It has been over two years since the pandemic led to a large section of the population working from home. However, with the easing of COVID restrictions, the anticipated rush to return to the office has not materialised. Although there has been a general inclination to return after prolonged periods of working in isolation, COVID’s lingering nature, its many variants, and general uncertainty about whether a return to the office is really needed, has led to wide-spread inertia. 

In 1975, when the UK first made it illegal to discriminate in the workplace on the grounds of sex, it’s unlikely that many people in the workforce had a formal “mentor”. Yet so many of us can recall how the guidance of one person, be it a teacher or senior colleague, had a profoundly positive impact on the direction of our lives and careers.

Being a freelancer is amazing, you can control your professional and personal life, make sure they don't overlap, and also take an opportunity to establish a fruitful business you're the sole responsible for.

Dr Jeffery Timmons of Babson College in Massachusetts developed the Timmons Model of Entrepreneurship during his PhD thesis at Harvard University. This model has now become a well-known guide for entrepreneurs on how to increase their chances of success. Basically, he states that the success of a startup business hinges on the entrepreneur, the (market) opportunity and the resources.

Whether this is your first business, a new enterprise, or a brand within your existing company, choosing the right name is a vital part of its success. There are many factors to consider and, as IP and business name experts, we’ll take you through the process to ensure you’re off to the best start.

No matter how promising your startup idea is and how airtight your financials are, it's simply a fact that you will not succeed without the right people on your team. Hiring talent is crucial for startup success and should be your top priority as a founder.

A successful team will be the foundation of any efficient and thriving business, no matter what industry the company is in. Even in high pressure industries, having a good team will make a big difference and will dictate how the company progresses and performs.

Cross-border commerce has created a new digital age of endless possibility. Brands and companies can expand into untapped markets, as well as grow their visibility with potential new consumers who aren’t dependent on localised commerce.

Creating a highly engaged workforce and a thriving workplace continues to be a major focus for all HR managers. And the reason is simple. Every business needs what employee engagement creates: happier and more productive employees.

Creating and presenting a pitch deck is always a daunting prospect. Especially when you’re new to the process. Just knowing what information to include can be a minefield, let alone how to present it. And while tech advancements have opened the way to multimedia presentations, the question remains whether the likes of GIFs, emojis, and animations are appropriate in a business setting. Can they be used to make your business stand out in the right way?

Apple propelled Tap to Pay to the forefront of payments and fintech news, with their new Tap to Pay feature effectively turning iPhones into payment terminals. In theory, this could be a gamechanger for small businesses in the UK, helping them avoid high fees and clunky tech. What’s more, it’s not just Apple who’s bringing out new solutions here. Plenty of new entrants to the market are making a play for the Android users who make up 45% of the market. Now, let’s look at whether this is a technology which will really take off.

Duolingo has taken the online world by storm with its bold, hilarious marketing on TikTok, racking up an impressive 4.3 million followers. However, it doesn’t stop there. It can teach tech startups a lot, from the importance of gamification to ensuring product engagement. Duolingo is a free language learning website and mobile app allowing users to practice vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation using spaced repletion for 39 different languages. Here, Startups Magazine hears from CEO of AdamFard UX Studio, Adam Fard, discussing the key takeaways from Duolingo for tech companies.

Even though customer service and customer experience are related, they are far from the same. One focuses on human relations, and the other is the sum of a customer's entire journey with a brand or company.

The metaverse is a growing phenomenon. It has a huge variety especially when it comes to investing in the metaverse. We spoke to Grant Blaisdell, CEO of Copernic Space and asked his expert opinion on what we can expect to see with trends in the metaverse and investment. 

Obviously as a startup there are a million things that you should be doing. But here is a checklist of ten that you need to prioritise from your never-ending list. 

In the last two years the digital payments landscape has experienced rapid evolution, which has largely been driven by the Covid-19 pandemic. Now that the UK economy begins to recover from the last two years, it’s evident that consumer expectations around the ease and choice of payment options have changed permanently, and it is essential that SMEs are aware of their demands.

As the cryptocurrency market is becoming more and more popular, many people are trying their luck by trading various cryptocurrencies. You also need to be aware that there is a huge profit to be made in that market. But with that said, it also brings certain risks. In order to start your trading adventure, you will need a crypto wallet.

Famous for its coffee culture, grunge music scene, and chewing gum wall, Seattle boasts beauty, greenery and elegance. What’s more, when I picture the city, I think of ferry boats and the Space Needle, all thanks to medical drama, Grey's Anatomy.

We are currently in a state of uncertainty in many different aspects, and for businesses it can be a very daunting time. After the past few years we have had, it is now about rebuilding the UK economy.

Over the last 18 months, we’ve seen an unprecedented number of new startups being incorporated despite the backdrop of the COVID pandemic increasing business uncertainty. In fact, the first half of 2021 saw nearly 80 new businesses were created every hour, leading to over 340,000 startups registered in the UK between January and June 2021.