After a difficult year, there is no surprise that most people are looking for ways to save some money and scrape those pennies together. No matter which part of your life you are looking to tighten the belt in, it can often be difficult to know where to start; particularly if you are a business owner, who has felt the brunt of this year. We don’t blame you; we have all been there! Try not to stress, however, for we have a helpful and effective list detailed here, of ways you can cut costs to your business, without causing any damage to profits.
The current epidemic has created a world of isolation we are rapidly becoming rather familiar with. The use of words like quarantine, face masks and social distancing are part of our daily vocabulary and with that both business and consumer behaviour has seen a dramatic change in activity. With all that said, none of us want to sit back and let our businesses idle. In this very moment we are seeing new startups launch the world over (The Guardian, 19 Nov) as many take advantage of government advice to stay at home as an opportunity to pick up dormant inventions, push for new patents and contribute back to society in these tough and trying times.
How could we have prepared for 2020? It was the question on the minds of many throughout the early months of the pandemic that affected every aspect of daily life. But now, we know the answer: preparation was impossible. However, our collective experiences in this most challenging year have taught us some valuable lessons. Among the most important is that they way individuals, leaders, and companies respond to new and unexpected situations is the true indication of success.
FirstGroup has selected BRIDGE’s payment orchestration platform to achieve greater resilience and control in managing e-payment transactions. BRIDGE technology has initially been deployed across the FirstGroup’s online ticketing for UK bus travel, with plans to encompass the company’s mobile app channel and rail ticketing systems.
e-days, the absence intelligence company, says data from 86,000 recorded UK absences has revealed that stress levels have spiked twice in 2020 following the changes to the furlough schemes. These peaks were especially noticeable in organisations with fewer than 250 employees as the effects of the pandemic proved more challenging for small and medium sized businesses (SMEs).
There’s no doubt about it: leadership has been put to the test this year. Over the course of 2020, leaders of businesses everywhere have had to step up to a monumental challenge. Not only have many businesses had to fight to stay afloat, but company leaders have been required to find new, creative ways to work remotely, motivate their team in the face of extreme adversity, and achieve their goals.
Without beating about the hypothetical bush, the future of the labour market in the UK is looking rather bleak. Reports suggest that we are on course for the worst recession in more than 300 years. The Institute for Policy Research meanwhile has warned that more than one million young people could be unemployed by 2021.
Sometimes even after long pep talks and different ways to motivate your employees, you are not able to create high employee engagement. Despite consistent efforts, you are sometimes not able to attract the best productivity in your workers. In such a scenario, do you ever question your understanding of employee engagement?
British Polar explorer, Antarctic scientist and author, Felicity Aston is an established expedition leader who has successfully organised and led numerous global missions. As an ambassador for the First Women project, Felicity has led international teams of women to some of the most remote places around the world. Her expeditions have included the first British Women’s crossing of Greenland, The Women’s Euro-Arabian North Pole Expedition and The Pole of Cold Expedition.
Fintech business lender, MarketFinance has secured funds from a European bank, through fintech CrossLend, to facilitate lending to UK businesses. The news comes as demand for finance is surging, with MarketFinance research indicating that as many as 84% of businesses will be seeking loans this winter. Already in 2020, MarketFinance has advanced over £342m for institutional investors to meet the needs of UK businesses.
Cosmos Video, the virtual venues platform which allows people to work, hang out and socialise together, has raised £2m in seed funding from Europe’s leading seed investors, LocalGlobe with participation from Entrepreneur First, Andy Chung and Phillip Moehring (AngelList), and Omid Ashtari (ex-President, Citymapper).
London and Berlin have pledged to strengthen business links between the two European capitals by announcing an extension of a partnership agreement signed by both city’s trade and investment agencies last year. The city-to-city agreement has been renewed to coincide with a virtual event marking the 20th anniversary of the twinning of the two cities, involving the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Governing Mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller.
A London-based business growth agency has expanded its services to six countries, following double-digit growth in 2020. SME GRO.TEAM now has a range of advisors on hand to provide support to the US, Canada, South Africa, Spain, New Zealand and Australia. It has tailored its website to the various local markets following both the successful delivery of several ad-hoc overseas projects, and a spike in online traffic and enquiries from across each country.
Tech startup, Isotropic Systems has announced its partnership with diversity and inclusion consultancy, Inspired Human. Perrine Farque, Founder of Inspired Human and diversity and inclusion expert has partnered with Isotropic to help the organisation drive further diversity in the tech sector. An ambitious programme has been agreed involving the CEO’s personal commitment to double female representation in the workforce within the next 12 months, kicking off the programme in Q4 2020 the company is making huge strides to close the gender gap in the tech sector.





