Business Blog

Business Strategy

Collaborating With a University: A Lesser-known Route to Success?

Collaborating With a University: A Lesser-known Route to Success?

Adrian Tindall August 14, 2017

When a business is starting up, the founders may struggle to decide where the best place to get advice may be. Some will rely entirely on the advice of friends and family, others will use the myriad support services on offer through local councils, or through ERDF/ESF-funded projects, whether through regional or national providers. What’s hidden from this picture is the role that a university can play in helping your business to grow. There is a high likelihood that most businesses in the UK are within touching distance of a university which is offering support to small businesses in various ways. There is a misconception that small business support at universities is only aimed at the university’s students and alumni – this is certainly not the case, universities are increasingly working ... »

Beware helping your friends - you might be sued!

Karen Holden August 14, 2017

This might not be the best way to end a friendship, especially where the offer started out as generous favour to you, but needs must! This can apply across many sectors: A lawyer helping a friend during her divorce, an accountant signing off accounts to an architect designing her mates house. The Court of Appeal in the case of Lejonvarn v Burgess has agreed that a married a couple may sue their friend, a professional architect, who provided them with free architectural and project management services as a gift. The couple, decided to landscape their garden but were put off by a quote (c. £150,000) from an established landscape gardener. They turned to their friend and an ex-neighbour for her professional assistance. She secured a contractor, project managed the works and provided design i... »

What Next For The Online Gambling Industry?

The is4profit team June 29, 2017

It may be that as humans we have an irresistible and built-in urge to take part in games of chance. It certainly seems this has been an integral part of all civilisations dating back millennia. For example the Romans were known to have enjoyed games using dice and in ancient China there were many games using tiles which were the forerunners of today’s playing cards. Naturally, as civilizations developed so did the way that people gambled. For example the British aristocracy, looking for another way to spend their time apart from the traditional trio of hunting, shooting and fishing, were the perfect members for the exclusive clubs that started to spring up in London in the 18th century. But now we live in a far more democratic and egalitarian age and this is reflected in the ways in whic... »

Business As Usual – When “Usual” Changes

Business As Usual - When “Usual” Changes

Carl Reader June 16, 2017

Business today is in many ways different to business fifty years ago, ten years ago – even five years ago. Every business operating today is affected by the changes, and it amazes me how few people are aware of the impact these changes will make. There’s a definite shift in customers’ focus. No longer are they looking for the ‘cheapest’ or the (completely subjective) ‘best’. No longer will a customer stay with a firm just because they’ve been with them for years, or because they’ve looked after the past ten generations of the family. You can’t rely on blind loyalty, and today’s consumers won’t suffer bad service or minimal/insufficient provision. Today’s consumers are confident in their rights, and know their options. They’re hungry and expect much more than previous generations – and I th... »

Keeping An Eye On The Competition: How To Gauge Your Rival’s Success

Keeping An Eye On The Competition: How To Gauge Your Rival’s Success

Carl Reader June 5, 2017

Do you know who your main competitors are? Unless you are a brand new, niche business, it’s almost inevitable that you will have people offering similar things to you. This is obviously a challenge, but it can also bring out the best in your business. Successfully executed market research can massively sharpen your strategy and accelerate your business’s growth. But how do you do this? First things first, the main thing is to work out who your main competitors are. Are they definitely fighting for similar clients, offering a similar service to you? If you don’t compare like with like, market research is a completely fruitless exercise. Research should also be objective. So often, I see personal bias interfere here - business owners who genuinely cannot see that their vision is skewed... »

UK General Election 2017: The Impact Of The Pound For Small Businesses

UK General Election 2017: The Impact Of The Pound For Small Businesses

Jonathan Watson May 30, 2017

Volatility in the currency markets is a regular feature during and after a UK general election and unexpected volatility on the pound can cause headaches for small businesses. We can never guarantee the future performance of a currency and businesses need to be aware of the potential pitfalls that unexpected movements will have on their business, plus, what they can do to minimise these risks. What can we now expect on the currency markets as we learn more about the new government, and what can businesses do to mitigate the uncertainty, avoid any nasty surprises and keep plans on track? Elections are always important events for exchange rates Political uncertainty is one of the key drivers of the foreign exchange market with uncertainty usually translating into weakness for sterling. Once ... »

Is Your Business Covered Against a Cyber Attack or a Data Breach? Here’s What Insurance You Need

Is Your Business Covered Against a Cyber Attack or a Data Breach? Here’s What Insurance You Need

Alisdair Lindley May 17, 2017

As we can see from the recent cyber attack on the NHS and other businesses across the world, cybercrime is on the increase and experts predict that attacks like these are set to become even more common place, affecting businesses of all sizes, across all industries. Staggeringly, over half of all British businesses experienced a cyber-attack in 2016, costing as much as £30bn. Once a cyber attack has occurred it is often financially damaging for a business and can damage business reputations, with ongoing disruptions affecting the day to day running of a business. This is not just an issue for big businesses. A recent study from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) reported that two thirds (66%) of small businesses have been a victim of cybercrime in the last two years, with those affec... »

These Are THE Most Annoying Business Buzzwords

These Are THE Most Annoying Business Buzzwords

Lee Biggins May 5, 2017

Buzzwords continue to hold sway in workplaces across the UK. Chances are you’ve heard them being bandied around your company from time to time. However, recent research from the UK’s largest independent job board, CV-Library, has found that buzzwords aren’t all that popular in the workplace. The research, which surveyed over 1,000 UK workers, found that only 34.7% of employees admitted to using buzzwords. Alongside this, almost three quarters (74.1%) of workers felt that buzzwords were only used to make individuals sound professional or intelligent. Is there a need for buzzwords? It may be that buzzwords are the norm in your company; you’ll likely hear terms such as “circle back”, “hit the ground running” or “win-win” used across your workplace on a daily basis. This could be used in an ef... »

A Small Business’s Secret Weapon: An EAP

A Small Business’s Secret Weapon: An EAP

David Price May 5, 2017

What is EAP? It stands for Employee Assistance Programme, and it could be a small business’s secret weapon. An EAP is a range of online and in-person support services that help staff through both personal and professional problems while promoting general wellbeing. They give confidential advice in several ways: over the phone, online, via apps or in person, as well as referring people on to other professionals like counsellors. When businesses offer such care to their staff, they get the best out of them. And that helps business get better. Here’s how… 1. Saves businesses money Many think that it isn’t easy to measure how much you can save through intangible gains like improved morale, wellbeing and a more harmonious working environment. But with fewer days lost to sickness, smaller staff ... »

What Those In Generation Z Are Expecting From The Workplace

Darren Best May 3, 2017 ,

Over the past decade, millennials have been high on the agenda. Not only as a key consumer demographic but also in terms of talent acquisition. After all, companies want to hire the best and there has certainly been an outstanding pool of millennial talent. Despite this, millennials have unfortunately developed a reputation of being ‘job-hopers’. Their lack of loyalty has certainly brought displeasure to many companies, who often spend a lot of time training and developing their human resource. With generation Z coming of age and on the verge of entering the workforce, are companies at the apparent risk of facing the same conundrum as they have been with the millennials? Early indications seem to suggest that is certainly going to be the case, as 83% of those classified as generation Z see... »

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