They say nothing ages as quickly as yesterday’s vision of the future and this is especially true about digital technology, which is performing an increasingly crucial role for businesses across all industries.

It’s often claimed that there’s never a better time to start a business than in a crisis. The adage ‘from crisis comes opportunity’ has been rolled out constantly over the past year, replayed in countless articles from the New York Times to the BBC.

If you sell online then there a number of statutory or regulatory requirements you are obliged to fulfil or to which you must adhere.

2020 acted as a catalyst for trends we have seen in our economy for some time, from the rapid digital transformation across every aspect of our lives, to the dramatic rise in demand for e-commerce. Now more than ever, customers are expecting the 'next day delivery' option to be the norm, and it’s vital that all business leaders, regardless of the size of their operations, recognise the impact this can have on their business.

Marketing in the 21st century has become one of the biggest priorities for companies in all industries. Every year, it becomes important to show the general public you’re your company still deserves their dollar and their support. People no longer settle simply for what they have ‘always known’ or what fits best in their budget.

It is common knowledge that the manufacturing industry is facing an existential crisis. Recent reports from Deloitte and Fictiv indicate that COVID-19 has only increased an already bleak narrative.

Technology today plays a major part in our daily routines, as well as our working lives. It has had a huge impact on the workplace and will only continue to do so at an incredible rate, due to the technological advancements of our time. What’s more, the events of the last 12 months have massively reshaped work culture across the globe. In particular, the need for technologies that can be used to virtually replicate an office environment, will continue to grow in importance as we move into 2021.

There is no denying the far-reaching impacts of COVID-19 on the UK economy. The pandemic has tested the resolve of even the most robust firms, causing enormous upheaval and unpredictable market conditions. As such, many UK businesses were forced to rely on Government support schemes to stay afloat.

The world is not going digital anymore, it is already there. Many industries have now embraced technology in almost all their operations, and the Financial industry is no different. Bitcoin, Robinhood, Monzo, Fintech are just examples of how technology has enhanced services in the Financial industry.

The twin forces of Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic have wreaked havoc on business confidence in the UK. It therefore comes as little surprise that almost two thirds (64%) reported the combination of the two made 2020 the hardest year they have faced, according to a recent survey of commissioned by One World Express.

Medical innovation has become a significant focus for venture capital investment in the last ten years. A growing, ageing population combined with the opportunity to develop global solutions is driving a spike in investment innovation that helps people better manage wellbeing or enables them to get well sooner. 

Whilst the UK is home to a large number of innovative startups, and has even been proclaimed the ‘unicorn’ capital of Europe, it also has a disappointingly high gender funding gap. According to a report commissioned by the British Business Bank, for every £1 of VC investment, less than 1p went to all-female teams and only 10p to mixed-gender teams. The initial reaction may be to point fingers at the VC industry, however interestingly the report also noted that in fact only 5% of all pitchdecks received are from all-female teams.

In today’s technology powered world, the management of businesses across every industry, no matter how big or small, is heavily reliant on digital platforms and software development.

The pandemic has changed when, where and most importantly how we communicate at work. With thousands of traditionally desk-based workers becoming remote for the first time - as well as frontline workers finally receiving the recognition they deserve - two things are happening.

Until the early 2000s, banks held almost a monopoly in credit. Around that time, enabled by the emergence of the internet a new type of digital lending started to emerge and with it a new way to invest in private debt: peer-to-peer (P2P) lending. This innovation allowed retail investors to put their money in small loans so that consumers could achieve their financial goals. We spoke to Kimmo Rytkönen, CEO and Founder of Income Marketplace about the rewards of P2P investing.

Working while parenting has always been a balancing act, but the pandemic has led to any existing structures and routines being abandoned.  

Entrepreneurs and business founders typically work long, hard hours, where the norm is much more likely to be a 70 plus hour working week rather than a more traditional 35 hour week for those in more conventional roles.

Property managers are tasked with tracking multiple assets and actions over several properties through all stages of development - from planning to building and maintaining. These days, the role of the property manager is becoming increasingly streamlined and data-driven through the adoption of smart technology.

Founders must spin endless plates and wear lots of hats when firing up their entrepreneurial engines, whether that’s managing marketing and recruitment, or tackling development and accounting.

For all businesses, especially startups, to prosper systematically, sharing feedback effectively is essential. When functional feedback sharing is made a part of the company culture, it turns out to be beneficial for everyone. Even the most talented and passionate employees need a sense of direction from their superiors.

The quality of your onboarding strategy can either define, or undermine, your startup. New talent is the lifeblood for a business that craves marketplace competitiveness. Without key people priorities, your business might struggle to access the right knowledge and expertise.

As a content writer, my job is to tell stories. I use the power of narrative to sell via digital storytelling. Digital storytelling uses long-held storytelling techniques in combination with digital tools such as blogs, podcasts, videos, and social media. 

The UK is widely regarded as one of the greatest places to start an innovative tech company. This shouldn’t come as any surprise given the world-class academia we have to offer, the legacy of innovation and, importantly, the funding opportunities available to entrepreneurs.

The ranks of the self-employed have swelled over the past two decades, rising from 3.4 million (12.9% of the workforce) in 1998 to 4.8 million (15.1%) in 2017. Yet over the same period, the proportion of self-employed workers paying into a private pension has fallen from 48% to just 16%, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is just the latest version of Google Analytics and is now the default version for all new properties. Because it’s the fourth version, it’s called GA4. 

The ATI Boeing Accelerator is a three month programme for world-class startups building industry 4.0 and sustainability enabling technologies, with the potential to bolster the growth and competitiveness of the UK aerospace industry.

Businesses reeling from the effects of the pandemic feel like they have been given an ultimatum: transform or die. And while we have seen unfortunate consequences for the companies that were unable to adapt fast enough, it is important to remember that more often than not, digital innovation isn’t all or nothing.

Outsourcing as a business practice is extremely common. Yet you wouldn’t think this was the case given the negative light in which it is often painted.

The business world has, for some time now, appreciated the importance of collecting data. Organisations across a range of industries understand how analysing that data can unlock a wealth of insight and intelligence that can help them move forward.

Recent research has revealed how companies are facing the omnipresent ‘innovate or perish’ mantra that has professionals across industries scrambling for the next best thing. Training professionals have identified Learning and Development Training (L&D) as a key strategy to build a culture of innovation and carry your organisation into the future.

At the start of December 2020, new audio-only iPhone app, Clubhouse, had 3,500 members worldwide. Fast forward to the end of February 2021 and the Silicon Valley founded platform surpassed in excess of 10 million downloads, with 2 million weekly users.

To say data is critical to success in financial markets is a vast understatement, but for many banks, the ability to extract the true value of their data is still beyond their grasp. What’s holding these institutions back and why, in a post-COVID world, could failure to ignore prove costly?

Are you thinking of starting a business in 2021? If yes, you need to think of businesses that can thrive in the post-COVID-19 economy. The pandemic has changed consumer behaviour across the world, rendering many traditional businesses obsolete. For example, consumers now want to buy from businesses that meet them at their homes; that deliver products to their doorsteps.

Corporate culture embodies of all the written and unwritten rules, values and attitudes that characterise an organisation. It offers an insight into how business decisions are reached, and how they will be implemented. By extension, then, internal culture is the also the foundation upon which all successful innovation must be built.

In this month’s Founder Focus feature, Startups Magazine speaks to serial entrepreneur, investor and star of the Canadian Dragons’ Den, Michele Romanow.

For any startup, time to market, knowledge, confidence, and expertise are all vital to the success of the entrepreneurial journey. With extensive experience in all these key elements, we speak to John Bowman, Marketing Director, and David Pearson, Technical Director at Anglia, the UK-based authorised distributor of semiconductors, optoelectronics, interconnect, passive and electromechanical components, about what the company can offer to new businesses.

COVID-19 has materially impacted the way investors are looking at prospective companies to put their money into.

It’s not what you know but who you know. Or so the old saying goes. Whenever that is said though it always seems to be said in a disparaging way, as in the ‘old school tie’ is more useful in life than being clever, working hard, or looking for opportunities to make your own way in life.

Founder of the multinational coaching company Shamila M, Shamila Mhearban specalises in creating and implementing bespoke strategies and solutions to help clients realise their vision of success. Launching the business back in 2017, Shamila has built up an expertise, and here she shares tips on how businesses can rebound after the economic uncertainty of the global pandemic.

There are many new age jobs available in the 21st Century that our parents can’t quite get their heads around. Whether it is an SEO specialist or UX designer, one of the most new and interesting careers that exists is known as a ‘penetration tester.’

Now that we find ourselves several months into the year, digital innovation projects that were touted for early 2021 should now be well and truly underway.

World Sleep Day falls on 19th March this year. With significant numbers of people reporting poorer quality sleep during lockdown, Towergate Health & Protection is suggesting employers should look towards the Netherlands for good sleep habits.

Forget remote working, it’s all about asynchronous working thanks to an increase in global teams becoming the norm and changing the traditional workplace. Departing from the classic in-office, same-country model, global teams are creating a robust new workforce, global teams create asynchronous working styles that go against conventional practices.

COVID-19 has changed many businesses forever. The rapid transition to e-commerce and limited in-person shopping created an impossible situation for some businesses, 60% of which have closed permanently. However, some entrepreneurs have successfully worked through the challenges, getting help from anywhere they can.

The shortlist for the Business Book Awards 2021 has just been announced, celebrating the titles that should be on every business leader’s bookshelf. Here we have picked out the top six books in the ‘Startup / Scaleup’ category, packed with advice to help you start and grow a successful business.

Networking is a vital part of getting any business off the ground. No matter how good your product is or how on top of your finances you are, having good connections is essential both for learning skills necessary to the job and for establishing contacts who can provide you with new opportunities.

The UK is more environmentally conscious than ever, with 89% of adults prioritising being more environmentally friendly this year. Ahead of World Recycling Day on 18th March, flexible office specialist, Workthere, has shared top tips on how UK workers can be more conscious of recycling in the office.

When the knock-on effects of the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent UK lockdowns are discussed, much of the focus is on the negative impact on the economy, our physical health, and our mental health. But, while the damaging effects are unlike anything we’ve ever witnessed, it’s not all doom and gloom.

Since AWS Lambda first launched in 2014, serverless computing has exploded. Adoption is high, and Amazon, Microsoft and Google all now offer serverless capabilities. As is so often the case, entrepreneurs have reacted fast, and created an ecosystem of startups that support the continuing growth of the serverless industry.

Some very interesting statistics were released this week relating to trade over the past twelve months. What was so interesting about these two particular sets of statistics is that both of them were unique to looking backwards from spring 2021, and this period will be studied in schools and universities for many years to come.

When I left university, I entered arguably one of the most slow-moving, heavily regulated corners of engineering, nuclear power. I was a member of a team that made sure the world wasn’t given a spin-off series of HBO’s Chernobyl, building layer upon layer of safety programs.

Hutch Games, the mobile racing game company launched in 2011 with no funding and sold for $375m less than decade later. Shaun Rutland, one its Co-founders, explains how a former PlayStation team struck out on their own and how picking the right investors can help a business flourish.

Do you want to create a new business venture? Do you have a business idea but don’t know where to start? Have you started your business without a plan? It is time to create a business plan! A business plan is like a travel itinerary, you need to plan your trip before travelling: Where you will go? How to reach there? How much will you spend? Where will you stay? What will you do (activities)? Which places will you visit?

2020 flipped everyone’s plans for the year upside down, with no corner of the world left untouched. In this state of complete disarray, the primary business challenge for many was to keep customers happy while rapidly shifting staff to remote working. With this now mastered for most businesses and homeworking being the new norm, the next hurdle for leaders will be getting the balance right between the many conflicting desires of those in their workforce.

Through all the advancements seen over the past century, international trade has been slow to change. For example, Letters of Credit (LCs) continue to be an important trade finance product for global traders, but they rely on paper-based processes, which are fundamentally slow and prone to error. Now, with the need to change how organisations work in a post-COVID world, there is a greater need to improve how trade and trade finance operate

Rosa von Krogh is Head of Insights and Innovation at the North Alliance, one of the largest companies in Scandinavia marrying design, media and e-commerce. She is speaking at the global SHE Conference, alongside guests like Hillary Clinton, Norwegian PM, Erna Solberg and Icelandic PM Katrin Jakobsdottir, from 5-19th March 2021.

Nearly a year on since the onset of COVID-19, many companies have realised their staff are able to (almost) work as effectively remotely, as they did in an office. For tech companies and their investors, the transition to remote working was relatively seamless, as the culture and infrastructure needed to succeed was already in place. It has, however, prompted many startups to reconsider whether they need an office at all, and whether high rents in cities like New York, London, and San Francisco can be justified.

Today, the sales funnel is more buyer-focused. It’s no longer about sales professionals and their understanding of products and services, but rather a concentration on buyers and how a business can fulfill their needs. And if you are a business wanting to get more prospects and clients, you need to put enough information about your brand where your targets spend the most time.

What are the blueprints needed to start your own blockchain tech startup? How can you navigate through the tech tools, software, hardware, platforms, resources, projects, processes, methods and strategies necessary for success?

The success of your endeavors depends on your approach and perspectives towards things. Ultimately, it is all about how you train your mind to be at the helm of your pursuit. Yes, passion is a lot synonymous with following the heart, but you also need to develop a positive mindset. It is all about the mindsets after all! Positivity, confidence, persistence, and possibilities are all attributes of your mindset. Besides, it is a well-established fact that the prowess of our minds shapes our lives. Being in the right frame of mind is paramount.

New ideas are overrated, you can find them on every street corner. We’ve been in a holding pattern for a year, where everyone you meet is an expert on COVID and has their own ideas about what should happen. I’m sick of hearing them.

At the recent SaaStock exhibition, Philip Edmondson-Jones, Oxx, a venture capital (VC) company investing in ambitious B2B SaaS companies, explained the best practice when scaling your business rapidly.

Despite the global growth of women-led businesses, funding continues to be a significant challenge. Having gathered multiple data and research, Instant Offices revealed 35% of female business founders still face gender bias when raising their business capital. Female entrepreneurs also receive an average of 5% less funding than their male counterparts.

A few years ago I was sitting in a meeting, working while I waited for it to be my turn to present. The engineer sitting next to me asked me what I was doing - I said that in order to make it home in time before my children’s bath time, I had to work through every single free moment. He replied saying he preferred to not get home until after bath time.

Adapting and pivoting. For businesses, these two words sum up 2020 and the COVID pandemic perhaps more than any other words. Each and every business has had to reinvent itself in some form or another during the last year or so.

Working at Startups Magazine, we come across some extremely inspiring, empowering and all-round incredible women, but it would be impossible to name them all. As we celebrate International Women's Day 2021, we wanted to highlight our 20 most influential women of 2020 from our last Women in Tech edition.

Women throughout history continue to make their mark creating innovations and discoveries that impact our lives today. To celebrate International Women’s Day 2021, Miranda Kent, Managing Associate at intellectual property firm, Mathys & Squire, reflects on inspiring female inventors in each decade since 1910 - when the firm was first founded - to demonstrate the significant value that realising new ideas and inventions can bring.

Disputes in business are inevitable, but they don’t have to cost the earth or damage your reputation. Here are some tips to avoid commercial disputes from escalating.

The Digital Women’s Day, JFD in French, was started up by Delphine Remy-Boutang back in 2013, (back then just an annual meeting), but has since evolved into so much more. It is now a platform for the promotion of digital entrepreneurship for women, and JFD has brought together and celebrated a large number of women who all share the same goal - to revolutionise the world digitally both in Europe and Africa.

Today is World Book Day and primary school children across the UK will be dressed as their favourite fictional characters in front of laptops with their classmates.

Employees are at greater risk than ever of suffering burnout and employers should consider putting in place preventative and curative measures. For startup employers in particular it is important to look at tackling burnout in a sustainable way, eradicating the factors and issues before they take hold.

China can be a tough market to enter, however it is far from being as impenetrable as some startup leaders may believe. Yes, there are cultural attitudes and government roadblocks to overcome, but new sectors and opportunities are opening up in China all the time.

The Government is exercising extreme caution when it comes to easing lockdown restrictions. This is a sensible approach. After all, the UK is in its third national lockdown, and the Prime Minister will be keen to avoid another. That said, the slow road out of lockdown will likely frustrate many UK businesses. Many non-essential, retail and leisure businesses must now remain closed until 12th April, and even then, many will be unable to operate at full, pre-pandemic capacity.

The education sector is facing some of the toughest years in its history. But how can it position itself to handle the demands of the modern-day learner? Here we take a look at what’s driving a return to the classroom and how providers can best respond by offering new digital learning methods. 

There is nothing more important to company growth than employee productivity. That is why employers have to ensure that their workers are happy, educated, and motivated enough to give more than 100% on the job, on a daily basis. They strive to inject more office efficiency every single day.

As of this week, the government has put into effect a VAT Domestic Reverse Charge (DRC) for building and construction services. The reverse charge VAT procedure is an anti-fraud measure designed to counter sophisticated criminal attacks on the UK VAT system.

Value propositions can seem like a load of empty words to many entrepreneurs. "Leave it to the marketing team to get people to buy our product or services," they tell themselves.

Last year businesses were quickly forced into new ways of working, kickstarting one of the largest unplanned changes in operations the modern workplace has ever seen. It’s become clear that many of those changes are here to stay — for a long time to come, business as usual will not be an option. When we eventually return to the office, we can expect the workplace to be very different to how we left it. Typical office practices like hotdesking and crowded meeting rooms will no longer be viable as workplaces reduce onsite headcount and adhere to social distancing practices.

If you’ve dipped a toe into marketing, you know that every business needs social proof to grow. You must reassure potential customers that they’re right to pick you, because other people have done so before.

Right now it might feel harder than ever to cut through the noise and get your brand featured in the press. You might also feel that you'd like to secure media coverage but you don't have the budget to employ a PR agency, or perhaps the time yourself to knock up a press release or work out which journalists you should be targeting.

Over the last 12 months, video conferencing tool Zoom experienced exponential growth, B2B social media platform, LinkedIn, saw a 60% increase in user content creation and 55% of UK buyers revealed they will continue to shop online even when the high street re-opens its doors.

Last year was an incredibly challenging one for entrepreneurs and small business owners. According to a survey from Alignable, 45% of small businesses reported earning less than half of their pre-pandemic revenue. Statistics like these can scare you away from starting a company in 2021, but they shouldn’t.

There’s one tool that’s underused to address the gender diversity gap in startups - education.

Businesses in a wide range of industries rely on stock procurement to thrive, and issues with supply lines will always have a hugely detrimental impact on profits. Ultimately, companies cannot consistently sell their own goods if they’re struggling to procure the products and materials needed to manufacture them.  

At the moment, co-working is in jeopardy, and it may be time for the industry to change once again.

Website design accounts for up to 95% of a user’s first impression of your company. A good design can keep visitors on your site, which goes a long way in converting leads into purchases. For this reason, it’s increasingly important to make great website designs part of your marketing strategy. Here are eight of the best website designs to inspire you in 2021.

The world is undergoing huge changes at the moment. Between coronavirus pushing the economy to the limit and a group of Redditors challenging the financial market hegemony, people are questioning the role of established institutions. If finance doesn’t work to enable the economy, businesses or individuals, then who is it for?

The past twelve months have been especially hard for the UK’s many businesses. After several years of negotiations, the UK finally departed from the EU with a deal that had been finalised merely eight days before the formal withdrawal.

Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) are essential to the UK economy. The government has noted that they contribute to 99.9% of all private sector business in the country with a turnover of £2 trillion.

Last year, the Government introduced a new grant via the Kickstart Scheme to support the creation of new jobs placements at businesses across the UK. Unfortunately, the rules of the scheme meant that businesses needed to create a minimum of 30 job placements to apply directly for a grant.

As a social impact entrepreneur and investor, I like to think I know a business opportunity when I see one. The 2030 ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars provides us with a massive opportunity. Entrepreneurs and investors should be incredibly excited about this new technology and the potential to innovate. As far as I’m concerned, Electric Vehicles (EVs) are the new smartphones.

In today’s fast-paced, technological environment,  people are constantly retaining information through the internet and social media. There are many opportunities for individuals to access expert advice from all sorts of industries through the likes of online interviews, podcasts and Twitter feeds. Still, does this mean that all the advice that we have access to is useful?

Why do startups fail, and what can founders do to prevent it? Many entrepreneurs and investors opine on this question, but few offer data-driven answers. Our goal is to identify and share clear learnings on this, and the timing could not be more critical.

Social media will always be an integral part of your small business’ digital marketing strategy, whether you’re using it to alert fans and followers about new offerings, industry news, or showing how things work behind the scenes in your company

Launching a new startup is always a huge risk, but with effective user research and testing, product leaders can gain valuable insights from end users to reduce risk from the outset and build a culture of learning from their customers. We recently held a virtual event titled ‘From Idea to Launch: How startups succeed with UserTesting’ and we were joined by product and startup experts, including Arielle Kilroy and Justin Berkovi, to get their top tips for ensuring success.

In this article, Andrew White, Partner and UK & European patent attorney at intellectual property firm, Mathys & Squire discusses how building a strong Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio puts you in a better position to secure business investment when you need it and why linking your IP strategy to your business goals - including investment plans - is crucial for making it all come together effortlessly.

Online learning has become the new normal since last March, and since the most recent lockdown was announced, searches for how to learn new skills online have increased by 218%, suggesting more people want to utilise their spare time at home to learn.

Some unique ideas sound awkward but have continued to thrive in today’s world because they are rendering services that other traditional businesses are not. Below are some of the top unusual businesses that you can choose to explore:

It’s still common that businesses use manual and time-consuming processes as a force of habit. If you have never been exposed to the benefits of technology, then how would you know any different?

Side hustles continue to gain popularity. Whether it’s for a personal challenge or you want another source of income, starting a side project makes a lot of sense. After all, we’ve witnessed so many side projects evolve into million-dollar companies in the 2010s.

Being an entrepreneur is about more than just starting a business. Setting up business in an existing market has been done many times before. It comes with its own risks and challenges, but you’ll be able to find some good advice and guidance to steer you down the right path.

In this article, I will discuss the best ways to effectively implement a mental wellbeing policy in the workplace.

As Boris confirms lockdown will last until 8th March, and the idea of homeschooling continues to overwhelm working families around the UK, it is important employers are providing extra support and care for those suffering after nearly a year of remote working.

Starting a business is one of the most rewarding paths in life. The moments of elation will of course seamlessly morph into moments of aggravation and despair. But ask any entrepreneur, and there’s nothing they’d rather be doing.

According to the World Health Organisation, 66% of the world’s population is expected to live in cities by 2050. This makes cities a perfect hub to transform society and rebuild a world with rich biodiversity and a balanced climate.

Enterprise blockchain has seen huge advances in its application over the past year, and as we enter 2021, startup founders in virtually every sector are considering whether they should be incorporating this technology into their product.

For many of us, 2021 could not come fast enough. I will not expound on the world’s collective gratitude in 2020 being finished, you can watch Netflix’s Death to 2020 for a much more humorous take on this! As we continue in yet another lockdown, I’d like to frame some of the work that Allia will be working on this year to support the impact start-ups and local businesses that are getting ready to step up and make a difference.

In the time of COVID-19, the unheard victims are those entering the jobs market or hoping to build a career. The loss of life is tragic and deserves to dominate the headlines. Yet, we should not ignore the longer-term consequences to the confidence of our young people. 16 to 24-year-olds are the most likely to lose their job or be made redundant. It is also impossible for those fresh out of university to find a position. It is hard to win that first step on the ladder in the best of times, and these are not those times.

With the transition into the new era of digital marketing precipitated by the COVID-19 related shopping disruptions, the SEO landscape in 2021 looks like nothing before. With eCommerce sales expected to jump from 14.1% in 2019 to 22% by 2023, mobile shopping dominating the online retail and UX becoming a ranking factor.

For many, the New Year is a time to focus on personal resolutions such as getting fit, organising the house, or saving money. This year, what if we focused on putting our work life in order too - effectively gaining more space to cope with the demands of super-busy modern business life, make working in start-ups a bit easier or even get that next promotion? 

The amount of waste we produce has come under intense scrutiny in recent years, with global annual waste generation expected to jump to 3.4 billion tonnes over the next 30 years, up from 2.01 billion tonnes in 2016, according to report published by World Bank. Businesses and consumers alike are now faced with the challenge of reducing how much landfill our actions generate. With conflicting interests making for slow progress, the circular economy model could change our fortunes. Here we explore why the circular economy is here to stay and why it is set to play a vital role in a low-carbon future.

After being diagnosed with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (a rare genetic disorder) at the age of 22, former investment banker Angus Drummond, was told his mobility would decline over the next few years until one day he would require a wheelchair. Determined to experience the best of what the world had to offer, Angus quit his job in London, and set off with his wife to explore 35 new countries.

The UK edtech market was predicted to increase to £3.4bn by 2021. With £90.9m invested into edtech companies in 2018, up from just £9.9m in 2013, this market is clearly growing. However, when schools first closed due to COVID-19, and again at the start of this year, it became clear that many were understandably underprepared for the enforced radical shift to tech-led remote learning. Teachers struggled with the transition to online work, and many students lacked the necessary devices and connectivity to engage effectively online.

The impact of innovation from the technology sector permeates our everyday lives. No sooner has one technology gone mainstream, but speculation begins on where the next big thing will come from, or what it will be.

All businesses, growing or not, should be actively looking at ways to attract new customers all the time. Those companies that ignore new business, believing that their established customer base is enough to keep the business ticking over nicely, will usually get a rude awakening.  

Music has proved to have a special place in all our lives given how we play it when we are happy or sad. This is because it is a universal language that speaks to people on various levels. If you want to prove this, think of the memorable times when music made you feel special such as during your graduation, wedding, or after heartbreak. It is also said that music impacts your mental performance and productivity at work.

Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) has become significant force in the venture capital market. In Europe, CVCs participated in 1,325 deals worth €19.4bn in 2020 and are active in virtually every sector, and across all stages from Seed to growth equity. In the UK, CVCs participated in some of the biggest deals of 2020 - Hopin, Carzoo, Arrival - and despite significant headwinds due to COVID-19 deal activity remained strong, defying critics who had anticipated a slowdown as corporate balance sheets came under pressure.

In an ever-changing landscape, marketers and digital businesses alike are forced to adapt with the times as new opportunities arise and existing strategies become redundant.

Businesses, industries, consumers and communities are all reeling under the pressures that the global pandemic has forced upon them. It’s easy to assume amidst so much uncertainty and doom and gloom that prospects are grim and that the best option is to hide under a rock until the situation passes.

As the pandemic continues to impact businesses - both small and large - across the globe, I meet with four diverse founders based in the UK, who are taking part in WeWork's Diverse Founders Programme in partnership with UK social enterprise, Foundervine.

With men being twice as likely to become entrepreneurs than women, the business world has a long way to go to address the barriers which stop women from starting companies, and help to create a more equal society.

When you’re heading up a startup, it can be understandable to think that, for now, some of the things your firm might need can be left off the table.

You wouldn’t necessarily think that technology and fashion go hand in hand, but virtual clothing is growing in popularity, and new digital marketplaces are cropping up as a result. As the younger generation addresses a concern about sustainability, whilst maintaining a love of fashion it seems like such a logical way forward - satisfying the fast-fashion urges without any (or extremely minimal) damage to the planet.

Over the last twelve months companies have had to adapt quickly to new situations they may have once been unfamiliar with. If these experiences have taught us anything, it’s that if you respond quickly and efficiently to changing surroundings, you can continue to excel.

If we learnt anything from the past year it’s that having control over cash flow is the cornerstone of business health. The impact of COVID and other external factors like Brexit mean that things are constantly changing for small businesses, meaning they have to continuously adapt. This means that you will need to consistently map your cash flow and review your forecast  as things change. For example, things like furlough coming to an end in April will need to be factored into forecasting.

With COVID-19 restrictions rushing businesses to channel their resources online, 2020 marked an unprecedented turn in building an efficient marketing strategy with great emphasis on premium website content.

If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that change and disruption on this colossal scale, really has the potential to highlight the pros and cons of big business vs startups. While the startup cons no doubt include a vulnerability to externalities, through factors such as short cash flows and unreliable customer books, the flip side is the flexibility with which to grasp the new opportunities.

In the current pandemic, many businesses are facing financial hardship. A survey conducted by The Federation of Small Businesses show that just under 5% of 1,400 firms taking part in the study expected to close this year, equating to 250,000 small enterprises nationwide.

The Christmas ads are now a distant memory but what we learned from the 2020 line up was that brands were, more than ever, vying for consumer attention at the end of what was a brutal year for business.

The first lockdown had a profound impact on education as students were told to study at home - a location that doubled as the new office of their parents, ultimately creating a co-working cocktail with a sharp aftertaste. Children were unable to learn in classrooms or see friends while parents were acting as teachers during working hours.

Parenting in 2021 is not easy. Even before the arrival of the pandemic, juggling work and childcare was a challenge and as we spend more time in lockdown, many parents are taking the time to re-evaluate their lives – or come up with ingenious services or inventions aimed specifically at people just like them. According to a 2019 article, Forbes refers to the ‘new mom economy’ as an estimated $46 Billion millennial parenting market, clearly showing it’s benefits and popularity.

As we enter a second year of the COVID crisis, many founders are struggling to manage their finances amidst falling revenues and enforced redundancies. Whilst government support is being made available to businesses, there is plenty of uncertainty about the future and how to navigate through serious economic volatility.

The great idea has started to come to fruition. You are excited about the future for your business and yourself. You have a team in place, and you have got the startup started. The investment market has predetermined that you should go and look for investment to drive your business forward. A good majority of startups follow this route without question.

The negative impact that working from home is having on British office workers’ wellbeing is looking likely to be a key narrative of 2021, as we launch into the new year with yet another lockdown.

This is arguably one of the toughest times to run a small business. The FSB this month published figures that suggest that nearly 5% of UK small companies expect to be forced to close within 12 months, the largest proportion in the history of the Small Business Index. If accurate it would mean that 295,000 companies will shut down this year. How can you be sure that you’re not part of this statistic?

TDK Ventures, the investment arm of TDK, invests in early stage hard-tech entrepreneurs from all around the world to help accelerate their dreams and find solutions for the world’s difficult problems. For this issue’s Startups Launchpad feature, we caught up with TDK Ventures, Managing Director, Nicolas Sauvage to find out more.

If you’re an avid watcher of sport, like I am, you’ll know that there has been great strides made over the last few years regarding the integration of data and technology – whether it be the ongoing debate of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in football, to the humble sports watch that tracks your steps and distance whilst running.

As someone who has sustained their fair share of sporting injuries over the years, I certainly could have done with the Running Pod Pro (RPP) wearable device from PhysiGo, which has the ability to analyse my run and provide actionable insights to improve running form, and crucially, prevent injury. We caught up with CEO and Co-founder, Luke Stephen-Perrett to find out more.

Evidence has shown that consumers trust their energy supplier about as much as they do city bankers or politicians – a damning indictment for the industry. However, in this issue’s Founder Focus feature, we speak to Simon Oscroft, Founder of energy supplier So Energy, who has dared to challenge the status-quo and whose company uses the latest technology to operate as efficiently as possible, keep costs to a minimum and pass those savings onto customers.

For small business owners, 2020 was all about adaptability. You adapted the way you do business, the way your team operates, the way you offer support to clients and employees. A lot was asked of you, but the old answers no longer applied. We learned a lot in 2020, but what’s next? And how can we get ready for the twists and turns that lie ahead? Great HR and remote working practices will be key to being a successful employer in 2021 and beyond.

As the pandemic continues to change how we work, and people working from home find themselves working longer hours and feeling under more pressure, the issues of work time versus down time and overall work-life balance have become even hotter topics than they ordinarily are.

Office relocations are necessary in many situations. You might be outgrowing the current office, or you may need to downsize your office after laying off staff so that you can afford to remain in business. Moving from one location to another may be necessary to better serve your customers or your top clients.

The pandemic has created challenges that many businesses have never seen before. Beyond the initial financial strain many endured, the ongoing restrictions have had a lasting impact on the way the UK workforce approaches the working week.

What a difference a year makes. In the last 12 months, your company has no doubt changed beyond recognition. Long time employees are likely missing each other and may not have even met the newbies hired via Zoom or Teams in the midst of the pandemic.

With the country now in its third and hopefully final lockdown there are many businesses unable to operate from their usual premises under current government guidelines, many employees have reverted to working remotely from their homes.

The journey to becoming a technical founder is not as clear-cut as other career paths. Some careers have clear cut journeys. Doctors and nurses can expect university degrees, post-university education, residencies, clinics and more. Lawyers need to pass exams after post-university education.

It’s a complicated time to be a business owner, whether it’s a multinational company or a small enterprise. But while larger companies are having to make systematic changes to accommodate lockdowns, social distancing, and the other realities of COVID-19, many small businesses have been left adrift without clear guidance on how to proceed.

You can’t be what you can’t see. This is a phrase that crops up time and time again. We often see organisations pledge to take action to boost the number of opportunities for LGBT+ professionals to take up leadership positions; however there is still a lack of visible LGBT+ role models across business.

Even the biggest companies started with just an idea. While their founders all dreamed for their business to grow, we’re guessing most of them didn’t really imagine that their small spark will stand strong and eventually reach a global scale. But we didn’t come here to talk about their ideas, we’re here to talk about yours and how to turn it into a reality.

As everyone is gradually settling into the newer methods of working at the time of lockdowns such as collaboration and remote working, it is a good time to consider the professional skills you possess for increasing your worth as an employee. You must find out what skills have to be updated for meeting the changing demands. Most of the conventional professional development activities such as conventions, workshops, and conferences have been either postponed or cancelled.

Here are 7 key facts you need to know about starting a franchise business.

International travel has ground to a halt for the vast majority of us. While travel restrictions forced many of us to put our holiday plans on hold, the impact goes far beyond holidaymakers - many businesses have been forced to limit any corporate travel since the start of the pandemic.

This last 12 months has shown what businesses can achieve through the power of collaboration, some naming 2020 the year for brand partnership dominance. Businesses have had to co-operate in unique and creative ways to navigate a COVID-19 stricken world.

Job interviews are tough. Video interviews can be a disaster. Poor internet connection, the threat of a pet or child appearing in the background, and nowhere to hide from your own face as you try to concentrate on presenting the best version of yourself.

We all have an unconventional interest or two. From those who hand-make chess boards, to avid Tetris players, to people who have read every Austen novel twelve times, it's our hobbies that give life meaning and colour.

At the start of the pandemic, thousands of employees were forced to work from home overnight, resulting in businesses scrambling to adapt. In the coming days and weeks, digital adoption accelerated like never before.

Since the year began, entrepreneurs have observed a serious global economic downturn as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Small businesses have been impacted greatly by this crisis because they have limited resources to adapt to the changing context. If you own such a business, you must have experienced sales go down as well as an increased difficulty in accessing business inputs. While it might look like the end of your business, you should not despair.

In 2020 we experienced a lot of change to our working lives, with many of us turning to Google for tips and advice on working from home. Influenced by what we’ve all been searching over the past few months, Lauren Gordon, Behavioural Insights Adviser at Bupa UK shares the top workplace trends to follow for 2021 and tips on how to make these trends work for your physical and mental health.

Although we have bid a grateful farewell to 2020, the disruption and uncertainty we experienced are spilling over into 2021. If there is one thing that we learnt last year, however, it’s that we need to accelerate the pace of transformative change. Connected technology is of critical importance in this process, and is likely to be one of the key economic drivers going forward.

With most of the country on strict lockdown and no prospect of returning to the office any time soon, 2021 is playing out like much of last year so far, and people all over the country are understandably frustrated and tired. With uncertainty around the future and remote working continuing for most, staying motivated at work is crucial for us to maintain positive momentum and mindset this year.

With the COVID-19 crisis leaving the economy in turmoil and more than 800,000 people out of a job, the New Year heralds a fresh start for Britain’s entrepreneurs. Around 56,000 new businesses are expected to start-out this month - which is almost 2,000 a day.

AI has been identified by Deloitte analysts as the technology that is critical to ‘elevate the human experience’ and power successful next-generation customer service. This article will discuss how this advanced tech can help contact centres deliver a consistently high level of customer experience (CX) and ease internal contact centre pain points in a post-COVID world.

Despite the government relaxing or extending certain deadlines for several annual financial outgoings, such as insurance policies, mortgages and MOTs, the call to extend the 31st January 2019/20 self-assessment deadline was rejected.

Call it a New Year’s resolution or call it a business plan, it’s all the same in the world of startups. Setting goals and reaching for the stars is all part of the startup journey as you have to show vision, commitment, and determination in all that you do. The only difference is that it’s not about you, it’s about your business.

COVID-19 has put unimaginable pressure on small and medium sized businesses across the UK. For these businesses, now more than ever, cash flow is everything. Expenses play a major part in a business’ cash flow, and if handled correctly, can leave companies with a substantial pot of money at the end of each financial year.

‘I’ve had this idea…’ It’s apparently ideas that drive entrepreneurs. Spotting a gap in the market, formulating an amazing product or service that will answer it. Why hasn’t anyone thought of it before? Good ideas are everything when it comes to starting a business… That is, until you find yourself blindsided by an idea that doesn’t take you anywhere because it has no data to back it up. Because while ideas are the entrepreneur’s bread and butter, it’s data that powers their production. At least, that’s been my experience.

As the Corona Pandemic continues to derange the global supply chain processes and economy across the globe, consumers' inclination towards online buying has been increasing, resulting in many businesses switching to online to stay afloat during this challenging time.

Pivoting. Along with ‘unprecedented’, ‘lockdown’ and ‘the new normal’, it’s become somewhat of a buzzword over the last 12 months - and in the conversations I have among my business contacts, partners and stakeholders, rarely a day goes by where I don’t hear it used in one way or another.

Before we can begin to understand AI, we need to learn about the edge. A lot of people have never heard of the edge, but in truth it's a bit like the chicken and the egg - you can’t have one without the other. For clarity, the ‘edge’ we are talking about involves the device on which you’re reading this article.

There's no time like a crisis for entrepreneurship. Looking back, some of the most successful companies in the world were founded in times of economic and societal turmoil. It's no wonder that millions of people want to follow the example of their founders in these trying times.

Innovative companies around the world are realising their dreams and going to market with new and creative products and services. As they’re starting out, they often assemble teams of creative minds and experts in areas of product development, research, human resources, marketing, and more. More often than not, one key member of the team often omitted is the expert focused on intellectual property (IP) and patent strategy. This area is typically the last thing on an entrepreneur’s mind as they’re launching their business.

You might have a business plan but what happens when your business doesn’t, er, go to plan? You’ve invested time, money and effort in making sure your startup gets off the ground. Naturally, you want to protect it from any setbacks. 

From product launches to investor pitches, in the current climate, virtual events have become essential to businesses wanting to connect with their clients. But if you haven’t planned a virtual event before, it can seem daunting. With so many hosting options, plug-ins and technicalities to think about, where’s the best place to start? We’ve compiled some top tips to help simplify the planning and make your virtual event a success.

Despite home working remaining firmly on the agenda for the near future, more than a third of people (37%) admit they still don’t have a dedicated space to work from at home. What’s more, just a quarter of home workers have invested in comfortable seating (26%) or a desk (27%).

Small businesses have files that must be kept safe and secure. They include internal documents, corporation paperwork, financial statements, insurance documentation, and any documents with personal information. Although the attention is often on cyber attacks at large companies like Amazon, LinkedIn, and Equifax, smaller companies also experience their own share of data breaches.

Venture Capital Trusts were created 25 years ago as a means of effectively channelling government support towards the UK’s most dynamic early-stage businesses. Never has this been more important than in the midst of the current global pandemic.

As the UK is now in its third national lockdown, consumers and businesses are turning once more to remotely delivered services and digital experiences to survive in the coming month. As the world adapted to the impact of COVID-19, 2020 saw a rapid increase in digitisation, including from age groups that traditionally had been slower to adapt.

Over the past few years, we have seen considerable progress on gender equality within the workplace, with logistics providers outlining their commitments to building a more diverse pipeline of talent across all levels.

Every year, one in four of us will have a mental health problem according to Mind, with the COVID-19 pandemic placing further strain on our mental wellbeing. This means it is more than likely that a member of your team could be living with mental health issues.

2020 was a major challenge for small business owners and leaders, but despite the tough environment, the UK’s largest CEO peer network organisation Vistage’s CEO Confidence Index has revealed that there is resilience in the UK SME sector. As we enter the new year, the UK SME landscape is expected to pick up steam as the economy improves post COVID-19.

Few business leaders at the start of the pandemic would have thought that video conferencing would be anything more than a temporary solution to a temporary problem. Now, nine months down the line, we are still Zooming in order to hold business meetings. What was at first a safe and novel alternative, is now an exhausting chore.

The Global Talent visa is an immigration route to the UK launched in February 2020 to replace the Exceptional Talent visa. It is one of many immigration routes that businesses looking to employ foreign nationals could use but it often appeals to startups and SMEs because Global Talent visa holders do not require sponsorship from their prospective employers.

We’ve all seen such a huge upheaval for many organisations in the way they work, that it’s tempting to think that everyone was operating in traditional environments – think nine to five, fixed office, company-issued IT – right up until March 2020.

Choosing the right content management system (CMS) is one of the first decisions that needs to be made to build your website. We spoke to Bhavesh Nayi, Vice President at Django CMS Association who here explains the four main pillars to help you understand the best route to take!

Advances in technology have transformed the nature of consumption in almost every sector: it isn’t just the products we buy that are different, it is the way we buy them. But there is one sector which remains relatively untouched by the tech revolution, a sector responsible for over a billion trees falling every year, alongside 670 thousand tonnes of landfill in the UK and 10 million tonnes in the US: furniture.

As we prepare to enter a new year, businesses must take a moment to reflect on the last 12 months as they put plans in place for 2021. For most businesses, the events of 2020 will have been completely unprecedented and how each company has reacted to this crisis will be unique.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated many already-present trends in almost every aspect of our lives. For businesses, this has meant an accelerated reliance on technology. Of course, companies of all kinds have had to rely on technology for decades. But 2020 has forced organisations to entirely shift processes from the physical world to the digital one.

The recruitment landscape has changed dramatically. Just before the nation’s lockdown at the end of March, the industry was already feeling a slowdown which was driven by several things, including the looming uncertainty of Brexit. However, when COVID-19 hit, recruitment froze, and the industry became a ghost town; it was an anxiety-fuelled time for firms, their clients and their candidates.

As a writer, of course I think words matter to your business. But they really do. They are how you communicate to customers, stakeholder and employees. They are how customers experience your product. They are what sell you. They rouse people to action.

Preparing a new office environment is often an exciting time for everyone involved. In every room, you see opportunities, productivity, and progress. And yet, some leaders tend to get too carried away in the aesthetics and other meaningless factors, and don’t put enough effort into setting things up in a way that’s actually conductive to all that productivity they envision. If you want to keep things running smoothly, there are some modern approaches to certain aspects of office environment setup that you should pay close attention to.

Many industries have had to quickly adapt to new operational guidelines due to the coronavirus outbreak completely changing the economy and the way we live our lives. Many professions that the public took for granted were prevented from operating under their normal circumstances.

The past year has been make-or-break, not just for individual businesses but entire sectors.  Digitisation and market disruption are hardly new trends, but amidst a global pandemic, they have transformed the way we work, shop and live. Many of the businesses that stepped into the gap of legacy businesses have been scale-ups: fast-growth businesses on an upwards trajectory. Think of the likes of Deliveroo, Monzo and Cazoo. The question remains: will these businesses continue to grow once the pandemic has passed?

It’s been a tale of two halves for the startup scene this year. The pandemic has created both challenges and new opportunities - and for many, it’s been a mixed bag of muddling through and innovating out of a crisis. 

In the United States, almost half of adults (46.4%) will experience a mental illness during their lifetime. From 2005 to 2017, the number of reported mental health symptoms has increased by 52% in adolescents, and by 63% in young adults.

Business statistics show that 1.3 million business trips are taken in the United States every day. Amidst globalisation, more persons are embarking on business trips and this is because businesses extend beyond the border of their country. Before going on such a trip, adequate preparations must be made for it, as this will guarantee the success of the trip.

As we approach 2021, Michael Niddam, Managing Partner at Kamet Ventures shares his predictions about telemedicine, mental health, healthtech, and insurtech.

Asif Sadiq is an award-winning diversity and inclusion expert, now working as Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Adidas. Committed to creating inclusive corporate environments, Asif has also worked as Head of Diversity and Inclusiveness for EY Financial Services, and as Head of Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Unit for the City of London Police.

2020 has certainly been a challenging year for millions of businesses both UK and worldwide. From developing mass remote working policies at speed to ‘pivoting’ product and/or service offerings to appeal to a COVID-19 dominated target audience, it’s no secret that business leaders have had to remain flexible and agile in order to survive this turbulent time. Oliver Rowe, Co-Founder of events management solution, VenuIQ explains.

The North East of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Yorkshire & Humber are fast becoming new powerhouses for UK tech innovation.

The current business scene is extremely dynamic and competitive. To survive and thrive in such an environment, you must continuously develop new products to address customers’ ever-changing needs. And to do that you must understand how to bring a product idea to life. This guide will highlight the steps for developing a new product from concept generation to the introduction of the end product into the market.

The biggest marketing trend that we’ve seen throughout 2020 is the drive to build a strong personal brand. Customers are becoming savvy to the ethics and ethos of the businesses that they are buying from. They are being more discerning in their choices driven by the desire to do good and to avoid untrustworthy brands during an unpredictable time.

In this article, Tim Hardcastle, CEO and Co-founder of INSTANDA, shares what he thinks will be top of mind for insurers in 2021 and why technology will be critical.

Cyprus is wooing would-be investors to the island by massively speeding up the process allowing third-country nationals to establish new businesses there.

Finding suitable talent for your business has always come with its challenges, and 2020 has accelerated a shift in workplace culture that means a higher level of remote workers, searching for their perfect employment match, creates new hurdles for recruitment.

Looking back on 2020 and learning as many lessons as possible is a very worthwhile exercise for all of us. At the beginning of this series, nearly three months ago, I paraphrased a famous quote from the Monty Python film ‘Life of Brian’, and asked “what has 2020 ever done for us?” 

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.

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.

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.

Christmas this year won’t be the same as every other year. Regardless of where we live and how rigidly we stick to the rules, the gatherings are going to be smaller. It’s been an extraordinarily difficult year for us as individuals, as family members and as entrepreneurs.

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?

In part one, we discussed the key planning phase for your podcast including the all-important name, format and topic. In this article we’re going to take a look at the essential factors for recording your podcast, including how to produce a podcast remotely.

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.

Gone are the days where profit reigned supreme in a business’ strategy. Now, investors, customers and talented employees are all looking for businesses with a purpose they can buy into.

Startups are all about growth and achieving their potential almost from day one. For any business to succeed, though, it needs to have dedicated employees who put the time and effort into making things happen. Of course, you can’t expect to have that if you don’t do everything you can to make your workers feel valued.

Inevitably, the world will change once we have emerged from lockdown. With a heightened sense of hygiene and further concerns about workplace safety, employers will need to look closely at ways to reduce contact and move towards what is being touted as the Low Touch Economy. But how can this happen with as little disruption to business as possible?

As we continue to work towards the government’s net zero emissions by 2050 commitment, businesses are naturally becoming increasingly aware of the need to be more eco-friendly. Other strategies, such as the Clean Growth Strategy, which aims to promote economic growth at the same time as decreasing emissions, mean that the focus on having a positive effect on the environment is now higher than ever.

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the way the world works, and with UK workers working at home for the foreseeable future, it can be difficult to connect the workforce together. To support workers, flexible office specialist, Workthere, has shared five tips on how you can stay connected to your colleagues, both in and out of the office.

Relationship marketing is significant for all businesses. It is the customers who keep your business running. SEO for big brands can get them the necessary clients. But that is one aspect and keeping them is quite another story. Customer loyalty for your business can go a long way in maintaining a strong relationship with the customers.

In the space of just two months, the UK’s data watchdog, the ICO has dished out nearly £40m in personal data breach fines to some of the country’s best-known companies - British Airways, Marriott International and Ticketmaster. Whisper it quietly but the ICO’s burst of penalty decisions, coming after significant delays, goes some way to countering mutterings that the regulator lacked the will to take on large and well-resourced opponents.

When starting a business, the implementation of a Customer Relationship Management or ‘CRM’ system may seem like an unnecessary task but committing to it from the outset will save time, cost and resources when compared to installation at a later date.

Businesses, and indeed stock markets, hate uncertainty.  Sadly, there is no doubt that 2020 has been full of uncertainty at every stage.  And whilst the main focus, for very obvious reasons, has been on Covid-19 and all the trading and other ramifications that that has brought with it, it has not been the only source of major disruption this year.

In 2019, Elon Musk made headlines by touting AI as a “fundamental risk to the existence of civilisation”. Ironically - for a man in his line of work - Mark Zuckerburg countered this argument, describing the warnings as 'pretty irresponsible'.

Ask yourself, what would your 2020 have looked like without Zoom, Slack and Google Drive? If anything has stepped up and carried the load of remote working this year, it’s these tools.

It should come as no surprise that a strong environmental ethos within an organisation is a driving factor for many jobseekers when choosing where to apply for work. However, a recent report has detailed just how important sustainability aligned with social responsibility really is in terms of recruitment.

A staggering £4bn of investment went to UK tech companies in the first half of 2020. The British Business Bank’s recent Government report, together with recent surveys by leading investment platforms like Stakeholderz, show that despite the challenges posed this year, investors are continuing to back the UK’s high growth tech companies, with many indicating they will invest the same or more over the next year. Tech has long proved to be a lucrative and attractive sector for investors and entrepreneurs.

If you have just started a business, you would probably want to know how to get more customers from the get-go. It can be from knowing the way to success or even just having the welcoming body language that can either make or break a deal. You need to be careful as a salesperson - being nervous is easily visible.

Kanban has been around as a methodology since the '40s but is now getting more attention partly due to the increase in remote working and the popularity of agile and lean in every sector. While Kanban was originally applied to manufacturing, it can work in virtually any setting. It can be used as a stand-alone tool, or in conjunction with other agile management methods. Implementing it, however, can be easier said than done. Let's take a look at the steps you need to take to implement a Kanban system in your organisation.

Nine months on from the first outbreak of Covid-19 here in the UK and the virus remains the most-talked about news item. Whether it's radio shows discussing tiers or newspaper articles investigating possible PPE corruption, coronavirus continues to be the biggest story worldwide.

Back in January, it looked likely that employee share schemes would see reasonable growth across the country through 2020.

The fourth in our six part series of articles harnesses our Associate and Partner network and focusses on Founders and the complexities of relationship between Founders and Co-Founders - for better or for worse. "It's not you, it's me," how do you stop things going pear shaped at the top and what do you do if it does?

I love startup life. It has been my passion for many years now. In 2007, I launched my first company, Skimlinks from my apartment living room in Sydney. It grew to become a $50m-a-year revenue business, headquartered in London with offices in San Francisco and New York.

In the world of startups, scaling and sustainability are made to feel like opposites. You may have started with the best intentions, but as businesses grow it gets harder to ensure high ethical standards are met, particularly when faced with outdated industry practices and the pressure to keep down costs. The company values you wrote at your kitchen table start looking more like suggestions than rules to live by, and growth and greenness feel diametrically opposed. Sustainability just seems like a sacrifice you’ll have to make on the altar of profit and progress.

It seems that we’ve had so many turning points over the past few years, we’re running in circles. Landmark moments from Brexit to COVID-19 have completely shifted our personal lives, politics and the economy. Crises and moments of great change put us into reactive mode, and short-term fixes appear to be the only option. Looking for solutions which reap benefits and pay for themselves further down the line is a much bolder endeavour.

While the economic ramifications of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic are still very much a selection of rather worrying predicted lines and correlations on graphs, there is no doubt the world of commerce and industry is set to be deeply impacted in the long term, and likely changed for good, by the crisis.

There’s no question that 2020 has been an incredibly disruptive year for business, as both national and local shutdowns have forced many firms to temporarily shut up shop.

There is a misconception that the benefits of industrial robots are reserved for few manufacturing giants. However, according to the Robotics Industries Association (RIA), enterprises with less than 100 employees and less than ten robots represent a growing segment of the robotics market.

Our physical and mental health has been at the forefront of many of our minds during Coronavirus. So should we really also be worrying about financial health? The year of 2020 saw many employees furloughed and even made redundant, causing financial stress. However, there are also many people who have been lucky to be able to continue working during COVID-19.

As we all know, branding is something that can make or break your business - a blueprint for how you want the world to see your company. Despite this however, it is something that is still chronically misunderstood – to the point where it is sometimes ignored altogether.

Ten percent of the population are believed to be dyslexic, but it is still often poorly understood. With the right support, the strengths and talents of dyslexic people can shine. So how come workplaces have yet to wake up?

According to statistics, the average business grows at an estimated 15% per annum, yet just four percent manage to reach that magic £1m turnover mark.

2020 has been an unusual year for businesses. Every industry has been affected by the pandemic in some way, whether that’s for better or worse. As companies continue to try and navigate these difficult times, it’s essential to find ways to thrive and keep the money coming in.

Running an organisation free of issues is what everyone wants. No business wants to fall victim to cyber attacks. However, that's not always the case. Day in day out, cyber criminals are devising means of compromising businesses. According to Purplesec, Cyber crime is up by 600% due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some other factors, such as software issues, make enterprises insecure.

In this article we will discuss no code, the no code startup and the no-code revolution and how it will impact businesses and the world around us. So, what is no code? No idea? Well, essentially it allows programmers, and perhaps more importantly, non-programmers, to create application software through graphical user interfaces and configuration instead of using traditional computer programming (or coding).

If you run a business that relies on vehicles for operations, it can become more and more difficult to manage the fleet as it grows. Keeping the fleet in good working order, making sure that driver safety is a top priority, and saving money on maintenance and repairs can all become much harder to manage as your vehicle numbers rise. Because of this, it’s no surprise that many growing fleet-based companies are turning to fleet management companies. But is this the right solution for your company? Here are some reasons why it might be the best idea.

Two decades ago, London was the place to be. The bustling environment of city life was a haven of opportunity, both personal and professional. Students, graduates, young professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs had their sights set on the cool bars of Soho and classy ‘lunch and learns’ in the hotspots of the capital while enthusiastically scribing their first business plans on whatever napkin or beer mat happened to be available; it was the only place to be.

Bored of the adage 'If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail'? You're not alone. Sadly, truisms - much like a parent's advice - tend to be worth heeding. When it comes to funding, it's best to do it well in advance. Too many companies leave it until there's a cashflow crunch before acting. As trusted advisers, accountants need to play the role of parent, use their wisdom to identify future funding opportunities, model a couple of scenarios, and help clients find a source of finance that doesn't leave them with unfavourable terms.

As December approaches, firms of all sizes will be planning their strategy for 2021. The second lockdown in England has brought yet another blow to the business world, and proves that industries will continue to be impacted by COVID restrictions and a new way of working. Planning for 2021 may be challenging this year, especially for small firms who have found their usual service heavily disrupted.

The need for specific employable skills in the workplace is essential. Attracting and acquiring new talent to all industries is a competitive field, with more students leaving school and attending university than ever before.

Of all the industries in the world, the jewellery business is one of the most traditional and old-fashioned. It is also the most reliant on direct interaction between master craftsmen and merchants. The most precious metals and stones in the world pass from hand to hand in a supply chain that has barely changed in hundreds of years.

On 25th November 2020, the EU Commission published a new intellectual property action plan.  The action plan, touted as “an intellectual property action plan to support the EU’s recovery and resilience” outlines possible future moves, noting that intangible assets are “the cornerstone of today’s economy”, with IPR-intensive industries generating 29.2% (63 million) of all jobs in the EU during the period 2014-2016, and contributing 45% of the total economic activity (GDP) in the EU worth €6 trillion.

For many, December will soon mark almost eight months of continuously working from home, a complete shift from normality when it comes to working and riding the balance between work and home life. Google trends data also reveals searches for ‘burnout’ peaking as the UK entered a second national lockdown earlier in November.

Following the recent lockdown #02, there has never been a more important time to focus on wellbeing for clients and employees and of course yourself! I wanted to share what we have been doing at Clockwise to support everyone we work with.

If you own or run a small or medium sized business (SMB), chances are you’ve heard a lot about data: how it can give you new customer insights, tell you more about your staff, or help you make better business decisions. All of that may be true, but you’re also likely thinking about one key question: how does data help me boost my revenue?

One of the top ten reasons why startups fail is lack of financing and investor interest. That is why fundraising is an important part of a startup journey. There are some principles following which might increase your chances for success in closing your next investment round.

Many small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups will be entering uncharted waters with this year’s peak retail season. The past several months have radically changed business operations, and current health and safety restrictions have accelerated the trend in consumer spending online.

As we near the end of a year unlike any other, many business owners will be hoping for a more optimistic 2021 and preparing to turn a new leaf. The crisis is not over yet, but it has already shown us the importance of resilience, resourcefulness, and vigilance for businesses and there are many key lessons for us to carry into the New Year.

A leading business insurance broker has urged firms and SMEs to get new insurance quotes in 2021. Get Indemnity, the digital insurance broker polled 650 SMEs and found that 68% of participants had not sought alternative insurance quotes in the past three years - and a further 32% had not applied for new quotes in the past five years.

With the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing and uncertainty over when we will be returning to our offices, every company big and small is now adjusting to remote working.

Although many businesses are currently able to access significant finance via the various Government-backed loan schemes, which have recently been extended until January 2021, not every business is willing or able to accrue additional debts.

Starting a business may be exciting, however there are a few things that you need to make sure that you get right from the beginning. Here are some of the top tips that I share in my new book, BOSS IT.

Starting a business is hard. You only need to look at the failure rate to confirm it. And that’s in a normal, non-pandemic year. For anyone starting out now or looking to do so soon the challenges are astronomical. This is because as well as all the normal startup hurdles involving financing, staffing, cash-flow and the like, businesses are beset with a legacy of COVID-19 and the wider economic ramifications it will leave.

Xilinx Ventures, the corporate venture programme of US technology company Xilinx, has invested over $125m in more than 30 global startup businesses over the last three years, covering technologies in data center, communications, machine learning, automotive, edge computing, and innovative silicon design. It therefore seemed an ideal port of call for this issue’s Startups Launchpad feature. We caught up with Sagi Paz, Head of Xilinx Ventures, and Patrick Rundell, Manager at Xilinx Ventures, to find out more.

From full national lockdown and the gradual easing of constraints, to a three-tiered regional system of restrictions and then back into another national lockdown. It’s been a long and arduous time for everyone since COVID-19 first reached our shores earlier this year, and even more so for the many hardworking business owners up and down the country trying to keep disconnected workforces operating smoothly.

Podcasts are a great way to build your brand and tell the story of your business. Over the past five years, there has been an explosion in the number of corporate and business podcasts available and with it a growth in engaged podcast audiences. According to a September 2019 Ofcom report over seven million people in the UK listen to podcasts each week, a 24% growth over the previous 12 months.

Anyone digesting the headlines and latest research over the last few weeks would be forgiven for believing things have never been so bad for small business.

The UK’s path to Brexit has not been an easy one. Since the 2016 EU Referendum the country has experienced three different Prime Ministers, a global pandemic and a recession; all have which have made an inevitably difficult negotiation process even more complicated.

Pandemic is a relatively new word to most of us. Not that we do not fully understand what it means, more that we had little use for it before March this year.

E-commerce is something many of us have experienced, but how popular is it, and should you be prioritising ecommerce when looking to sell to customers? 

It is a continuously changing and fast-paced world. For maintaining the competitive advantage you need to have systems in place in the commercial market for scaling and adapting as necessary. More than 50% of the global merchandise trade in the year 2018 was focused around 10 localised economies.

From the ongoing pandemic and climate change to the fight for greater inclusivity and diversity across society, the world is currently facing a number of social and economic challenges.

In the second part of this business mix article series we see Brash Solutions Limited focus on technology. But not the sexy tech of product development, more the ‘behind the scenes tech’ that keeps you operating and secure – a real fundamental backbone to the operations of every business, regardless of size.

This week is Global Entrepreneurship Week, designed to celebrate ambitious individuals within the business world, and those who have believed in their own abilities and branched out on their own. Despite the waves of shock that the pandemic has brought to the business world, there has been a 12% increase in new businesses starting during 2020 already compared to 2019.

With much of the UK still in the midst of a national lockdown and the majority of high street stores temporarily closed, the online activity surrounding Black Friday (taking place on November 27th) is set to be higher this year than ever before.

Thousands of new businesses are setting up during the pandemic, a new report has revealed. 'How Startsups Can Kickstart The Economy', published by law-firm, Harper James Solicitors, details how 41,620 more incorporations happened in the first quarter of 2020 than in the first quarter of 2012. This represents an increase of almost a third (32.5%).

Startup founders tend to share a common personality trait - one which makes them the ‘doers’, the kind of person who believes in action and knows that ‘if you want a job done properly, you do it yourself’.

In the UK alone, there are hundreds of thousands of new businesses opened up each year, and it’s a number that’s only getting bigger. Whether your startup is based around technology, products or services, these businesses represent a massive part of the UK industry. With the rapid growth and an increasingly tech-savvy approach to getting things done, startups in the UK are the perfect fit for the growing number of apprentices. Here are just some of the main reasons why startups and apprentices are the perfect fit for one another.

Thinking about starting a business? We spoke to Ollie Collard, Virgin StartUp advisor and founder of Enterprise Orchard, to find out what you need to consider first.

Most businesses have a website. Fact. But what role does it play in the overall strategy of your business? Now that global business is going through one of the toughest and most challenging times, you might need to blow the cobwebs off your website as it could be what actually saves your business.

For everyone around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed many aspects of all of our lives. But what lessons have we learned about virtual verses reality? In many ways, it is those that work that have seen the largest changes. Before 2020, the chances are that if you asked your boss if you could work from home they would have come up with many reasons why it was not possible and, if you were allowed, it would only be very rarely, and you would be made to feel as though you had been given a great favour.

Customer service organisations need to prioritise business continuity plans to ensure their customer service efforts remain unaffected by any future disruption. That means investing in digital contact centre technology to emerge from the disruption with both customers and employee satisfaction intact.

If your business is doing well in the local market it is normal for the entrepreneur to think of expanding the business internationally to attract new prospects. You will find many advantages of taking your business forward internationally including newer opportunities in the sales and growth sectors and there are more opportunities to make your business more competitive in your niche market.

Subscriptions seem to be everywhere around us these days; they are here, and they’re growing more than ever. The benefits of shifting to a subscription model is motivating many of today’s disruptive tech companies. Take a look at Apple, for instance; this is a company that used to be known for their premium consumer devices, and now they have expanded their business to offer additional services and subscriptions.

The logical place to start when launching a new product is to understand who your customer is and to get inside their heads. What drives them? What excites them or makes their life easier? Where do they hang out, online or in the physical world? What frustrates them?

Entrepreneurs spot gaps and opportunities. What sets them aside is that they have the drive, energy and ambition to turn those opportunities into successful business ideas. What they often lack is the right guidance and expertise to make it happen.

business mix Limited does two things; we help large organisations operationalise their innovation strategy and, more importantly here, we support startup and SME sized companies with their operational growth. But the sizzle to our sausage is that collaboration is absolutely at the heart of everything we do. We deliver first class services to our clients yes, but we’re a community and network fundamentally. 

UK businesses have been doing it tough in 2020 and with the recent announcement of the UK's unemployment rate jumping to 4.8%, as 314,000 people lose their jobs, there is no denying many companies will be facing an economic downturn.

The sudden move to working from home has been a challenge for many SMEs. With smaller teams often benefitting from close knit relationships with their colleagues, COVID-19 is forcing many businesses to reconsider their approach to employee wellbeing. In many cases, however, this is easier said than done, with research from Wildgoose finding that nearly half (47%) of employees at SMEs are finding that their mental health has been negatively impacted by the pandemic.

Simply put, working in a team means collaborating with other people to achieve a common goal. This, of course, presents several benefits. For starters, working together in a project ensures that work is completed on time, hitting deadlines much easily. What’s more, a team pulls together people with different talents and skills, making problem-solving easier and enhancing creativity and innovation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has crippled numerous aspects of our lives, and quickly escalated into one of the most profound healthcare crises’ the world has faced to date. Whilst the health impact has been widely reported across the globe, we are also seeing alarming ripple effects of the pandemic in other areas, which are going unnoticed.

When it comes down to managing one’s personal health, small changes can lead to significant improvements, according to Sarah Bolt, the founder and CEO of Forth, a digital healthcare service in the UK. Self-improvement starts from within, and Sarah is the ambassador of this belief; Sarah is championing the innovation of personalised biomarker profiling to help others with self-improved health. Forth’s biomarker profiling starts with an at-home blood testing kit that is sent back to the lab where it is analysed for over 50 key internal biomarkers integral to good health. By reporting the results to an app, it shows users how the body is performing, allowing them to optimise their lifestyles to reach their personal best.

Halloween may have just passed, but it feels like this whole year has featured lots of tricks and very few treats. Before January 1st rolls around, we’ll have experienced two national lockdowns, a huge cultural shift to working from home on a mass scale, and many will have felt enormous mental and emotional strain as a result.

Having the ability to work from anywhere, on a device that’s secure and appropriate for your workload is now more critical than ever, as we embrace working away from crowded offices for the foreseeable future.

Heather Monro, an executive coach, leadership consultant and speaker at Impact International here reflects on the higher-stage leadership that is called for in these uncertain times.

COVID-19 has changed the way we work forever, with limited in-office hours and lockdown 2.0 seeing hundreds of businesses going back to 100% remote work, there has been a dramatic rise in demand for surveillance software that monitors employee activity.

Lockdown has been a massive change for almost everyone across the world, both in our personal lives and in our profession.

We are failing to meet our CO2 emission goals, seeing widespread overexploitation, and entering a sixth mass extinction event. This doesn’t bode well for a strong economic future. The science screams for urgent action, yet society seems to be slumped, dragging its feet towards a more sustainable future.

The word 'disruption' has long been a buzzword in startups and small businesses looking to take on larger rivals, often with a reputation for doing things a certain - old fashioned - way. The global energy market has been flooded with 'disruptors' while the multi-billion pound FinTech industry has long revelled in its 'challenger' moniker.

It was 2am on a cold December morning when I attempted to get a ride home after a rather disappointing Christmas party. I pulled out my phone and opened up Bolt. At that time of night drivers were few and far between. I was matched with a driver on the other side of the Thames to myself with an estimated arrival time of 27 minutes.

$6tn in the next five years, this is how much the world will spend through contactless payments, according to analyst firm Juniper Research. For many of us who have discovered and since relied heavily on contactless payments since its introduction in 2007, either through card, phone, or watch, or those of us who have taken a stroll down a COVID-era high-street to see shop windows adorned with 'card payment only' signs, this is hardly a surprise.

COVID-19 has driven a period of rapid adoption for digital technologies amid a climate of business contraction and job losses, but I encourage you to try to look behind the headlines for something more positive. I believe that this can be found in the statement: "The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated changes already occurring in society.” 

Since the beginning of the year, wellbeing has been a prominent topic of interest among Brits, in fact, searches for the term ‘wellbeing’ have increased by 257% in the past five months. As people continue to spend more time indoors, Rebecca Snowden, Interior Style Advisor at FurnitureChoice.co.uk, explains how to create a calming oasis to maintain wellbeing at home.

We’ve all heard of the importance and growing demand for authentic branded content over the years, but what does it actually mean and how can you set to achieve this within your business?

The international pandemic has forced every founder to re-evaluate their strategy, urgently! I’ve paid close attention to the media and have noticed that the business model pivot topic has certainly been well covered. The article that surprised me the most, was one by Sifted that referenced a Station F survey of VC funded startups in Europe, the USA and Israel. The stat that grabbed me was this one: 80% of the startups involved had gone through some kind of business model pivot in the last few months. That’s a lot of change, especially considering that startups are also dealing with other challenges related to the pandemic.

Historically, startups based in the regions have been 50% less likely to secure funding than those in London. This has created a situation where 72% of all venture capital deals in the UK involve London companies.

The worldwide pandemic COVID-19 has been dictating where and how businesses operate. The lockdown forced (and continues to force) many companies into a state of ‘remote working’. With little time to prepare, many startups have been scrambling to find new ways to communicate, collaborate and share valuable business information.

Remote working is here to stay. According to a survey by KMPG, 68% of CEOs are planning to move operations online and downsize office spaces. As more businesses realise that employees do not need to be under the same roof to be successful, they are considering how to embrace a more flexible work environment.

Like pretty much everything else that has happened so far in 2020, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are going to look a bit different this year. When we think of Black Friday, we imagine bustling crowds swarming into shops and busy customers, battling to bag a bargain. This year, however, 70% of consumers say that they're not planning on returning to physical shops for the foreseeable future. This means retailers need to take an online-first approach to Black Friday. 

Today’s workplace culture has many employees feeling the pressure to turn up to the office at all costs, even when ill; however, the global pandemic COVID-19 has shown it is more critical than ever for businesses to tackle the widespread challenge of 'presenteeism' especially when majority are working from home.

With the ever-growing numbers of people who are in the white collar jobs, against the very limited space in towns and cities where most people would prefer to get an office, there is a need to put up offices in homes. Also in this pandemic season, working from home has become a part of the new normal. Remote working has greatly helped in decongesting offices and minimising the need for daily commute.

Company culture has a big effect on our overall happiness and wellbeing. A toxic workplace culture can impact someone so dramatically that it affects their performance and can create a ripple effect into their families’ lives. By having a supporting, caring and inspiring working environment, employee health is improved which impacts the business’ bottom line through increased productivity and the creation of positive brand ambassadors for your business.

As many UK businesses begin to reopen, investor eyes will be sharply focused on whether startup companies can withstand the ongoing COVID-19 storm. However, investors do not need to stand by nervously as these fortunes are gradually revealed. By being actively engaged in the development of portfolio companies, investors can not only identify earlier the budding businesses likely to emerge strongest, they can also move quickly to help the most challenged.

The Coronavirus is spreading like wildfire all over the world and because of that, it’s becoming more and more difficult for businesses to keep their operations going. Since March this year, 40% of all businesses in the United States have been closed down because of the Coronavirus. Due to that, many businesses are faced with more challenges than usual.

Traditionally, the office has been a place we go to in order to work. But with almost three quarters (74%) of firms planning to maintain increased levels of home working after the pandemic, according to research from the Institute of Directors, are the days of the physical office numbered?

Downsizing a business is never an easy task, however, with many businesses not performing up to standard as a result of the pandemic it has become necessary. Richard Wayman, CIA Landlord’s Finance Director reveals the most important factors to consider when downsizing during the pandemic.

In the past three years, I have worked with a number of businesses and clients from all sizes of company and all industries. Whilst the companies and people differ, one thing is constant for nearly every single person I have met since starting my consultancy: most people fear, hate or avoid selling.

Brexit immigration is one of the shocking events that shocked the world, specifically the UK citizens. The changes that have been foreseen due to these changes predict a huge transition in the economy and the country at large. As the decision was made in June 2016, the majority vote made the UK exit the European Union severely. The Brexit mainly affects the immigrants predominantly leaving them with terms and conditions that they need to follow, and this article highlights some of the impacts of this legal move.

The virtual conference has become all the rage and is now becoming common practice within many businesses working routine. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced business owners in all sectors to reassess how they communicate with their clients, colleagues, and audiences.

With the second wave of the pandemic upon us, many business owners will be prioritising their finances to ensure they can continue to provide a service for their clients and customers.

It is hard to imagine a single business that has not suffered disruption and loss as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is therefore no surprise that business insurance and in particular, business interruption insurance, has become a subject of great importance recently in the boardrooms of so many UK businesses. Here, Jonathan Cole, Solicitor at Goodman Derrick LLP gives us this tips on obtaining effective business insurance.

I’m going to start off where all good stories about human evolution should... close your eyes and imagine you’re a neanderthal walking through a jungle.

The amount of fraud that companies face on a daily basis has rapidly increased since the beginning of the global pandemic. Country-wide lockdowns saw customers forced to move many aspects of their lives online, whether for shopping or socialising. To keep up with these changing behaviours, companies have had to enter the digital arena, many for the first time.

If you're a self-employed tradesperson, driver, beautician, or hairdresser, there are things you can do now, before January's tax return deadline, to avoid being stung for tax you can't afford.

Business videos attract customers through eight marketing channels at once. EIGHT! And all eight can be used simultaneously! We conducted a survey and found that on average customers use no more than two of them. Don't do that. Since you paid for a cool video, make the most of it!

This year has been more turbulent than most. From setting out strategic business goals to embarking on new personal adventures, plans set out - in all aspects of life - have been well and truly rumbled. However, as businesses try to navigate the choppy waters posed by the pandemic and the changing needs of their people, customers and suppliers, they should strive to take advantage of this window of opportunity by rethinking how they operate.

The Secret Leaders Podcast is now launching its sixth season (starting with John Cleese), Secret Leaders has rapidly grown into one of the UK’s most popular business podcasts (often ranking number 1 according to Apple). Hosted by serial founder Dan Murray-Serter whose entertaining but intimate style allows him to elicit surprising and personal revelations from his guests, and here we get a chance to read about some of the first episode.

Starting a business can seem like a daunting prospect, given that if you Google 'startups and fail', there are lots of articles on the percentage of startups that fail before they get going, which could put you off even getting started. However, by being well prepared and informed before you start the process, you may be able to avoid some of the common pitfalls and become one of the 2/10 startups that succeed.

Computer vision has established itself as a worthy addition in a gamut of industries. Including automobile, education, healthcare, e-commerce, agriculture and more. It has managed to create a niche segment for itself, making it an absolute essential for industries to maintain their position staunchly in the market. Here ICarta Technologies delves into the world of computer vision, particularly in automation.

In business, it is always important to react to changing circumstances and this has never been more true than in 2020. Regular readers will know that I have written a lot this year about adapting and pivoting but this week I wanted to look at something that can be an aspect of that but also has an impact on most other aspects of business – speed.

Today, organisations of all types are having to change their perspective - of how to do business, of how to collaborate with remote employees, of how to best engage with customers, and more.

Since its launch in 2012, leading global e-learning platform, Preply has experienced huge global growth, especially across the last 12 months during the peak of the pandemic.

There aren’t many positive stories to emerge from the current global pandemic crisis but perhaps one was the beneficial impact that ‘lockdown’ had on areas of the environment.

There is a lot of wisdom that comes from having built up a successful sustainable business from the ground-up. Although I can now attribute them as 'learnings', many purpose-led start-ups perceive them to be modern-day taboos. The truth is, for your startup to not be a part of the 20% that don’t survive beyond their first year, or the 60% that go bust within their first three years, you need to be able to dispel the following five taboos for your startup to thrive.

Lockdown changed the rulebook for how we live and work, for all of us. As entrepreneurs, we have the in-built advantage that we’re wired to manage uncertainty and finding solutions is our happy place. Only this time, it was without the backdrop of our gloriously airy EC2 co-working space, surrounded by my talented team and fuelled by yummy flat whites from the local coffee shop. It was happening from my home-office, in isolation, in a London that was quickly becoming unfamiliar.

There is no denying that 2020 has been an extremely difficult year for the healthcare industry. COVID-19 continues to bring challenges to the delivery of all aspects of hospital and community care and the need for innovation has, arguably, never been greater. Fortunately, the healthtech ecosystem in the UK is as vibrant as ever and entrepreneurs across the space have responded by working tirelessly to solve the problems thrust upon clinicians and patients.

You never know where inspiration can hit. This was the experience of Jonathan Merry, founder, and CEO of MoneyTransfers.com. While traveling the world, he struggled to avoid accruing fees on his travels - so the idea for a better money transfer experience was born.

As the ongoing economic impacts of COVID-19 continue to be felt, there is an often-forgotten segment that has the potential to spearhead the UK’s re-growth in years to come. Pre starts, startups and SME’s hold the potential to move at pace and expand quickly to support a fledgling economy, provided they receive the right support at the right time and most importantly, at the right price.

At a startup, you are most likely to come across Intellectual Property (IP) due diligence in the form of investors conducting due diligence prior to investing or from potential partners or collaborators seeking to work with your company or license in your IP. It is important to know what to expect so you can present your company in its best light. You may also wish to conduct your own IP due diligence on other companies prior to working with them or licensing them your technology.

Voice Assistants are the trendsetters for voice tech. They have revolutionised the way we live our lives. In 2019, the global user base of voice assistants was 3.25 billion. What might amaze you is that the same is estimated at almost eight billion units, that is, even more than the global population! Here ICarta Technologies tells us more about the voice technology landscape.

Since the launch of London’s Silicon Roundtable in 2008, UK tech startups have enjoyed more than a decade of strong interest from Venture Capitalists (VCs). Spurred on by the success of fast-growth consumer tech companies like Uber or Deliveroo, VCs have sought out startups that could break into the public zeitgeist to become the world’s next big thing. This culminated in more than $13bn being pumped into British technology startups in 2019. Then, the pandemic struck.

Coronavirus has created many challenges for businesses and an area of discussion that has rapidly escalated in importance is around protection. Protection should always be an area of priority for a business, but the situation we find ourselves in has understandably brought this topic to the fore.

It’s been two years since the very first digital tax pilot from HMRC, commonly known as Making Tax Digital (MTD). Initially, HMRC required UK businesses above the VAT threshold to process their returns digitally. It has now been announced that businesses that are VAT registered and are below the VAT threshold must also be compliant with MTD, from April 2022. The self employed and landlords must be compliant by April 2023.

COVID-19 has made history by affecting each industry in the world. From the lockdown that caused the closure of businesses to people adapting to work from home, there is a need to identify strategies of how businesses will be run going forward. The pandemic has disrupted how people socialise as well as their shopping patterns. To adapt to this new normal, business owners have to make significant adjustments to reach out to their customers or less they risk failure.

Communication has always been key in running a business, and indeed in most other aspects of our lives. In 2020 many lessons have been learned or reinforced and it has reminded us all how very unpredictable life can be. But one of the most obvious changes that should be apparent to all, has been in the way that companies are communicating.

When launching a health app, it is always about convincing other people to change the habits of a lifetime. When we began pitching Joint Academy to physiotherapists - top-level professionals who had always treated patients hands-on and face-to-face - they initially saw no reason why they would ever do physio remotely.

It’s difficult to catch news that is not connected to COVID-19 or the US presidential campaign at the moment. In light of COVID-19’s impact on the employment market, at the end of September the Prime Minister vowed that 'radical changes' were being introduced to the UK’s adult education system.

It's tough as a founder on so many levels. As an investor in B2B startups, I’ve seen many of the same mistakes made - here are some thoughts on maybe trying to avoid some of the biggest pitfalls.

Teamwork involves people working together to complete a task or achieve a particular common goal. In any organisation, a team works to maximise effectiveness in the company and raise the morale, creativity, planning, efficiency, initiative as well as learning.

Many entrepreneurs' daily focus has gone from doing business as usual to doing everything to fight for survival. It’s not easy to run a business during times of COVID-19, especially when you’re in an industry where you rely on people physically coming in. Mike Jordan, CEO of Summit Defence, has put together ten tips to make sure your retail business or restaurant is COVID-proof.

During lockdown in the UK, there was no question that SME businesses and local traders were hit hard. Around 80% of small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK have seen a revenue impact in the last few months, due to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and the subsequent lockdown.

I’m Jamie Martin and I’m an experienced Sales Trainer. Even more importantly I’m a Business Millennial, born between 1980 and 1994 and I’m a thought leader. 

The last few months have been the most challenging period for many UK business leaders. The coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent economic downturn have thrown the workplace out of kilter, requiring CEOs and senior leaders to be more present in every facet of the business.

The first lesson to be drawn from 2020, and undoubtedly the biggest lesson, is that the future is unpredictable. All of us in our personal and business lives try to predict the future to some extent, as this is what enables us to lay plans for the future.

Startups Editor Anna Flockett talks to Murata’s Mitch Nozaki, EMEA facilitator for their Open Innovation website, about why the electronics company is looking to collaborate with startups.

Despite not feeling safe to socialise with anyone for the last six months, I've understood 'community' in new and wonderful ways.

Saturday 10th October is World Mental Health Day. It arrives during the strangest time we’ll ever likely face in our lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each year’s theme is set by the World Federation for Mental Health, and this year’s is 'mental health for all'. This encourages us to think of different demographics and communities of people and how they are faced with issues and problems in their lives.