Small Businesses Hire Virtual Staff to Combat NIC Increases.

Business owners are hiring virtual staff and contractors to combat the increase in employer National Insurance contributions. The hike in NICs from 13.8% to 15% in April has led to a decrease in the number of payrolled employees, particularly among 25-34-year-olds. Small businesses are opting for contractors over new staff due to the higher costs and risk of investing in inexperienced employees.

In a strategic move to challenge industry giants like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, email startup Titan has struck a partnership with web hosting giant GoDaddy. The deal integrates Titan's AI-powered email platform into GoDaddy's Professional Email service, aiming to reach millions of small businesses globally. This collaboration marks a significant milestone for Titan, which achieved profitability earlier this year and has doubled its customer base to 2.3 million mailboxes over the past two years [1].

The partnership is expected to leverage GoDaddy's extensive distribution network, which registers 22% of all new domains worldwide. By combining Titan's innovative email offering with GoDaddy's global reach, the companies aim to provide cutting-edge professional email services to businesses of all sizes, particularly in developing markets [1]. This move comes as Titan, backed by WordPress parent Automattic, continues to grow its customer base and revenue.

Titan's platform includes AI-powered email composition, tracking capabilities, appointment scheduling, and campaign management. These features are designed to help small businesses increase customer engagement, support brand growth, and streamline daily operations. The company emphasizes security and uptime for business users, offering tools that enable customers to use AI to write drafts, refine content, get feedback, and reply to emails [1].

The hike in employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) from 13.8% to 15% in April has led to a decrease in the number of payrolled employees, particularly among 25-34-year-olds. Small businesses are opting for contractors over new staff due to the higher costs and risk of investing in inexperienced employees. This shift in hiring practices is creating a market for flexible, cost-effective solutions like Titan's AI-powered email services [1].

Titan's partnership with GoDaddy is set to democratize access to advanced email capabilities, empowering millions of businesses worldwide to enhance their communication and marketing efforts. The company expects to reach 10 million mailboxes within two to three years, targeting $40 million in annual recurring revenue from existing contracts plus new business [1].

References:
[1] https://www.business-standard.com/companies/start-ups/email-startup-titan-lands-deal-with-godaddy-to-take-on-google-microsoft-125081200737_1.html