£20m management training fund unveiled to help small business The Skills Minister John Hayes has called on senior leaders in SMEs to take advantage of funding that will support leadership and management training to help them grow their businesses.Business Matters reports that a round 13,000 small and medium sized businesses and social enterprises that demonstrate a […]
Category: Columns
Columns, blogs and opinion from some of the UKs leading business opinion makers and entrepreneurs and small business owners
Are You Killing Your Business? Mistake Seven
There are seven mistakes that business owners often make that can kill their business. This week I am looking at Mistake Seven – staying in your comfort zone. Find out why you do it, what it can do to your business and how to change your behaviour so your business thrives.
Royal Wedding boost for craft sales and good & bad news for start-ups
Royal Wedding boost for ailing craft businesses. The Online marketplace Notonthehighstreet is expecting a 25 per cent increase in orders for Royal Wedding related memorabilia. The company, which is backed by venture capital firms Index Ventures and Greylock Partners, launched a Royal Wedding section on its site yesterday as well as a campaign to direct international traffic to […]
Keeping your customers coming back
Customer service is king and rightly so. Gordon Jones, a Chartered Marketer and author of several booklets including Successful Customer Care on a Shoestring, explains why companies are investing so much in it and how it affects each and every of us.
Making the most of life in the Cloud
At SalesForce, we have examined some of the ways SMEs can migrate to the cloud. As they make their move, however, they should consider the following key tips.
Are You Killing Your Business? Mistake Six
Many business owners refuse to face their fears and insecurities – they have a lack of awareness of their own personality, of their strengths and weaknesses, and their impact on others. Ultimately this means they are less able to build an appropriate team around them. This is Mistake Six of the Seven most common ways people kill their business.
Are you killing your business? Mistake Five
There are seven common mistakes that people make that can kill their business. Number five is “bringing in the wrong people”. This article looks at how you can avoid this mistake.
Digitally Modified Staff… Find the Perfect Match
The creative industry has been on a turbulent roller-coaster over the last couple of years riding the wave of budget cuts, but digital in particular is finally starting to have a place in Marketing Manager’s strategies and budgets. So, recruitment is back in the spotlight as one of the key focuses in business expansion for many creative agencies, but it brings with it many challenges.
Are you killing your business? Mistake Four
Are you killing your business? As a business grows, it’s crucial that your actions don’t strangle it. There are seven common mistakes that people make that kill their business. This week I am looking at Mistake 4 – You Haven’t Got Anyone To Bounce Ideas Off.
If it’s free, does it have value?
I was recently fortunate enough to be asked to join a panel of experts to debate the role of LEP’s.
While on stage, the discussion touched upon the demise of Business Link and the plans to centralise this business support service as well as introduce 40,000 free business mentors. It was reported, or rather tweeted, that I called the government’s new mentoring scheme ‘bizarre’ and asked whether you ‘trust a mentor who was free?’ I did say those things… so perhaps I should explain my concerns.
Are you killing your business? Mistake Three
Don’t be the reason your business fails. There are 7 deadly sins that an kill a business. Mistake 3 is “Growing Too Quickly Before Your Model Is Proven”. Here Hilary Briggs explains why this is a problem, how to spot it, and what to do differently.
Win win – avoid the pitfalls of contract negotiation
The recent judgement in favour of BSkyB, after the company’s £700m legal battle against EDS over a failed IT system, comes as a timely reminder to companies of all sizes that, when it comes to negotiating contracts, caution and transparency must be the order of the day.
The importance of delegation
I’m very lucky, as I’ve always found delegating comes naturally to me. I think it comes from naturally wanting to do the exciting stuff and letting others take the initiative and do the hard graft!
Are you killing your business? Mistake Two
There are seven mistakes that many business owners make – and they can kill your business. Each week Hilary looks at one of these deadly sins and offers some advice to help turn this “wrong” into a “right”. This week “you don’t know what you don’t know”.
FAQ’s: The Naked Face of Social Marketing
Social media opens up a world of opportunities for entrepreneurs – and it’s free! What’s more, when you strip it down to the bare essentials, you are fundamentally left with traditional marketing tactics.
So why are some businesses still reluctant to jump aboard this moneymaker?
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