Features
The complexion of the SMB landscape is regularly subject to change. Disruptive market entrants, new technologies, and fluctuations in the economy, represent just a handful of the influences that can force SMBs to revise their business models.
In today’s world, we are leasing assets a lot more regularly. According to Dataforce, Europeans are leasing and renting cars more than ever before, including both short-term and operational leasing. Over the last five years, the leasing market skyrocketed from 2.6 million to four million due to the culture of ownership evolving.
With the launch of Build on AWS, AWS simplified the first steps of launching scalable, reliable, secure, and optimised infrastructure tailored to startups’ industry or use case. This enables startups to focus on building their core product knowing they’re using AWS best practices for their underlying cloud infrastructure. We spoke to Katie Drucker, Director and Global Leader, Business Development, on how AWS is continuing to help guide startups in their journeys to choose and implement the right infrastructure for their business needs.
With the ever-increasing focus on tech in our lives and the sheer volume of new, ground-breaking tech launches that one hears or reads about, you could miss one vital element of their story. The IP behind them. And, for any tech that has significant IP value, the IP creator/founder needs to be acutely aware of the lead times available in the patent process. If deadlines are missed, rights can vanish in an instant. Jim Gastle, IP enthusiast and Canadian patent agent, explains this in more detail.
Black Friday is fast approaching, this year falling on 26th November, meaning most businesses are busy preparing for one of the most hectic weekends of the year in retail.
Over the last few decades, the world has made huge strides forward in promoting gender equality in the workforce. In fact, last year saw the employment gap between men and women fall to 6.3%, the lowest point since records began in 1971.
Jayna Patel, a commercial litigation solicitor with Wilsons Solicitors LLP, discusses why startups need to be alive to the implications of restrictive covenants.
So you want to start a business? As you’ve no doubt heard, that tends to go smoother when you start by formulating a business plan to set your goals and guide your actions. Doing so isn’t always the most intuitive process, however, If you’ve never put one together before, then how would you know where to start? That’s what this article intends to address, by providing you with some initial tips that should point you down the road to success. Here’s what you should know.
Diversity and inclusion may not seem to be a priority for a rising startup when cash flow and driving sales are normally front of mind. However, building a foundation of diversity and inclusion (D&I) within the operation sooner rather than later is more important than you might think.
Sandy Carter, Vice President of Public Sector Partners and Programs at Amazon Web Services, shared her experience as a pioneering woman in tech. She discussed how embracing diversity drives innovation as well as the importance of empowering the next generation of female leaders.
The IP addresses assigned to the homeowners mean residential proxies. These IP addresses are flagged in your regional internet registries. So, why do organisations need a proxy?
The world’s pollution levels are continuing to be an issue that needs addressing. While the worldwide lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may have lowered our air pollutants, before the outbreak there were seven million deaths each year due to pollution.
The last few years have been really challenging, but adapting through necessity has shown us new ways of working that can be just as effective. Despite the stresses of lockdowns, we’ve seen some benefits to our working environments which have fuelled positive changes for employee wellbeing.
Without a doubt, the pandemic has changed our economy forever; and it may not have felt like the most obvious year to launch a business, but with Britons locked down entrepreneurial spirit seems to be inflated as 2020 saw a 12.3% increase in new businesses, the highest growth on record.
In many ways, we actually have to thank the pandemic for highlighting just how unprepared our economies were to tackle a crisis. It acted as a catalyst for change across industry sectors, including higher and further education, that had been slow to embrace digital transformation and stand up to disruption.
Technology Venture Capitalist’s have invested a record £20bn into British startups this year, and with economic recovery at the front of everyone’s mind, there is, surprisingly, a remarkable level of optimism emerging from the embers of the pandemic.
The majority of businesses that are looking to scale in any meaningful way will look to raise funding at some point. As well as the other steps already discussed in this series and in my new book, there are two very specific actions that need to be undertaken; valuing your business and embarking on a fundraising campaign.
A shift towards hybrid working, increased use of digital channels and the rise of new technologies means that businesses rely on the internet now more than ever. A reliable, high-quality connection is a non-negotiable for efficient operations across all industries, but it’s important to determine the right way to connect for your business. While many businesses opt for broadband, could an Ethernet leased line be a better choice?
The past 18 months have been challenging but, as some might say, through adversity comes opportunity. The pandemic has given many people the chance to reconsider their position – what they’re doing and where they want to go – so it comes as no surprise that 2020 saw a record number of startups.
If we aren’t currently talking about the upcoming COP26, that is taking place this Sunday (so article pending next week), or about Facebook rebranding as Meta, (who knows where that came from?) then everyone is talking about the Chancellor’s budget announcement and what that means four the startups and small businesses out there.
