Chances are you’ve heard the phrase ‘imposter syndrome’ at some point. Originally identified in a 1978 study, it refers to the idea that high-achieving individuals might consider themselves to be ‘imposters’ in their workplace, regardless of any evidence to the contrary.

Climate scientists have argued that ambitions for reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 will no longer be enough to avoid the worst impacts of global warming, because change is happening more rapidly than predicted.

We talk a lot about how leaders need to make sure everyone in their team is happy and comfortable. It’s important to create a culture that promotes well-being and performance, but while leaders take care of the people they lead, who is taking care of them?

When you first set out to launch a business, you’re prepared for the many beginner pitfalls. You might not know what they all are, or where they’ll all come from, but you know that it won’t be easy – primarily because everyone tells you so. However, something that’s talked about less often is the difficulties you’ll face once your business is fully established and you’re ready to start growing

Everyone, at some point in their career, has experienced feeling less-than-confident. Whether you were a nervous junior who felt like they had everything to prove, a new recruit meeting a highly-skilled team or an employee who has recently received a promotion – feeling like you don’t belong in a workplace or don’t deserve to be there is one of the most universal experiences going around.

So far in this ‘Back to Basics’ series we have looked at nine fundamental areas that entrepreneurs and would-be founders either consider or should be considering, both before and during their startup journey. These have covered: Should I Find a Co-founder?; Working with Advisors; To Scale or Not to Scale?; Pitch Decks and Business Plans; Think Green!; Raising Finance; Basic Truths; Cash Flow is Everything; and Second Thoughts.

Learning and development are crucial in creating a high performing team. Everyone processes information differently and it’s no different when we learn. With no two people the same, it’s important to acknowledge the different employee learning styles of employees in your team.

Undelivered packages. Lost parcels. Delays. Everyone has been a victim of a flawed last-mile delivery at least once, and failed deliveries significantly affect customer experience. Today's article will help you improve your last-mile delivery and avoid unsatisfied customers.

Historically, larger institutions have held the keys to the investment kingdom. Banks, hedge funds and other financial heavyweights have long used exclusive access and knowledge to peer under the hoods of public companies, using their findings to inform their investment decisions. Meanwhile individual investors have been left with little power in the stock market, deprived of the access and insight required to compete and find an edge.

Social mobility affects us all. It covers all strata in society and does not just affect those typically seen as underprivileged. The family you were born into, where you come from, or the people you know shouldn’t be what shapes your life and prospects – but the reality is these things can still impact an individual’s progression in life and in the workplace as much as talent and skill.

With The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations fast approaching, brands all over Britain are racing to get a slice of the royal pie.

The notion that the pandemic shifted the needle when it comes to applying technology to learning is overblown. Yes, we adapted, but did we really innovate? In many cases, we took the static, traditional learning process and shoehorned it into an online format. Technological advances progress at breakneck speed, and yet learning is an area that is not even close to making the most of what technology has to offer. Why is it, when we have the world’s most powerful knowledge resource (the internet) at our fingertips, that we continue to apply 200-year old ideas to how we learn?

To say 2022 has been a tumultuous year so far would be nothing short of an understatement. The cost of living is soaring, inflation is at its highest level in 30 years and the energy price cap rose by 54% at the start of April.

The method used by employers to conduct the necessary ‘right to work’ checks will be altered once more, as was outlined within the latest guidelines recently unveiled by the Government. With the interim process that was introduced during the pandemic slated for imminent withdrawal, news regarding further revisions perhaps won’t come as much of a surprise for many employers. However, there remains an element of disquiet as to whether the new procedures could also have a costly impact on business owners at a time when soaring expenses are already hurting many industries.

Making group decisions can be inefficient at the best of times, or an ordeal at worst. That time you couldn’t agree on lunch plans in the office with colleagues, and, no, being distracted by email overload was no excuse. Or when your team hit the wall while trying to decide on a research project.

As we are pivoting towards a digital-first world, SaaS is an acronym that pops up now and then. It stands for ‘software as a service’, and the boom in digital suggests significant growth in the SaaS industry.

Starting a business can be daunting. As a business owner for 16 years, I’ve learnt important lessons on the way. I wish I’d known these five tips when starting out, but for anyone starting out here are some vital lessons I’ve learnt.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the great resignation have caused us all to reconsider work, what we do and why, how we do it and where. It has put the onus on employers to deliver versatility on and offline, empowering employees with the technologies and working arrangements that will best produce efficiency, job retention, and satisfaction.

"If the reputation of a company’s products and services is its face, the talent brand is its heart and soul," said Hank Stringer & Rusty Rueff.

Building a brand is an intimidating prospect, and you might be tempted to plunge in without spending time on careful consideration and research beforehand. That's a mistake.

In the business world, there are two main types of messaging: A2P and P2P. But what do these terms mean? And which one is better for your company? In this blog post, we will explore the differences between A2P and P2P messaging, and explain when each type is most beneficial.

By the time you’ve read the opening line of this article, the average millennial has already switched off. That’s because millennials’ attention span for digital content is on average 12 seconds.

As a new startup business you have a number of things to consider in order to build and ensure success. One particularly crucial factor is selecting your tech stack. While on the surface it might seem like an easy decision, it can prove detrimental to a businesses’ success if not given careful consideration.

The last few years brought on sweeping changes – and challenges – across workplaces, industries and for business leaders. Many SME leaders and entrepreneurs found their roles transformed as health and safety came to the fore of decision making processes.

Retail technology startup, Slip provide insight on how its female co-founder had a 60% response rate when reaching out to female engineers about open jobs at the company while the male co-founder had no responses. 

We talk a lot about how leaders need to make sure everyone in their team is happy and comfortable. It’s important to create a culture that promotes well-being and performance, but while leaders take care of the people they lead, who is taking care of them? Ollie Phillips, Founder of Optimist Performance, pens some thoughts on loneliness amongst leaders, and how to address it.

The UK hospitality industry had a rougher pandemic than most. Between social distancing measures, forced closures and widespread uncertainty, business owners watched with gritted teeth as the sector lost an eye-watering 13 sites a day since the arrival of COVID-19.

A lot has happened in the past two years that have dramatically altered the way we define the concept of ‘work’. It is clear that hybrid working isn’t going anywhere and there has been a mixed bag of feelings about this working style. We’ve gone from feeling isolated during lockdowns, to loving avoiding the commute, to thinking about how we can use this model to its full potential.

Data is the lifeblood of any business. Critical to organisations of all sizes and sectors, it powers growth, enabling business leaders to make the decisions that come from insight and evidence. But when businesses are in startup mode, protecting data can fall to the bottom of their “to-do” list.  Here are five simple tips which will give you the peace of mind that comes with knowing your data is backed-up securely.

Entrepreneurs would all be delighted to find the magic solution to growing their business tenfold but what if the answer isn’t a magic solution but rather simply following a number of key drivers which lead inexorably towards that dream growth?

Have you ever been described as ‘too much?’ Too worried? Too… anything. What if our too much is actually our superpower? Does the below resonate with you?

Anyone that has started their own business, and even those that have thought about it but not made the jump as yet, or indeed decided not to do so in the end, all recognise that it is a big decision. A very big decision. And as such, it is a decision that is often deliberated over for a long time before it is acted upon. Certainly, a lot of research and clear thinking needs to be done before committing.

As COVID-19 has entered its third year, entrepreneurism and gig work is on the rise. Over 10% of the UK workforce, and over 20% in London, now work in the gig economy.  People are demanding greater flexibility and autonomy in their professions, thus work culture objectives are shifting too.

The threat landscape is rapidly expanding and in 2022, there’s one thing at the forefront of every corporate agenda: cybersecurity. In a world of sophisticated cyberwarfare and rising geopolitical tensions, cybersecurity threats are evolving at an even faster pace, impacting entire businesses, crippling operations, and risking hard-won reputations.

Hybrid working is the new norm and brings advantages to both businesses and their employees. However, it also creates a new set of challenges and requires a shift in activities to support employee empowerment.

For most, if not all freelancers, the invitation to work for free will land on our desks, often early on in our freelance careers.

The supply chain network faces another major crisis after shaking the global economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earth Day commences on the 22nd of April. Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. It celebrates the importance of recycling in preserving our natural resources and securing the future of our planet.

You’re reading this because you care. Because you want to make a difference, but the harsh reality is that you care more about your day job, the bottom-line, fund-raise, your next hire. Because that pays the bills and keeps the roof over everyone’s head. Once that’s all done, then you can worry about being sustainable.

The spirit implies your psyche or soul. The act of nourishing your spirit is spiritual wellness. Our physical, mental, and behavioural health condition determines our spiritual health.

If you use a managed service provider (MSP) for your small business’s IT needs, you may have noticed that your monthly spend with them has increased. This is because Microsoft has raised the price of the monthly subscription licence for the Office 365 suite. 

This Earth Day, Gaia’s Farming Co. is urging people to make a sustainable swap from dairy to its deliciously creamy ‘Hemp and Oat M*lk’ and extra chocolatey ‘Hemp and Coco M*lk’.

The best way to understand how an industry works is to get involved in whatever capacity you can. For example, if you want to open a shop, go and work in one. Doing this will give you an insight into what it takes to run a shop on a day-to-day basis. It will give you an understanding of what customers want, the potential pitfalls and the products that sell best. Working in a shop doesn’t mean you’ll make a success of your retail business, but it will give you a solid foundation to build on.

The first thing I ask my employees during our monthly 1:1's is 'how are you doing?'. Our sessions are 90% revolved around what that person is dealing with, their workload, their home life - are they struggling? If so, why? 80-90% of someone's output is based on their mindset, so if you don't know what is happening in your teams' minds you can't possibly expect to accurately judge their performance or potential. As its stress awareness month this April here are some honest thoughts on stress in the workplace.

Starting a business isn’t an easy task. In fact, developing your idea and encouraging growth can be a journey filled with adversity.

A group of Teens, passionate about Martial Arts, want to go for an adventure. One evening, they explore some Karate classes in their local neighborhoods. But as they walk from one training centre to the other, they’re scared. Because they feel, they don’t have 'flexible bones' for a 180° stance. They won’t join these classes even though they’re very much interested in Martial Arts.

Increasingly, the logistics industry is a technological one. The fortunes of the online retail sector is particularly interwoven with the growth of logistics – with both enjoying substantial growth during the pandemic.

Starting a business is an exciting time. You’re full of enthusiasm and excitement at all the possibilities. It’s fair to say you have big plans for your business - you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t.

How do you make sure your team is being productive while working from home? The move to remote working has left many businesses asking themselves this exact question. 

Much of the beauty industry in the UKand further afield is populated with freelancers; whether hair stylists, makeup artists or laser hair removal experts, the global pandemic accelerated the move towards freelance in the beauty industry.

Technology has enabled and connected people during a rough time these past two years. In fact, whilst often it does get a bad reputation, technology was for many a saviour. We are now fortunate to be in times where we can meet up in person, and this means events too.

Brand identity and company culture have traditionally been the remit of entirely separate departments. While marketing would take on the brand identity aspect, company culture is more likely to be defined by HR.

A quick search online for terms like ‘customer experience’ and ‘business’ swiftly and overwhelming paint a picture of the need for artificial intelligence (AI), analytics and huge volumes of customer data to deliver a hyper-personalised customer experience.

The last two years have been challenging for many businesses, with the pandemic disrupting their working practices and forcing them to adapt almost overnight. 2021 saw a continued uptake of new business technologies, with the ongoing rollout of 5G equipment, increased remote and hybrid working, and the move to more cloud-based systems.

Earlier this month I visited Qasr Al Farid, the tallest of the tombs at the ancient site of Hegra in northwest Saudi Arabia. Two thousand years ago, engineers with extraordinary vision, who were part of a thriving ancient culture, carved it out of the sandstone rockface.

Regardless of how much we, as a society, are able to utilise and implement technologies into business, global supply chains will always be dependent on the ways in which people interact with one another.

While the ability to connect and speak with others is important in just about any part of business, the power of networking is especially essential when it comes to meeting with venture capitalists and new networks when you are trying to get your product or idea off the ground. There is a lot of competition, and you never know when someone will have a similar idea, so you need to make a great impression with potential investors right off the bat so you can get your business moving.

It’s an exciting time to be in unified comms technology. The world has never been so diverse in terms of how people connect with each other, and this has affected how we all live, work and play. We have never been so together, and yet in many ways we have never been so fragmented, nor needed to multi-task quite so effectively, and this needs a carefully managed response.

As the economy opens up in the aftermath of the pandemic, many SMEs will be looking to trusted accountants and lawyers to ensure they take appropriate steps to enhance their businesses as they start to expand. While many advisers prove themselves to be a very effective asset, poor advice from a trusted source could cause significant financial loss for SMEs, and can constitute professional negligence under the law.  Some SMEs will be in the fortunate position of never needing to bring a claim against one of their professional advisors.  But for those that do, that process may be an unfamiliar one. 

There’s no doubt about it: today’s economy and sociopolitical outlook are impacting the ability of start-ups to fundraise. Early data during the pandemic showed a 50% drop in funding compared to the same weeks in 2019, and while there was significant uptick in venture capital in 2020, early stage companies still suffered.

As the economy springs back into action following two turbulent years, businesses are considering how to recover after the pandemic and maximise their commercial success. The role that events can play in this post-pandemic recovery should not be overlooked.

While individual multinational corporations may have a disproportionately negative impact on the environment, the cumulative effect of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) also presents both a huge problem and an excellent opportunity for climate action. According to a recent study by the British Business Bank, SMEs are responsible for nearly 50% of all business-driven greenhouse gas emissions in the UK largely, in part, due to the use of inefficient internal and supply chain processes. Despite this, 76% of SMEs are yet to implement a decarbonisation strategy and according to another recent study by O2 and the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC), only one in ten are even measuring their carbon emissions.

When the founder of an e-commerce company is looking to sell their business in the mid to long run, there are a few things they need to do first to make sure that they get the valuation they want and ensure a smooth process.

There can be little doubt that the last few years have been among the liveliest in online retail on record. While the sector has seen years of relentless incremental growth, several factors converged in 2020 to instigate a boom in eCommerce, and a quickening of its growth in share of all sales.

Every now and again, a complex area of law is thrust into the limelight by the circumstances of a particularly high-profile case.

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the way restaurants operate, accelerating adoption of online ordering and delivery technology like never before as dining rooms closed and customers spent more time at home.

When you run a business, you aim to maximise the profits from your operations. To achieve this, you can consider automation to unlock the benefits of the constant technological advancements taking place. In this guide, we show you how your business can reap the benefits of automation.

Global crises like the current Corona and Ukraine crisis throw us into an ocean of uncertainty. And it isn’t over yet. We are probably facing a whole decade of drastic change, uncertainty, and upheaval.

Young consumers around the world adore the serendipitous nature of online shopping today. They can discover exciting new brands, great prices and wide choices when they’re browsing beyond familiar, domestic websites for fashion, health and beauty, and homewares.

Nothing is set in stone. With signs that many industries are starting to bounce back after the COVID-19 pandemic, it can still be tricky to predict what lies ahead and what can be done to future-proof businesses for a successful 2022 and beyond.

The Challenger disaster. A part of the shuttle known as the O-ring was faulty. NASA employees knew about the fault before the disaster, but they either ignored the problem or were disregarded when they tried to alert higher-ups about the issue. Single loop learning had failed NASA and it ended in disaster.

Increased digitalisation and the changes to the labour market brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic mean that working from anywhere has not only become possible but also acceptable to an increasing number of people. This is therefore changing the way we work, as well as how we buy, sell and share goods and services.

What do you do if your business is rapidly growing, and work is unrelenting? It’s easy, right? You focus more, you burn the candle at both ends, you work harder and longer.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly two billion frontline workers across the world have played a vital role in supporting our communities and economies, all while battling various health risks, supply chain problems, and labour shortages.

Logistics is a fast-growing sector of activity, and mobility is essential to our way of life. At the same time, the supply chain sector is the most significant contributor to environmental pollution. It is the first sector in the emission of greenhouse gases and the first consumer of petroleum products. 

It is fair to say that the UK’s tech industry is currently experiencing something of a renaissance period. The sector is booming, and shrewd investors from right across the globe are attracted by the technological innovations that are being made in the country.

Starting a new business is an exciting and empowering prospect, but it’s not without significant challenges along the way. In fact, many entrepreneurs struggle to navigate the hurdles of starting a company, with around 20% of new businesses failing within their first two years. Part of giving your enterprise the best chance of avoiding this trend is to embrace the right tools. 

If 2020 was the year that the world was forced to dip its toes into flexible working patterns and 2021 was the year that this became standard practice, what will 2022 bring? Flexible work looks to have cemented itself as the new ‘business as usual’, with over two-thirds of UK businesses now reportedly offering employees remote working options, but the changes haven’t stopped there. As business leaders look to satisfy the world’s growing appetite for greater flexibility and freedom, many are now not only reconsidering where their team can work, but also when.

As COP26 came to a close at the end of 2021, businesses across the globe were given a new sense of urgency to meet climate targets and achieve Net Zero. But while there is now undoubtable agreement that businesses must take on more accountability to reduce their emissions, the question within an organisation often surrounds where this accountability falls.

It has been a month since a full-scale war began in Ukraine. On February 24th people were awakened by the sounds of heavy missile blasts hitting airports, military bases, and other strategic targets. People, as well as businesses, were forced to face circumstances they’d never had before. “You don’t know what you don’t know,” said Aleksandr Volodarsky, CEO of a Ukrainian IT-company Lemon.io. “There are so many things you can’t prepare for when you have never been through a war.”

Running a successful business requires a lot of hard work. However, in the midst of all the busyness, it can be easy to overlook the importance of daily habits that keep both you and your business healthy. In this article, we will be sharing the top 5 daily habits you should incorporate into your routine to find success in your professional life.

With widespread COVID-19-related restrictions being lifted from countries all around the world, many workforces have had to accept that working in a hybrid environment is something that can’t be overlooked.

Increasing numbers of businesses are choosing to make sustainability a top priority. However, many are deploying deceptive tactics which amount to nothing more than a façade of sustainability.

After two years of unparalleled business uncertainty, there’s finally a hint of spring in the air and wise technology start-ups are already putting out the feelers to ensure that a weak supply chain won’t hamper their businesses’ rapid growth. Supply chain isn’t their core expertise though, and distributors need to help to ensure that they can get their products into the hands of customers quickly, in line with their business plan.

Startup owners need to juggle multiple responsibilities when launching and scaling a venture. They manage everything from product development and finance to HR and marketing. However, as you work on your firm’s growth trajectory, it’s only by having a solid team of trusted, specialised professionals that you can achieve your goals.

Sometimes in business, and indeed in life itself, it is very easy to miss the obvious or, put another way, not to realise that some very basic truths or something that should be expected is not always immediately realised. These points are easy to see with more experience or with the benefit of hindsight, but for those starting out in business that is not always easy.

In the words of Zig Ziglar: “The only worse thing than training employees and having them leave is not training them and having them stay.”

A common pain point for many SMEs is the misalignment between the Sales, Marketing, and Product functions. It usually grows with time and the company's size: Product Management gets attracted by features and technology, Marketing by social engagement, Sales by "quick wins". The ones who lose are the Customers, with a spiralling effect on the company performance.

I've been in more pitching sessions - raising money myself but more often as a potential investor - than I can remember. And the question that so often goes unanswered is this: Why on Earth is it that most of the entrepreneurs who are pitching just don't have their heads around finance?

The last two years have seen the face of global mobility change forever. Growing acceptance of remote working has seen more and more businesses integrate relocation and/or flexible working plans into their growth strategies. However, doing so requires a holistic solution, particularly when demand for such flexible working opportunities skyrockets like it has across many knowledge-based industries. The only way to cope with increasing need and interest in global mobility from current and prospective employees is to create solutions with seamless integrations that enable effective remote workforce hiring and management.

Startups are early-stage businesses that attempt to grow with large-scale solutions. With most startup companies, fundraising is a crucial element that transforms them from a small team of entrepreneurs into a large outfit with widespread products or services. When should a startup consider funding? What should startups have before they look for fundraising from venture capitalists or investors?

One of the most common pieces of advice you get when you start a business is to find a niche. The narrower the better. And while that works for some, it’s not the only way forward. Over the course of my career, both as an independent designer and the co-founder of a design studio, I’ve learned that my expertise has nothing to do with sticking to a narrow kind of work. That’s how I’ve ended up designing for clients ranging from Pfizer to the Bronx Museum of the Arts to Tribeca-based rooftop bar Happy Be.

Conflicts are inevitable, even in the most engaged workplaces. Regardless of the source of the conflict, if they are left unresolved, conflicts can quickly impact employee morale and productivity.

Starting a business is a rewarding yet challenging endeavour that requires hard work, dedication and, in many cases, a lot of luck.

When creating a digital experience centred on health and fitness, it’s vital to provide the best user experience possible – one that fits into our day-to-day lives. Work, families and social lives must all be factored in, along with the ways people choose to exercise, whether that be in the gym, at home, or outdoors on a run.

LinkedIn now has almost 740 million members and over 55 million registered companies. 40% of these users access LinkedIn on a daily basis, which helps the site achieve 1 billion interactions each month. However, most users only spend 17 minutes a month on the platform.

The vast majority of London tech companies still have hardly any female or BIPOC representation at board level, according to new research released today by Tech London Advocates.

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) is hot on the agenda right now. Savvy startups are putting socially conscious activities at the centre of their work as more and more investors have ESG as a priority.