Starting a successful business at 30 and older may be daunting, especially if you have family and financial obligations. However, if you test the concept, write a plan, create a marketing strategy and find your customers, you will succeed.

There are high barriers to funding for Black founders, especially first-time ones. I know this because I’m a first-time Black founder who has raised (and is still raising) money. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but also a lot of progress. Here’s what I’ve learned along the way.

With remote working and other scenarios caused by the pandemic increasing cybersecurity risks for businesses big and small alike, the team of experts at CloudCoCo have put together the following cyber security tips for small businesses.

The marketing space has seen drastic changes since the coronavirus pandemic began in early 2020, and marketers have had to pivot quickly to successfully navigate marketing through the great Covid crisis.

Following the ongoing discussion that youth unemployment is so high, Richard Evans, a professional careers mentor and Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur 2019 shares his thoughts on why the issues run much deeper than the recent pandemic. Richard has conducted over 600 interviews throughout his career and mentored over 100 students into the UK’s most competitive universities and companies as a careers mentor at The Profs.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused a year full of disruption, both in our personal and professional lives. Companies all over the UK were forced to close their offices in-line with government restrictions and 57% of all employees were told to work from home.

Businesses are often preoccupied with 'innovation'. Far from being merely a buzzword, the concept in fact reflects the necessary and consistent iteration that drives markets forwards and allows those who invest smartly a robust edge over their competitors. The trouble is, truly game-changing innovations are vanishingly rare.

The way in which businesses across the country work has transformed exponentially since March 2020, with entire workforces suddenly told to operate remotely. Some organisations thrived, with their cloud solutions and unified communication tools empowering them to adopt a remote working ethos with ease. On the other hand, those with more rigid and antiquated processes have found this sudden shift jarring. 

The kings of search Google will often improve their algorithm around SEO. This can be based on emerging tech like voice search or changes in human behaviour like the use of mobile. 2021 sees some very big changes that could easily derail your current strategy; it’s almost a clean slate.

Tech Nation’s ‘The future UK tech built’ 2021 report, published earlier this year, revealed that the UK currently sits third in the world for venture capital (VC) investment in tech companies, behind only China and the US, with $15bn pledged last year. Great news for the UK’s emerging businesses, right? Well, Simon Philips, CEO of ScaleUp Capital, tells a different story.

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.