Some of the UKs leading business leaders and opinion formers share their insight and ideas for growth
There is much criticism that politicians are out of touch with people who run small and medium sized business across the UK. We asked Lord McFall of Alcluith, who was the Member of Parliament for Dumbarton and the West Dunbartonshire between 11 June 1987 and 12 April 2010 to explain how the UK Parliament is engaging with SMEs to learn from them and offer them as much help and support as they can to help then grow.
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.
Life’s scary. Think about those things that are scaring you right now. Is “losing my job” or “starting a business” one of those? Then face them now!
It is not often that private sector business initiatives have a keynote address by the Prime Minister, are attended by some of the UK’s leading business entrepreneurs and also receive the backing and support from Sir Richard Branson, the man who many regard as the UK’s best entrepreneur. So surely nothing could go wrong…
Even though the Olympics haven’t taken place and construction of the Olympic Stadium isn’t yet finished, the flagship stadium has already been allocated to West Ham Football Club for use after London 2012.
I for one am relieved that West Ham won the bid. Not because l’m a die-hard ‘Hammer’ but because they appear to be wasting a lot less of the stadium by keeping the athletics track than the other hopeful club, Tottenham, would have done by re-building it as a football-only venue.
In 1884 Thomas Marks opened his first market stall in Leeds. Over the next few years he opened 20 other stalls around the UK. In 1894, Thomas Spencer invested in the business and retail chain Marks & Spencer (M&S) was born.
From humble beginnings, M&S became one of the UK’s biggest success stories and was the first retailer to make a pre-tax profit of over £1 billion.
Companies like WH Smith, Woolworth’s and AMSTRAD all started the same way, so it would seem that in order to make it big, you should start small. Can the same thing be said of the web? Andy Budd, managing director at Clearleft investigates.
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.
What does Britain need to do to stimulate economic growth? That is the question taxing so many Ministers in Whitehall. But according to Sahar Hashemi, the founder of the Coffee Republic and bestselling business author, they need to start thinking outside the box.
I’m the kind of guy who thinks that if you don’t try to initiate or bring about change, then don’t feel you can sit on the sidelines and complain about what happens as a result, so when the opportunity came to be considered for the upcoming Leeds City Region local enterprise partnership board I threw my hat into the ring.
I left the BSI building in Westminster, not so much as a skip in my step, but with a slightly more positive outlook for the coming year and our coalition government than I had carried with me on an early train from Leeds that morning.
A Suit That Fits’ customers are at the heart of our business – we always strive to constantly improve our product and service for them and their needs. We truly believe that every suit lover should have a fantastic experience and own a suit that they really love.
I applaud the choice of Ed Balls as Shadow Chancellor. Ed Miliband should be commended for his unselfish decision to promote the unelectable and therefore ensure the Coalition’s success.
Working hard is the only way you can really ‘make it’, so why do so many people think working long hours is a bad thing?
There is a worrying tendency that has developed over the years for a level of ‘being promoted to the level of your incompetence’ to become ever more widespread. We’re taking a look at public and motivational speakers and wondering what qualifies us for the title.
How long are yours? Four pages? More? But what do you do when you get them from prospective suppliers? I’ll bet that 99 per cent of you, like me, turn to the back page, look at the price, and then make a decision whether to bother reading the rest of it.
