe through to see what's else has changed 👉 Office of the Small Business Commissioner

Summer has to start eventually... right? 🥺 But until the weather actually coordinates with the calendar, you might as well take refuge indoors with like-minded founders. We’ve done the digging yet again and found over 90 completely free networking events that are happening across the UK this June.  Whether you want to swap notes in Manchester, find a collaborator in Leeds, or talk shop over a coffee in London – we’ve rounded up plenty of zero-pressure events to check out while, let’s be honest, it probably pours outside. 🌧️ Find one near you at the link in the comments! 📍👇 The Curve, NetworkIN UK, AV Wellbeing, Colin McKeand, 8 Business Networking Glasgow, Grow London Local

PizzaExpress is the latest big name testing out self-order kiosks. But should smaller hospitality brands join in on the trend – or could it backfire for independents? What do you think Emilia's Crafted Pasta, Pizza Pilgrims, Crosstown, Grind? Let’s debate in the comments 👇

Did you notice all that noise about mindfulness during #MentalHealthWeek? Matt Harris did. His inbox got flooded with corporate wellness advice. But as a 25-year hospitality veteran, he knows that a 10-minute walk in the park won’t cure a founder's anxiety – and a yoga app won’t stop financial bleeding. This week, Matt cuts through the wellness noise to talk about the real root of stress for independent pub, restaurant, and bar owners: National Insurance Hikes ⬆️ Wage inflation 📉 Rising energy bills ⚡ In short: a total lack of financial predictability. His take? Mental health in the F&B industry isn't a stress-management problem. It’s a structural one. It’s driven by everything from rising costs to the psychological toll of corporate clients ghosting you on payments (a serious pressure point highlighted by Small Business Commissioner Emma Jones). Are you an F&B owner lying awake worrying about your next energy bill? Read Matt's latest column at the link below! 👇

We finally managed to get Varun Bhanot in the hot seat! 🎤 To kick off our new series, Founder Bites, we asked the co-founder and CEO of MAGIC AI for his #1 piece of advice for founders pitching for the first time. We know how busy his schedule is, so we were incredibly excited when he agreed to sit down for a chat with our Engagement Editor Aaron Drapkin. This is just part one – keep your eyes on our feed for the full series! 👀

36% of SMEs say they’ve never heard of the Fair Work Agency. But with stricter enforcement on the horizon, the margin for employment law breaches is vanishing. While most errors happen by accident, like missing a contract update, the penalties are very real. For small businesses, learning as you go with HR is no longer an option.

The UK has already hit 5 million mental health sick days in 2026 — and we're barely half-way through the year. The cause isn't weak employees. It's how work is designed. When managers are sending emails at 10pm, no wellness policy will convince your team it's safe to switch off. The signals leaders send every day matter more than any initiative on paper. The good news? It’s fixable – and it doesn't require a big budget. Just a different way of thinking about what good leadership looks like. Swipe to see what the data says, and the small changes you can make to protect your team's mental health. 👉

One in seven UK workers have had their employment rights violated in the last two years – and whilst many cases are deliberate and negligent, some are genuinely accidental. With the Fair Work Agency now up and running, non-compliance comes with real costs. We take a closer look at the data in this week's round-up, plus the latest from our wonderful Startups 100 alumni By Rotation, Adamo Foods, Happl, The Loom App, Lightning Reach and Grub Club | B Corp