Features

Starting a business can be daunting. As a business owner for 16 years, I’ve learnt important lessons on the way. I wish I’d known these five tips when starting out, but for anyone starting out here are some vital lessons I’ve learnt.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the great resignation have caused us all to reconsider work, what we do and why, how we do it and where. It has put the onus on employers to deliver versatility on and offline, empowering employees with the technologies and working arrangements that will best produce efficiency, job retention, and satisfaction.

“If the reputation of a company’s products and services is its face, the talent brand is its heart and soul,” said Hank Stringer & Rusty Rueff.

Building a brand is an intimidating prospect, and you might be tempted to plunge in without spending time on careful consideration and research beforehand. That’s a mistake.

As a new startup business you have a number of things to consider in order to build and ensure success. One particularly crucial factor is selecting your tech stack. While on the surface it might seem like an easy decision, it can prove detrimental to a businesses’ success if not given careful consideration.

The last few years brought on sweeping changes – and challenges – across workplaces, industries and for business leaders. Many SME leaders and entrepreneurs found their roles transformed as health and safety came to the fore of decision making processes.

In the business world, there are two main types of messaging: A2P and P2P. But what do these terms mean? And which one is better for your company? In this blog post, we will explore the differences between A2P and P2P messaging, and explain when each type is most beneficial.

By the time you’ve read the opening line of this article, the average millennial has already switched off. That’s because millennials’ attention span for digital content is on average 12 seconds.

Retail technology startup, Slip provide insight on how its female co-founder had a 60% response rate when reaching out to female engineers about open jobs at the company while the male co-founder had no responses.

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? Ollie Phillips, Founder of Optimist Performance, pens some thoughts on loneliness amongst leaders, and how to address it.

The UK hospitality industry had a rougher pandemic than most. Between social distancing measures, forced closures and widespread uncertainty, business owners watched with gritted teeth as the sector lost an eye-watering 13 sites a day since the arrival of COVID-19.

A lot has happened in the past two years that have dramatically altered the way we define the concept of ‘work’. It is clear that hybrid working isn’t going anywhere and there has been a mixed bag of feelings about this working style. We’ve gone from feeling isolated during lockdowns, to loving avoiding the commute, to thinking about how we can use this model to its full potential.

Data is the lifeblood of any business. Critical to organisations of all sizes and sectors, it powers growth, enabling business leaders to make the decisions that come from insight and evidence. But when businesses are in startup mode, protecting data can fall to the bottom of their “to-do” list.  Here are five simple tips which will give you the peace of mind that comes with knowing your data is backed-up securely.

Entrepreneurs would all be delighted to find the magic solution to growing their business tenfold but what if the answer isn’t a magic solution but rather simply following a number of key drivers which lead inexorably towards that dream growth?

Have you ever been described as ‘too much?’ Too worried? Too… anything. What if our too much is actually our superpower? Does the below resonate with you?

Anyone that has started their own business, and even those that have thought about it but not made the jump as yet, or indeed decided not to do so in the end, all recognise that it is a big decision. A very big decision. And as such, it is a decision that is often deliberated over for a long time before it is acted upon. Certainly, a lot of research and clear thinking needs to be done before committing.

As COVID-19 has entered its third year, entrepreneurism and gig work is on the rise. Over 10% of the UK workforce, and over 20% in London, now work in the gig economy.  People are demanding greater flexibility and autonomy in their professions, thus work culture objectives are shifting too.

The threat landscape is rapidly expanding and in 2022, there’s one thing at the forefront of every corporate agenda: cybersecurity. In a world of sophisticated cyberwarfare and rising geopolitical tensions, cybersecurity threats are evolving at an even faster pace, impacting entire businesses, crippling operations, and risking hard-won reputations.

Hybrid working is the new norm and brings advantages to both businesses and their employees. However, it also creates a new set of challenges and requires a shift in activities to support employee empowerment.

For most, if not all freelancers, the invitation to work for free will land on our desks, often early on in our freelance careers.