The COVID-19 pandemic has forced businesses of all shape and size to adapt, adjust and pivot in response to the ‘new normal’. Whilst larger businesses - who suffer from being less nimble than their startup counterparts - have faced unique difficulties, startups – who lack the cash reserves and structure of larger businesses – have also faced their own challenges. Many startups have had to fundamentally reconsider their business models and how they operate as a result.

I founded Just Helpers after seeing first-hand the exploitation which migrant workers – and particularly women – were experiencing in our cities. I wanted to offer an alternative – a cleaning business which paid fairly, offered decent working conditions and developed potential in our people.

As businesses develop, so do their ideas and offerings. This often leads to an expansion in a business’ IP portfolio. Due to the public disclosure associated with Intellectual Property (IP) rights, monitoring your competitors’ application filings may provide insight into their future offerings and business direction.

It's well known that loyalty schemes are a hugely successful marketing tactic in the UK with notable successful programmes such as Nectar, Tesco Clubcard and Morrisons having helped drive customers to businesses.  

Have you ever wondered that why is leadership development important for every workplace? The most straightforward answer to this question is that leadership skills ensure the team stays on track, achieves goals, and keeps the business profitable.

Growing up, many people considered the games I played to be a distraction from the ‘important’ things in life, such as my education and career development. However, as a member of the ‘gamer generation’, I see how much we are overturning this view. Along with many others, I believe games offer a huge amount of business learnings that as startup leaders, we can capitalise upon.

The challenges faced by small businesses over the past year have had a profound impact on global economies. This is unsurprising given that they account for more than two-thirds of global employment and contribute up to half of national global GDP.

It’s awards season and businesses of all shapes and sizes are launching themselves into the spotlight to bring home the trophies! As a consultant helping SME businesses with sales and marketing, I’m proud to have written entries for 10 winning finalists so far this year.

While the heroic abilities of the NHS have been on display throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the last year has also exposed the longstanding limitations and frailties of our underfunded healthcare system.  

If the last 18 months have been bad for everyone in business, they’ve been disproportionately bad for the self-employed.

Launched in 2017, Huboo is one of the UK’s fastest growing fulfilment providers, working with more than 800 eCommerce retailers worldwide. Renowned for its unique ‘micro hub’ technology, which enables online retailers of all sizes to access a complete end-to-end fulfilment operation within minutes, Huboo has grown dramatically over the past few years - expanding its total UK warehouse space to 11,000sqm, and growing its team to 250 people.

Did you know that 14% of startups fail because of a poor marketing strategy? When you start a business with limited resources, you want to make sure that you're not wasting any of your resources. 

Molex Ventures was founded in 2013 as a strategic organisation designed to accelerate change and transformation through engagement with the innovation ecosystem. It leverages corporate venture capital to invest in startups and incubate organic ideas that have strategic alignment to the future growth opportunities of Molex.

As we all know by now, the road to startup success can be a dangerous one fraught with hazards, and success can often come at a price. Someone who knows that more than most is speaker, CEO, entrepreneur and executive coach, Daryl Woodhouse.

Many people see processing a payroll as a monotonous task and one to leave to the pen-pushers. However, having a successful process leads to employees being paid the right amount, on time. Payroll is a large part of the day-to-day running of a business and has over recent years become burdensome on business with the introduction of regular electronic filings and auto-enrolment compliance for pensions. There are also many penalty provisions available to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to penalise for incorrect and late filings.

According to the Project Management Institute, project success depends on whether it’s delivered on time and the cost doesn’t exceed its budget. It’s even more important to consider if the delivered IT product works as it was intended, people within the company can use it and it ultimately meets that goal that drove the project initially.

As we all prepare for the reality of returning to the office, businesses are asking for more in a workspace - from allowing 'pandemic pets' in the building, to flexible contracts, and creating an environment which keeps employees' physical and mental wellbeing front of mind.

You are a startup, you've got investment, and you are ready to take on the world... but have you got solid ‘brand’ foundations in place to succeed when so many startups don’t?

Naturally, large and small businesses have innumerate differences in their motivations and capacity to operate. For instance, SMEs commonly benefit from the flexibility imparted by smaller and more focussed teams, with ownership often aligning with management. Conversely, they may have less financial freedom to invest in diversifying or building the kind of economies of scale enjoyed by more established enterprises.

New regulations for more sustainability in the European Union: on 10 February 2021, the EU adopted a tightened version of the Circular Economy Action Plan. Among other things, this plan deals particularly with the top of the sustainability chain, more specifically with specifications for a more sustainable product design. Bennet Barth, Program Director RESPOND at the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt, explains what startup founders should look out for if they want to make their products more sustainable.