Small Business Stories - Page 5

Global Stories

Small Business (SMB) stories

Xero opens Vancouver AI hub to boost North America

Xero expands its Canadian engineering footprint with a Vancouver hub focused on AI, the Accounting Engine and Anthropic integrations.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 3 min read • Last week

Software-as-a-Service

YFM backs Swanky with GBP £7.6 million growth deal

YFM Equity Partners invests GBP £7.6 million in Exeter-based Shopify agency Swanky, funding hiring, service expansion and selective acquisitions.

By Karen Joy Bacudo • 3 min read • Last week

Software-as-a-Service

team.blue rolls out AI tools across its business brands

team.blue widens AI push with new tools for booking, compliance, website creation and data analysis across four brands.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 4 min read • Last week

Risk & Compliance

Why founders should choose lawyers like they choose investors

Founders should treat lawyers less like transactional advisers and more like long-term partners who can shape confidence, reduce friction and support growth.

By Dan Adams • 5 min read • Last week

Customer Relationship Management

Payment firms expand into broader merchant services

Stripe, PayPal, Adyen and Block are pushing into loyalty, lending and AI checkout tools as payment groups seek a bigger role in merchant commerce.

By Karen Joy Bacudo • 5 min read • Last week

Data Protection

New Zealand mid-sized firms lag on AI readiness, MYOB finds

New Zealand mid-sized firms are being held back by weak AI foundations, with cybersecurity, skills and governance gaps slowing productivity gains.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 5 min read • Last month

Customer Experience

Markable launches free creator tier as social commerce grows

Markable opens free creator tier and adds AI shopping tools as it targets a fast-growing social commerce market.

By Sofiah Nichole Salivio • 3 min read • Last month

Unified Communications

Vodafone & Google Cloud launch AI & security tools

Vodafone and Google Cloud widen their SMB push with new Gemini-based concierge and managed cyber defences, starting in Germany and Greece.

By Mark Tarre • 3 min read • Last month

Stories from Other Regions

Small Business (SMB) stories

Software-as-a-Service

UK SMEs could save £10,000 by ditching software tools

UK SMEs could trim software bills by GBP £10,000 a year by scrapping unused subscriptions as AI agents reshape SaaS spending.

By Mark Tarre • 4 min read • Last week

Artificial Intelligence

Guinness Enterprise Centre start-ups generate €140m

Guinness Enterprise Centre start-ups generated EUR 140 million last year as the Dublin hub marked 25 years with 743 jobs and EUR 31 million to the exchequer.

By Karen Joy Bacudo • 3 min read • Last week

Data Protection

Content systems in B2B tech: Scaling assets across channels

B2B tech firms in Southeast Asia are overplaying one-off hero assets, as leaders push content systems to boost reach, consistency and ROI.

By Patrick Keenan • 4 min read • Last week

Digital Transformation

Australian mid-sized firms gain from AI, but skills lag

Australian mid-sized firms are reaping productivity gains from AI, but MYOB says weak training, governance and legacy systems are limiting wider benefits.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Last week

Human Capital Management

Australian employers demand AI skills as hiring gap widens

Australian employers demand AI skills as hiring gap widens, with Robert Half saying nearly all managers now expect them yet struggle to find candidates.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 3 min read • Last week

Data Protection

Paper data breaches in UK hit 11,141 over five years

Paper data breaches in the UK have topped 11,000 over five years, with employee records accounting for nearly one in five cases, analysis finds.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Last week

Data Protection

CDR reforms could add AUD $1.2 billion, study says

CDR reforms on consent, representatives and small bank exemptions could add AUD $1.2 billion annually by 2035, modelling says.

By Karen Joy Bacudo • 4 min read • Last week

Data Protection

Australia scam losses rise as reports fall in 2025

Australia scam losses climb to AUD $295.4 million as reports fall, with phishing, investment fraud and AI-driven tactics driving bigger hits.

By Mark Tarre • 4 min read • Last week

Data Analytics

AI adoption lifts NZ business revenue, study finds

NZ businesses using AI could be earning far more, with Deloitte Access Economics finding sizeable revenue lifts and rising spending on the technology.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 4 min read • Last week