Features

With international cyberattacks peaking at the end of 2021, founder are starting to get more serious about digitally protecting their companies from the outset.

As many UK health tech and fitness brands are moving through to the new financial year, you can hear the buzz of excitement from marketing communication professionals as finally, we are going back to face-to-face events. Nevertheless, content marketing remains a significant part of the PR and digital marketing strategy, and by the looks of it, its importance is only increasing.

74% of American companies have already adopted or plan to adopt a permanent hybrid work model. There are many benefits to using a hybrid work model for your startup. Your employees will have a better work-life balance, you can downsize your office space, and your employees will be more content.

Chances are you’ve heard the phrase ‘imposter syndrome’ at some point. Originally identified in a 1978 study, it refers to the idea that high-achieving individuals might consider themselves to be ‘imposters’ in their workplace, regardless of any evidence to the contrary.

Climate scientists have argued that ambitions for reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 will no longer be enough to avoid the worst impacts of global warming, because change is happening more rapidly than predicted.

We talk a lot about how leaders need to make sure everyone in their team is happy and comfortable. It’s important to create a culture that promotes well-being and performance, but while leaders take care of the people they lead, who is taking care of them?

When you first set out to launch a business, you’re prepared for the many beginner pitfalls. You might not know what they all are, or where they’ll all come from, but you know that it won’t be easy – primarily because everyone tells you so. However, something that’s talked about less often is the difficulties you’ll face once your business is fully established and you’re ready to start growing

So far in this ‘Back to Basics’ series we have looked at nine fundamental areas that entrepreneurs and would-be founders either consider or should be considering, both before and during their startup journey. These have covered: Should I Find a Co-founder?; Working with Advisors; To Scale or Not to Scale?; Pitch Decks and Business Plans; Think Green!; Raising Finance; Basic Truths; Cash Flow is Everything; and Second Thoughts.

Everyone, at some point in their career, has experienced feeling less-than-confident. Whether you were a nervous junior who felt like they had everything to prove, a new recruit meeting a highly-skilled team or an employee who has recently received a promotion – feeling like you don’t belong in a workplace or don’t deserve to be there is one of the most universal experiences going around.

Learning and development are crucial in creating a high performing team. Everyone processes information differently and it’s no different when we learn. With no two people the same, it’s important to acknowledge the different employee learning styles of employees in your team.

Internationally-recognised digital product leader Luke Wroblewski said in his 2011 guidebook, Mobile First: “Mobile devices are our true personal computer: always with us, connected to the network, and filled with new capabilities for getting things done”. But have you considered favouring mobile devices over all other forms of technology? Here, Kristian Torode, Director and Co-Founder of business communications services provider Crystaline, explores the business benefits of going mobile-first.

Historically, larger institutions have held the keys to the investment kingdom. Banks, hedge funds and other financial heavyweights have long used exclusive access and knowledge to peer under the hoods of public companies, using their findings to inform their investment decisions. Meanwhile individual investors have been left with little power in the stock market, deprived of the access and insight required to compete and find an edge.

Social mobility affects us all. It covers all strata in society and does not just affect those typically seen as underprivileged. The family you were born into, where you come from, or the people you know shouldn’t be what shapes your life and prospects – but the reality is these things can still impact an individual’s progression in life and in the workplace as much as talent and skill.

With The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations fast approaching, brands all over Britain are racing to get a slice of the royal pie.

The notion that the pandemic shifted the needle when it comes to applying technology to learning is overblown. Yes, we adapted, but did we really innovate? In many cases, we took the static, traditional learning process and shoehorned it into an online format. Technological advances progress at breakneck speed, and yet learning is an area that is not even close to making the most of what technology has to offer. Why is it, when we have the world’s most powerful knowledge resource (the internet) at our fingertips, that we continue to apply 200-year old ideas to how we learn?

To say 2022 has been a tumultuous year so far would be nothing short of an understatement. The cost of living is soaring, inflation is at its highest level in 30 years and the energy price cap rose by 54% at the start of April.

The method used by employers to conduct the necessary ‘right to work’ checks will be altered once more, as was outlined within the latest guidelines recently unveiled by the Government. With the interim process that was introduced during the pandemic slated for imminent withdrawal, news regarding further revisions perhaps won’t come as much of a surprise for many employers. However, there remains an element of disquiet as to whether the new procedures could also have a costly impact on business owners at a time when soaring expenses are already hurting many industries.

Making group decisions can be inefficient at the best of times, or an ordeal at worst. That time you couldn’t agree on lunch plans in the office with colleagues, and, no, being distracted by email overload was no excuse. Or when your team hit the wall while trying to decide on a research project.

As we are pivoting towards a digital-first world, SaaS is an acronym that pops up now and then. It stands for ‘software as a service’, and the boom in digital suggests significant growth in the SaaS industry.