New Business UK – Summer 2026

Summary

New Business UK Summer 2026 features Daniel Temm on the cover — "In it for the long run" as the transition from sport to business at page 8. Afsor Ullah on why the UK is a safe haven for Islamic Finance funds. The Fore as the UK's only venture philanthropy fund helping 12 small charities. Petflation crisis: PDSA reports on inflation damaging pet care. Chinese etiquette for Middle East trade features at page 40.

The cover interview (p.8) follows Dan Temm from professional athlete to company CEO. Afsor Ullah (p.18) on Islamic Finance in the UK. Mike Fields (p.20) on the risks of friends-and-family finance. The Fore (p.22) as the UK's venture philanthropy fund. BFA (p.26) on AI's impact on franchising. Novuna Finance (p.32) on SME growth concerns. The AA (p.34) on rising fuel prices impacting fleet decarbonisation. Alain Bejjani (p.38) on Middle East trade. Chinese etiquette (p.40) on relationship building.

Regular sections include Editor, Cover Interview, Franchising, Finance, Vehicles, International Trade, Start Ups, AI, Sustainability, Cyber Security, Insurance, Immigration, HR, Entrepreneur Insight and Downtime. Editor: Mark James.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Interview

p.8 · Dan Temm — In for the Long Run: From Professional Athlete to Company CEO
The transition from professional sport to business leadership, covering the skills that transfer, the mindset shifts required and the specific challenges of building a company after an athletic career. Temm shares how competition discipline applies to sales targets and team management. Use his training-to-performance framework to structure your own transition into a new business domain.

▸ Finance

p.18 · Afsor Ullah — Why the UK Is a Safe Haven for Islamic Finance Funds
The growth of Islamic finance in the UK, the regulatory framework that makes London attractive for Sharia-compliant funds and the specific products gaining traction. Includes market size data and growth projections.

p.20 · Mike Fields — The Risks of Friends and Family Finance
A sobering look at the relationship costs when friends-and-family investments go wrong. Fields provides a legal and communication framework for structuring these investments professionally. Use the written-agreement template here before accepting any informal investment.

▸ International Trade

p.38 · Alain Bejjani — The Key to Middle East Trade
CEO Alain Bejjani on building business relationships in the Middle East, covering cultural protocols, negotiation styles and market-entry strategies.

p.40 · Understanding Chinese Etiquette — Relationship Building
Practical guide to Chinese business culture, covering gift-giving protocols, meeting etiquette and relationship-building timelines. Apply the guanxi-building framework here when planning your first China business trip.

▸ Franchising

p.26 · BFA — The AI Impact on Franchising
How artificial intelligence is changing franchise operations, from site selection algorithms to automated franchisee support systems. The BFA's perspective on both the opportunities and the regulatory questions AI raises.

▸ HR

p.58 · Zoe Duce — Maternity Leave and Return Process
Urging employers to rethink their maternity leave and return-to-work policies. Duce presents data on retention rates improvement when structured return programmes are in place. Use her return-to-work timeline as a template for your own parental leave policy.

▸ Sustainability

p.46 · Evoca Launches Product Carbon Footprint Tool
Measuring office decarbonisation with Evoca's new product carbon footprint tool. Covers the methodology, data inputs and the specific cost savings from identified reductions.

▸ Charity

p.22 · The Fore — UK's Only Venture Philanthropy Fund
How The Fore provides impact funding to small charities. Covers their funding model, application process and the specific selection criteria they use. If you run a small charity, check whether you meet their eligibility criteria before your next funding round.

▸ Entrepreneur Insight (p.60-61)
Juliette Devillard of Climate Connection, Gemma Taylor of Zippd, Nick Hird and Rob Bennett of Vidrate, Sean Hirons of MyEdSpace. Each founder covers their business model, growth stage and key lesson learned.

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Editor's Take

The Summer 2026 issue is a competent, well-targeted small-business magazine with a particularly strong international trade section. The Dan Temm interview is genuinely different — the athlete-to-CEO angle is not common and Temm delivers specific transition insights rather than generic motivation. The Islamic Finance and Chinese etiquette articles fill genuine knowledge gaps for UK SME owners looking beyond domestic markets. Weakness: the issue's structure is a bit fragmented — too many 2-page sections that stop before they dig deep. The Petflation insurance piece is interesting but feels like a news brief stretched to feature length. The Fore charity piece is worthy but not directly useful to most for-profit readers. This issue suits UK SME owners exploring international expansion or alternative finance options.

Strengths
• International trade section with Middle East and China coverage fills a real gap
• Dan Temm's athlete-to-CEO perspective is genuinely distinctive
• Islamic Finance article provides a clear market overview for UK SMEs

Weaknesses
• Too many short sections prevent deeper reporting
• Petflation and Fore pieces are marginally relevant to the core readership

Verdict: Recommended — Strong international trade content lifts a solid but safe small-business issue.