XLN are on a mission – to help small businesses across the UK to grow. It was this ethos which led to them establishing the UK’s largest free public Wi-Fi network with over 20,000 hotspots and growing. This nationwide initiative has seen XLN provide small high street businesses the ability to offer their customers free Wi-Fi, in the same way large high street chains do, at zero cost to the small business.
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Christian Nellemann; CEO of XLN, has a lifelong admiration for small businesses and a deep understanding of the problems they face. XLN commissioned research and found that 82% of Brits would visit independent local businesses more often and stay longer if free Wi-Fi were available. Research into the struggles faced by smaller high street businesses and Christian’s passion for a fairer playing field led him to create the free customer Wi-Fi network – but he believes the government simply must do more to support small business.
Christian recently released a manifesto containing 5 things which the Government need to pay attention to:
1. Teach businesses about the ways they can establish a presence online and why it’s important
2. Show businesses that recruiting is a necessary expense for growth and establishing a credible brand
3. Make high streets accessible for everyone
4. Freeze business rates
5. Help businesses compete with big online retailers by creating communities
In a highly publicised broadcast campaign Christian launched his manifesto and tackled accessibility: 9 in 10 Brits would visit their local high street more often if free parking was more widely available. In fact, with regret, a third of people cited the lack of free parking or overpriced parking on the high street as their biggest reason for visiting larger retail parks – an impossible area for SMEs to enter.
Christian will use Small Business Advice Week to tackle where this problem stems from – “recruitment is necessary for growth”. At a crucial time for young people deciding what to do once they have their exam results, Christian feels that one path has lacked the limelight that University was awarded during the last general election – Apprenticeships.
New research from XLN shows that 77% of businesses do not feel they fully understand the laws and protocol surrounding taking on apprentices, this is despite the same percentage seeing the positive value that apprenticeships can bring to apprentices and business. Christian will be championing a simple message this Small Business Advice Week:
“Apprenticeships should be front-of-mind for small businesses and school leavers.”
They're also committed to helping businesses be more environmentally friendly.
And they want to help sell more, and sell better.
Christian recently released a manifesto containing 5 things which the Government need to pay attention to:
1. Teach businesses about the ways they can establish a presence online and why it’s important
2. Show businesses that recruiting is a necessary expense for growth and establishing a credible brand
3. Make high streets accessible for everyone
4. Freeze business rates
5. Help businesses compete with big online retailers by creating communities
In a highly publicised broadcast campaign Christian launched his manifesto and tackled accessibility: 9 in 10 Brits would visit their local high street more often if free parking was more widely available. In fact, with regret, a third of people cited the lack of free parking or overpriced parking on the high street as their biggest reason for visiting larger retail parks – an impossible area for SMEs to enter.
Christian will use Small Business Advice Week to tackle where this problem stems from – “recruitment is necessary for growth”. At a crucial time for young people deciding what to do once they have their exam results, Christian feels that one path has lacked the limelight that University was awarded during the last general election – Apprenticeships.
New research from XLN shows that 77% of businesses do not feel they fully understand the laws and protocol surrounding taking on apprentices, this is despite the same percentage seeing the positive value that apprenticeships can bring to apprentices and business. Christian will be championing a simple message this Small Business Advice Week:
“Apprenticeships should be front-of-mind for small businesses and school leavers.”
They're also committed to helping businesses be more environmentally friendly.
And they want to help sell more, and sell better.