The Successful Founder Winter 2021 Issue

The Successful Founder CREATING AND LIVING THE LIFE YOU DESIRE

Your Guide To Building A Successful Business & Creating The Life You Desire

MAKING 2021 2022 YOUR Ready Set BEST YEAR Go! EVER

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EDITOR’S LETTER DEAR READER,

EDITOR & FOUNDER Lisa Curtiss

Welcome to this Winter 2021 edition of The Successful Founder Magazine.

This issue focuses on looking positively ahead and and planning for a super successful 2022. You’ll find a wealth of useful and inspirational features on everything from buiding your social media presence, being the best leader you can be, embracing new ways of working, reducing stress and more.

In addition to reading our digital and print magazines, do also visit us online at www.thesuccessfulfounder.com for daily new articles, and join us on our socials – details below.

Finally if you’ve any suggestions or great stories to tell, we’d love to hear from you. Drop us a note on team@thesuccessfulfounder.com.

Do also keep an eye out for our sister titles, Female Founders Guide, and Luxury Lifestyler too. www.femalefoundersguide.com and www.luxurylifestyler.com.

My very best wishes, LISA EDITOR

EDITORIAL LEAD Gemma Evans EDITORIAL TEAM Daisy Osborne Abbie Robinson Kasia Grey Lucy Sanders Eve Skuse Bryony Ghai Imogen Vivier Gayle Penny Luke Penny Gemma Evans

Visit our website www.thesuccessfulfounder.com www.femalefoundersguide.com www.luxurylifestyler.com Find us on Issuu - issuu.com/thesuccessfulfounder Follow us on our socials @thesuccessfulfounder @femalefoundersguide @luxelifestyler Find us on Readly https://gb.readly.com/products/magazine/the-successful-founder?q=The%20succes

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5 Essential Tips For Moving Your Business Online No matter what industry you work in, the only thing that’s constant is change and how you move forward with your brand. This couldn’t be any truer for business owners who want to connect with consumers online and create new growth opportunities.

To do this, you’ll need to bring your brick-and-mortar store into the digital world, and it doesn’t have to be a difficult process. To help make the transition easier, I’ve put together five of my top tips for moving a business online.

1.Start with a website Firstly, you should think about creating a website for your business. You’ll need to think about the type of platform your website needs to be built on; this will vary depending on your needs and your industry.

For example, if you own a fashion business, then Shopify is an ideal platform, because it’s specifically designed for eCommerce and makes it easy to sell products.

On the other hand, if you want a website that’s content-rich then WordPress may be more suitable. WordPress is a popular platform for blogging and has plenty of helpful widgets to enhance the customer experience.

Whatever platform you choose, make sure you do your research to find what works best for you and your business.

Don’t forget, you’ll also need to choose a domain name for the website of your online store. It’s good practice to have a domain name that matches the name of your business so your customers will recognise it immediately when they search online. When picking a domain name, make sure you try to keep it short and easy to understand, plus if you’re trying to target a local audience, then .uk or .us may be most appropriate.

2.Think about how people will find you Having a website is great, but now you need to make sure people can find you. Thinking about your local presence is a great way to get started, along with relying on referrals from others.

A great first step you can take is building a Google My Business page. This creates a free online listing for your business, that allows you to add a description and photos, along with your contact details and address, meaning people can find your business in local searches. This is great if you still have a physical presence and want to drive footfall to your location.

Another great mechanism on Google My Business is the reviews platform. Recommendations, referrals and word of mouth still work online as a great way to win new business.

Make sure you are delivering exceptional service and ask your customers to leave you a review. This will help you to grow your audience and build credibility online.

3. Build a community of brand advocates through social media My next tip is to create a social media strategy that’s linked with your website. Whether it’s Instagram, TikTok, Twitter or Facebook, social media is an easy way to connect with new customers, sell more products and drive business growth through website traffic.

Where I think social media really shines is in the power to create an online community of customers who are passionate about sharing your story. A platform that’s particularly great for this is Instagram, as you can use features such as Instagram Stories and Instagram Live to encourage people to share content that’s related to your business.

This user-generated content can be seen and shared by people who may have never heard of your brand and help to build more awareness. It’s because of this type of content that social media is such a great tool to use to reach more people organically.

If you’re looking to make a quick return from your online business, then you may also wish to consider running some paid social media ads, which will use specific demographics to target adverts at your audience.

4. Video marketing makes a difference As part of the wider strategy for moving your business online, you’ll want to invest in video marketing. This is because video is arguably the fastest-growing content medium in the world, with 54% of consumers wanting to see more video content produced by brands.

Video is an invaluable tool for increasing customer engagement across multiple platforms and providing more context about products and services.

I recommend experimenting with short form and long form video content to truly get the most value. This could involve creating 30 – 60 second videos that are displayed on product pages to give customers a deeper understanding of your goods, or used purely for engagement purposes on Instagram Reels and TikTok. You could also consider starting a YouTube channel and create long-form videos, which dive deep into your brand story. This will have the benefit of building a stronger connection with your audience and going into detail about your products and services.

5.Create an engaging blog to build your authority as a thought leader My final tip is to create a blog section for your website, where you can craft high-quality articles that are relevant to your industry.

Blogging is an integral part of any content marketing strategy and for building brand awareness. In fact, 60% of consumers feel that blogs provide useful information for them early in the buying journey and help them make an informed purchasing decision.

Here’s a quick check list of what you should consider when developing a blog: • Have an engaging title that grabs the attention of the reader.

• Clearly separate blocks of text with H1 and H2 tags for better Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

• Include short and long-tail keywords in the text to improve the chances of a blog being found in search engines.

• Use high-quality images and feature alt text as part of your

SEO strategy.

• Feature a clear call to action at the end of the blog.

Closing thoughts There are many benefits to moving your business online, which range from increased brand awareness to future proofing your business sales channels. By following these steps, you’ll be in a better position to move your company online and continue to adapt to the needs of your customers.

Author Bio: Claire Daniels is the CEO of Trio Media, a fully integrated digital marketing agency and Google Premier Partner in Leeds. Claire was voted as Most Influential CEO of the Year in Leeds in 2021 and also spends her time co-hosting two podcasts, The North Star Podcast and Bobble Pod. https://trio-media.co.uk/

How you can spend just 5 minutes a day to turn stagnation into success!

According to the latest science, the average UK adult makes around 35,000 decisions per day!

That’s potentially 35,000 times per day where we’re creating a ripple of consequence throughout our lives. In binary terms, that ripple will be doing one of two things, it will either be helping us create the life we want or hindering us from it.

If we were to think about those 35,000 decisions consciously, we’d be living in a constant state of overwhelm and paralysis; to prevent this, our brains have developed a subconscious decision making system that essentially decides and drives the majority of our decision making process without us even knowing.

Modern life has hacked this system, it has gone from protecting us impeding us. We’re subconsciously sleepwalking through life and according to Dr Mark Williamson, ‘when running on auto pilot, we often make unhelpful choices, so we feel trapped and life we’re living someone else’s life’.

Do you feel like you’re living someone else’s life? So, how do you stop sleeping walking through life, how do you disengaging auto pilot, how do you get consciously conscious?

The answer is a surprisingly simple one, it’s one that’s been around for thousands of years and practised by the wisest and wealthiest, from the ancient Stoic philosophers all the way through to sporting superstars like Michael Jordan and billionaires like Bill Gates.

It’s self-refection. Self-reflection is the key to self-awareness; simply put it’s about taking the time to think about, evaluate and to give serious thought to our attitudes, thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Self-refection allows us to analyse our lives from both a macro and micro level.

At the macro level you can assess the overall trajectory of your life. You can almost do a pre-mortem on where you’re heading and determine, in advance whether you’re happy with the direction.

At a micro level, you can evaluate specific your responses to particular circumstances and events. You can peel back the layers of your own psychology, you can learn the things that trigger you and gain a wiser perspective about who you are and how you’re living your life.

John Dewey said, we do not learn from the experience, we learn from reflecting on the experience and Baltasar Gracain said self-refection is the school of wisdom.

This is why self-reflection really is the key to learning about and progressing ourselves; it gives us the capacity to replicate our wins and avoid repeating our indifferent experiences.

Ray Dalio, American billionaire, chief investment officer of the world’s largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates and

author of one of my all time favourite books, Principles has formulated an equation that can help us reflect and progress.

The equation is Pain + Reflection = Progress. Let’s unpack that.

Everything has a purpose, even pain and if we choose to let them, the challenges that test us and create our pains can strengthen us. Modern pains might include the complexities of pandemic, work-life balance or a lack of it, workload or even burnout, relationship difficulties or divorce, job dissatisfaction or loss.

All of these, and any others pains you experience can, if you consciously choose to go toward the pain rather than avoid it can provide rich and valuable reflections for us.

These reflections, if viewed impartially and unbiasedly can enabled us to progress our careers, deepen the love in our relationships and improve our wellbeing and health.

Self-refection is an essential skill for personal growth, career success and life fulfilment. From the Stoics to the rich and famous, the wisest and wealthiest are at it so why wouldn’t you? To help you practise and become proficient at the skill of self-refection, here are 5 daily questions you can ask yourself.

Note, there’s no right or wrong time to reflect, most commonly though people reflect in the morning or in the evening.

What is important though is that you don’t try to analyse or judge your answers. Just ask yourself and answer the questions either in your mind or by writing down your answers; writing down is particular useful as it enables you identify patterns of thought or behaviour which again can promote as Dalio says, progress.

Question 1 Something I realised or learned today was: Question 2 The thing I found most challenging today was: Question 3 Something I am proud of today was: Question 4 To make tomorrow better than today, I will: Question 5 My message to myself for tomorrow is: In summary, using these questions as prompts for selfreflection can enable you to get off auto pilot and stop sleep walking through life. They can and will bring a higher degree of consciousness to your daily life choices and ultimately help you live the life you want.

Your present and future is built upon the foundations of your past; letting your past go ‘unchecked’ is mistake men can’t afford to make. Will you spend 5 minutes of your day looking at yourself instead of looking at your emails and through social media scrolling?

Author: Performance Coach & Founder of BetterMen, Dan Stanley. https://www.better-men.uk/

How Business Leaders Can Make Charities More Effective Have you considered how your experiences and skills can be transferred to the charity sector?

this knowledge can play a role and did so with Total Insight Theatre.

According to Reach Volunteering, it is estimated that almost half of all charities are searching for trustees at anyone time.

Trustees bring on board external expertise, which is crucial to many charities as it enhances the day-to-day running of the organisation.

Income generation

Business leaders and entrepreneurs can offer much to charities, whilst many who do become trustees find the experience enriches their own life. Being a trustee of a charity does require commitment and an understanding of the charity’s work and its responsibilities, and while having an affinity for its cause is not a pre-requisite, it does make the role of trustee more rewarding.

Charities, regardless of size, expect its board of trustees to bring many benefits aside from the key role of governance.

Charities specifically look for trustees that can bring a unique set of skills and expertise gleaned in business that can be used to innovate and deliver creative solutions to charities.

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought significant changes to the charity sector and how they operate, which makes trustees even more valuable. As a charity founder and CEO, I have brought trustees on board and seen the impact they have made.

There are four key areas that trustees can enhance. These are: • • • •

Knowledge and skills gaps Income generation Expanded network Influence and wellbeing

Bringing knowledge and skills It’s unreasonable to expect just one person to know everything about the industry they operate in. While a CEO will oversee the day-to-day running of the charity and potentially have a management team to assist, trustees bring new skills, can draw on their experiences and also bring fresh perspectives gleaned from business. A trustee is a ‘critical friend’ to the CEO and will be looked upon to offer guidance that will support the existing leadership team.

Invariably, professionals from different career backgrounds, be that marketing and PR, financial, legal or IT, for example, can bring insight and best practices to charities to enable them to overcome challenges and advance the charity.

This was typified during the pandemic when those charities that could continue adopted new digital practices in how they operated and delivered their objectives. Trustees with

The Guardian says that “A charity cannot change the world if it is bankrupt”. If charities are to deliver then having sustainable income streams is essential. While grants and donations are the two main sources of finance for charities, financial resilience can be achieved by seeking new income streams.

Businesses are adept at diversifying, streamlining and also sourcing fresh income streams. Bringing in trustees with financial acumen and who can bring a new perspective to fundraising are highly sought after. While many trustees ‘dig in’ and may take part in initiatives that bring in new resources, they invariable bring fresh eyes and ideas too.

Trustees have the ability to explore partnerships and sponsorships from businesses, which may not have previously been accessible. By generating fresh income streams, which enables charities to deliver and expand their remit, it can also assist in attracting future funding and beneficiaries to give the charity a more sustainable financial model.

Networking and company ambassadors Networking is crucial for any charity. Having the ability to expand beyond its circle, to share its work and its ethos with fresh audiences is always a key. As a trustee, you are in the perfect position to assist. Being a trustee is also an ambassadorial role and the opportunity to share your experiences with others and to talk up the charity which you give your time to.

Becoming a trustee opens the door to new environments and contacts that may have been impossible for the charity to ever reach. Bringing new connections and opportunities for the charity to raise its profile to new audiences – via its trustees – is of huge benefit.

It is also beneficial to the trustee too as it can expand you contacts, open new doors and avenues.

The ambassadorial context has a far-reaching impact on those that decide to become trustees. A survey conducted

by Pilotlight found that 98% of their business members remarked how volunteering had increased their appreciation of the work of charities and social enterprises, while 87% also said they were more interested in becoming a charity trustee.

A Positive influence The benefits of appointing business leaders to a charity’s trustee board has the potential to run deeper as it has shown

to bring a positive impact to the benefactors.

The Pilotlight survey found that almost 90% of senior business executives who had been through their skills sharing programme said that engaging with charities improved their sense of wellbeing and happiness. Volunteering has been linked to higher satisfaction with life and overall happiness.

Aside from the personal enhancements, trustees not only help that organisation grow, but their actions and time can deliver real benefits to employees, who will be able to pass down insights in the same way over time.

Business leaders have much to contribute to the charity sector as a trustee. They can assist in improving the charity’s bottom line, to overcome challenges and positively impact the wellbeing of employees - as well as offering vital networking opportunities to grow enterprises further. The impact is significant.

For more information on becoming a trustee and what it entails, then read this useful publication. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-essentialtrustee-what-you-need-to-know-cc3/the-essential-trusteewhat-you-need-to-know-what-you-need-to-do About the Author Adam Tulloch is the founder and Chief Executive of Total Insight Theatre Company, which he founded in 2014, aged 23. He is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts, appeared in The Big Issue’s Top 100 Changemakers 2020, and was Highly Commended as Children & Young People’s Champion in the 2020 Children & Young People Now Awards.

Website - https://www.totalinsighttheatre.com

How to prepare a business for sale Dave Paterson, a Partner in the Corporate law team at Blacks Solicitors, discusses what business owners need to know if they’re considering selling their business and how to make it attractive to potential buyers.

Growing a business from scratch can involve a significant amount of time, money, emotion and effort. However, there comes a time when most owners want to sell up. Selling a business is a complex process which requires a number of key considerations to ensure a maximum return on the original investment.

There are lots of factors which can dictate the sale, from generating interest with the right buyers, to the price that they’re willing to pay. Planning for exit and implementing a number of good business practices and disciplines will make the sale much smoother and enhance the value of the business.

Ensuring that a business is ‘sale ready’ from the outset will make it more attractive to potential buyers when it comes to selling it and make the sale process that much smoother.

This will also reduce the chances of any issues during the transaction process.

Don’t forget to consider whether it’s the best time to sell for the business. Continuity is important to long-term success and by speaking to financial and tax advisers there may be an intelligent way to time the sale in order to take advantage of tax savings.

The countdown Business owners should begin planning for the sale of their business three to five years before it’s put into action. However, this does depend on what shape the business is in and the life circumstances of the seller, and potential purchasers.

The earlier you start, the more time you’ll have to identify any gaps in the business and opportunities to sharpen it up and make it more attractive to potential purchasers. Competitive tension when selling a business will secure a strong sale price, and give the seller options as to who they might want to sell their business to.

Prior to the sale commencing, obtain a business valuation to give yourself a realistic idea of what the market worth is of your business. This will in turn help to assess the sale strategy and how the drafting of any legal or supporting documents can move forward.

Potential purchasers Once a potential purchaser has been identified, it’s important to ascertain information about them and ensure due diligence checks are carried out. By having the knowledge of their financial situation and whether they are the best person for the purchase, you’ll ensure the ongoing success of the business.

If you are approached by a purchaser, never mention a price as this will act as a ceiling and prevent the potential for a higher offer from the buyer. Also make sure your finances are up to date and organised. This makes due diligence work much simpler to work through and will ensure a quicker sale.

You should also ensure that you have absolute Intellectual Property rights to any products and services before starting a sales process. Purchasers will be keen to know this prior to the agreement.

Incentivising staff People are the key assets in most businesses and it’s important to know that they’re committed, whether that be contractually or otherwise.

If you’re preparing a business for sale, ensuring key members of your team are committed to the business post sale will be particularly important to any buyer. If staff or directors with key client relationships aren’t enamoured with the potential business acquirer, it might also be worth incentivising them with a long-term incentive plan (LTIP), or share options.

Governance Unless provided for to the contrary in the Articles of Association and/or a shareholders’ agreement, one shareholder can’t force another to sell their shares. However, if you have ‘come along’ or ‘drag along’ obligations, you can create a contractual position where a majority of the shareholders can require the minority shareholders to sell their shares on the same terms as the majority shareholders.

Customer relationships Customer relationships are key for potential purchasers because that’s where the sales come from. If customer contracts or framework agreements are coming to an end, or there are onerous terms, they will often be used as price chips.

Are there any change of control provisions in your customer (or supplier) contracts which would entitle the other party to

terminate the contract after a change of ownership? If you do have any change of control clauses this could be fatal to the deal and it might be worth considering renegotiating such clauses so that you don’t lose value or the deal.

Property Get the structure right so you have your property where you want it. Do you want to sell the property with the business, or take it out and, post completion, have an income through renting the property to the new buyer? Would you want the property in a separate company or perhaps in your pension?

CSR It’s good culture for a business to be receptive to CSR activities. If you have a culture that is 50 years out of date and your potential acquirer has a strong CSR agenda, it may be a challenge for the buyer to bring those two businesses together in the post completion integration phase. Investing in modern practices like CSR activity will open your business up to more opportunities to sell.

Getting it right To ensure you get it right, keep focused on the business.

While focus may be shifted towards engineering the sale of the business, it’s advisable to employ a qualified team of people to ensure the running of the business continues smoothly and successfully. Otherwise, the sale may fall through or the business may lose momentum. Implementing these strategies, and investing in careful preparation is key to securing the best price possible for your business. Employing a legal team to organise the legal paperwork to ensure there are no complications during the sale process can ensure you get this right.

By following these suggestions when preparing your business for sale, you’re setting yourself up for a successful search for the perfect buyer, and giving yourself the best opportunity to maximise your return and secure a sale to a buyer you are most comfortable with, particularly in a post-Covid world.

For more information on corporate law matters, please visit https://www.lawblacks.com/business/corporate-law/.

6 ways leaders can create a happier workplace The global pandemic put a pause on the movements of many workers, who decided it was better to ‘sit tight’ as the world’s businesses drew down the shutters and waited for better times. Now, as the economy begins to recover, ‘The Great Resignation’ has now begun, which estimates that around 41% of people plan to leave their jobs this year.

A selection of experts provide their tips for leaders and managers looking to retain their workforce by facilitating a happier working environment.

Adequately train your senior managers Recent research by The Bute Group revealed that 81% of those surveyed would not re-employ their manager. What’s more 79% of senior managers would rather employ a new team of their choice than re-employ their direct reports. What this essentially means is that employees are not happy with their managers and managers are equally unhappy with their teams. So what is the issue?

“It’s definitely more than just bad management, however bad management plays an immense part in this,” explains Margo Manning, a leadership and management consultant, and author of ‘The Step-Up Mindset for Senior Managers’.

with someone when they are just having a bad day. If it’s a recurring problem, then act as suggested above. When it’s the occasional one-off, take a deep breath and be kind. After all, one day it might be you feeling the same way,” says Elisa.

Communicate a clear purpose beyond profit One of the most notable impacts of the pandemic in the business world has been to expose those businesses who have covered their brand in a fancy purpose wrapper, but have not taken the time to really consider how to organise around a core purpose and deliver more than paper-thin promises to society, and those who work for them, explains Neil Gaught, a strategy advisor and founder of sustainability champion, Single Organizing Idea.

“It’s helped people to identify those businesses that are truly committed to improving society and the world around them, and identify roles in which they will be able to make the most impact,” he says.

Neil explains that businesses which are organised around their core purpose will have no trouble keeping their workforce engaged, happy and productive, as long as they communicate their intentions internally and actively involve their staff in their pursuit of a sustainable future.

“From empirical observations, it is clear that managers and leaders can turn a happy, confident individual into a stressed, underperforming and lacking individual. An inexperienced manager will always look to blame external sources for issues around motivation and productivity, and that external source is often the team. Organisations have a responsibility to adequately train and guide their senior managers so that they can nurture happy, harmonious and productive teams.

This, in turn, will lead to happier, harmonious and productive teams, as well as improved retention,” explains Margo.

“This is particularly the case for younger workers, because this generation is not motivated by money or pretence, as survey after survey shows. They want to be heavily invested in the cause. They want their work to be meaningful. They will seek out roles where they are rewarded and recognised for their contributions and will be driven by the impact they are making both individually, and collectively,” explains Neil.

Be supportive and empathetic

It may seem counterintuitive to support employees in cultivating their own projects and side hustles, but management consultant and founder of In•Side•Edge Christy Kulasingam believes that this can go a long way to creating a happy workplace and retaining high performing talent.

People often act differently at work when they feel out of their depth or exposed in some way, suggests Elisa Nardi, a former Chief People Officer and founder of career development company Notebook Mentor.

“Rather than criticizing or triggering a defensive response, talk to people about what learning, support, or development might boost their confidence. Supporting people’s professional development is a great way to engage and motivate, helping them see a better future,” she explains.

“But most of all, be kind. Some days, people may be difficult because they are simply exhausted or feeling at odds with the world. Perhaps they had a row at home before leaving for work? Maybe they bumped their car on the way into the office? For whatever reason, sometimes you can’t reason

Help employees to act on unexplored passions outside of the workplace

“It is clear that the pandemic gave people more space than ever before to really consider what makes them happy, their work-life balance and what their next move might be. Even those who love their colleagues and job were left feeling unfulfilled and despondent.” says Christy.

“Empowering employees with the skills, resources and confidence to explore their passions and side hustles will not only create fulfilled employees, who will in turn be happier and more productive because you clearly care about their overall wellbeing, but will give you additional skills to tap into during your next phase of business growth.”

Christy suggests initially working with a representative sample of employees on a co-designed entrepreneurship program to see how this could look in your organisation.

Embed authentic wellbeing strategies - not just flashy perks “Employee wellbeing has rightly featured highly on the agenda for organisations over the past year and this is something that certainly needs to continue as we navigate the post-covid workplace.” comments Karen Meager and John McLachlan, organisational psychologists and co-founder of Monkey Puzzle Training and Consultancy.

However, they are keen to remind leaders that employee wellbeing isn’t synonymous with sleep pods, pool tables and gym memberships.

“We have often seen organisations introduce these flashy perks with great intentions of enriching the employee experience, when really they are celebrating ‘busyness’ and encouraging people to work long hours without breaks. Without addressing these fundamental cultural issues, leaders will find it much more difficult to create an authentically happy workplace.”

Karen and John recommend that senior leaders seek honest feedback from their teams on the entire workplace culture and have transparent conversations with line managers about how their unhealthy behaviours could be trickling down.

Additional benefits can certainly supplement our working lives, but they are not a substitute to an authentic wellbeing strategy.

Don’t neglect celebrations of successes and unique differences For many over the past year in particular, focus has been on business survival and just getting through the days, weeks and months. But as we emerge and look to the future, belonging and celebrations of unique differences need to be central, argues Teresa Boughey, founder of Inclusion 247.

“Now is a prime time to accelerate your inclusion journeys and this will be especially important within hybrid organisations. So often we keep focused on the next thing, but inclusive organisations will always make time to celebrate the successes of individuals, recognising and valuing their unique differences. This will have a considerable impact upon happiness levels and motivate team members for the next sprint” Teresa suggests this could be achieved through Friday huddles that are dedicated to the successes from the week, but also monthly equivalents to take a longer term view and regular one-to-ones to demonstrate you are committed to their growth. This should involve all stakeholders; employees in the office, remote and freelancers/contractors.

Negative leadership styles to avoid - and how to find yours Leaders are in a powerful position to influence — how they behave can inspire, motivate and innovate (or, the reverse).

Being a leader is no easy task, but there are negative leadership styles that are ineffective at best and damaging at worst, which need to be avoided.

A leadership style is the behaviour a leader displays when they manage people. There are many different leadership styles which allow you to work in a way which is best suited to your personality. It provides you with the knowledge and awareness you need to get the most out of your team and bring success to the organisation you work for.

In this article, Tony Gregg, Chief Executive at Executive Search firm, Anthony Gregg Partnership, reflects on how negative leadership styles can leave your team feeling unmotivated.

Tony also emphasises the importance of adopting a leadership style that is well received by your team, matching the candidate’s leadership style to the right team.

Extreme micromanagement Leaders micromanage their team members for a variety of reasons, including fear of loss of control and failure, belief that the team is unskilled and managerial inexperience. In fact, it often comes down to the leader’s own insecurities. It is vital that a leader has the self-awareness to change, because micromanagement is damaging for business and leads to a stressful working environment.

As a result: • Staff are made to feel incapable • Staff feel not trusted to do the job they are hired to do • Productivity and innovation are decreased (fostering mediocrity) • Morale is lower • There is a higher staff turnover Likewise, micromanaging will also negatively impact you as a leader: • Distracting you from your own duties • Increasing stress, working longer hours; but without the output you need • Harming your efforts to progress your career Arrogance The greatest leaders know that their way of doing things is not necessarily the best. They are self-aware, realising their own flaws and admitting when they do not have the expertise. They have no desire to be right all the time or profess to know it all. They employ people with different skill sets and approaches so that they can work together for the best possible result.

On the other hand, an arrogant leader is narrow-minded and refuses to take advice from someone who is in a junior

position to them. A leader who thinks like this will be missing out on talent and experience which will enrich the business.

If you recognise this in yourself, understand that you need others to achieve optimum results. Focus on the positive result and not how your staff members got there. Admit when a colleague has more knowledge than you on a certain topic and let them take the lead.

Poor organisation A leader who is poorly organised will be less efficient and less effective in their role. Bad organisation can mean that you miss deadlines, confuse dates, miss meetings and generally become unreliable. Your staff will not respect a disorganised leader and will become resentful if they are having to deal with the consequences. This can result in decreased productivity as staff lack the motivation to work for someone whose poor organisation reflects a seeming absence of care.

You can ensure that you are organised by knowing your team’s strengths, weaknesses and delegating effectively. You can also create open channels of communication so that you know what is happening at all times and can identify any potential issues. Finally, set goals and maintain efficiency by regularly reviewing processes.

As a successful leader, you must identify your priorities and remain resolute and fixed on your goals. You need to instil routine and structure. A lack of focus and failure to pay attention to detail will let your team down and you will appear apathetic, or even lazy. You need to maintain concentration on the task at hand despite other distractions demanding your attention. Fortunately, self-discipline is an acquired skill — it takes practice.

Closed-minded and inflexible Closed-minded people don’t ask questions — they are more concerned with being right than with getting the best results.

They don’t want to hear others’ ideas and theories. They can become quick to anger when challenged. This can hinder success as the leader will miss opportunities for innovation, growth and development. In fact, it is possible to adopt a collaborative leadership style — where you are still respected as the decision maker. You can avoid being a closed-minded and inflexible leader by asking others for their opinions, advice and feedback. You can make the most of learning opportunities by questioning and asking for help.

Unpredictable A team needs autonomy to be able to work happily, but to avoid micromanagement they also need to understand what you want. They need to feel like they can come to you with

any problem or query and that your reaction will be positive.

An unpredictable manager will react to bad news differently, depending on their mood that day, which can lead to staff avoiding communication and being confused by mixed signals. You can prevent this by ensuring strong lines of communication, with regular check-ins.

Absent and unapproachable It is important to be present and approachable as a leader because people will feel comfortable enough to bring any issues to you. You will also gain their trust — the bedrock of a high-performing team. An open door policy encourages faster communication and transparency, leading to increased productivity and efficiency. Without this policy, issues can get worse and staff can feel disgruntled. Leaders need to be spending a set part of each day supporting their staff, with regular one-to-one meetings and reviews.

How to find your leadership style?

To find your leadership style, you need to consider how you behave when you are in charge of a team. You might realise that you change when you respond to different situations and you might recognise a variety of different leadership styles — some positive, some negative. The more self-analysis and introspection you can do, the easier it will be to identify ways in which you can improve.

To begin with, ask yourself the following questions: Do you like to take charge and command? You might be an authoritative leader.

Do you elevate your employees to greater success? This is common for a pace-setting leader.

Do you find delegating easy, trusting your employees to reach their own goals? This is a laissez-faire approach.

Do you get the most out of your team by recognising their strengths and weaknesses? You could be an affiliative leader.

Do you value democracy, motivating all your team members to participate so that each person has a say? This is what a participative leader does.

Do you influence and inspire change in your work environment? This is common in transformational leadership.

Finding an effective leadership style while avoiding toxic leadership traits is a powerful tool in unlocking potential — yours and your team’s. This is particularly true for companies going through uncertainty in today’s rapidly changing business climate, where your leadership style needs to stay agile. https://www.anthonygregg.com/

Answers to the Most Commonly A Growth Partners, a leading provider of payroll, pension, and employee benefits, wellbeing, and engagement solutions, shares its advice surrounding all things payroll.

With the payroll topic reaching peak popularity on Google searches in the past 30 days, it’s clear to see that payroll managers are seeking more guidance and advice to aid and support their clients during unpredictable times.

If an employer stops Statutory Sick Pay but the employee is still off sick, what form is needed?

Employers should complete an SSP1 form and send it to the employee. Doing this will help them claim employment and support allowance.

What happens to Statutory Sick Pay if an employee is offsick or self-isolating because of COVID-19?

Since 13 March 2020 employers should start paying an employee Statutory Sick Pay from the first day they are off work – if they’re off for at least four days consecutively.

Employees do not qualify for Statutory Sick Pay if they are self-isolating based on the fact they are entering or returning to the UK. Why has an employee not been automatically enrolled into the pension?

Employers must automatically enrol employees to a pension scheme. Auto enrolment is based on the employee’s age and earnings. All employees are automatically enrolled after the 3-month postponement period if they meet the following qualifying criteria: aged 22 and earn over £10000.

What is involved in transferring payroll providers to a PEO model?

When employers are transferring payroll providers and the HMRC liabilities as part of the PEO model, they need to send the new payroll provider a complete list of all current employee data along with salary information. Employers must ensure employees are set to leavers in the old payroll and produce a P45 for each of them. P45s are not sent out to employees – they are sent to the new payroll provider only.

How long does transferring payroll providers take?

Depending on the size of the business and the complexity of the payroll, it can take between 1-2 weeks for small to medium business, and up to 4-6 weeks for larger businesses.

Do employers need to contact HMRC if payroll providers are changed?

Employers will only need to complete a year end submission which will confirm to HMRC that you have closed down your old PAYE. This is usually done via an EPS submission once you have processed your final payroll and made all employees leavers. You will need to confirm the cessation date on the submission.

With the topic of payroll experiencing constant changes,

especially in such turbulent times, it can be increasingly difficult for payroll managers to quickly adapt to such changes in rules and regulations while ensuring they’re operating in line with the latest government advice.

For more information and questions relating to payroll, which have been answered by leading payroll experts, take

Asked Questions Regarding Payroll a read of the full blog article on the Growth Partners website.

Additionally, for further information on outsourcing your payroll duties, contact the team at Growth Partners today. https://growthpartnersplc.co.uk/

How to overcome the diversity problem in start-up funding The first step to overcoming any problem is to acknowledge it. So I want to be very clear: there is a diversity problem in start-up funding.

Entrepreneurship is one of the most dynamic features of modern economies. Yet when you look at who gets funding, there’s a huge disparity — and we’re not moving fast enough to change it.

There are forward-thinking investors that want to expand their portfolios with amazing businesses led by women, black, minority ethnic and LGBTQ+ founders. They believe in positive social change, want to champion socially conscious investment and recognise that underrepresented groups offer the opportunity to not only get ahead, but to give back.

3. Making the case to investors

The stats speak volumes. Only 6% of women-only businesses get funded, only 1% of LGBTQ+ founded businesses get funded and this drops to a pitiful 0.24% of black founded businesses.

There’s a lot of competition for money and even the most passionate investor in diverse entrepreneurs will need more than gaining a great feeling about funding social change to commit to an investment.

And yet, diversity-led businesses are proven to be more profitable.

As I highlighted above, there is proof that diversity-led businesses can be significantly more profitable, but that’s not enough on its own.

For example, when women-led start-ups do get funded, they’re more likely to be successful, delivering more than twice as much per dollar invested, according to analysis from Boston Consulting Group.

Funding start-ups with diverse founders isn’t just good for society, it’s good for business. Here’s how we can bring greater equality to entrepreneurship.

1. Make sure diverse start-ups are visible to investors One thing I often hear from investors is that they don’t invest in diverse founders because they can’t find them. But the truth is, there’s no shortage of exceptional entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds. It’s just about knowing where to look and making sure these founders have the confidence and resources they need to make themselves visible to the investment community.

Women are the fastest growing demographic for founding new start-ups and people from minority ethnic communities are twice as likely as their white counterparts to be earlystage entrepreneurs.

If these brilliant, diversity-led businesses are looking for investment to power their next stage of growth then we must help them be found. And that means making connections.

2. Connect diversity investors to diversity founders The diversity problem is entrenched in the current funding model, and it won’t be solved by trying to overthrow decades of established practices.

As explained, we need to connect diversity founders with those investors who are actively looking for greater deal flow in diversity and environmental, social and governance (ESG) compliant businesses.

Every entrepreneur, regardless of whether they are men, women, black, minority ethnic or LGBTQ+, need to show they can tick all the investment criteria boxes. It’s about building a case for yourself, your business idea and for the sector or groups you represent.

The business community can do a lot to help entrepreneurs to tick these boxes, for example by using mentoring, events, making connections and more. Through collaboration, education and communication, business founders from all backgrounds can make themselves seen and heard in the right circles and by the people that can help them the most.

4. Instilling self-belief in diverse entrepreneurs I read too many articles that point to the issue of imposter syndrome — the self-doubt that befalls so many entrepreneurs in underrepresented groups.

It’s not hard to see why when the stats point to dramatic under-funding among women, LGBTQ+ and black groups.

One thing that is clear from when I speak to entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups is that they have tremendous belief in their ideas — so why don’t they have this belief in themselves?

Quite often this lack of self-confidence can start at the education level. If we look at executive programmes for example, the benchmark for budding entrepreneurs is generally the CEO, which is likely to be a male benchmark. But for those studying an MBA, female CEOs or female leadership would only be featured as a standalone course or module.

This is causing more and more women entrepreneurs to suffer from ‘imposter syndrome’ a lot more than their male counterparts due to a lack of role models to look up to.

King’s College London’s the King’s Entrepreneurship Institute supports women by boosting their confidence to compete more strongly with male founders. Julie Devonshire OBE, director of the institute, points to women entrepreneurs sometimes suffering from ‘imposter syndrome’ more than their male counterparts.

Critically, Devonshire says, this means “women entrepreneurs can miss out on support from mentors, accelerator, networks, and investors when, actually, their ideas are equally as valid as others and are destined to thrive.”

5. Services designed for start-ups The financial requirements for start-ups vary considerably from those at later stages of their business growth journey.

We need to take a much more tailored approach to the business coaching and mentorship support, products and services offered to diverse entrepreneurs, who are likely already battling misconceptions and prejudice.

Take the typical small business bank account, which only stifle agility. Entrepreneurs need financial products that break down barriers: no personal guarantees, company debit cards, instant payments in multiple currencies.

Txeya is committed to creating quality in entrepreneurship, providing female, black, LGBTQ+ and all other founders access to funding and tools to help their business thrive.

By Paula Pandolfino, CEO and founder, https://txeya.com/

5 Quick tips to redu “The Perfectio We are not born perfect (Even though our parents may think so). And there is very little evidence to show that we are born as a Perfectionist. Perfectionism is something we learn through our environment, and there can be many reasons including positive reinforcement, praise, high expectations or critical evaluations from our parents. It affects the way we view ourselves, others and the world. Perfectionists have had experiences that lead them to develop a view of the world that encourages the pursuit of unrelenting high standards.

If you find yourself under constant stress to reach the high standards that you put upon yourself, or believe that others expect of you, then you might just be at a point where “Perfectionism” is no longer serving you, but making your life and of those around you miserable.

Pursuing unrealistic standards can have a significant impact on your well-being, leading to frustration, worry, social isolation, depression and a persistent sense of failure.

But things don’t have to stay this way!

Here are 5 tips to reduce the stress and anxiety, caused by Perfectionist thinking: 1 - Be aware, be very aware of your negative thoughts when you make a mistake, and question if those thoughts are rational. ie. there may be one spelling mistake in a report you spent hours on, but the rest is spotless.

2 - Would you speak to your best friend the way you speak to yourself? Would you call them “useless” or “failure?”. Be your own best friend for a change.

3 - What is the worst thing that can happen? Keep asking yourself, is that really the worst thing that can happen?

4 - Is what you think others think of you really their thoughts, or yours? Do you have hard evidence that this is what they are thinking?

5 - Check your values; family, work, health, marriage/ relationship, community, religion, friendship etc. Do you live in line with your values, or are you def some important once because of one?

If you feel your perfectionist beliefs are getting in the way and causing you anxiety, it is ok to seek help. It is possible to learn how to take control of your thoughts and feelings, break free from negative patterns, and make profound changes so that you rediscover your confidence and live the life you want.

By Aylin Webb. http://www.mindandmood.co.uk

uce stress caused by onist” thinking

How to follow your life purpose and not get derailed Do you have a vision of where you want to be and what you want to do but it’s just not happening? Are you feeling blocked and frustrated by duty and responsibility? Or maybe you just can’t find the way forward?

You may have a clear knowing of what you want to do but you cannot achieve it because life keeps getting in the way. You may feel there is a book you need to write, a cause you want to fight for, like Greta Thunberg’s activism for preventing climate change, or you may have an urge to travel and open up your life. Whatever it is, somehow you never quite get to it. So how to do shift the balance and follow your life’s purpose without getting derailed?

To connect to your Higher Consciousness Your plan for this lifetime is stored in your unique spiritual essence which we call The Higher Self. At times of stress or emotional turmoil your focus will be on your troubles and not on your spiritual essence. You may become disconnected or not hear clearly, like using a bad telephone line.

Here are a few tips to help you raise your vibrations and lift your spirit to enable a full and clear connection: • Immerse yourself in nature. You can also use walks by the sea, in parks or in the countryside, wild swimming, gardening or any activity that suits you as nature holds the high vibration energies that will raise your spirit.

• Listen to or play music or sing • Dance or practise yoga • Be creative e.g. cooking, art or craftwork etc.

• Meditate

Open them wide three times - to symbolise your intention of opening your heart Place one hand on your heart centre, in the middle of your chest and focus your attention on your heart centre Ask your heart what its wish is; the first thought that comes into your mind is the answer.

Your fears can block your progress You may be blocked from reaching your goal by fear. This can be a conscious or subconscious fear from past experiences or from imagining the worst outcome. How do you overcome fears? I have found the most effective way is to face them! If there is something you really want, then do it anyway, even if you are scared. Facing fears is empowering and will knock down those invisible boundaries that limit you.

You may be following your life purpose by doing exactly what you are doing!

An important aspect of Life Purpose/destiny is that you may well be fulfilling this already!

My belief is that when we are living kind, caring and thoughtful lives that consider the feelings and needs of others – then we are fulfilling our role as spiritual human beings.

The hero in the new musical ‘Artaban’, which premiered in Covent Garden in November is based on the book ‘The Fourth Wise Man’ by Henry van Dyke, faces similar challenges on his life journey.

You may have a sense of being unsettled, restless and needing change but at a loss to know what it is you want to do. Let’s look at how you can find your hidden inner passion.

Artaban spent years waiting for the star that was prophesied to show the arrival of a new king. A new king that would help lead people from the corrupt and greed of life at that time.

Once he saw the star, he was desperate to meet his three fellow Zoroastrian priests to follow the star to Bethlehem.

There he would give his gifts, of a ruby, a sapphire and a pearl, to the baby Jesus. But Artaban’s quest and heart’s desire was thwarted right from the start as he was approached by a sick man at the side of the road. Artaban was not only a philosopher and astronomer but also a healer and his compassion pulled him to stop and help the man recover.

This meant he missed the other three magi and consequently by the time he reached Bethlehem the family had moved on to Egypt.

Write down everything you have ever done, including in your childhood, that you have found exciting, exhilarating and that made you feel happy and complete. There will be clues in that list that may trigger an idea for you to take forward.

Your mind is often guided by logic and fear, so discover what your heart wants. This simple ritual will help you to connect to your heart: Put your hands together in front of your chest - to represent the doors of your heart

Artaban spent the next thirty years of his life searching for Jesus and constantly stopping to help those in need. Because he felt he was failing in his mission he felt guilty and a failure (is that familiar to you?) However, eventually he came to Jerusalem where he heard that Jesus was imprisoned awaiting crucifixion. Once again, his urge to help him and give him his last remaining gemstone was thwarted. But, he did learn the most important lesson of all, that in truth he had fulfilled his mission – which was to help others. His acts of kindness on

• Here is a simple ritual I use every day to consciously connect to my Higher Self: Grip your hands together – this symbolises togetherness. Raise them above your head – this symbolises raising your consciousness. Say out loud “I am fully connected now, right now, right now” – this uses your free will and intent to make the connection.

To connect to your heart to find out your heart’s desire

the way to his goal were the reality of his mission on earth.

So as the saying goes, its not the goal but the journey and how you live your life day-to-day that really matters. So, relax about discovering a momentous life purpose, but follow your heart – it won’t fail you. And concentrate on living each day with love and kindness for that is what your heart truly needs and the love and gratitude that returns to you will give you fulfilment and happiness.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anne Jones is a spiritual healer, author of seven books translated into 18 languages, and co-creator of ‘Artaban The Musical’ which is based on the book ‘The Fourth Wise Man’ by Henry van Dyke. https://artabanthemusical.co.uk/

Workaholism – The respectable addiction Churchill said, men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened…

What might have started out as an intrinsic enthusiasm to progress a career, to climb the corporate ladder or to build a business can often end up with a person developing perfectionist and obsessional traits. If these traits become habitual then choosing work over other aspects of life can soon turn into a compulsion to work.

For those men that progress from a habitual to a compulsive demeanour, they can often find that their continued weighting of work creates significant challenges in their lives, particularly when married and with children. Workaholism is seemingly most prevalent in Type A’s; those men that are hype competitive and obsessively outcome oriented – the same men that undoubtedly go on excel in their corporate companies or build hugely successful businesses.

Workaholics can forget work – life balance as most of their time, they’re experiencing work – life conflict.

Let’s get clear, workaholism is defined as a ‘compulsive desire to work’ and a definition of an addiction is ‘compulsive engagement despite adverse consequences’. The word that stands out, that links these definitions and that can be used to assess your attitude toward work is ‘compulsion’. If you have a compulsion, a consistent urge to work then it’s likely that you have progressed from having a passion for your profession to becoming a workaholic.

The term came into existence in 1971 in the book ‘The Confessions of a Workaholic’. A time when many of our fathers would have been in the ‘thrusting’ stage of their careers and since then has gone on to become a somewhat socially and maritally respectable and acceptable addiction.

According to the findings of recent survey that covered 2,000 employees across the UK (commissioned by SPANA), it found that 57 % of those surveyed checked their emails during the weekend, that 40 % feel they cannot switch off after work and that 20% checked their emails whilst in bed. A sign of our wider attitude to work is when we ask someone ‘how are you?’ and they reply curtly with ‘busy!’

Our ease of accessing work through our devices and superfast broadband means that for many, ‘busyness’ has become a badge of honour and in many company cultures, being first in and last out of the office and firing emails at obscure times have become the subconscious metrics that determine whether or not someone is a ‘hard worker’.

As a society, I cannot help but feel we’re underestimating the seriousness and impact of workaholism in a socioeconomic

sense. Progressing the conversation around workaholism is an objective manner is a study the Bergan University (Norway).

The study attempted to pin down exactly what lead people to developing a compulsive attitude toward work. The research team studied over 1,100 people and developed the Bergan Work Addiction Scale (BWAS). The BWAS is diagnostic test to assess attitudes toward work and consists of 7 yes or no questions: 1.Do you think about how you can free up more time to work 2.Do you spend much more time working than initially intended 3.Do you work in order to reduce feelings of guilt, anxiety, helplessness 4.Have you been told by others to cut down on work but you don’t listen 5.Do you become stressed if you are prohibited from working 6.Do you de-prioritise hobbies, leisure activities or exercise because of work 7.Have you worked so much that it has negatively impacted your health I believe the BWAS is a useful sense check, however, I also acknowledge that at times it may be necessary to prioritise work; the key differentiator between having a passion for your work and being a workaholic is seemingly found in the word compulsion.

Steven Bartlett, millionaire millennial, the founder of Social Chain and host of the highly acclaimed, The Dairy of a CEO podcast talks regularly about his ‘compulsion’ to over index work and the adverse impact of this is his life, particularly in terms of his health and in his closest and intimate relationships.

As a gender, Steven included, it appears many modern day professional men have/are aligning their identities to what they do and go on to derive their self-worth from how well they do it.

Who are you without your career?

If your business was taken from you, who would you be…

Take a moment to ponder these perhaps uncomfortable questions…

Over the past few years, I’ve worked with a number of clients that would have never considered themselves to be workaholics, instead they’ve viewed their approach toward work as demonstrating their drive and desire, to be their best and provide for their families.

But for many of these men, the outcome of their actions, and their tendency to over index work is always the same, they come to me: Lacking balance, experiencing unhealthy levels of stress, their wellbeing has declined and their relationships and become distant.

Maybe the alarm bells are ringing for you, maybe you have never considered yourself a workaholic, but if you feel slightly uncomfortable reading this, may be there’s some inconvenient truths to be faced.

It’s trite but true, if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

The more we converse and normalise the conversations around the difficulties modern men experience, the more we, collectively, can reduce the stigma many men feel around asking for help or admitting they have an issue with something.

By Dan Stanley, Founder of https://www.better-men.uk/

Simple ways employers can support team members at home From the challenges of enforced isolation and difficulty switching off caused by working from home, to the anxiety and uncertainty about future income caused by furlough – the effects of the pandemic have taken a toll on workers’ mental health. According to the Office for National Statistics, the rate of depression in adults doubled during June 2021compared to at the start of lockdown. Other surveys warn of the risk of burnout due to pressure to be more productive at home whilst juggling work-schedules, video calls, household chores and parenting.

or podcast during their lunch break, or doing something fun with a friend. Positive emotion is important to foster during challenging times as it improves our cognitive functioning and ability to problem solve, so can bolster productivity rather than diminish it. Organise an informal end of month ‘coffee break’ chat over Zoom where work-talk is off the agenda and you simply invite feedback about which activities they’ve chosen and how that felt? Maybe they could include these activities as new habits to maintain good mental health in future?

Meanwhile, Job board, Totaljobs found that almost half (46%) of UK workers experienced loneliness during lockdown with younger workers especially struggling. Even with constant virtual meetings over Zoom, the endless screen-time and online interaction replacing face-to-face can take its toll, because we’re interacting with half the number of people we’d ordinarily interact with in an office setting, and virtual rather than face-to-face makes it more challenging to develop trust, empathy and connection.

4.Suggest (or make it a new ‘Rule of Conduct’) that staff get outdoors and get active at least once per day. Perhaps they could go out somewhere for lunch (ideally with a colleague to maintain working relationships) or go for a mid-day bike ride? They could even sign-up to a remote yoga class or fitness challenge together with fellow work colleagues? Or perhaps break up the day by going for a walk in nature in the morning, a quick walk round the block at lunchtime and a trip out in the car to the beach or park at the end of the working day? If their work is such that they can work from anywhere with a web connection, give staff permission to hit the road occasionally and work from a coffee shop, a library, anywhere they’re not alone. Just escaping the confines of home can make a big difference.

So how can employers support team members at home, whether they are working from home or furloughed at home?

1.Give staff autonomy. Remote working when it’s our own choice can feel more positive an experience than the enforced WFH of the pandemic that has now become more prevalent, even after the easing of lockdown. When working from home is something we’ve chosen, we are more likely to see the benefits (the enhanced creativity from reduced distraction; the comfort of wearing lounge-wear all day and the flexibility of more family time and/or leisure time that can replace the time spent commuting). So, enable your staff to set their own hours and a start/finish at a time that suits them, with the clear understanding that the work required to be done is completed. This structured autonomy will help them see the benefits of working from home more readily. That said, recommend they stop work at a reasonable time, with no weekend-working, so they have enough downtime before bed.

2.Encourage staff to set routines and work/home boundaries.

When they came into work the transitional car or rail journeys may have helped them mentally prepare for the day. Now those transitional journeys are gone, suggest they establish firm routines around what they do before work to mentally prepare and after work to switch off. For example, perhaps they could go for a run or do a workout before work and, after work, pack work tools away out of sight before going for a walk, swim or cycle. It’s important to set up clear work/home space and to pack everything away at the end of the day.

3.Recommend feel-good activities to schedule in. Send your team a fun pick ‘n’ mix ‘to-do’ list containing non-work feelgood activities to choose and schedule in to their days. From performing a random act of kindness or writing a thank you card to keeping a list of gratitude, tuning in to a comedy show

5.Provide staff with a list of mental health resources. From Public Health England Every Mind Matters website developed in collaboration with the Mental Health Foundation (www. nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/) to the Samaritans who are available to listen by calling 116 123 at any time, you might even include https://soundofcolleagues.com/ on that list of resources for those who miss the buzz of working in an office. This office soundtrack is a Spotify playlist of workplace sounds, such keyboards, printers, chatter and coffee machines. It was initially created as a joke by Swedish music studio Red Pip, but soon took off as over a million people tuned in over lockdown.

6.Check in with your employees midweek – whether via email, in a chat room or over a phone or web chat call. The check-ins could come from you or designated mental-health first-aiders. You might want to introduce a buddy-system to give those uncomfortable with sharing their struggles with management the chance to share challenges with their peers instead. Ensure those checking in with people ask whether they’re okay, if they need anything and practice active listening – give the speaker their undivided attention; nod, smile and offer feedback. Invite everyone to check in with themselves regularly too by asking themselves what they might need to nourish themselves - To stretch and take some deep breaths? To get some fresh air? To put some music on and dance round the kitchen (something they only get to do when working solo from the comfort of their own homes).

7.Organise fun activities for staff to enjoy. For example, you could set up optional virtual ‘happy hour’ meetups with fun

activities such as quizzes or talent competitions or virtual singing workshops, cooking, yoga or meditation classes.

Permit employees to keep their cameras off if they prefer and invite staff to make suggestions for activity ideas. As lockdown is eased, take these group activities offline. Organise outdoor meetups for 30 people or less or groups of six for indoor gatherings.

8.Avoid a blanket approach to supporting your team members at home. With the Furlough scheme extended until September 2021, some staff working from home may feel they are too busy, while those on furlough are likely to feel anxious about the future security of their jobs and feel like they’re ‘not busy enough’. Adapt your support accordingly. For instance, those furloughed might benefit from doing some voluntary work to keep them busy and purposeful. So connect those team members to volunteering opportunities and community support schemes. Meanwhile, be honest and open about what is happening and find out which support mechanism would best suit each person. Remind your team that they’re not alone and that you’re all in this together.

By Cheryl Rickman is a positive psychology practitioner and author of new book Navigating Loneliness: How to connect with yourself and others, Welbeck, £8.99 https://www. amazon.co.uk/Navigating-Loneliness-Connect-YourselfHandbook/dp/1789560209

How to strengthen your brand with a digital marketing strategy Are you an entrepreneur looking for business advice to help your company thrive? In this article Andrew Dark, Director and Co-Owner of the custom clothing retailer Custom Planet, shares a few tips that will help you bring your brand to life in the digital age.

Having a solid and ambitious digital marketing strategy is one of the best ways to both strengthen your brand and boost your profits. You don’t have to think about it too much to see why this method of marketing is so important. There are 4.6 billion active internet users as of January 2021 — over half of the global population (Statista).

But having a digital marketing strategy is about more than getting access to this huge pool of potential customers. Giving your business an online presence will help you establish a solid brand identity, which can in turn make your brand more recognisable and boost your revenue.

Despite the well-documented benefits of having a solid digital marketing strategy, many businesses fail to invest enough time into planning one. In fact, one report found that 44% of the companies questioned did not have a defined digital marketing strategy (Smart Insights). If you’re in the same boat as the owners of these businesses, the good news is that it’s never too late! The following digital marketing tips can be used to establish your brand identity and help your business thrive in an increasingly online world.

Nail down your brand personality. A vital component of establishing your brand identity is finding your ideal brand personality. Not only does this make you stand out from your competitors, but it will ensure your messaging and content remain consistent, which in turn makes your business seem more reliable. Take some time to consider the type of personality you want for your brand, and audit your existing website, social channels, and marketing materials to see whether they’re delivering this identity.

Authenticity is something that is valued by many consumers these days. One survey found that 86% of respondents cited authenticity as a deciding factor of whether they’ll support a brand (Stackla). To build an authentic image, you may want to create a down to earth and relatable brand personality. You can do this by posting behind the scenes content, and giving customers a glimpse into everyday life in your workplace.

Don’t be afraid to inject a dash of fun and levity into your branding, either. Humorous brand personalities tend to do very well these days, especially online. For example, Netflix frequently posts memes and other entertaining content using shows and films on their social channels to make their consumers laugh while subtly advertising what they have to offer (Econsultancy).

However, be sure to think long and hard before making a big switch. Your brand identity should not be changed too often — consistency is key, or you risk confusing and alienating your existing customers. I would only recommend making major changes if you’re 100% certain it’s time for a shake-up.

Build an attention-grabbing social media presence Having a social media presence is a great way to find new customers. A poll from Sprout Social found that a whopping 55% of consumers find out about new brands via social media.

As the UK is home to 53 million active social media users as of January 2021 (which equates to 77.9% of the population), there is clearly great potential to reach out to new customers (Statista).

But that’s not all that social media is good for. It can also be used to gain insights into your existing customers, as well as keeping them up to date with the latest products and company news. You can do this by posting picture reveals of new stock, hosting Q&As with your followers, and asking customers what they would like to see from your business next.

You can also use social media to incentivise followers by hosting giveaways and competitions. This is a great way to spread the word about your business, as you can ask customers to share your post or social media profile to be in with a chance to win. And as your social media engagement goes up, you’re more likely to get noticed in comparison to brands with smaller followings.

When it comes to choosing prizes for giveaways, the best thing to gift is one of your bestsellers, as this will give the winner the best impression of your business. Or, if you’d like to give the winner more choice, you may want to provide them with a gift card for your business instead. You can also gift them custommade merchandise, such as a T-shirt, beanie, or tote bag, to spread brand awareness.

Make an impression — and boost SEO — with quality content While social media content is important for reaching consumers and keeping current customers engaged, it isn’t the only digital channel you should focus on. It’s important to produce a variety of content to reach consumers in multiple ways. One particularly effective form of content is publishing blog posts on your website. Writing engaging and informative will impress your customers and establish your brand as an expert in your field, which gives you an advantage over competitors who don’t do this.

Running a successful blog can also improve your site’s SEO by increasing contextual relevance for popular keywords. If you have no knowledge of SEO, it’s a good idea to hire someone with an understanding of it so that you can start to see results quicker. Or if you’d rather, there are a number of online courses that you can take to get a grasp of the subject.

As well as writing blog posts for your own website, you may also want to consider doing guest posts for other blogs. This is a great way to reach new customers, and it’s also great for forging new business connections too. It can also give your site’s backlink profile a boost, which can be great for SEO. Just make sure to be selective when choosing who to guest post for.

It might go without saying, but you should avoid writing posts for your direct competitors, and try to avoid collaborating with websites with low domain authorities (unless they’re incredibly niche) as this can damage your brand. It’s also crucial to avoid reciprocal linking, as search engines can penalise this sort of activity, meaning it’s detrimental to your site’s SEO. https:// www.customplanet.co.uk/

How Important Are Company Audits for Businesses in the Early Stages?

In order to help a business monitor and reliably measure the financial situation of a company, a regulatory statuary audit is vital. Not only does an audit help present a business’s monetary situation in a true and fair manner, but it also provides clarity and comfort to stakeholders that the company has adopted appropriate accounting policies and methods.

Although statutory audits can take a variety of different forms depending on the scale, complexity, and nature of your business, one may be considered more appropriate than the other. Put into some context, for a small retail company an audit will most likely be focused on stock valuation, margins, and receipts. Alternatively, an audit for the likes of a large property investment company will largely focus on property valuation, funding, and systems.

When presented to potential investors, an audit report can do more than just clarify a business’s financial situation — it can also offer the reassurance needed for investors before they make their final decision.

Furthermore, there are multiple benefits of supplying investors with an audit report, some include: • Compliance — for business owners, shareholders, and potential investors, showing conformity to an audit process is one way to show investors that a company is credible and transparent.

• Improves planning, budgeting, and forecasting — since statutory audits give credibility to historic numbers, this information can be used to forecast ahead and ultimately limit the potential financial risks a business might face.

• The credibility given to financial statements — the main purpose of an audit is to verify that the financial statements are true and fair thus helping to build trust with an investor.

When an investment decision is being made, all investors and entrepreneurs know that business transparency is key. Audits can ultimately help increase the confidence that investors have through the reassurance provided by the audit.

Stressing the importance of audits is Andrew Millet from Wisteria Accountants, saying: “Any company that is seeking investment over the next few years should be thinking of voluntarily having themselves audited. Leaving it until the year of investment is often too late”.

How important are investors for emerging businesses?

In order to successfully encourage investors, early stage businesses that are seeking funds to grow with will need to dedicate a lot of time towards providing a reliable and accurate audit. Not only that, the likes of a credible management team, a business model, robust systems, and a good trading history will also help paint your business in a positive light.

Furthermore, a statutory audit will help enhance an investor’s views on the company and confirm that the management is thorough, transparent, can operate with a heightened level of integrity, and is willing to be open to scrutiny.

It’s common for businesses in the early stages to become carried away with sales and products. Although this is of high importance, they must also monitor their systems, processes, reporting, accounting, and compliance, at all times. The likes of a statutory audit will help all businesses achieve this.

Investors could be intrigued by the idea of your business in theory, but the comfort and reassurance they get from the management team will be the ultimate determinant whether they invest or not.

Sources https://marketbusinessnews.com/financial-glossary/auditdefinition-meaning/ https://www.uhyhn.co.nz/2019/01/29/top-5-benefits-an-auditprovides/ https://www.bdo.global/en-gb/blogs/tech-media-watch-blog/ october-1/how-audits-can-retain-investors%E2%80%99-trust-intimes-defined-by-disruptive-tech https://www.accountingtools.com/articles/types-of-audits.html

Why financial transparency will unlock your business growth Open and honest communication engenders a transparent business culture which in turn builds trust, enhances clarity and inspires loyalty. To be truly successful, this transparency should lie at the heart of everything you do: the way you set up processes, talk with your teams and deal with suppliers.

But most importantly, you should be transparent in the way you communicate your financial positioning, report to your stakeholders, share your data as well as communicate your mistakes and your successes. Transparency will unite a team in such a way, you will be stronger together in some of your weakest times and ready to celebrate your strengths with unity.

What is financial transparency?

Financial transparency is where you share financial information with employees, investors and stakeholders. A lot of businesses are so clandestine when it comes to money whether that be profits, debts or salaries. However, if everyone – particularly employees – understood the company finances or decisions directors take that impact the financial health of the business, then they would be empowered to think like business owners. This is likely to engender a collaborative leadership approach, particularly in smaller businesses, and as a result it will unlock growth. After all, many minds are better than one.

The corporate condition In today’s world, global reporting systems for corporates are designed to provide a level of privacy for businesses; it ensures a relatively balanced playing field in terms of minimum requirements of published financial and nonfinancial data.

Corporates have, to a certain degree, a high level of control over what they want the world to see. And when we say ‘world’, we’re talking primarily about analysts; financial analysts, investment analysts, pension fund managers and interested parties who are ultimately looking to hand over cash to these corporates by way of debt or equity investment.

On the whole, the system works but it’s not perfect as is anything which involves human beings.

But: • What if the system changed as did the way we value information?

• What if access to more information was valued greater than increasing profit margins?

It sounds wonderful – in fact, as a consumer, wouldn’t you like to work with a business like that? That sort of company is attractive, not just for the customer, but for potential employees, suppliers and investors too.

A business that values honesty, transparency and integrity above profit is the type of business that will effect change and make a positive impact.

The benefits of financial transparency 1. Efficient teamwork Restricting access to information, can create doubt or worry.

It can cause employees to become distracted and therefore reduce productivity. However, if a team is privy to financial forecasts, figures and resources and understand how those numbers are obtained they are more likely to be able to work in a streamlined way towards the same end goal, happy the business is healthy (and will remain that way) if everyone continues to work together.

2. Attracts investment When anyone is looking to invest in your business, they are going to approach the task with a healthy dose of scepticism.

They are going to want to go through your financials with a fine toothcomb as part of their due diligence. It will be obvious if you are withholding information so being fully transparent really does engender confidence. Even if you feel such transparency doesn’t show your business in its best light, your honesty will be refreshing. Financials can be improved, and your integrity is more likely to open the door to investment than inflated financial reports ever would.

3. Builds credibility It won’t be long before corporate companies are ranked in terms of transparency and integrity instead of their profitability. Transparent businesses are credible: they will set realistic targets based and a lot less likely to commit financial reporting fraud. This level of credibility will make business highly attractive to work for and as a result, business will attract and retain global talent.

The future of financial transparency The invention of Bitcoin started a revolution of decentralisation and integrity. Created in response to the 2008 financial crisis, Bitcoin uses an emerging technology called blockchain, which creates timestamps to ensure data cannot be tampered with. Prior to the 2008, there was a lot of tampering with financial information which led to the crash itself – all because companies wanted to appear better than they were: success by deception.

Integrity, transparency and honesty are built into blockchain transactions by design. Theoretically, no single person, organisation, or government, has control over the information held within a blockchain.

So, what if blockchain becomes the platform for reporting financial information in the future? What if blockchain technology becomes the new basis for financial reporting and data is available in real-time and available to all?

How to be more financially transparent to unlock your business growth today With blockchain technology still in its infancy, there are still ways you can be transparent with your financials without it.

This means you can still lead the revolution in transparency, allowing you to unlock your business growth. That’s because transparency is set to give businesses a competitive advantage in a very short space of time; how transparent you are, will form a significant part of your corporate marketing strategy.

to see how much revenue their campaigns brought in to the business. People want to know where they fit in to the larger picture and when they do, they are more likely to generate ideas that could improve efficiency, sales or savings. They will go beyond what is expected of them rather than doing simply what they have to, so they’ve ticked a box. By involving the team, it creates a sense of empathy throughout the business rather than any ‘issues’ that arise simply being someone else’s problem.

4. Clear communication strategies

You don’t want to be seen as withholding information when all of your competitors are freely flaunting it. You must also think about who people are going to want to buy from, work with or give credit to.

Another way to ensure you create a team effort is to establish clear communication strategies. If you are small business, you can set up weekly or monthly briefings to encourage open and honest communication among your team. If you are a larger company, you could appoint your heads of department to hold these meetings on your behalf or send out company newsletters or reports that communicate the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

So, here is how you can be more financially transparent without having to wait for technology to make it easier – or even mandatory.

Hidden control isn’t always a conscious decision, so by making sure these systems are in place, you will avoid any unintentional suppression of information.

1. Own your data

Financial transparency is about so much more than fundamentals, risk factors, price levels and profit; it’s about the human desire to trust, belong and contribute. By opening your business finances to more than the ‘select few’, you will access benefits, insights and potentially ideas you would never have otherwise as well as outside investment.

You need to be 100% responsible for your data and being responsible begins with looking at it, checking it, knowing what you have and understanding what you’re missing which his best achieved through a Data Gap Analysis.

It can be argued that CEOs, COOs and CFOs do this on a regular basis: it’s their job to know the financial and nonfinancial statistics inside out but how often is it really put to the test? Once a quarter if they’re a publicly traded company?

Once a year if they’re privately owned?

The C-Suite needs comfort that data is being captured accurately and timely. They need to know employees are fully aligned with the values and the mission and that financial data is being harnessed in the most efficient manner and being used to its fullest potential.

2. Be clear with your presentation It sounds obvious but messy spreadsheets aren’t going to cut it in business. If something is presented in a convoluted manner, it could appear you don’t fully understand it either. If it’s not clear, then people will find it difficult to trust whatever it is you are trying to show them.

If you are clear with the way you input your data, then you will get clear data back that is easy to share. If employees and other members of the team are able to understand and share the information this again engenders trust and elevates efficiency in all areas of the business from sales to marketing.

3. Make it a team effort By being clear with your presentation, you are inviting team members to both analyse and review the financials. Finances are not exclusively for one department. In fact, you should be allowing the person doing the bookkeeping to see more than just the Profit and Loss report or the marketing team

As with any revolution, all it takes are one or two pioneers to challenge and change perceptions. While it won’t happen overnight, it will happen and with social media and technology on its side, it could happen relatively quickly. Establishing process to enhance financial transparency today could set you in good stead to be the leader of tomorrow and truly unlock your business growth.

Philippa Scobie is a leading expert at leveraging a company’s assets in terms of time and people, to reduce financial waste, grow exponentially and establish a world-class company culture that attracts global talent. Empowering businesses with the financial systems and processes to boost growth and productivity, she has worked closely with numerous fintech start-ups and hypergrowth companies, quickly transforming them from founder-managed ventures to multidimensional organisations with 7-figure+ turnovers.

She lives in Bedford, UK, with her husband and two young sons and is a firm believer that happiness is a journey, not a destination. The very act of striving to achieve great things is where the real fun, growth and reward lie rather than simply in the results.

Web: www.financialmomentum.co.uk

How to break into a new market with a product-based business E-commerce is thriving. Online sales exceeded $4.2 trillion dollars worldwide in 2020 with over 2 billion people having purchased goods. In the year of the pandemic, worldwide e-commerce retail sales grew by 25 percent. New online buyer’s habits have been formed and they’re here to stay so this makes the future for product-based businesses very exciting to say the least.

However, launching a product into a new market can be tricky. With so many decisions to make along the way, often startups can feel overwhelmed, and most fail within the first three years because they do not do the necessary research about the actual product in the first place.

There is no point to starting a business only to find out no one wants to buy your product. This can be the most challenging part of the process if you have no idea of what to sell. Be prepared to spend a decent amount of time researching.

Your product should solve a problem and add value to your customers.

Ultimately, you want your product to fly off the shelves, not being able to keep up with the demands of your ideal customers. This is what we call ‘product-market fit’. Achieving product-market fit is one of the most important goals for a start-up, yet it is also one of the least understood concepts.

To help, here are 10 steps to help get your product to market: 1. Determine your Ideal Customer Ideal customers ultimately decide how well a product meets their needs and whether it adds value. Use customer personas to dig deep into the demographics as well as the psychographics (activities, interests, and opinions) to segment the new market of potential customers with similar needs and behaviour.

Start with a high-level hypothesis of your ideal customer and continue to revise as you learn more about them. Identify their underserved needs that are not adequately met and refine and tweak the features of your product to improve it and add more value.

With this deep understanding of your ideal customers, when it comes to marketing to them you will know where to find them and use the correct marketing messaging that resonates with them.

2. Define your Unique Selling Proposition Competition is inevitable, especially for ecommerce. What makes your product different and better than the competition?

The unique selling proposition sets your product aside from the competition.

Choose which customer problems your product can solve

and then figure out which unique features of your product will delight your ideal customers and how your product will outperform your competitors. You are not looking to be an inventor of a product, but rather to tweak an existing product, or a different way of delivering that product or customer experience.

3. Specify your minimum viable product feature set Once you have defined your unique selling proposition, you will need to specify your minimum viable product feature set.

Work out what functionality or design your minimum viable product will include.

The aim is to build only what is needed, creating enough value for your ideal customer to validate your product and ensure it’s heading in the right direction. From here you will tweak and iterate until you have the minimum viable product that customers agree is viable and adds value.

4. Create and validate your minimum viable product prototype Before spending thousands on creating your product, create a prototype of the minimum viable product. Show your ideal customers this version and ask for feedback. If they can touch and feel the product, even better. Ask them a series of questions to get as much feedback from them as possible.

Carefully observe what the ideal customer says and does while using the prototype. Ask open-ended questions to gain deeper insights and get the most out of the feedback. Avoid asking closed questions that will only get a yes or no.

Identify common patterns of similar feedback and use this to improve your product.

5. Find a manufacturer and place an order Most get overwhelmed by this! You want to use a reputable manufacturer. Try and keep the development and first order of your product local if possible. This will keep your costs down and the turnaround will generally be quicker. Not to mention the environmental benefits of staying local.

Sourcing from abroad often means higher minimum quantity orders and can take a couple of months to arrive amongst other logistical issues – and more recently, significant shipping costs. When you are ready for this, ensure you communicate clearly with your potential supplier and always ask for samples.

6. Build your store and choose your sales channels There are numerous options out there when it comes to choosing a website platform. Research and decide which one suits you and your brand and build your store.

One of the best ways to reach new customers is to choose marketplaces where your ideal customers already shop.

These channels have inbuilt audiences, and some customers do most of their shopping only on these channels so don’t miss out on potential sales.

Know all the costs involved when selling on these platforms to ensure your profit margin is healthy and with the correct mix of marketplaces together with your own website, this will support and complement your product visibility.

7. Build your audience on social media If you want a great launch, start building your audience on the relevant social media platforms before your product has even landed. You don’t physically need your product to start promoting and intriguing your potential customers.

Take them on a journey with you throughout the process, after all, people buy from people. Build the know, like and trust factor to create front-of-mind positioning so when an ideal customer thinks of your product category, your product is the first that comes to mind. Focus on the platforms where your ideal customers hang out.

8. Build your email waiting list Conversion rates on email are greater than those on social media and websites. Once your product lands and you launch, you want to be able to get as many eyeballs on your product as possible.

Incentivise your followers on social media to sign up to your email waiting list. This is your greatest asset when it comes to launching.

9. Decide on your marketing strategy Visibility of your product is paramount! It’s a numbers game – you need to understand that sales conversion rates in most product categories are low.

Decide which organic marketing and paid for advertising strategies you are going to use. Be prepared for a little trial and error when testing these out. Always remember to analyse data to see what is working and do more of that.

10. Launch your product The key to launching your product is to create as much hype before and during your launch. Don’t miss out on the opportunity of a well-executed launch. This can bring about a cash injection that can then help scale to the next level.

Ensure your website is working seamlessly, populate the website with great, legitimate reviews, set up your email campaign and launch! And test your website again and again!

Launching a product into a new market is as exciting as it is challenging. The process can be overwhelming at times, but it’s so rewarding. Take the leap and enjoy the process.

Remember - be consistent.

Author: Bridgete Combrinck is a product-based entrepreneur with 13 years of experience and a proven track record of success.

Now helping other like-minded entrepreneurs start, build and scale ecommerce business. www.productentrepreurs.com

Preparing Your Business Pre-Launch Sustainable businesses are on the rise, with the increase of coverage about climate change and innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint becoming more widely known. But it is evident that some businesses are struggling to keep up and have no clue where to start.

It is important to distinguish the brand’s mission before setting out any guidelines for products and services and means you as a business owner will have a fundamental understanding of your business without having to think. Purpose driven, ethical marketing is the way forward.

Messaging and branding is important for the growth of any business, and even more so when it comes to ethical startups. Many brands are under scrutiny when their messaging becomes wishy washy and negative media starts overtaking the benefits.

Pre-launch marketing aims to raise awareness and build growth around the brand before the launch of the products or service. It is also a good tactic to understand your audience and to perfect the message, to see what works best for your brand.

Therefore researching and constructing the messaging at the beginning, prior to launch, is the most effective way to start an ethical business. So here are the best steps for preparing your business using Confident Tiger as an example.

Research Research should be key to starting ANY business, right? It is the process of how we can gather data on the market and our ideal consumers. Without this, how can we position ourselves in the market to compete and become a unique stand-out brand?

Starting with surveys and digital analysis of the market is a great way to start understanding the key problems your ideal clients have and how you can solve them. What are other businesses failing to fix?

Landing Page One way to showcase your initial mission is by creating your website pre-launch as a place for your audience to land for lead generation. This landing page can simply state what your brand is with a single call-to-action for example sign up, buy now or learn more.

Becoming visible before launching any products, allows consumers to sign up to email marketing, where they can receive brand updates and can opt-in for newsletters. Prelaunch Confident Tiger had an average of 15 sign-ups a day and a total of 1,000 people fully engaged before even having a product offering.

These are the crucial supportive customers, who will follow the journey of your brand through the startup process to launch. It also means that when products are finally launched, there will be immediate engagement as the process has been planned to include market and consumer research.

Social Media Once you have set up a landing page, social media is the next best way to create and engage with your audience, reflecting your values and mission. Posts should be targeted to your ideal personas, to ensure interaction between you and the audience can flow and enable conversation.

Alongside creating social media profiles, low cost ads on these platforms can drive traffic before you even have products. This sort of traction will enable consumers to engage with your brand and become emotionally invested, captivating as many followers as possible right from the beginning.This is where you can build on the relationship, to educate consumers throughout the process for example, Confident Tiger used social media strategy to pull an audience using educational material and videos. The brand also used this platform to gain valuable data from these followers through a survey 3-6 months before officially launching.

Influencer Marketing

Setting up a brand proposition is your next step after researching the ins and outs of the market. This will lay out the groundwork for your brand vision, values and mission, to refer back to at any time and should be at the core of your marketing plan.

Once you have a prototype of a product or service, you can start contacting nano-influencers, who have a following between 1,000 and 10,000. These influencers generally have high engagement with their followers and they themselves are looking out for opportunities to grow.

It should be a constantly evolving document that you add to and change as your brand changes. Don’t feel you have to get everything detailed at this point, but start scoping out your ideas.

Contacting this type of influencer will allow you to increase word-of-mouth marketing for your brand. There are different deals you can do with influencers including sending a free sample or they may have a charge for specific posts/ stories, usually depending on their following and engagement rate.

Confident Tiger collaborated with a few nano-influencers, providing an arrangement to send a measuring tape and a sustainable bra once produced in return for two reels: one with the tape and one with the bra.

The launch Sufficient market and consumer research will allow for a ready engaging audience to build on once products have been launched. In the build up to your launch, you can constantly update your existing audience by sending emails, keeping them updated with what’s happening on social and giving them exclusive behind the scenes insights. This makes your audience feel like part of a secret society and builds loyalty fast – especially if you can get them involved in the product or service development.

In the meantime, you can engage with and create related content on social media and blogs that will increase sign ups and will increase interaction to ensure you have the ability to gain loyal customers from the beginning.

Author: Clare Martin, Founder, Confident Tiger https://confident-tiger. com/

How to become a sustainable business in 5 steps Our climate is changing as are our attitudes and the way we purchase. Becoming a sustainable business has a wealth of advantages and is imperative in ensuring your business’ future. Incorporating sustainability into your business is vital in protecting our planet and helping in the fight against climate change.

By becoming a green business, you will reduce to reduce the negative impact created by your operations. SMEs account for 99% of the private sector meaning they collectively have the opportunity to pave the way for a greener future. The value created by sustainability in business is multifaceted; becoming a Net Zero business benefits not only the planet but can also help contribute to the success of your business.

With 80% of UK residents concerned about climate change, it is hardly surprising that there is an increasing demand from consumers for businesses to act responsibly and sustainably.

Consumers’ purchasing patterns show that this looks only to increase in the coming years. As more consumers make decisions based on a brand’s eco-credentials, those who have embraced sustainability are set to not just retain their current customers but also attract new ones. Whilst businesses may be tempted to change their operations to grow their reach, they will soon enough find out that by streamlining they will also improve their efficiency saving them time and money. With many SMEs falsely believe the myth that going sustainable will be too costly, the value it brings, both in the short and long term, emphasises that it is worth every penny.

Many businesses recognise the importance of becoming sustainable however due to a lack of resources and knowledge feel overwhelmed with 78% of businesses stating they don’t know where to start to become more sustainable.

Sustainability shouldn’t be complex, it needs to be accessible to everyone, everywhere. You can improve your business sustainability in 5 steps by measuring and managing your emissions, doing behavioural actions and investing in green tech, transitioning to renewable energy, investing in offsetting and participating in projects which give back to the community.

Step 1: Measure and manage your emissions Understanding your carbon footprint will give you a better idea of the impact your business has on the planet. By knowing your emissions, you can benchmark your business and see how it compares to others in your industry and how you fare against your competitors. Getting to grips with your carbon footprint is essential in pinpointing where you need to make changes within your business to reduce your emissions and will provide a starting point to help you monitor your sustainability progress. Using an online carbon calculator, such as this one Zellar - World’s First Sustainability Platform for Business - Carbon calculator , is a useful tool to help you determine your current carbon footprint.

Step 2: Do Behavioural actions and invest in green tech Making proactive change can be difficult as every business operates differently however using data specific to your business will help you monitor your actions, giving you a greater insight into how you can behave more sustainably.

Setting actions which you monitor each month such as checking internal lights are switched off out of hours or the thermostat is scheduled for the right timings, will help you to become a more sustainable business.Once you have done behavioural actions you can then decide where to invest to make changes to increase productivity. Investing in green technology is a sustainable way to run your business. Green tech refers to environmentally-friendly technology which doesn’t harm the environment and helps to reduce emissions.

Green tech can be anything from smart thermostats to loft insulation, double or triple gazed windows to energy-efficient fridges. Having green tech is a more sustainable option for businesses as it uses less power than other products. Once you’ve installed these products, make sure you incorporate it into your behavioural actions for example is the equipment fully serviced and maintained? If not, it may not be running as efficiently as possible wasting energy. By being more efficient it helps businesses to save energy, money and reduce their emissions.

Step 3: Transition to renewables Transitioning to renewable energy helps to lower your business carbon footprint. By using renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels, your energy consumption doesn’t negatively affect the planet. When choosing an energy provider, you need to be aware of greenwashing as many energy companies offer green tariffs however these can still consist of a mix of sources including fossil fuels. Businesses looking to become more sustainable need to address where their energy comes from and how to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions they emit.

Step 4: Offset Carbon offsetting allows businesses to invest in climate change solutions, from planting trees to protecting mangrove swamps and restoring peat bogs. When you purchase an offset, you are funding the reduction or removal of carbon emissions.

Businesses can only do so much, so fast, within their own operations. Supporting carbon offset projects is therefore a great way to have a bigger impact and demonstrate your commitment to sustainability. Just remember that climate change won’t be solved through offsetting alone. Businesses also need to continue making significant internal changes that reduce their emissions.

Step 5: Giving back Becoming a sustainable business is about understanding the harmony of sustainability in which you give more than you take. This notion should echo through your actions, in having a business you naturally impact the community and environment around you, that’s why it’s important to make sure that impact is positive. By involving yourself in local biodiversity or volunteering projects you can help give back and contribute to leaving the planet in a better state than you found it. Corporate volunteering is also a great way to entice talent to your business by helping to align your business values with your employees. A study from Deloitte showed that 89% of employees think businesses that support volunteering activities offer a better overall working environment. It’s important to share your sustainability progress and how your efforts are contributing to a greener environment. Implementing ESG principles into your business also helps to attract investors to your business. Doing good is good for your employees, your business, your community and your planet – it’s a win-win.

Sustainable businesses don’t just look to the future, they are the future. With increasing emphasis on the importance of sustainability setting ambitious environmental goals is crucial in not just determining the future planet we leave to our children but also the future of our businesses. Going green requires thought and you can’t become a Net Zero business overnight. However, by implementing a sustainability strategy and following the five stated steps you can start your journey to becoming a sustainable business today.

Author: Elsa Papa of Zellar www.zellar.com

How to overcome fear in your business - 7 tips to stop letting it get in your way Fear is one the most dominant factors preventing women from either starting a business or experiencing success due to quitting within the first 2 years.

First thing you need to know about fear is that it’s your mind simply letting you know that something is unfamiliar to it.

It’s the ‘threat’ of the unknown or of you entering unknown space, that’s all.

Entrepreneurship is risky, challenging and uncomfortable.

No one goes into business with a guarantee of success, so uncertainty is a given.

Therefore, it’s a good idea to get more comfortable with feeling fear and get yourself into a habit of continuing to take focused action despite it.

The fears in your way Fear of failure. This is of course, the first and most obvious one. This tends to top the list of obstacles in the way of women launching a business or causing them to give up.

Fear of success. This is a less obvious one as it’s more subconscious, but it’s a huge block to achieving success. This is the ‘other side’ of the unknown. That success you dream of is so new and unfamiliar to your mind with all its previous memorised experiences and ‘programming’, that it considers this a ‘system error’ and will alert you to it – in the form of fear.

It’s trying to warn you that something doesn’t fit with your current ‘setting’ – and this might show up as doubts around your ability to cope with such success, how it might affect your lifestyle or quality of your relationships, and perhaps most importantly, discomfort around this ‘new person’ you would have to become as you step into a bigger role in your life, leaving your ‘old self’ behind who you’ve identified with for such a long time until now.

Fear of rejection. This is from those you see as your ideal clients or customers, as well as potential business partners.

You might doubt they will want to buy from you, invest in you or work with you, and you might feel insecurity around pitches, sales or having money conversations.

Fear of judgment. These ‘others’ can be not only your potential ideal clients, partners or investors, but also people you know or who are in your circle – whether friends, family, colleagues etc.

You might dread putting yourself or your business out there in the public eye or on social media, feel uncomfortable being seen in your business role by those who know you, or fear how people surrounding you will perceive you if things don’t go as planned, especially if they were sceptical of your capability to succeed.

Fear of learning. This one is very often overlooked but it can be detrimental to your business. Running a business is a continuous learning and developing experience. Especially if you are only starting out, there will be many aspects of business, skills and tools you’ll need to learn. Even if you’re already established, as tech, marketing and the world around us change and evolve, you will need to constantly update and upgrade your knowledge & skills.

Some limiting beliefs that might be driving this kind of fear might tell you that it will be too difficult, take too much effort or time; that it’s too late for you; you’re too old; you’re not good at it or it’s just not for you. Fear of change. Social, cultural shifts as well as advancement in tech is constantly changing business landscapes. This is true for both how you present your business to the outside world as well as how you run it on the inside.

What has worked for your business in the past may not work well for you now or into the future. So sticking to what you know, not being willing to let things go and not adapting to change can be very damaging.

So what can you do to overcome or minimise fear?

1.Develop a positive, growth mindset. Building a business isn’t an easy ride. You’re going to face lots of challenges, you’ll have to experiment & take risks. Sometimes you won’t get the results you want. You have to accept that as a given. So make a commitment to continue on, no matter what, with grit and an open & curious mind. Identify and clear any beliefs that might be in your way. Top-performers aren’t held back by perfectionism and they don’t relate to the word ‘failure’ – only to the ongoing process of learning & development. In fact, many entrepreneurs started out with a business idea that didn’t work. But they didn’t stop there. They went on to the next, better idea which has brought them success.

2. Remind yourself that fear is a sign of potential for big growth. You’re stretching & moving beyond where you are now and what you’re familiar with - that’s what your mind is signalling to you. In fact, if you’re not feeling fear or discomfort at all when setting your goals – it might actually mean you’re not aiming high enough. So begin seeing fear as a positive driving force.

3. Remind yourself often of your ‘What’. This is what your motivation is, your values, your mission, your dream, and what success will do for you or the world around you. Do this daily. This creates a higher motivation state for your mind, and in order for the mind to go for the unknown despite the risk, it has to be highly motivated.

4. Use affirmations & visualisations regularly. Almost all highachievers learn to use this success-habit properly. There are many advantages to doing this on a regular basis, but in terms

of fear, what this repetition does is it makes your future vision more familiar to your mind so it no longer perceives them as a threat. Your mind is then able to it more easily as a true outcome and it will allow you to access more positive resources & feelings around it. Your mind will begin to produce ‘output’ that corresponds to that expected experience.

5.Use the power of language. The words you use literally programme your mind on a subconscious level. Your inner conversation determines the way you experience the outer world. So use language that empowers you.

Here are a couple of simple adjustments that might sound insignificant, but that can make a huge difference: • Change ‘I’m afraid’ to ‘I feel fear’. The first phrase creates attachment & identification with the fear. It creates a feeling that it’s a part of you and therefore that it would be difficult if at all possible to change. But when you tell yourself that you ‘feel fear’, your mind understands that it’s simply an emotion passing through your experience. Like any other emotion, it’s destined to shift and move; it’s not permanent. So you’re far less attached to it, and as a result, it’s far easier to let it be and consequently drop it, have it move on its way or take action despite it.

• Reframe the word ‘fear’. Some people like to use the word ‘excited’ instead, but if that feels like too much of a stretch, you can use ‘I wonder / I’m curious whether’. For example, instead of saying ‘I’m afraid this won’t work’ you might say ‘I wonder / I’m curious how / whether this might work’. Remember that fear is about the unknown. So using these words, you’re simply acknowledging this in a neutral and more open way without the associated limitations of fear.

6. Remind yourself it’s all in your imagination. In this present moment, whatever you feel fear around is only in your head.

You’re projecting imaginary scenarios onto the future, usually based on your past. You’re focused on worst case scenarios.

The truth is most of your fears will never come true (when taking constructive action despite it). But you tend to create a very imbalanced view of future possibilities, which are truly endless and can go either way. So instead of only imagining the worst outcome (which you can still allow yourself to do), use your imagination to explore the best case scenario too. This will balance both of these two possibilities in your mind. It’ll help to neutralise the fear and give you a far more ‘objective’ perspective around the potential experience.

Over time, doing this repeatedly, this more neutral feeling will become your mind’s habit pattern, you’ll be far less affected by future uncertainties and you’ll also get more control over your thinking in other areas too.

7. Get support. Top-achievers know that getting help where or when they need it is a strength rather than weakness.

They know it empowers them and allows them to make better decisions and take stronger actions. In fact, most highperformers tend to seek out coaches & mentors very early on as they want to put support structures in place to move them forward in the easiest way.

Author: Maya Zack https://youcandoanything.co.uk

Why positive thinking could be sabotaging your goals and what to do about it Positive thinking has been talked about a lot as a tool to help you achieve your goals in all areas of life.

In the professional world, top achievers, whether in sports or business, are known to use positive thinking techniques.

It can help you have more focus, motivation, confidence, as well as bring about life’s ‘reaction’ to match your state of mind & being, allowing you to experience & create more of what you want.

Some ways of practicing positive thinking might include affirmations, visualisations or creating vision boards.

However, for many people, these techniques don’t seem to work. And when they don’t see the results they want, they might increase their positive thinking efforts in order to change this, only to find that they’re still not moving forward and keep going round in circles, consequently feeling less and less positive.

Why is this?

There are some key factors that will heavily influence or determine the results you get from this kind of work, which are not being emphasised enough when talking about the potential benefits of this practice.

Then, acting out of this state of mind in which ‘you’ve already achieved’ your goals, you’re far more likely to get the results in the outside world that match your actions & expectations.

However, mental repetition without full emotional trust in the process can do more harm than good.

Ultimately, it’s your feelings & emotions, not your thinking, that determine your state of being (thoughts might come up but you can learn to emotionally not react or be affected by them) and how life responds to you as a result.

When you trust in the process of your positive thinking work, it’s enough to do the work once or twice a day. This is to reinforce the thinking pattern as a habit, keep yourself focused and increase your positive feelings around it. But it’s that trust that actually allows your mind to accept the new instructions.

‘Knowing’ that your goal is definitely on course to be achieved, or in some way, has already been achieved, is essential for the mind in order to accept it as true.

But if you feel a strong, pressing attachment to the goal and the need to do this repetition work ten or a hundred times a day, then you’re probably lacking that trust.

So if you’re feeling stuck around your goals, here are 3 things you need to be aware of and might have to first do some work on before you can most effectively use positive thinking.

When you’re too attached to thinking about your goals, the message you’re actually sending your mind, subconsciously, is one of not having, of lack.

1.Lack of trust and too frequent repetition

This is because you’re not going to be focused on trying to get stuff you already have, right?

First mistake many people make, is repeating their affirmations or visualisations too frequently. They hold the attitude of ‘the more the better’.

Yes, repetition is absolutely key in getting benefit out of these.

This is because the mind is a creature of habit and it’s a set of memorised habits & patterns. ‘Instructions’ for new goals that fall outside what it’s been previously ‘programmed’ with, what is already familiar and known to the mind, will cause it to create a ‘warning’ state around it – fear.

This is simply fear of the unknown. Fear of stretching and experiencing anything outside what you’re comfortable with and that you’ve always identified with.

So repetition of your goals gradually makes them more ‘familiar’ and known to the mind so that they’re no longer perceived by the mind as a threat.

This is when the mind becomes open to accepting your future goals as more likely outcomes and it will begin to produce ‘output’ that corresponds to that.

So the more you’re focused on the ‘wanting’ of the goal, the more you’re creating feelings of lack.

This feeling of lack creates a stress reaction; feelings such as frustration, anger, anxiety, worry, unworthiness, pain etc. This is because you keep feeling that you haven’t got what you want and you doubt whether you ever will. This pressure keeps you in a loop - doing even more frequent ‘positive thinking’ work, leading to more feelings of lack and consequently to more lack of results.

So consciously, you might be setting up positive intentions wanting to move forward, while subconsciously you’re building a ‘negative charge’ keeping you stuck where you are.

2. Conflicting beliefs This lack of trust probably comes from subconscious beliefs that are in conflict with your conscious goals.

So you might be giving yourself a daily pep talk, when you

actually doubt your ability to achieve what you want.

You might subconsciously be thinking and feeling that you’re not good enough or not worthy. Or that your desired outcomes are just very unlikely to happen in the real world for whatever reason.

Your subconscious beliefs drive everything you think, feel and do. They are the programmes which are running your mind and creating the output to match.

When in conflict with your conscious mind, they always win.

You simply can’t be or do anything that is outside of what you believe is possible for you.

So it doesn’t matter how much effort you put into your positive thinking practice – if they don’t match and support you and your goals – they simply won’t allow you to experience them.

3. Too much ‘attraction’, not enough action Goal-focused work can give you a boost of positive feelings around your goals.

But it also often creates the false idea that this is enough in order to make things happen.

So again, yes – you must be feeling all the positive feelings of having already achieved your goals in order for your mind to accept this as a true experience you can expect.

But how can you expect this if you aren’t taking the necessary action alongside your mindset work?

Too often, people are stuck in dream-land, where the ‘universe delivers’ while avoiding doing the physical or practical work.

But the truth is, life won’t do for you what you’re not willing to do for yourself.

Having the right mindset is absolutely essential for creating the right conditions for you to take action; it’s the first step and the one thing that will enable you to consistently and most effectively take all the other necessary steps.

But it’s that action, aligned with your mindset that will bring your vision into existence.

So what can you do?

1. Become aware of your feelings Stop mentally over-practicing positive thinking, and pay closer attention to how you’re feeling when you are. Mental practice is useless without the matching emotions.

So check – do you genuinely feel trust in this outcome? Can you genuinely feel the gratitude for ‘knowing’ that achieving your goal is inevitable? Does imagining your best future create feelings of tension or expansion?

2.Identify your conflicting beliefs If you’re not feeling that essential absolute trust in the process, you need to become aware of what beliefs are driving you and are creating your state of being.

Awareness is always key to progress. You have to know exactly what’s in your way if you want to get it out of your way. You

can’t change what you don’t identify.

So you have to clearly pin-point any limiting beliefs you have that are perpetuating your feelings of doubt, lack, and therefore your ever-increasing attachment to the goals and their subconscious negative charge as a result.

Once you’ve identified the exact beliefs and negative self-talk that’s really been going on, you have to then do the work to change these.

Trying to ignore, suppress or ‘override’ them with positive statements just doesn’t work. That kind of resistance even makes it worse.

So you really do need to do some deeper work – be willing to face head-on what has created your beliefs and change them on a subconscious level.

Whether using hypnosis, deep meditation techniques or other tools, you’ll need to get brutally honest with yourself and change that programming in order to be able to produce the ‘output’ you want.

3. Create and stick to an action plan Once you’ve got the empowering beliefs and inner conversation you need to support you on your path, you can then start taking consistent external action without all that negative charge pulling you back into overwhelm, confusion, avoidance or procrastination.

You have to make a true and full commitment to making your vision a reality. When your mind (thoughts) and body-mind (emotions and consequent actions) are aligned to achieve your goals, your success is not only likely, but truly, almost inevitable.

Author: Maya Zack is a peak performance specialist and expert mindset coach & hypnotherapist for women entrepreneurs.

Based in the UK, she works internationally and has been coaching individuals and teams since 2007.

She helps aspiring or already established entrepreneurs dissolve overwhelm, self-doubt, fear, resistance or other inner obstacles & distractions and instead create the empowering beliefs and emotional resources to support them on their business journey. She helps them build & maintain the mindset they need in order to achieve their goals, transforming their relationship to themselves, money and success on the deepest, subconscious level so that new ways of thinking, feeling & behaving quickly become automatic and effortless.

Maya Zack Mindset Training https://youcandoanything.co.uk IG: https://www.instagram.com/mayazackmindset/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayazack/

How to achieve 100% engagement from a remote workforce Like every other business owner back in 2020 I had my doubts about employees working from home. We have a staff of around 150 and culture is at the very heart of our business. Take that face-to-face time away and the concern was would people have that bond with colleagues, would they feel motivated and valued and how – as a business – would we manage this? Yet in just a few short months we saw productivity had gone through the roof. People were clearly happy working from home and having that flexibility to take the dog for a walk or pick up the kids etc. At the end of the day, if someone gets the job done quicker and faster remotely then why not let them, it’s a no brainer.

But of course, while some people thrived, others struggled.

We are all different and as an employer, I think it’s important to recognise there are certain things you can do to ensure staff are 100% engaged – whether they are working from home or not. My top tips would be:

1. Realise it’s more than a salary In the last two years, I’ve employed two or three senior executives who have been way out of my league in terms of capability, knowledge, network and salary and they’ve all joined this business for less than half of their salary. This is all because they believe in the purpose.

Don’t get me wrong you need to pay staff well and you need attractive salaries that draw people who will match your drive, enthusiasm and expertise. But money isn’t everything - it needs to be more than transactional. You need to create an environment where people feel valued, trusted and can grow. Empowering your staff can do wonders and when it comes to working from home it’s even more essential. Trust is everything.

No one likes to be micromanaged. Smothering or being too intrusive is enough to put anyone off. Some businesses have installed monitoring systems on laptops to ‘catch people out.’ This is just a recipe for disaster creating a stressful environment and will likely lead to your staff wanting to go elsewhere. Instead, managers should give employees the freedom to structure their day whilst keeping regular lines of communication throughout the week.

2. Communication is key Be clear and have a simple system in place. Emails can’t do everything and can sometimes get lost in translation.

Seeing a face even if it’s just virtually can minimise miscommunication issues and can help develop a good rapport within teams. We’ve personally instigated a TEAMS technology where video conferences can be held when they need to be. Not vital and time-critical calls can be also scheduled. Whereas with routine matters we use regular

messaging - “are you available for a call?” leaving it down to their discretion. Allowing individuals to control and plan their own workload efficiently, rather than being constantly interrupted.

However, that being said, it’s still good to get some in-person time in if you can to avoid people feeling isolated. Face to face is still great for holding meetings, brainstorms, collaborating and socialising with colleagues.

3. Be Human & Authentic People can see through insincerity. It’s critical you are relatable and authentic. When they know you are genuine and that you put them first, they begin to also put you first. It’s a two-way relationship.

However, the key to creating these relationships and the associated success is true vulnerability. When people relate to you and see that you are just as vulnerable as they are, the human spirit will always jump in to help someone in need.

I was there every step of the way with my employees in the pandemic ensuring regular communications throughout these difficult times to navigate them through. But I never once pretended I knew everything, instead, I was honest and transparent. I would say things like “we don’t know what is going to happen any more than you do. We are all going to have to hold our breath at the same time, for the same amount of time, until we get clarity into what is going to happen.”

4. People should always become before profits If you don’t invest in your staff, they won’t invest in your business. You get what you put in at the end of the day. This shouldn’t stop when working from home, if anything, you should invest more in training and team-building activities.

You don’t want to risk staff feeling like strangers and you certainly don’t want them to feel bored, unchallenged and like they aren’t growing.

Care for your staff and they’ll care for you. In a time where mental health issues are rife and have been exacerbated by recent events, employers need to look after their staff more than ever. But how can we check in with employees’ wellbeing when we don’t see them in person that often? Well during the pandemic even with those that were furloughed we implemented a whole range of programmes which looked after both the physical and mental wellbeing of all our staff.

We started a series of daily voluntary, web-based activities from quizzes, exercise classes to workshops. Working from home doesn’t mean you can’t have a laugh together. We personally organised an online company-wide talent show but there are plenty of other creative things you can do to boost morale and raise spirits.

It’s important to remember actions always speak louder than words. Show them they are valued and you care. Put colleagues’ welfare and happiness before your own, and they will be behind you. Blanket policies and statements won’t demonstrate this. Reward their efforts, for instance, take the team on a meal or give them a bonus. They are part of a family, not just employee numbers on a profit and loss sheet.

Author: Jeff Dewing is the CEO of Cloudfm and author of Doing the Opposite - a bestselling book following his incredible journey from owning a successful business (and football club) to losing it all and having only £7.60 in his bank account. Despite this Jeff, who started his career as a fridge and air-conditioning engineer, managed to turn his life around and build a new business from £1m to £70m turnover within four years. He attributes much of his success to his belief that you should never take the easy, straightforward path - if you challenge things and do the opposite good things will happen. https:// www.cloudfmgroup.com/

Building businesses back better with data Natalie Cramp, CEO of data science company Profusion, discusses how businesses can recover from the pandemic by becoming more data driven

steps not because, ‘that’s how we’ve always done it’, or ‘gut feel’, but rather, ‘that’s what the numbers say is the best choice’.

As the year draws to a close I imagine many of us are looking forward to time off to recharge and relax. Given the challenges of the past eighteen month, I would say this is a well earned break. For business leaders, this period of reflection also presents an opportunity to think about plans for the future.

Specifically, having survived (fingers crossed) the worst of the pandemic, how can they ensure their company thrives in a changed world.

Luckily very few, if any, businesses need to start from scratch.

Chances are you and your team is already using a lot of information to carry out your jobs. Your business probably already holds, or has the capacity to collect, a lot of useful data.

Moving from what is probably an informal or ad hoc approach to something more systemic begins with technology.

Remote working, digital transformation, a renewed focus on diversity and inclusion, supply chain issues, changing consumer behaviour and so on - the list of challenges and opportunities is long. What we have seen is that the companies that have approached these challenges well are those that had the technical infrastructure aligned with the expertise and structure to quickly pivot to a digital only business environment. Underpinning all of this was a keen awareness of the power of data to inform and enhance their decision making and processes.

These data driven businesses can provide great inspiration for leaders considering how they can approach new challenges in 2022. Crucially, becoming data-driven isn’t an all or nothing affair. It’s a journey that any business, no matter their resources or size, can embark upon. This means that it applies just as much to businesses that struggled during the pandemic and are looking to rebuild, as it does to those that thrived and are looking to kick on.

There is of course no singular journey every business takes - instead it is better to think about becoming ‘data driven’ as adhering to a set of principles: 1. Using the insights generated from data to inform decision making 2. Educating and training staff at every level to understand data and apply it to their work 3. Providing the technical infrastructure that enables data to be collected, managed and used efficiently 4. Breaking down barriers between departments to enable the free flow of information and ideas 5. Creating policies and procedures that encourage use of data 6. Building a data-first and testing culture 7. Embracing innovation and new ideas The end goal is to have every facet of the business - from product development, marketing and customer service through to HR, finance and commercial strategy embedded with data. You will know your business is successful when every decision no matter how small is influenced by insights gleaned through data. In short, people will decide their next

In my experience, getting the right data infrastructure in place is where the majority of companies fall down. This is because there can be a preconceived notion that the right technical platforms will be too expensive, existing platforms can be modified to do the job or simply that it’s too tempting to jump ahead and start getting ‘results’. Doing the hard yards of assessing and procuring the right systems can seem daunting.

However, it’s important to remember that there are a huge number of options out there that can cater to any budget. The benefit of expending capital and time up front is paid back tenfold through the efficiency and effectiveness it will enable.

So what infrastructure do I mean? Again, there’s no set tech stack. However, broadly you will need platforms that enable data to be collected, stored, managed, analysed and integrated back into your workflows. Ideally, it will be a system that is flexible, scalable and will easily ‘speak’ to your existing platforms. How powerful and complex this infrastructure is will depend on your initial goals. For example, if you plan to start by focusing on marketing - look at a system that will integrate well with your existing CRM and will enable data analysis around marketing effectiveness - such as identifying when customers are likely to churn, or the best time, channel or frequency to send communications.

When you decide what you need, the next step is empowering your team to use it. What you really need to avoid is the concentration of skills within one department or group. Not only does this create a single point of failure and bottlenecks it also means that insights are limited to the skills and knowledge of the team members within this group. I often see marketers entirely reliant on their data scientists or analysts for the most rudimentary insights. Similarly, marketers and data scientists often need to rely on the dev team to make the simplest changes to their platforms.

Training needs to cover both understanding data and using the platforms to actually do the job. Critically, it needs to be tailored to the individual. The aim isn’t to create a team of data scientists or IT experts - it is to create a force of specialists who have all the skills needed to be experts in their respective fields and job functions.

The best way to approach this is to start with a pilot. One of the most obvious applications of data in the current

environment is within HR. Remote working has meant a lot of the mechanisms ‘traditional’ HR used to monitor and assess factors such as performance or morale are unavailable.

Clever use of data can help fill these gaps and make HR decision making much more powerful. It also has the capacity to remove internal biases that have played a big part in the lack of diversity at many companies.

After piloting a project you will soon come to understand what processes and procedures need to be embedded in your business. These learnings will be invaluable as you begin to expand to different functions.

Finally, it’s important to remember that training, processes and infrastructure will in of itself not create the data driven culture your business will need. This will take time. People need to feel like they are being brought on the journey with you, not sidelined or rendered obsolete. I recommend being fully transparent with your plans and consulting closely with team members of all levels on what they want and need. The senior team also needs to walk the walk and talk the talk. This means undertaking training and upskilling so they are also ‘data driven’. https://profusion.com/

Great Expectations: Adapting to the New Digital Consumer As recent times have seen the emergence of a very different digital customer, complete with new different behaviours and decision making criteria, businesses must continue to evolve their online proposition to stay relevant.

Here, Dominik Angerer co-founder and CEO of Storyblok, advises on the importance of flexibility marketing as businesses now seek to no longer seek to compete with their competitors – but rather their customers’ last best online experience.

Consumer expectations were already on the rise before Coronavirus hit, especially for Gen Z who have had technology seamlessly integrated into their lives since day dot. Now though, with the pandemic inducing a marked digital shift which as impacted all parts of society, regardless of age, it has raised the digital bar even higher.

The majority of customers are now using online channels, they know how to source the best deals, which websites they prefer and are comfortable making more purchases online.

But that’s not to say it’s made ecommerce any easier. Amid the upsurgence of social media platforms for customer service, visual commerce and video sharing, consumers are much more likely to gravitate to those companies who command their interest with compelling experiences.

More than ever it’s about hyper-personalisation and customer centricity, anticipating and addressing their individual needs, inspiring demand and providing products which are simple to purchase and supported with flexible after-care for a seamless digital transaction.

And this digital mandate is only going to grow. According to recent research1 more than half (55%) of UK adults will interact with brands more through digital and virtual channels than face-to-face post-pandemic. A separate global study has reveals that 50 percent of consumers won’t engage with a brand as often if it doesn’t offer online experiences.2 Clearly then, those who do not continue to create good online experiences and consider how to ensure brand differentiation online, run the risk of losing custom. This will become even more pertinent as face-to-face brand-building opportunities are reduced.

But with the Christmas on the horizon and so many other considerations for the busy business trying to recoup any losses incurred during the past 18 months, where to begin?

First impressions count Did you know that it takes less than a second for a user to form an opinion about your website that determines whether they’ll stay or go?3

An even more sobering fact is that 88 per cent of online shoppers wouldn’t return to a site after a bad experience.3 The reality is that the Internet doesn’t give out second chances and as your shop window your website is everything in attracting pulling power, getting consumers to pull out their purse – and even more importantly, come backing.

It’s perhaps surprising then that many companies still fail to get it right. According to an extensive analysis4 of the Fortune 500 website homepages conducted by Storyblok, only one in five had a performance score – based on a number of key metric such design, SEO, accessibility – above 50%. More so, we found that 92% needed to improve their website best practices and 64% needed to improve their SEO scores.

What’s the real shame is that the reality is that creating an immersive, dynamic online experience which is intuitive to your customers’ needs and easily adaptable doesn’t necessarily have to be either complex or expensive.

Staying ahead with headless CMS The big mistake many companies make is in thinking that getting a big tech stack from a well-known brand is the best and easiest way to enable a successful marketing output. Not only is this usually an expensive approach, but it may also mean being locked into using products that don’t fit your business’s changing needs.

Instead, there are now a huge range of new solutions available that, via APIs, can usually be easily integrated together. This means you have the freedom to build a suite of tools that work for your business. In addition, you also have the flexibility to swap out different solutions as your marketing develops.

Identifying just what you need comes down to how you think about the future of your business and its marketing output. As consumers continue to crave personalisation, creating a suite of tools that enables you to amend content quickly and easily is essential. So too is the ability to leverage existing customer data and other information streams to provide tailored and relevant marketing messages. A headless CMS that is flexible enough and can output content in different channels enables this type of marketing strategy.

The final major piece of the puzzle is building the expertise you need to maximise the impact of your marketing. Gone are the days when a catchy email subject line or funny tweet would be enough to draw significant attention to your brand.

You are no longer competing against your competitors but your customers’ last best online experience – so you need to make it count. Everything from delivering dynamic content on your website through to post-conversion follow up needs to happen. This requires having a marketing department that is multidisciplinary and cross-functional. They need to have

data, development, commercial and marketing skills and, critically, ensuring a regular flow of information between other departments is essential. For example, data gleaned from marketing can inform product development and data gathered from areas such as customer service are needed to enable a truly personal experience.

Of course this may seem like a lot of work but get it right and the rewards can be great. Take for example, our recent work with leading Swedish beauty brand Stronger. Thanks to a new technology stack and headless CMS the business now has much greater creative scope and is able to deliver monthly campaigns in line with seasonal trends, key calendar events and changing customer requirements. The result? Just six months in and has helped to boost revenue by 172% while also supporting business’ successful expansion into the USA. Realistically speaking, investing in a new marketing approach and the infrastructure approach, while a lot easy than you may think, might be achievable in time for Christmas. But, for the shrewd looking to ensure relevant, create stand-out and grow market share in 2022, it’s certainly one New Year’s resolution to add to the list. https://www.storyblok.com/ Sources: 1 https://internetretailing.net/customer/customer/ consumers-set-to-continue-to-be-digital-post-pandemic-butonly-with-those-that-offer-a-good-experience-studies-23334 2 https://www.alistdaily.com/digital/consumers-expect-touse-touchless-technologies-more/ 3 https://www.sweor.com/firstimpressions 4 Storyblok ‘The State of Enterprise in Web: Fortune 500 Websites’ Report, launched October 2021

Embedding work life balance in your company culture The new generation joining the workforce has grown up in a world of doing homework from Starbucks, booking GPs appointments online at 10pm and where in-person trips to the supermarket are a novelty.

More than money For a long time, work life balance was seen as only of real importance to those with children and complicated nursery pick-ups, but flexible work policies are now competitive benefits and are viewed by millennials as important, if not more so, as money.

Millennials’ financial future Debt repayment programmes, season ticket loans and genuine emphasis on work life balance have real resonance to a generation that is starting its working life in debt and has often witnessed Boomer Burn-Out at first hand. Millennials are highly unlikely to be homeowners so freedom to travel is a huge priority. An extra £1000 on a salary isn’t going to take them anywhere near a deposit on a home, so it’s easy to see why for young people facing an uncertain financial future, freedom is the preferred priority.

Avoiding an ‘always on’ culture Having a positive company culture and a healthy work life balance has always been vital for Ballou. Technology means that personal and work life boundaries are becoming blurred, and lead to an “always on” culture. We became very aware of that at Ballou and took various precautions to ensure that our teams got proper downtime – banning WhatsApp as a way of communicating with each other was one of them. We did our best to encourage people to demarcate clear lines between work and home life, and we tried to foster a culture where we would only contact each other outside core work hours in an emergency.

Define the lines of flexible working Defining the lines of flexible working is vital, because unless the lines of demarcation are clear then a working parent can end up feeling guilty when they’re not with their family and guilty about work when they are. That works for noone. Flexible working is definitely something we encourage at Ballou, but this should not mean “always available”. For example, a potential work issue occurs to you as you’re putting your children to bed. Rather than shelving that for 9am the next morning, making a note of it somewhere so it doesn’t slide off the to-do list, you message a question about it to a colleague or employee. They’re just about to eat their evening meal and then find themselves trying to interpret if you want them to fix the issue, simply acknowledge receipt of your message or call you. They message a colleague to find

out if the colleague knows more about the issue than they do.

Before you know where you are, you’re on a grumpy Zoom meeting at 9.30pm.

Flexible working is freedom Boundaries are key along with a corporate culture that respects that working patterns at home are different to in an office. It’s ok to be picking up your child up at 3pm so long as you’re making up the time elsewhere. Similarly, we encourage people to take fitness classes when it suits them so long as they aren’t neglecting their work. More flexible working is liberating for everyone, as long as it’s accompanied by trust and respect on both sides.

Manage expectations As an employee, don’t assume that anyone is expecting you to be always available. Set boundaries by being assertive rather than aggressive. Don’t answer messages after hours unless it is really urgent.

No after-hours messaging As an employer, embed it in your company policy that unless it is absolutely critical no-one should be messaged after hours, to save the above situation happening. Your managers should make it clear that they are not always “on” and don’t expect other people to be either. If someone emails you at 8pm don’t reply (unless it’s urgent) until 9am the following morning.

Replying after hours gives the impression that the employee is expected to be working the same hours as you. It’s the responsibility of an employer to respect these boundaries.

Look on the bright side We started from a good place in that we had built up very robust cultural values and we live them every day, so anyone joining Ballou knows that they are coming into a company with a commitment to a healthy work life balance.

We have, thankfully, for the sake of our mental health, as a country and an industry, moved away from living to work and towards working to live. Lockdowns and working through the pandemic have been extremely tough but at the same time they have sharpened the focus on our work life balance. In our view, that is a very welcome silver lining.

Author: Cordy Griffiths is CEO of tech agency Ballou. https://balloupr.com/

The importance of a positive mindset and how you can achieve it The fear and uncertainty caused by the pandemic has shaken even the most optimistic among us. However, even during the worst of times we have seen people innovate and thrive amongst the chaos - how do these high achievers maintain an unrivalled focus to achieve their goals? And, more importantly is this a skill we can all learn?

The answer is most certainly ‘yes’, according to Dario Bucceri, founder of the Sensemaker® Thirty Day Sprint Challenge.

The Challenge was inspired by Dario’s own ambition to compete in the Comrade’s Ultra marathon, and the act of a fellow runner who helped him to finish the race at a point when he was about to give up.

In this article, Dario uses his own experience and expertise to create a step-by-step guide to developing a positive mindset.

A mindset that will not only increase your success in business but will improve your outlook in your personal life - creating a feeling of balance and positivity that should help everything to become easier.

My positive mindset has helped me to achieve so much in my life, when first diagnosed with Parkinson’s I felt very depressed and found it hard to do anything. However, once I realised that with the right medication I could manage my condition I turned it into a positive. By training my body to be as healthy as it can be, I am not only continuing as I was before but I’m working harder and achieving even more success - including the finish line of a few marathons!

Here are some of the steps that have worked for me and that I reinforce with all my clients: Decide: A positive mindset is neither a feeling nor is it an event. Instead, it is the result of wilful decisions, the fruit of an approach to life that responds to incoming challenges with stubborn determination, sustained action, and a belief that you can influence the outcome in some way.

Omit serendipity: Serendipitous events do happen, and people do win the lottery. The odds of either taking place are so small and difficult to predict that relying on one or the other to land good fortune is unwise. It is better to get going with what you have available than to sit back and wait for the Universe to do it for you. By doing this you give serendipity, whether it arrives or not, something with which to work.

Deconstruct: Activate the positive power of what you feel is blocking your success by instead identifying these blockers as signposts to breakthroughs. By deconstructing the challenge to micro problems that have combined to form the whole overcoming them is immediately more achievable.

Develop and test solutions, weaving success into “knowledgescaffolding” to conquer even the most significant obstacle.

Act: Congruency between what you say and what you do

is critical. Action brings life to words, giving power to your decisions and making them significant. Actions fuel learning as we live in a state of trial, error, and adjustment, patiently building “platforms of understanding” that, in time, will lead to the outcome we seek.

Think long term: Life takes time. Progress can be slow as we identify blockers, clarify causes, learn our lessons, and apply our learnings. It’s better to set a more extended timeframe and be surprised at better-than-expected results than to aim for a quick win and be disappointed.

Find a tribe: We succeed because of people, not despite of them. If we associate with individuals who live ethically, relate honourably, think positively, take responsibility, plan specifically, execute consistently, and work efficiently, the chances are good that we will raise our game to become like them. If the people with whom we associate are lazy, unethical, dishonourable, negative, irresponsible, vague, inconsistent, inefficient, and immoral - we will become like them too.

Daily practice to define and achieve your goals According to research by the University College of London, it takes 66 days to create a habit . By committing to building positive habits over time we can improve our outlook and productivity, here are a few that I credit with improving mine.

A product of the Sensemaker spirit is self-control. Preparing for and completing marathons is a wonderful place to develop this trait. That said, any exercise, at any level, that empowers you to test your limits, to practise a marathon mindset is, in my view going to be valuable. You certainly don’t need to be sporty or super healthy, I began with the NHS couch to 5km app when I struggled to jog for thirty seconds!

Treat other people the way you want to be treated. Tell the truth and talk straight. Listen more. Think in terms of outcomes and next steps. If a meeting starts without an agenda, end it. If a conversation becomes unnecessary call it.

Make every word and action count. Don’t manipulate. Take time to listen. Empower others to progress. When resolving operational issues, always start with the process.

Something that I ask all my sprinters (clients taking on the Thirty Day Sprint Challenge) to do is to record a daily journal. Journalling is important because without a vision (a picture of a preferred future to aim for), people become like a rudderless ship on a journey that has no destination.

Subject to the currents and winds, the ship drifts aimlessly and inevitably finds its way to the rocks Similarly, if you have a dream and its fulfilment is delayed indefinitely, they can be negatively impacted too.

The final piece of the puzzle is this – what I think about is where I will go.

Let us pull this all together. I can increase the probability of achieving a goal by having one (that seems obvious). I can increase the probability further by writing it down (creating a fixed expression of the goal) and can increase it again by thinking about it. The more I think about it, the more probable it becomes that I will attain it.

Enter my journal. Once each day, I catch myself doing things right by recording my “Thankfuls”, those outcomes and events for which I am grateful. I remember my goals as I write them reminding myself of the tasks I committed to complete to move them forward as I write those too. I take time to think, to reflect, to develop and enhance what I am doing.

I write my vision down so that I can run with it, and then I meditate on it often, giving action to my words, making them important, bringing them to pass.

By developing good habits, giving ourselves goals and the time to achieve them and reminding ourselves of these goals we are much more likely to achieve them.

When life gives you lemons All this said, even armed with the most positive mindset, life does and will get in the way of your goals - what separates those who will succeed and those who will lose sight of their goals is the response.

Take control of these moments by finding a quiet place and allow time to make sense of what is going on around you. High achievers know that with every mistake and failure you will learn something that makes you more resilient to face future challenges and more thankful and excited for the success that lies ahead.

Author: Dario Bucceri

Mentoring For Business Success Running a business can be hugely rewarding. I am not talking about money, but making things happen, seeing ideas work, good people succeeding. It can also be deeply frustrating and brutally challenging. I have found there is one thing above all else that helps with what is difficult. Mentoring.

One of the things that stands out from my use of mentors are the subjects I got support with, and how unusual some of them were. But also, how I managed to source mentoring help relatively easily. If I could get mentors for specialist needs, then how much more simple to address more generic needs.

Guidance from someone outside a business that has experience, or specialist knowledge, not only helps in providing practical answers, but is a great stress reliever.

You have someone that can show you how to overcome a problem, is on your side, and willing to help. Mentoring is normally cost free, but you can’t put a price on it.

Undoubtedly, there is nearly always someone out there available and willing to help, We nearly all walk in the steps of others, and those that have gone before mostly have empathy for those that follow.

It is true, that no mentor will have gone through the exact experience others face. But there are so many commonalities to so many business situations that it is inevitable that there is someone out there that can help with any given challenge.

Someone that is an expert, or has been confronted by a similar problem and overcome it, or perhaps having analysed the situation with hindsight, they worked out what they should have done.

For those that doubt the need for a mentor consider whether there are weaknesses that you would like to eliminate. Are there tasks you struggle with, the things you don’t like doing?

What are the biggest headaches in your business? If these criteria apply then you could usefully be getting guidance.

Whether this applies at personal level, or as a function of the company, there will be someone that can help reduce problems, or make them go away.

I have used mentors successfully to navigate varying scenarios. And it is amazing how many people will help.

Sourcing the right mentor

There is great value to be found from having someone to share a problem with, not just providing solutions. Anyone who leads a company knows it can be a lonely place no matter how good the supporting managers you have. Having someone that relates, and is willing to talk through situations is a great antidote to leadership pressure.

Here are my examples of using mentors. It shows the breadth of guidance and support there is out there.

A good case was when I was in the process of establishing an office in Shanghai. I clearly knew how it should function in terms of what was required, but my knowledge of the cultural dynamics of building a team in China was limited. I needed help, and I wanted it from someone that had been in the same position as me. I could not have had more success in discovering exactly the right person. They helped with much more than the immediate challenge, and though no longer a mentor, we keep in touch, and always meet when I’m back in China.

I got another mentor at the same time to assist with wellbeing. I had an exercise and yoga programme that worked effectively, but more work pressure started to equal more stress. I got a mentor to get my mindset into the right place, and it worked.

On another occasion I found a mentor to assist with the Chinese business culture of managing staff. This was enormously helpful, and the same person is now helping me to improve my written and spoken Mandarin.

Deciding whether you should get a mentor?

Finding an appropriate mentor involves doing homework.

View it as an investment. That is exactly what it is. Be prepared to spend time looking because the right mentor is likely to recoup the investment several times over, and not just in terms of providing solutions and money saving, but also the pricelessness of relief from work challenges. Frequently, mentor selection is based on finding someone in the same sector of trade, or stage of company development, but neither of these factors may be important criteria if help is needed with people management, finance, training, outsourcing, or other generic functions. It means there are often a lot of options available.

What is important is chemistry. You have to be on the same wavelength more or less, because communication needs to be easy, and you may be with a mentor quite a lot of time whether face to face, on video calls or the phone. What you need is an effective working partnership. You do not need to becoming good friends, though that is my experience, but you have to be able to talk without personalities getting in the way.

Mentoring is for all managers The subject of mentoring is nearly always focused on business founders and leaders, but it shouldn’t be. Middle and junior managers have to confront problems too. Most management support structure is built on line managers providing help, but in busy companies this may not happen even with the best intentions. Also, and no matter how open the management culture of a particular business is, individuals are reluctant to flag the fact they have a problem, or are struggling. It is human nature to cover up weakness in front of colleagues.

However, consulting someone from outside an organisation is not the same as going to a superior. A third party perspective based on experience provides answers, but also creates assurance irrespective of management level. Mentoring is cathartic whoever you are.

Pay it back I am a firm believer in paying it back. After benefiting so much from mentoring, I know how useful it can be, and believe it is important to share my own knowledge and experience.

Currently I mentor two people that have recently founded start-ups. I know it saves each of them time, stress and money.

Mentoring becoming a mainstream practice would make a significant difference to business owners, managers, and companies. So many practices can be improved. It would ultimately reflect on the economy overall. We can all learn, but often don’t. Mentoring also removes a lot of work pressure. I recommend trying it.

Author: Domenica Di Lieto, founder and CEO of Chinese planning and marketing consultancy, Emerging Communications. https:// www.emergingcomms.com

How to Create a Learning Culture to Directly Benefit your Business As business owners, we are learning all the time. There are always new skills, updated technologies, and different trends, opportunities and challenges to keep on top of. Founders and CEOs must adapt and grow in order to develop their companies, so it’s vital that a growth mindset is cultivated.

Not only from the leader’s perspective themselves, but also in terms of the overarching company culture.

Why create a learning culture?

Creating a strong learning culture within your organisation offers a multitude of benefits. Not least when it comes to improving performance, engagement, resilience, efficiency, and innovation, which all lead to competitive advantage, and, ultimately, the bottom line.

As ever, growing a business is a delicate balancing act. Expand too quickly and you risk cash flow problems but develop too slowly and you could miss out on vital sales. Making the jump from a small team to a larger one has financial implications and can leave business owners facing a payroll bill that they can’t afford. Yet, injecting fresh skills into the team doesn’t have to need to equate to hiring new team members. Silos and job roles are much more fluid and flexible than ever before and there are easier ways of acquiring skills than recruiting for a new role.

Online training and edtech platforms have seen a massive uptake in recent times, thanks to social distancing regulations and the resulting online pivot and hybrid working trends.

Adult learning and corporate training, including online courses, webinars and masterclasses, have seen huge increases in popularity. For individual employees as well as self-employed, and on a company-wide scale, it is now easier than ever to reskill and upskill, resulting in a new dynamic.

A learning culture not only benefits the individual but also generates highly engaged, top performing teams with the skills to work across various departments, from marketing and customer experience to finance and HR. This not only enables your business to be better equipped to deal with challenges and achieve maximum growth, but it also allows your employees to enjoy rewarding, varied roles. Then you will see the welcome knock-on effects of encouraging individual growth, which improves staff wellbeing and retention.

Keeping up the pace With the continual evolution of AI and as more and more routine and manual tasks diminish, over the next 5 -10 years it is likely that everyone will need to spend more time learning on the job and many job roles will be focused more on solving problems. As technology touches every aspect of our lives, we are now moving beyond the information society age and businesses must recognise and reflect these changes by

equipping team members with skills that will enable them to meet these new opportunities with ease.

We all should be encouraging a mindset of lifelong learning.

As technology advances, it makes sense that students and workers alike will need to keep up with this evolution and as this trend gathers pace, so will the need for reskilling and upskilling.

Life-long learners will not only support the individual but will also improve recruitment prospects for companies struggling to find employees with adequate leadership and technical skills. Business can also temp new employees with company-sponsored programmes creating a global stream of employable students and leaders updated to the needs of the times.

How to encourage a learning culture Whilst sourcing suitable courses to diversify the skill set of your existing team members, first list the areas of the business where skills are missing and look at which employee is the best match for each new skill. Whether that be increasing the company’s social media or online presence, better managing cashflow, improving HR processes, utilizing new technologies, there is a vast array of courses available to choose from.

The next step is to research thoroughly. Garner valuable input from your teams about what they want, what they think would be most beneficial and why. Create a short list of the courses that cover any relevant topics then compare what they are offering and how this will further your business. Read reviews or testimonials and gauge how much other attendees have gained from completing them.

Include your people in the decision-making process. Ask them how they like to study and learn. Keep in mind that the most effective learning is personalised, relevant and authentic so that people not only discover new skills but can transfer them to different situations. By identifying key talents, passions, and purpose, your teams are best positioned to succeed.

Prior to asking your team members to embark on a course or additional learning activity, it is important to make sure there is reasonable time set aside to complete their learning. Some businesses allow employees to study as part of their existing working hours, while others require employees to complete their learning as additional wraparound hours. Whichever route you decide on, it is vital to have clear communication on your expectations and staff commitment to learning and development.

Company culture flows from the leader, so set an example by taking on new studies yourself. You are sure to benefit from developing your knowledge on a part of the business that you are less skilled in, plus you are experiencing the learning

process with your staff, which cements teamwork and offers fresh insight.

Upskilling and reskilling really can add huge value to any business and encouraging personal growth in employees will only go to help grow the business. Of course, there will come a point where the team will need to grow but by offering corporate training and learning the company will become more attractive to potential employees.

Through creating a learning culture in your company, you will also support the growth of your employees, your teams, and ultimately, your balance sheets as well. What’s more, the business grows to be more resilient and able to overcome challenges. We are currently experiencing a time of almost unparalleled change and uncertainly, which is why all businesses need to be able to change and adapt with agility.

Author: Roger James Hamilton is a New York Times bestselling author and Founder and CEO of Genius Group https://www.geniusgroup.net/

5 Ways to speak to your team more effectively Learn how to win respect, motivate, engage, support, and retain your people through better communication.

Monday morning. 9am. A supplier meeting is being held in the swanky central London offices of a well-known organisation. There are 6 people present. Four from our well-known organisation and two from the supplier. The new director of strategy in the organisation has set the ambition for relationships going forward and it aligns with the business strategy of developing a spirit of partnership between organisation and supplier. The director of strategy has laid out an approach for meetings which focuses on simplifying and standardising the meeting process. As such, he has instructed that every meeting will be run along the same lines… it’s a structured conversation beginning with one minute of ‘pleasantries’ and then straight into issues the supplier needs to get on board with.

You can imagine the impact a constraining one minute of pleasantries had on developing relationships. A sincere attempt to help all parties involved with clarity, direction and structure led to a breakdown in communication, not a bettering of it. A cursory and formal minute of polite inquiry before launching into demands led to a diminution of relationships, loss of respect, engagement, and support - and pretty much zero motivation for everyone involved.

Communicating transactionally, using command and control, applying authority and force to get things done is the reverse of what engaged and motivated people seek. Communication matters. It creates community. It’s the cornerstone of any culture and our communication style is intrinsically linked to who we are. But how we communicate is largely automatic, or unconscious and our time feels better spent focusing on things we haven’t yet mastered. But, as Marcus Buckingham said, ‘People join organisations, and leave managers.’, so, our ability to speak to our teams effectively could be the difference between success and failure, between people staying or going.

Effective communication is simple – but not easy. As an aspiration, better communication is often used as a term to describe how we deliver messages – how we transmit ideas, set direction and advance the conversation. But for respect, motivation, engagement, support and retention of people, you need to focus your communication on asking good questions and listening with skill and commitment. Daily practice and discipline are essential to developing skill and getting better as a communicator. It’s not magic, but effort and ritual that transform the way we connect with people.

How they respond is not in our hands, but our approach to securing a positive reaction is something we can control.

Here are 5 ways that you can focus your impact as a communicator and lead your business to greater success as a result.

Firstly, winning respect. The truth about respect is that it’s a quality multiplied by giving it away - and what a valuable gift it is. Giving people respect acknowledges their status and importance, making them feel rewarded and, in turn, enhancing psychological safety. Use communication to validate the people around you: In presentations, take the opportunity to name people whose work you admire or whose contributions have made a difference.

Thank people in meetings for challenging or offering a perspective and for asking good questions.

In conversations, take time to appreciate comments or feedback and to those who listen well.

Committing to this adds value in so many ways – not least because to offer recognition, you must be present and available to notice what people are saying. The result is that your acknowledgement of people will be sincere - a crucial component in winning respect.

You’ll also win respect by communicating your personal values. Let people know who you are and what matters to you.

We earn respect by sharing our struggles and helping others see how we have, or have not, overcome our challenges and difficulties. Respect comes from understanding – pay attention to connecting on a personal level and respect will follow.

Secondly, aim for motivation, but start with inspiration. We all want to feel surrounded by motivated and engaged people, but here, it’s worth considering the semantics and impact of language. To motivate is to push – you’ll be doing the work, driving the call to action and needing to role model the energy required to get you there. To motivate successfully, you may need to offer reward – keep reminding colleagues of the prize as you dangle the carrot and wield the stick in equal measure. As a communicator, it’s a full-on push strategy bringing out your inner personal trainer. The motivator voice is strong, pacey, and tireless. To inspire, though, is a different matter involving an inner connection to ambition and aspiration. Get curious about what matters to your people by creating conversations that probe a little deeper and then communicate the connection between what you are seeking to achieve and what matters to them. To inspire is to pull people in – tell stories, use coaching questions, and use phrases like ‘Let’s imagine…’ and ‘What if…’.

Thirdly, your ability to engage people must be a leadership priority. Engaged people go the extra mile, creating good energy in the business and when they talk about the business.

This energy is infectious, and your communication plays a big part in creating the conditions that foster it.

A simple strategy is to have as many conversations across the

business as possible – talk to everyone you can to find out what’s going on and how people are really feeling. Don’t be a surprise visitor to anyone that engages with your business, but be the leader that is spontaneous, curious, and open. Pay attention to your own energy here – if you feel flat, drained, or overwhelmed, you won’t be able to listen well, and your people will feel your heart is not really ‘in it’. Think in shifts and allow yourself downtime to recharge your communication batteries.

Next, you’ll need to make sure you support your people. `The dictionary definition of support is to bear weight or offer material assistance. It sounds like an active process and yet, to enable your people to feel supported as you communicate requires something much more challenging; to support is to listen. Leaders and founders of businesses are often driven by a desire to move things forward, change things for the better and this proactive mindset is all about offering solutions. As a communicator, this is risky. Recognising the need for support might well tempt you to give advice and help the other person see the clear way forward, but this strips a person of their autonomy. Start with listening – challenge yourself to use silence, encourage them to share more when they start speaking, play back to them the words they use that you find significant and summarise what you’ve heard them say… without offering a word of advice or pushing a solution.

As their conversation comes to a conclusion, you can ask if they’d like your view.

Finally, if your people feel heard, understood and cared about, they will find it hard to move away from your business because they will feel connected to it – and you. But, as a communicator, there’s an active step to take to retain your great people and that is to communicate a future that is shared by, and tailored to, them. This is where you need to speak publicly – and frequently - about the business purpose, the vision and what you want for the people who work alongside you. Work at using the senses as you describe where you’re going – detail how it looks, what it sounds like, how it feels.

Use this sensory narrative to bring tiny details to life and build a compelling and rich picture of what’s on the horizon. We all need something to look forward to – a future we can imagine.

Create a narrative where your people play a key role and can see themselves alongside you growing a successful business they can be proud of and responsible for. They’ll stay.

Author:

By Janie Van Hool, communication expert specialising in leadership development programmes and executive coaching https://www.voicepresence.co.uk/

What failure can teach us about success In business, failure is as much a part of life as success, if not more so. Entrepreneurs are often driven by high achievement and therefore can feel setbacks deeply, but handled in the right way, challenges can propel us forward to go on to achieve even greater things.

towards people who mirror ourselves, but homogeneity and ‘group think’ can often be the enemy of success. To innovate, you need diversity amongst your team so as to find as many differing perspectives on how best to reach your goal or tackle a problem.

What do success and failure mean to you?

What to do when failure strikes

The very concepts of ‘success’ and ‘failure’ are deeply subjective terms that are rarely as black and white as profit and loss. Moreover, these concepts can be heavily influenced by our own perceptions of a situation and how we frame things in our minds. Think of a time you pitched an idea to a group. You might have come away thinking it landed horribly, or people just didn’t get your idea. That feeling of failure has crept in. However, the group might have loved your idea and wanted to discuss it further internally before sharing any feedback with you.

Research has shown that when we experience a set-back, how we choose to respond can fundamentally affect our brains.

Specifically, internalising a failure (or something we perceive to have been a failure) and dwelling on it, can eventually impair our ability to function in the future. So, it’s important to remember that success and failure are like a rollercoaster.

You have to have the highs and the lows, but there will always be a way up again.

Considering and understanding context is, therefore, incredibly important when it comes to determining how to move on from either end of the success/failure spectrum.

What were your goals to start with? Where have you come from to get where you are now? What can you learn from where you are today to take you into tomorrow?

What causes us to fail?

One of the most common reasons for failure is poor expectation and goal setting from the outset. It is human nature to overestimate what we can do and place ourselves on an unattainably high pedestal. But if we shoot for the moon and fail, it becomes all the more painful a process to recover from. Instead, if we are realistic with our goals and specific about what we want from the get-go, it will help give a clearer indication of what success or failure will look like based on the outcomes we achieve.

If your goals are dependent on a team, a shared agreement of what those goals are, and a common sense of purpose are absolutely essential to ensure everyone is clear about what it is they are working to achieve and in what way.

Strong leadership action is key. The role of a strong leader is key. The most effective leadership action involves outlining a clear sense of direction, whilst also setting the tone to invite everyone to participate without fear of judgement or reproach. This is known as ‘psychological safety’ and is critical to facilitating good conversations where everyone feels their input is valued and important. This enables people to feel comfortable within a group and more likely to perform at their best. Teams who are not having good conversations, are not likely to succeed.

Moreover, it is also important to think about how teams are built and come together. Our human nature is to gravitate

Positive thinking is not simply a cliched motivational message to be added to mugs, it really does make a difference. By using positive language in our thoughts, we can shift our thinking to reinforce the messages we need to be successful.

For instance, instead of “I hope I don’t make a mistake during this meeting with a client” turn it into “During this meeting I will speak clearly with confidence because my idea is worth sharing.”

Studies have shown that focusing on the positives of our outcomes, even our failures, we can shrink the psychological hurt we feel as a result. This is important because when we experience failure and it hurts us, our subconscious tells us that we never want to fail at that same thing again, giving us a propensity to avoid doing anything similar again in order to prevent the hurt. This is known as avoidance motivation.

The counter to avoidance motivation is promotion motivation, which is the process of telling yourself something went well and celebrating it. By recognising your progress in small chunks and reviewing that process, it extends our enjoyment of our achievements if we take the small wins. Our brains accelerate as we perceive success to be closer, so the more we see achievement, the closer we feel we’re getting to it.

When running a marathon, our brains simply couldn’t cope if we just focused on getting to the end of the 26 miles, but if we tackle it by celebrating a series of smaller milestones, it increases our motivation and helps accelerate achievement.

The same approach can be taken with business goals.

British tennis player Emma Raducanu demonstrated a brilliant response to adversity after she opted to drop out of the Wimbledon following health issues, despite a promising start to the competition. Instead of dwelling on the situation, she actively took control of the narrative by retelling her story by focusing on the positives of her game up until the point she had to drop out. The strategy worked well, and she went on to win the US Open only a few months later.

How to fail to facilitate success It is true that most start-up businesses fail.This, however, is not necessarily a negative. If in doubt, considerthe countless, hugely successful, entrepreneurs who have all had their fair share of business failures along their path to success.

Failure is a positive when you use it to influence how you plan for the future and provides an additional set of tools to help you flex and deal with adversity in the future.

It’s useful to take a strength-based approach to this, which means regrouping and learning from the positives of the experience as opposed to trying to solve problems. Ask yourselves what went well? How did you achieve what you did? What processes helped you achieve this? What values did you work to in order to deliver those strengths? Now, how can you shape those strengths to reimagine them in a positive light?

When going through this process, it’s good to have open and honest conversations which use positive language to build on people’s ideas, even if they are not views shared across the group. Taking a human-centred approach plays a huge part

in building empathy amongst the team which will help boost productivity in the long term.

The most successful people accept and expect failure to happen and therefore plan accordingly for it. For an effective strategy, be sure to build in an ‘in case of emergency’ style plan so that if and when things go wrong, you are more prepared to respond.

None of us are gifted with a crystal ball, so there will inevitably be things that do occur that are outside of our control. In order to respond to those sorts of challenges, it is helpful to always try and keep time back in the day to ‘expect the unexpected’.

By doing so, it helps us to always keep one eye on our ultimate long term strategic goals, whilst still retaining an all important ability to react in the moment.

About the author: Stuart Kelly is a Performance Psychology Consultant at Impact, a global leadership development and creative change agency.

Website: https://www.impactinternational.com/

How psychology can help us beat the hackers .Businesses spend, collectively, millions of pounds on training every year. But are we sure we’re getting value for money – or that the training is having any useful impact? Sure, you get a certificate at the end, and perhaps a document with some handy tips, but does the behaviour of the learners actually change? Does anything actually change?

My business kernel came from a question posed by a colleague: How can we help our clients protect themselves against cybercrime? We were working in an innovation incubator at the time, so had the space and some funding to look into what ‘good’ training really looks like. How could we get past the tickbox exercise that corporate training often entails, and get to something that was genuinely useful?

people rely on ‘prompts’ – things that help them to take action.

So, in the case of security, employees are used to security passes, clocking-in tabs, reminders to lock laptops and other office-based security signals. These make them more likely to be careful with their own IT security.

When working from home, none of these signals are present – and people are working in an environment that’s very familiar and comfortable. So, it’s no surprise that security may be slipping.

Without the prompts we are used to, we let our guard slip – and that’s exactly what a cybercriminal is waiting for. In fact, the whole pandemic has been a bit of a gift for phishing and ransomware scammers.

Why SMEs are often cyber targets

Understanding the importance of psychology in business With a 25-year background in the financial markets, I became interested in how psychology worked in business, and I took a degree through the Open University. This led to a deep interest in behavioural science and how we can use its models and principles to improve the way we design, deliver and measure training – particularly cyber training in my case.

The premise is simple: We know that people don’t really ‘learn’ in a single training session, or over a webinar or by following a PowerPoint presentation. They access information, and they might find out something that they didn’t know before, but they are very unlikely to do anything differently.

And yet, with something as critical as cybersecurity, it’s vital that we can change behaviours. Why? Because statistics suggest that 90% of cybercrime attacks succeed because of human error – and the criminals rely on people’s ambivalence. It’s gets them through the door. So, it’s not good enough for training to ‘tell’ people about the dangers of cyberattacks – you have to train them to think, behave and act differently.

Old habits die hard Using psychology in training is about changing habits. In fact, we use some of the same work that is used in hard-hitting government campaigns, such as smoking or drink-driving. The fact is that our brains are primed to take the easiest route. It’s why we use passwords like ‘Password’ or pin numbers like ‘1234’. It’s easy to do, easy to remember and so why make life more difficult?

In cybersecurity terms, it’s vital for businesses of all sizes to challenge these habits and encourage people to be more secure. Not just with their passwords, but also with checking and identifying suspicious emails and texts, checking links and files before they click on them, and alerting IT departments when they are not sure about something.

That’s something that’s particularly important now that many more businesses have remote or home workers. We know that

It’s the fact that smaller businesses are often less secure than larger organisations which makes them a target for cybercrime.

SMEs should be worried about attacks – particularly ransomware.

That’s because the criminals know that security might be easier to get past, and smaller companies might not think they are in danger, so behaviours are far less focused on organisational security than they should be. So instead of targeting large companies with great IT security and tough restrictions on employee access and security, they’ll go for those smaller businesses where cybersecurity just isn’t high enough up the agenda.

So, for these businesses especially, cyber training has to be about more than ‘tell’. It has to be about ‘do’. Behaviour-based training should take place over an extended period – the actual training can be short and sharp, but it should cover several months so that learners get into the habit of doing it, repeating it and putting it into practice. Lasting behaviour change requires lasting intervention.

It should also be reinforced or embedded through non-standard training methods. So, for example, we deliver our training in monthly episodes that are less than 10 minutes long. In between episodes, learners get emails that remind them about what they’ve learned, encourage them to make sure they’re putting their learning into practice and offer hints and tips on how to behave differently. This method helps to embed the learning so that it stays with the learner.

Psychology is powerful and businesses that understand it and use it have a sharper edge. By understanding how people inherently behave, businesses can manage change, improve skills and create a more motivated workforce. Businesses that ignore the lessons that behavioural science can give us are likely to experience poorer cultures, lower productivity and high staff turnover.

Author: Mark Brown is the founder of Psybersafe, an online cyber training programme, run as a Software as a Service model (SaaS) and based on proven behavioural science. https://www.psybersafe.com/

Employee Recognition - How to cater to your workforce’s mental wellbeing It’s important to be specific, personal and accurate when recognising an employee. Use positive words and demonstrate to the employee that you actually understand their accomplishments. Outline exactly what they did well, how it impacted a particular project or scenario and highlight exactly how that happened because of their individual successes or participation. The more personal recognition the better as it shows your employee that you really were paying attention to them and their work.

Below are some examples of high and low budget employee rewards and benefits you can implement in the workplace.

Provide opportunities

Low budget incentives: • Company merch: water bottles, mugs, hats, t-shirts – anything that your MVP’s (most valuable player) can wear around the office to show that they did something great • Let them be the office DJ for the day (A niche one! But if someone’s done something of merit it’s a fun little perk you could offer them) • Reward certificates or trophies for employees to showcase on their desk • Handwritten thank-you notes from the CEO or leadership team

Some employees don’t get the chance to excel because of the nature of their jobs or reduced expectations for certain types of work.Employees who do their jobs well should be able to earn opportunities for expanded responsibilities and training for job advancement. Don’t let employee recognition end after a few nice words.

Magnify recognition While verbal communication is clearly the most effective way to recognise employees, the best strategy is to back it up by publicising employee accomplishments across multiple forums such as company newsletters, dashboards and in team meetings.Technology-based recognition programs are a great way to do this. They should be mobile-friendly, allowing recognition to happen anytime, anywhere.

Motivate with financial incentives Although financial incentives aren’t always the best motivators, they can certainly demonstrate appreciation for work well-performed. The best financial incentives are more open-ended and unpredictable because they motivate people to work their best at all times.

Non-monetary rewards and bonuses The best practices for awarding non-monetary or financial bonuses include offering a standard reward, bonus or gift package and rewarding people for outstanding performance with special awards, extra cash bonuses, holiday gifts or recognition for yearly performance. Don’t let your imagination run away with you when setting up reward incentives for your business. Especially in SMEs, your company budget might not stretch that far. Work out a rough budget per employee and work off of that calculation.

What are employee rewards? Employee rewards and benefits work to reward performance and motivate employees at both an individual or group level. By rewarding your employees, you can improve workplace culture, improve employee engagement and reduce employee turnover.

High budget incentive examples: • Lunch clubs for high performers or people that reach their targets • Weekends away for successful teams over a quarter • Income bonuses for high performers • Tickets for events, attractions, concerts or activities of interest

Facilitate peer-to-peer recognition As well as you or your leadership team setting up reward and recognition incentives for your employees, you should also encourage peer-to-peer recognition. Peer-to-peer recognition has a huge impact on the performance and overall job satisfaction of everyone in your business. The benefits are endless.

Peer-to-peer recognition can: • Help build a trusting culture by creating transparency amongst different departments and authorities. It also eliminates old-school problems of managers taking credit for their direct report’s work or ignoring the value of a piece of work • It will help boost employee engagement and retention as employees are motivated to work harder to impress colleagues and therefore stay at their jobs longer where they receive acknowledgement and praise for work • Empowers teamwork across the business for team-based projects as individuals feel more appreciated by their peers.

There are plenty of benefits that will surface if peer-to-peer recognition is done correctly. Make sure it’s meaningful and ensure your team is recognising achievements or behaviours that are truly worthy of being recognised. Like people who are going above and beyond their everyday job roles to get something done or fix an urgent problem.

By By Alex Hattingh, CPO at Employment Hero https://employmenthero.com/

Restructuring Your Business PostCOVID: 6 Tips from an Expert Unprecedented changes have been inflicted upon most of the nation’s businesses, following the devastation of COVID-19.

That being said, there are those industries - such as healthcare, online entertainment, digital marketing and eCommerce - that have thrived on the changes brought about by the pandemic.

On the other hand, other fields, like retail and hospitality, have suffered greatly due to lockdown orders and social distancing rules. Whether your business has flourished or declined, however, post-pandemic restructuring may be essential. No matter what trials and tribulations a business has faced, this crisis should now be seen as an opportunity to learn, in order to be better prepared for the future.

Darren Diamond, associate of the business restructuring specialists, Lawton Benjamin, has detailed six tips that a wide selection of businesses will need to implement.

Allow for Remote Working Remote working is a phrase many will have never heard before 2020, but since then, it’s been ingrained in our day to day lives to the extreme. In order to survive the lockdowns, as they continuously reared their ugly heads, the UK’s businesses had no choice but to ask their staff to work from home. Before long, this was referred to by many as the ‘new normal’, and it’s only relatively recently that the nation’s employees have been able to return to the office. Whilst there are those who are overjoyed with this return to normalcy, others have done so begrudgingly, with yet more workers being provided with the option to continue to work remotely, should they choose to.

The businesses offering the latter have got it right. There are undeniable benefits to allowing staff to work from home, in both employee motivation and cost savings. Whilst some people really struggled to separate their home and work life, others thrived, and to suddenly take this away from them just doesn’t make good business sense. Looking ahead, it would seem that restructuring companies are more than likely to continue to accommodate those working from home, in order to reap the benefits of this flexibility.

Get Online!

Similar to the push towards remote working, the pandemic also gave many businesses the shove towards an online presence that they desperately needed. Whilst there’s nothing wrong with the traditional, face-to-face experience, it’s important to understand that the Internet isn’t going anywhere and businesses will need to evolve if they want to succeed. This is the case regardless of the pandemic, but COVID-19 has certainly forced many businesses to start providing their customers with an online service, which can be accessed from the safety of their homes.

Whether this applies to retail stores launching their own courier services, family restaurants providing online food delivery, or anything in between, it’s a simple fact that the need for businesses to get online grows more and more each passing day. The pandemic has helped to nudge reluctant businesses in the right direction, and when it comes to successfully restructuring in the wake of COVID-19, investing

more time and money into your online presence is certainly advisable.

Save on Costs The pandemic has seen the revenue and profits of countless companies plummet, consequently making money saving and cutting costs a priority for many restructuring businesses. When it comes to cutting costs, the end goal is always to be able to continue working as efficiently as normal (if not more so), but at a lower rate. When reassessing your expenses, have a shop around for cheaper insurance policies or software subscriptions, that won’t have a negative impact on your business or employees if implemented. Comparison sites can be a useful tool in this endeavour, as they allow you to input your business details and compare multiple offers.

Utilise Government Support The Government has helped many businesses stay afloat throughout the various lockdowns, by offering support through a series of grants and loans, as well as a furlough scheme; the latter enabling companies to continue to pay employees, when forced to close premises or downsize, without going out of pocket themselves. Researching the various Government support schemes available to you should certainly feature as an element of your business restructure.

Remember, these support options exist solely for struggling and recovering businesses to take advantage of!

Improve Your Customer Engagement Customer engagement has played a crucial role in the survival of many businesses throughout the pandemic, with many brands finding a new appreciation for just how important this is. COVID-19 or not, any business that struggles to offer the same services as a competitor may be able to lock down (no pun intended) a client through customer experience alone. It’s become increasingly apparent that human-centric, empathetic customer engagement, which prioritises the value of the customer over the sale, is needed now more than ever.

Customers who feel a genuine connection with a brand are far more likely to stay loyal to them, regardless of whatever worldwide crisis is around the corner.

Stay Up to Date With Your Competitors Many companies will be coming out the other side of this pandemic with fewer competitors than they started with.

On the other side of the coin, however, businesses in the previously mentioned pandemic-thriving industries may need to develop more competitive strategies in order to cope with the growing demand for their services, not to mention the new competitors that might have come out of the woodwork as a result. Regardless of which side of the coin your business is on, it would certainly be wise to stay up to date with what your competitors are doing, in order to understand exactly how the impact of the crisis has affected where you stand in the market. https://lawtonbenjamin.com/

The Rise of WFH & the Live-Anywhere Generation Most office workers have spent the majority of the past 18 months working from home. Now that all social distancing restrictions have been lifted, a lot of employees are heading back into the office.

This isn’t the case for all of us though, with a number of leading businesses formally adopting hybrid working models, giving up office space, or extending their work from home order.

Working from home has been positive in a lot of ways for us.

Not only are many of us more productive, but it also offers us the opportunity for a better work-life balance, which is something we don’t want to part with as restrictions are lifted.

Work staycations become more popular.

While much of the time we’ve spent working from home has been under lockdown restrictions, we’ve had periods of relaxed restrictions that have allowed us to go shopping, to bars, and stay in hotels. As of December 2020, a Huawei survey found that 10% of UK workers had taken a ‘work staycation’ – a holiday away from home in which they still worked. The change of scenery is enough to refresh our minds during the working day, with the opportunity to explore a new area after logging off. With lockdown restrictions preventing many of us from seeing loved ones, a lot of people took the opportunity to visit family members or friends living in other parts of the UK, working from their home for a week or so.

People are ditching big cities As well as a rise in work staycations, research has shown many of us are leaving the big cities to move to more rural, scenic, and affordable locations. A TalkTalk survey found that two in five office workers have moved or considered moving during the pandemic, with many leaving convenient city locations for smaller market towns thanks to more flexible working.

This is offering us a great opportunity to reside in more picturesque locations that may be further away from our offices but are still commutable. For those whose employers are offering full-time home-working, the possibilities are endless.

The rise of the digital nomads Some of us are going even further afield in our quest to find a new working from home destination. Digital nomadism, where people travel to a new country while working remotely for a company in their homeland, is on the rise, and the UK ranks highly in the list of best countries for being a digital nomad. In early 2021, the number of long-term stays booked through Airbnb increased from 14% of all bookings to 24%.

What’s more, 11% of its customers booking long-term stays say they are living a nomadic lifestyle.

visas offer longer stays and specific allowances for remote working.

Nestpick created a ranking of the best cities for digital nomads and the ‘work from anywhere’ generation to live in, with Australia’s Melbourne topping the list. The ranking included the cost of living, infrastructure, freedom and laws, weather, and access to medical care.

How can you get involved?

Moving to a sunny climate for a few months – or potentially longer – and working on a beach or in an otherwise picturesque location is the dream for many of us. We know, though, that it’s not viable for all of us.

For those of us with children, we can’t drop everything and dash off to a sunnier climate. What’s more, going full digital nomad is the most expensive of these options, meaning it’s limited to people in especially strong financial positions.

If you’re young with the financial means to jet off to a new country to fulfil your digital nomad dreams, we say go for it!

If you have family dotted around the UK and young children, why not take them on a trip to visit their relatives for a week or so? Getting away from your own four walls will help to stimulate you and your children mentally. This can reinvigorate you even while working, so you don’t have to take time off work to enjoy a vacation with family.

Even if you don’t have children, this offers a great opportunity to spend time with loved ones without worrying about eating away your annual leave. Even a longer stay with a couple of days off work can do you the world of good – research shows that short breaks away from work can be better for our mental health than longer breaks with a “big” holiday. Mini-breaks give you a chance to pack light – a smaller case complete with light clothing and a little washbag will do perfectly! The shift to home-working that was sped up by the pandemic has created a new generation of floating workers. Whether we’re taking a work staycation for a week or we’re swapping the UK for a sunnier climate, we’re making the most of the opportunities afforded by working from home.

Sources https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/07/28/business/economy-stock-market-news https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/how-the-pandemic-gave-rise-to-the-workstaycation_uk_5f3aa872c5b6e054c3fd060e https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252502174/Boom-in-hybrid-working-highspeed-connectivity-drive-influx-into-UK-market-towns https://techmonitor.ai/leadership/workforce/digital-nomads-capitalising-rise-remotework https://news.airbnb.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2021/05/Airbnb-Report-on-

In response to our global wanderlust, countries around the world, including Greece, Germany, Mexico, Barbados, Thailand, and Italy, have launched digital nomad visas. Some digital nomads are using standard tourist visas because their employment isn’t tied to their new country, but these new

Travel-Living.pdf https://www.nestpick.com/work-from-anywhere-index/ https://enableservices.co.uk/holidays-short-breaks-maintaining-good-mental-healthwellbeing-productivity/

Trade Show Knowhow In our hyperconnected digital world, trade shows can come under fire for being outdated and offering a poor return on investment for small businesses, but this is far from true. Trade shows, trade fairs and exhibitions offer the perfect opportunity to increase brand awareness and launch new products. From educational session to exhibitor booths, trade shows allow exhibitors and attendees to meet face-to-face and learn as much as possible about their industry under one roof and at one dedicated time.

Despite COVID, there is an abundance of evidence that in-person trade shows are continuing to make a comeback, filling a gap that digital-only events just can’t match.

However, attending a trade show can be daunting. Exhibiting can be expensive and with some of the largest exhibitions having more than 1,000+ exhibiting companies, standing out and generating enough return on the investment can be hard.

Yet according to research undertaken by Explori, the global events measurement specialists, the absence of live events in 2020 has severely affected exhibiting companies with 66% losing their ability to network, 59% indicated less brand exposure and 48% generated fewer leads for their business.

So how can small businesses owners maximise the opportunities offered by trade shows and best use those couple of days to level up their business rather than walking away with an empty bank account and a pile of out-of-date merchandise?

Firstly, it is essential to understand your business objectives and precisely who you want to meet at a trade show. If you have a team, share this information with the person who is going to be part of your exhibiting campaign. You need to be 100% clear on the kinds of job titles and ideal companies you’d like to meet faceto-face. It is these details that will not only help you select the right trade show, but also manage and measure your success.

Secondly, research the trade show that is right for your business.

Don’t jump at the first trade show because it is a ‘must-attend’ or the ‘industry leading’ event. Think quality over quantity of visitors.

Try to understand whether the event truly attracts YOUR target customers and if you can, walk the event floor as a visitor before making the investment yourself. Take the time to speak to the companies taking part and let them know of your intentions to exhibit. From my experience as an event secret shopper, most companies are happy to share their experience and insight.

Ask for advice from your industry association or PR company if you have one. Many attend a huge range of industry events and will have an overview of the trade shows that can help you achieve your goals.

Once you have found the event that is right for you, book your stand EARLY. Waiting for a ‘last minute’ deal is a complete misnomer because the potential saving you will have from the event organiser will be swallowed up by late booking chargers with your suppliers. You will also miss out on most of the preevent marketing opportunities and the chance to build an effective campaign around your presence at the show.

If you are on a tight budget, ask the event organisers if they run an entry level pavilion or consider teaming-up with a partner to host a joint pavilion and divide the cost. Not only will this save budget and resource, it will also help you have a bigger presence and potentially attract more visitors to your shared stand.

Associations may also have access to membership discounts or be able to negotiate on your behalf and there are a number of grants and financial support packages available from the Government if you are thinking about exhibiting at an international trade show.

Plan who you will have with you on your stand. Do not underestimate how tiring it can be to stand there all day so consider creating a rota for your staff or bringing additional reinforcements along. Your perfect customer may stop by your stand at 4pm on the final day and you will want to be able to engage with them with as much enthusiasm as you did on the first morning!

Speaker slots are a great opportunity to demonstrate your thought-leadership around a particular topic and give your company name more mentions on the pre-event promotion. Be wary of creating a sales pitch though, and if you are not confident hosting your own session, consider taking part in a session as a panel member.

Finally, understand how you will measure success. Trade shows are a huge amount of effort and resource and you will want to know it has all been worthwhile, so make notes on what worked well and where there are opportunities for improvement.

Smart actions to save time and maximise your investment when exhibiting at trade shows • The official show photographer will usually have a special package for exhibiting companies which you can take advantage of. Capture team photos, photos of you engaging with your clients and of your products looking their best.

• Employ a PR or marketing service to help you maximise your investment. They can make your presence at an event stand-out.

• Keep your stand design simple. If you want to make an impact, the simplest of designs are often the most effective. I’ve created a Pinterest board of some of my favourite stand designs from around the web.

• Ditch any single-use, non-sustainable merchandise. It’s a tired cliché that’s causing havoc on our planet.

• Use the event to launch a new product or services. Send press releases and post announcements on social media, and don’t forget to share with the event organisers marketing & PR teams too. They are always looking for news stories from exhibitors and will be happy to distribute your story through their email and social networks as well.

Author: Katie Whatley is the founder and director of 52eight3, a specialist communications agency to the events industry. https://52eight3.com/

Financial digital transformation: An opportunity, not a threat There is a common misconception that technology will be the death of accountancy. However, this is not really the case, and the industry needs to recognise new forms of technology as an opportunity, not a threat. New accountancy technology makes accounts processes easier for businesses, minimising margin for error and allowing business owners to focus more time on other areas.

HMRC’s Making Tax Digital Reforms highlight how digital transformation is at the forefront of the UK financial sector.

The reforms aim is to make it easier for individuals and businesses to keep their taxes correct and accurate, and to stay on top of financial affairs. Using technology in business accounts reduces avoidable mistakes which were reported to have cost the Exchequer £8.5 billion from 2018 to 2019.

The UK financial sector needs to take advantage of this development in financial technology and reap the benefits of being part of arguably one of the most technologically advanced sectors in the world.

Technology set to transform the accounting landscape Blockchain and automated accounting technology Blockchain in accountancy is an emerging technology. An openly available ledger allows companies to write their transactions into a joint register instead of having separate records. This allows for a quicker process and avoids any potential discrepancies between companies’ records. This automated system means companies can reduce the amount of time spent on time-consuming data entry, and instead spend more time on profit-making activity.

Cloud computing Storing all data online rather than on-premise is a wellestablished practice in modern business accounting. This allows data to be accessed anywhere and at any time and has been especially valuable during the Covid pandemic when those involved in company finances were forced to work from home and data needed to be accessible remotely. Companies using cloud storage were able to adapt quickly to remote working, ensuring service continued as usual.

Furthermore, cloud storage is a safer option for data storage.

Cloud storage has 24/7 monitoring of security threats and constant backup systems to prevent any loss of data. This is paramount to the storage of financial information which is often sensitive.

Using cloud software has already revolutionised many businesses, and in a world of remote working, it is ever prominent as the best solution for data storage.

Optical character recognition technology Optical character recognition software allows printed documents to be scanned and converted into digital copies. This is another viable option for storage of data and documents online. When stored as digital copies, documents can be edited by multiple employees, once again promoting the exchange of information amongst remote workers. In addition, there is the advantage of being able to cut down on unnecessary paper clutter to create a simpler and more productive working environment.

OCR also allows for data to be added to systems, eliminating data entry, saving time and reducing margins for error.

Mobile accounting apps With the rise of accounting apps, accounting software is now available on smartphones, making information much more easily accessible. Going paperless reduces costs for a company as they no longer need to waste money on paper, stamps and postage.

The key benefit of apps for financial software is it allows for invoices and other costs to be approved even if the responsible person is away from their computer. Many business leaders are operating increasingly from their phones, and apps allow accounting processes to become mobile. In addition, apps make data and information readily available and easily accessed and displayed in meetings from a tablet, for example.

Artificial intelligence The growth of disruptive technologies has been dramatic across all sectors, and finance has been no different. Artificial intelligence (AI) allows machines to interpret information and make judgements that mirror that of human thought. AI allows machines to effectively perform jobs that are usually performed by humans.

In accounting, AI can be used to sift through large amounts of data quickly which would be a hugely time-consuming task for a person to undertake. Furthermore, it can be used to analyse data by identifying trends and acknowledging problems through data memory and storage. Once again, this is a timesaving method of data management. Reducing the time spent on data handling, accountants can spend more time on other, more pressing areas of work, which in turn can increase their profitability.

The importance of the right software Choosing between different software options can be a confusing process, but it is important to fully assess what is

important to the individual company before deciding. Due to the growth of digital accounting in recent years, there are many different accounting software solutions available.

However, not all options are viable for all companies. To ensure an easy transition to digital, company leaders need to take into consideration the different needs of all departments to ensure they are choosing the right software for them.

Consideration needs to be taken into whether the new software will be manageable for the company; a smaller group will not require the same software as a major firm.

Manageability also relates to budgeting for the new software.

Companies need to gather transparent quotes so that hidden, unbudgeted costs are not sprung upon them after adopting the software.

Is finance digital transformation beneficial? The resounding answer is yes.

Businesses need to take advantage of the wealth of new and exciting technologies at their disposal, which can only help them with the management and development of their business. Through examining the options, there are some clear benefits to digital accountancy. The increased efficiency and productivity of data storage and analysis can reduce time and improve accuracy as it removes opportunities for human error. The easy access of information when stored digitally is undeniably important in 2021 and beyond, as more and more people are committing to remote working meaning

information needs to be accessible off the premise.

Using technology makes the collaboration process between colleagues involved in accounts, customers and suppliers seamless for all. By improving these processes, businesses will not only improve their current business relationships but are more likely to develop new ones due to their high levels of customer satisfaction. This will lead to increased sales and profitability for the business.

The arrival of Making Tax Digital means business owners who do not embrace the process will find themselves left behind, as digital finances are evidently the future of accountancy.

Furthermore, they may accrue penalty fines if they do not begin working in this new and improved system of accountancy.

Relying on technology can be a difficult adjustment for many businesses. However, it should be recognised that technology does not always need to be considered a threat to a workforce.

In the case of accountancy, it can simply aid with work that is already being done in an often more efficient way, to allow firms to focus on other, more important things.

Author: Simon Kearsley is the CEO and founder of Symmetry, the developers of accounting software bluQube. https://www.bluqube.co.uk/

How to Use Social Media to Supercharge Your Brand’s Success Hana Johansen, co-founder of 100% natural remy hair extension brand Gee Hair, shares her advice on how to use social media to supercharge your brand’s success.

2020 and 2021 were turning points when it came to the digital landscape and the pandemic had a massive impact on the way we as brands connect to our customers and how we run our businesses. That’s why it’s so important that brands don’t restrict themselves when it comes to the ways in which they connect with potential customers. That being said, it’s also important to play to your strengths.

Here at Gee Hair, we have social media channels on Instagram, Twitter, Youtube and Facebook, as well as a customer service email and number on Whatsapp. All of these platforms are valuable to our audience in different ways, with our biggest platform by far being Instagram, where we have over 230k followers and steady engagement on our posts.

So how do we do it? And how can you?

Here are some of my top tips on how you can use platforms such as these to reach a wider audience than ever before and ultimately increase your brand awareness and customer satisfaction.

Increase your organic engagement Thanks to the billions of people that use social media all over the world, it’s more important now than ever that brands engage and interact with their consumers. Here at Gee Hair, one of the things that makes us truly unique is our customer service.

We love interacting with our customers, and at the end of the day it’s about more than just hair; it’s the customers themselves that carry the business, and if we want people to engage with us and buy our products, then it only makes sense that we engage with them, right? We see our customers as friends, and social media lets us have that personal connection with them.

Posting regularly, once or more a day at certain times, is one thing you’ve probably heard about that can help potential customers see your posts. But if you’re posting everyday then you should make sure you’re not just posting for the sake of it, or that your posts don’t come across as robotic or lifeless. Increasingly so in the last few years, people’s loyalty to brands are heavily influenced by their social media posts and customer service interactions. If your feed is full of pasted captions and uninspired stock photos, you rarely reply to comments on your posts, or you don’t check your direct messages - that’s going to turn people away before they even look at your website or products.

Of all the posts on our Instagram, the ones that consistently do the best for engagement are ones for contests or giveaways, where customers are incentivized to interact by liking, commenting or tagging their friends. But contests aren’t the only way of giving your audience this incentive.

Other brands might have a question of the day, or they might run a poll for their audience to ask what they would like to see or if there is anything about the current product or service they might change. We love hearing customers’ thoughts on our products, and a lot of those reviews and suggestions have really shaped our current products and the way we do things.

After all, as a business you’re catering to your clientele, so it’s absolutely vital that you take their feedback on board.

Stuck for post ideas? Get to know your audience.

Ask yourself ‘how do I want my audience to feel when they look at my posts?’. Do you want people to feel empowered by your brand and products? Are they there for convenience, or are they innovative and exciting? A lot of businesses forget that not only are you using social media to advertise to customers, you’re also using it to connect with them. Think of your ideal customer, the customer that you want to buy your product. What do they find relatable? What will make them stop scrolling in their feed and take the time to comment or leave a like, or even head on over to your website?

On the Gee Hair Instagram we’ve posted about women empowerment, beauty, even jokes and cute animals! We keep to our pink colour theme with all our posts, and maybe add a dash of editing here and there to make our posts stand out in a crowd yet fit together seamlessly and be recognisable as ours. Because we know our audience and they know us, it gets plenty of engagement. So don’t be afraid to put a little of yourself into your social media feed! It will show that you’re having fun with things and that you have passion for your grind, making you a lot more appealing to your customers.

And let’s be real—when it comes to social media, soulless advertising is always a turn off.

Taking advantage of other formats too, like video or even livestream can be hugely beneficial, especially for things like tutorials or demonstrations. On our Instagram page we have a few story highlights so people can look at reviews or tutorials if that’s what they came to the page for, and it gives them a quick and easy insight into the vibe of our posts so they can decide right away if they want to follow or not.

But there’s more to it than just posting...

Another question to ask yourself is ‘what else, apart from posting, needs to be done to achieve my social media goals?’

Building a recognisable and effective social media presence is more work than meets the eye. At Gee Hair, we work closely with a lot of influencers on Instagram as well as other social media platforms, and use the sites to keep up to date with the

latest trends in the hair and beauty industry. This lets us know what styles our customers might want to see, or what sort of posts will do the best.

stress enough the importance of taking the time to build your brand’s quality as this will really speak for itself - like I said, no shortcuts!

Researching the algorithm of your platform of choice is also something you should definitely spend some time on, as this will let you know how to get your posts seen more easily! It’s all well and good having a ton of hashtags in your tweets, but did you know that Twitter is then more likely to mark your tweets as spam, and you’ll actually get less engagement? It can be frustrating for small businesses trying to get a foothold and build an audience, which is why it’s absolutely worth doing the research before you get started!

Be passionate! Passion is the key to so many things in life, including being successful with both an organic customer base and the algorithms that control so much of social media.

Gee Hair wouldn’t be where it is today without the passion of me and my sister Cindy. We know what we’re good at and we know how to keep our motivation high to keep the ball rolling on everything, which is definitely a skill learned over our years of experience.

For Instagram, engaging with your followers, following accounts, replying to comments and liking posts will genuinely help your organic outreach, and your posts will be shown to more people! Remember: there’s no shortcut for building an audience that truly cares about your posts and your business, and starting out is always the most difficult bit. But don’t be disheartened; we were all there once.

Also - don’t be tempted to buy followers or use some other means of getting ahead fast; Instagram’s algorithm will be able to recognise if you’re being inauthentic, and long-term it won’t grant you the success you’re aiming for here. I can’t

I truly believe that mindset is everything, especially when you’re just starting out. You can’t expect to come across as a lively, friendly brand that people will genuinely enjoy seeing on their feeds if you’re not truly passionate about it! You’ve got to make sure your brand and product is something you believe in, because otherwise how can you expect your customers to feel the same?

Author: Hana Johansen is the co-founder of 100% natural remy hair extension brand Gee Hair. https://geehair.com/

Why your personality type could be the key to driving and preventing business success There have been thousands of books written about what it takes to be successful in business, but what isn’t as widely spoken about is how much your personality traits could impact your chances of success.

According to Dr Mike Allan, a psychologist and associate director of employment advisory firm Livingstones Australia, it is possible to predict if an individual is more or less likely to be a successful entrepreneur purely by looking at their personal characteristics.

BizSmart’s own research also found this to be true and revealed a strong correlation between business success and personality type in our recently published ScaleUp Challenges report.

Why personality type is important As a business owner, understanding where your strengths lie by undergoing some personality profiling can be hugely valuable and could hold the key to taking your business to the next level. Not only can it help you communicate better, but it can also allow you to expand your horizons and improve your own skill set.

Whilst succeeding as a business owner requires certain traits and attitudes, building a solid team that works well together is clearly vital, too. Understanding people -- their behaviour, motivations, fears, and challenges – is a necessity for businesses to improve their performance, and understanding your employees’ personality traits and working styles as well as your own can help you establish whether weaknesses are within yourself, or within your wider business.

By understanding your own personality type, you can lead others more effectively by focusing on your strengths and being aware of any potential pit falls, as well as understanding others’ strengths and requirements to succeed. So, where do you begin?

DISC analysis There are many different types of personality profiling you can undertake but DISC analysis is, without a doubt, one of the most effective.

DISC analysis is a behavioural assessment tool which measures personality and behavioural style, such as how you respond to challenges, how you influence others and how you respond to rules and procedures.

In business, DISC is used to analyse leadership styles and to help business owners understand their own strengths and weaknesses and the types of people they need within their organisation to build a cohesive and effective team. Typically, DISC profiles are administered as a speed quiz, encouraging

participants to answer the questions as quickly as they can and then move on. This added pressure means participants have less time to think through their answers and give what they perceive to be the ‘correct’ answer – they just respond with their gut. This means the responses are genuine reflections of their behaviours – which is exactly what you want.

The four personality types explained There are four primary DISC profiles, which we at BizSmart have translated into birds to represent each personality type.

The profiles are divided as follows: • Dominance [Falcon]: Commanding individuals motivated by authority, competition and success who are self-confident, direct and forceful by nature • Influence [Cockatoo]: Energised, pioneering and affirmative individuals motivated by social recognition and strong relationships • Steadiness [Dove]: Supportive, stable and collaborative individuals who are patient, calm and possess excellent listening and team skills • Conscientiousness [Owl]: Quiet and reserved individuals focused on accuracy who are motivated by an opportunity to use expertise or gain knowledge When questioning business owners with each personality type on the challenges they faced, we found an obvious link between their individual traits and the hurdles they were trying to overcome on their business growth journeys.

For example, 50% of individuals with a Dove profile revealed they struggle to remain on track with any plan compared to just 21% of Falcons, whilst 57% of Falcons said they struggle to attract and retain enough of the right people, compared to just 15% of Owls and 22% of Doves.

Work/life balance was another divisive factor between each type, with 36% of Falcons working 60 hours plus compared to just 6% of Cockatoos, 0% of owls and 6% of Doves. There is no right or wrong when it comes to your personality type Whilst these findings shed an interesting light on where some personality types fall down on their business growth journeys, it’s important to know that all DISC styles and priorities are equally valuable. The idea of learning about your personality profile is not to find out if you are better than anyone else but is instead to gain a better understanding of yourself and how you think about situations.

Everyone sits differently on the scale, but by examining where you and your employees’ fall you can better understand decisions that are being made within your business and in what areas you and others are holding it back, so that you can take steps to rectify it.

Conclusion The above points are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding how personality type can affect your business, and clearly it is worth taking the time to get to know both yours and your employees’ unique traits to improve selfawareness and, in turn, organisational effectiveness.

Accepting the strengths and weaknesses of yourself and those around you can not only improve your ability to work more positively with your team but everyone you encounter and will help put your business on the path to sustainable growth and success.

Kevin Brent is director of business support provider and franchise, BizSmart. https://www.bizsmart.co.uk/

Choosing The Best Property Development Strategy The next time you see an ugly, tired old light industrial building, try looking at it with a fresh pair of eyes. It may be the key to earning a pretty penny.

Property development is a big subject, with simple flips sitting at one end of the spectrum and multi-million-pound projects at the other. My advice for first-time property developers is to find something between the two. Stick to small-scale developments. While a bigger project may provide ten times the profit and will involve less than ten times the work on your part, it can easily involve ten times the stress and ten times the risk.

My second recommendation would be to avoid having to apply for full planning permission. You will be relieved to know this does not mean building a block of flats and hoping that no one at the council notices. Instead, it means using permitted development rights (PDRs) to change the use of an existing building without the need to apply for full planning permission.

PDRs are rights granted by the government that allow us, among other things, to convert commercial buildings to residential use without the need for full planning permission.

In England, since 1st August 2021 it has been possible to convert a much wider range of properties into residential without the need to apply for full planning permission. To give you some idea, you can now convert shops, cafes, restaurants, banks, financial and professional services buildings, gyms, light industrial buildings, offices, doctors’ surgeries, medical or health services buildings, creches, day nurseries, and indoor sports centres. That gives us a vast number of smallscale projects to aim for since many of these buildings will be way too small for larger developers to bother with.

Where to look There are two basic rules to remember when it comes to understanding how to win good property deals.

1. Avoid as much competition as possible by looking where other developers aren’t.

2. Know how to make more profit from a property than the other people looking at it.

It is usually relatively easy to see how an office building could be converted to flats because the windows are in the right place and there’s usually a provision for parking. Retail conversions will also turn a few heads, given the proliferation of empty units and the perennial desirability of urban living.

Again, it’s relatively easy to see how retail uppers could be converted into apartments, as many already have been all over the country.

But if offices and shops will be where most people look, they’ll

fall foul of rule number one. Look past the opportunity most people are drooling over towards the least attractive one that almost everyone overlooks: ugly can be beautiful when it comes to property development. By the same token, we need to make sure there are enough of these ugly opportunities available, otherwise, the strategy could be over before it’s begun. So, what is the ugliest building type on the list where there is still a plentiful supply? The sweet spot for my money is light industrial. Here’s why.

The sweet spot Light industrial buildings are buildings that house industrial processes and are located in a residential area. This proximity to other homes is an obvious benefit since we don’t want to convert properties that are in the middle of nowhere or on an industrial estate. Nearly every town in the country has hundreds of these buildings. Most have grown organically, sometimes without planning permission, over the last century or so. Walk down any number of streets near the town centre, and you’ll see plenty of them, often hiding in plain sight. Many are little more than four walls and a roof, the idea being to create a large open-plan space that can house whatever business is being run there. Printing works, MOT centres, workshops, car repairers, widget manufacturers – there’s a long list of businesses that will occupy light industrial units.

And it’s fair to say that the vast majority of these buildings are not what you’d call ‘lookers’ – they’re quite the opposite.

As a result, when most people look at a light industrial building, they don’t immediately think about the great opportunity to convert it into apartments. Instead, they wonder who would possibly want to live in such an ugly old building and decide that it would need to be knocked down to start again. This immediately removes most of the competition since the cost of demolishing and then rebuilding from scratch will be far more than simply converting what’s already there. This is excellent news, as it satisfies rule number one: ditch the competition.

Most light industrial buildings will be built on a thick concrete slab. This slab will typically extend across the entire floor plate and should be more than sufficient to support a residential building. This means that wherever you want to build a wall, you already have a nice firm base in place. In many cases, the base may even be deep enough to support a multi-storey residential building: two storeys is always going to be more profitable than one.

Additionally, most light industrial buildings are open plan, unlike office buildings which tend to have supporting pillars and stairwells dotted around. This makes for far fewer constraints in terms of the layout of your flats. It is relatively straightforward to upgrade the walls, floor, and roof to residential specification, plus your contractor will love you

since they can do most of the work inside, under cover (rain isn’t much fun to work in and can even stop play). Light industrial buildings also tend to have significant headroom.

This could not only allow you to add a second storey or to create vaulted ceilings, but you also have room to raise the floor to accommodate insulation and pipework underneath.

And since you’re not disturbing the existing concrete base, any potential contamination issues lying underneath it will remain equally undisturbed.

And a huge benefit of converting light industrial buildings lies in most people’s inability to see past an ugly façade, doubting they can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. I’m reminded of this argument each time I see the eye-watering cost of flats converted from the old wharf buildings on the Thames or the loft apartments in New York. A few generations ago, living in one of these buildings would have been unheard of, yet now they’re eminently desirable, with prices to match. Rather than try to mask their heritage, the developers have made a feature of it. I won’t pretend that the old printing works on Commercial Street has the same kerb-appeal as a wharf conversion overlooking Tower Bridge. But the same principle

applies, and a good architect be able to sort the external appearance, and they will also be able to incorporate heritage design cues and features that add both interest and value.

And when the competition is a bevy of uninspiring, lookalike flats, your more characterful, individual units will certainly gain an edge.

The ability to convert to residential using permitted development rights and a lack of competition make these buildings an attractive proposition, plus the small-scale nature of these projects make them ideal for the first-time developer.

Not for the first time, as it turns out, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

AUTHOR: Ritchie Clapson CEng MIStructE is a veteran property developer of almost 40 years and co-founder of propertyCEO, a nationwide property development and training company. https://propertyceo.co.uk/

How to make your business social media images stand out Every new business wants to be noticed, and social media should be an important part of every entrepreneur’s marketing strategy. But that strategy can be undermined if the imagery is week. Here are a few pointers.

want to take an action shot perhaps a luxury spirit being enjoyed at a bar, for example you could clear the table of any unused glasses or other distractions and use depth of field to ensure the background noise is blurred out.

Get the lighting right

It can also be a good idea to consider these shots in black and white, helping to minimise the distraction of lots of colours cluttering the image visually.

The number one rule is: don’t use your flash. Nine times out of ten you won’t need it and it’ll only add glare and shadow that will make your photo look tacky. The only time you’ll need to pop the flash on is when you have a bright background and the foreground is silhouetted.

Rather than using a flash, find a selection of lights that you can place strategically around the product to create interesting highlights and shadows. Consider the colour of the lights as well. Not all ‘white’ lights are the same shade of white, some will be warmer and more yellow while others may be colder and bluer.

Mixing colours can work but it needs to be done with care otherwise it will look messy. If you are working on developing your photography skills, it is best to start off with the same colour of white lights and go from there. If you want to add some colour later, you can always apply filters using photo editing software.

Avoid unhelpful shadows Once you have got some lights set up, it’s time to play around with their position. The idea is to highlight features while also creating a bit of shadow to achieve an interesting contrast.

How much light versus shadow you’ll want might depend on the product being photographed. Luxury items tend to have more contrast, giving them a cooler, classier vibe. Technical products with lots of features and accessories can benefit from more light to show off the details.

Try to avoid actual shadows, however, as they look unprofessional. The way to do this is to ensure that some of your lights are focused on the area surrounding your product and the background. These lights will wash away any shadows, leaving a clean, professional photo.

Clear clutter The first rule of good composition is to only include necessary items in the shot. Lots of clutter is distracting and unprofessional. Even if you want to show the product in-situ, it is important to clear away anything that does not need to be there.

You could, for example, remove everything except for the product. This will focus the eye on the product and can be useful for both technical and luxury items. If, however, you

Play around with props While clutter looks messy, a few well-positioned props can add context and make the image more interesting. Props also suggest things about the product. A packet of vitamins on its own could be quite boring. A packet of vitamins next to an orange, however, implies health and vitality.

Similarly, for things like drinks where there may be several key ingredients, showing those ingredients lying next to a cup and the product gives the impression that the flavour has been freshly distilled.

Props can be as simple as an orange or more involved, like a costume and other physical props for people in the photos. A holiday is hard to capture, for example, but some sun cream and a pair of shades is enough to get people thinking of warm sandy beaches.

Consider the angle One of the more common mistakes is to shoot product shots straight on. It seems like it would be clearer, less cluttered and more symmetrical but it can actually be quite confusing to the eye. There is no sense of depth, making it unclear how large the product is and it can often feel very unnatural.

The angle can also play a role in the overall impact. Shooting from a low angle can make the product appear large, powerful and intimidating. This could work well for a car, for example, or even for some portraits. A slightly raised angle can make the product seem smaller and give the viewer a ‘god’s eye’ perspective, making them feel powerful and in control.

Side angles, on the other hand, are more about creating a natural look. Rarely do we ever see something precisely straight on and it is this slight side angle that provides a sense of detail, depth and clarity.

Follow the rule of thirds A final point on composition: work to the rule of thirds. That is, try to think of the space as broken into thirds vertically and horizontally, lining up the objects along these lines. For just one object, try to get it in the centre square. For two objects, line them up in the middle of the horizontal section and along the vertical third lines.

Not only does using the rule of thirds help keep the negative space to the edges balanced (you don’t want lots of space on one side and little on the other) but it also guides the eye to the most important features of the photo. This is particularly important when you have a noisier background or you are using multiple props. You don’t want people focusing on the table rather than the product sitting on top of it!

Get an appropriate background Every photo has a background (unless you are doing a super close-up) so make the background work to your advantage.

You could opt for a simple white or coloured sheet to bring focus to the foreground, but just make sure that any creases or folds are either obscured or work to your advantage.

You could pin the top of the sheet in the middle to give a draped look, like theatre curtains. Or perhaps try rumpling the sheet around the product to make it look cosy and luxurious.

Alternatively, you could get really creative with your backgrounds, perhaps creating a diorama that captures the season, for example. But make sure that the background is appropriate for the product and other props: don’t put your multivitamins and orange on a winter themed background as it will look out of place.

Take multiple snaps The big secret to getting the perfect snap is to take lots of photos and then find the perfect one later. Photographers do a good impression of making it look like they’ve perfected everything straight away, but they’ve just deleted the ones that didn’t work.

Taking multiple photos also gives you more to work with later.

When editing, you might find that the orange looks perfect in one shot but the multivitamins don’t. Fortunately, if you have multiple snaps, you can find one that the vitamins look good in and copy it over, compiling the perfect photo from two or three different photos.

With multiple photos taken from different angles and with different props, you also have the opportunity to post different photos to your social accounts. This way, your followers won’t get bored of seeing the same image over and over again!

Tweak No matter how good your photography skills are, every shot can benefit from a little tweaking. Whether you use Instagram’s built-in filters or you dive into the detail on an editing package like Photoshop, a perfect photo needs to pop.

It is also a good idea to create a consistent style that you can replicate and ‘own’. You could go for a sharp focus, oversaturated look, for example, to create a bold, colourful style. Or go the other way, bring the contrast and saturation down to create a vintage feel.

A vignette is almost always a good idea. If you’ve stuck to the rules of thirds, all your visual information should be towards the centre of the image. A vignette will darken the corners of the image ensuring that the focus is always brought back to the centre.

If you find that, despite your best efforts, the background is too noisy, then playing around with depth of field can really help. While this is best done using your camera to ensure the sharpest details, it can also work in editing to blur the background and ensure that your products are always sharply in focus.

Try different crops While you’re playing around with your edits, try out different crops on your photos. If you stick to the rule of thirds there is almost no wrong answer when it comes to cropping.

You could find that lots of negative space around the product gives a simple, easy feel to the image. However, lots of negative space can also be distracting in some situations, so cropping in close will help bring focus to the product.

Author: Emeka Ikechi is Director of Vanity Studios, a contemporary studio for photoshoots in the centre of Shoreditch in London. https://vanitystudios.co.uk/

What Should be in an Investment Pitch CAM Ventures has only been officially around for a few months but already a lot of pitches and enquiries for investment have been sent over, and what a variety of content I have seen. There have been very detailed business plans with spreadsheets of numbers and there have been emails saying “Can I have some money please?”. This makes me think, what are the non-negotiables for a business plan or investment pitch? Obviously what I think may not be what a large venture capital fund wants to see or what is necessarily “correct”, but I think these topics should be included in some form and the pitch should not be purely about numbers.

The People We are a micro-investment company with the majority of transactions being under £50k with some rising up towards £100k. We are not investing in large companies with multimillion pound turnovers, we are investing in small start ups that may not have progressed very far beyond an idea.

With this in mind, more often than not, we are investing in the people whether that be a single person or a small team of individuals. The pitch has got to include an introduction to the people involved, the skills and experience they have and some of the personality should be able to come through as well. The majority of start ups will succeed or fail on the strength of the people involved, so it is key to get over to the investor that their money is in safe hands because you are awesome. I would never put a picture on a CV, but within a pitch deck then a picture can be very useful to try and get over your personality and personal brand. Please don’t use a picture of you at a Christmas Function wearing a turkey hat…… that is not showing your fun side.

Brand Identity How your company and/or brand will be perceived by the general public is key. Will it reflect your individual personality or will it be completely different? Whatever is the right answer to that question, it needs to be clear in your pitch. You may not have the budget to have had a professional work on your brand, but you should be able to describe what it will be and try to use imagery, colours and fonts to communicate how you visualise it. If the pitch deck tone does not reflect the product or service then I really question whether there has been enough thought into who the customer is and who will buy the product or service.

Values What does your company stand for and what do you believe in? Customers’ desire to buy from companies that reflect their own moral compass is continuing to grow and will only ever get stronger. Will you be eco-friendly? Will you invest in your team more than your competitors? Will you work to support your community? Whatever it is make sure you make it clear.

However, if you say you are going to do something then you

must do it! It is better to have limited values than have a long list and do nothing towards them.

Numbers are important and an investor will want to know what commitment they are making and how they will earn that (and then some) back, but the majority will also want to know what makes you and your company tick, so please don’t miss it out.

Auhtor: Will Macpherson, Managing Director, CAM Ventures https://cam-ventures.com/

What is CRM software and why might you need it?

Today, computers are involved in the running of almost every type of organisation, and any business owner that does not embrace appropriate Information Technology (IT) is likely to be at a disadvantage. The problem for businesses whose products or services are not technical, is to what extent is it necessary to computerise so as to maintain a competitive edge?

There are literally hundreds of tasks that are often better and more cheaply performed by a computer than a human - accounting, stock control, project management, marketing, diary management - the list is endless. So it’s easy to burn up lots of time deciding what software you need, what is available, and what is actually any good. And if you are not particularly geeky, once you have made your choice, it’s even easier to spend more time in front of the computer screen pulling your hair out than you do running your business startup and talking to your staff and customers.

Generic or specific?

Software ranges from the very general, to the very specific.

A general software package such as Microsoft Word can be used in almost any business, whereas a 3-D design package is much more specific - it would unlikely be of much use to an accountant.

But the more specific you become, the less choice you have, and the more expensive the products become. So generalised software is always the best place to start - at least until you are really sure of your requirements. Even general purpose software such as word processing and spreadsheets can be tailored to specific needs.

1. You can share the address book with other staff 2. You can access it from anywhere 3. You can access it any time 4. Despite the above, there is only ever one copy - if you change contact details it changes for everyone simultaneously 5. You can add arbitrary items of metadata to each contact record. - for example, date of birth, last order, etc - and these items do not have to be decided at the outset.

6. You can process many contacts at one time As well as the obvious time-saving benefit of avoiding two staff using different contact addresses, the impression outside contacts get of the company is so much better when their details are correct and instantly available. Benefits one to five are enough for most business founders to justify the use of some form of CRM. However, it is benefit six - the ability to process records - that can provide the greatest returns on investment. Processing can be anything from sending a customised email to all contacts in a particular category, to analysing trends or statistics across any cross-section of contacts. For example, how many contacts under 30 buy yellow products?

A CRM is implemented using a database, which is basically an electronic form of a card-index file, except that it allows the creation of as many indexes as necessary, and searching takes fractions of a second. It is easy to turn a generic CRM system into something specific to a particular business – and therefore potentially more useful to a budding entrepreneur but it is worth exploring the features of CRM systems that can be applied to all businesses.

What is a CRM?

We have likened the main aspect of a CRM system to an address book. We need address books because we need to communicate with contacts and tracking communications is a key role for any CRM.

One type of generic requirement is for Customer Relationship Management or CRM, although the “C” bit is misleadingly specific. “Contact” would be a better use of the letter “C”, since most businesses need to manage their relationship with more than just customers - suppliers, local authorities and government, to name just three.

Today, our communications define our businesses. They can be emails, letters, phone calls, text messages, social media messages, invoices, documents, and so on. All of these are conveyed by electronic media. It is true that some communications are face to face, but these represent a relatively small proportion, and particularly since Covid.

At heart, a CRM is just a digital address book. What is the point of digitising an address book you might ask? Well, if you only need a handful of contacts to run your business, then probably “not a lot”. But as soon as you get into even just tens of contacts, then things are different. And with more than one employee, they get significantly different.

These communications have to be addressed (ie who is it to and where are they?) and not only can the CRM be the primary source of these addresses, it can record the communications too.

Benefits

Some CRM systems are targeted at particular horizontal applications such as sales tracking which apply to any company that sells goods. These systems provide supplementary functions to help manage particular processes that are connected to individual contacts. They often perform the tasks which humans do not execute consistently or reliably.

A digital address book (as opposed to a physical version) provides the following benefits..

Efficiency

For example, a super salesperson is of limited use if he/she forgets to follow up a lead or spends too much time on the customers with the worst purchase track record. The CRM can do the scheduling for him/her and therefore use the salesperson’s time far more productively.

Nevertheless, when the salesperson comes to follow up a lead, the job is so much easier and likely to succeed if the salesperson has all the relevant communications to hand. Email folders are not much use if they only contain the salesperson’s messages because there may be several colleagues that have been involved with the contact - or even provided a quotation. Equally helpful is detail about phone calls exchanged with the contact, preferably with the ability to listen the call, but ideally with a searchable transcription.

None of this is science fiction. All can be done in CRM systems with current technology.

Local or cloud-based One last point is that many applications, not the least of which are CRM systems, are moving from the desktop to the Cloud.

This means that instead of running dedicated applications on the computer in your home or office or smart phone at your fingertips, they are instead running on remote computers you will know not where - connected to you via the internet.

Your workstation then becomes a glorified terminal.

There are some disadvantages to this - such as if you lose Internet connectivity - but overall, the advantages strongly outweigh them. For one thing, you can run the same (CRM) application from anywhere, on any computer at any time.

Secondly, your data is effectively safe from any physical disasters and thirdly, you don’t have to install a new version whenever one is released.

So, to summarise, 1. CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. In practice, CRM systems are applicable to any outside contact, not just customers.

2. CRM systems are basically intelligent address books (sometimes very intelligent). Although they are general purpose, they can often be tailored to fit a specific business.

3. CRM systems benefits include sharing data without having multiple copies (which can potentially get out of sync) and being accessible by any authorised user, anywhere.

4. CRM systems provide the ability to add arbitrary amounts of data specific to a particular business 5. Most significantly, CRM systems provide the ability to process lots of data automatically 6. For CRM systems to provide best value for money, they should be able to ingest communications (emails, phone calls, etc) because communications define a business.

7. The advantages of Cloud-based applications generally far outweigh the advantages of on-premise solutions.

Any entrepreneurial business employing more than one person should consider using a CRM, and they will usually find the investment in the system will be well worth the efficiency and time savings it provides.

Author: Dr John Yardley Managing Director, JPY Limited and Threads Software Ltd https://www.jpy.com/

Today’s Business Leaders Need Research Technology to Keep the Consumer Close The acceleration of digital adoption in the last year has been quite remarkable. Technology is now critical to sustaining business and life as we now know it. And, as we make our way through a second year of upheaval caused by COVID-19, it is clear that the future of business innovation and success will lean on tech as the cornerstone of global leadership.

Not only does that change the way in which we operate from the inside out, but it also changes the fundamentals of how we interact with customers. As we discussed in the previous article on the growing importance of ResTech, it is no longer good enough to make assumptions and hypotheses about consumers and their interests or intent. To properly and effectively engage customers, business leaders need to really understand them.

Companies that keep a direct pulse on their customers are far more likely to succeed, and as such, measuring the changing sentiments and behaviours of your audiences has become increasingly important.

Today’s business owners and founders not only face these challenges associated with how best to reach and engage with customers in the most meaningful way, but keep a keen eye on what’s next. They need to be agile and flexible enough to turn on a dime. They must also ensure that the processes and strategic approach they adopt are future proof, which is where simply knowing your audience, creating and nurturing a bond with customers can pave the path to better customer engagements.

Prioritising personalisation The evolution of digital transformation and tech innovation has taught us that knowledge is power. As such, data has become a force at the heart of the organisation driving positive change.

The time has never been better for research to support today’s business leaders - to empower them to be bold and disruptive by placing research and tech at its heart, to help provide realtime clarity into the thoughts, opinions, and feelings of customers across the globe.

Case in point: according to a recent piece in Marketing Week, personalisation and customer experience top the agenda when it comes to today’s consumer. It states that 43% of UK consumers believe personalisation is a basic requirement of online shopping, while 60% say they are more likely to commit to a brand again if they feel they’ve had a personalised shopping experience.

The power of ResTech to provide insights into the customer of today is second to none. And even more so, to help businesses understand what makes their customers tick, what they care about, and how to best appeal to them through personalised and targeted messaging.

Aligning on shared values Every business leader living and breathing today’s challenges

knows that every dollar matters. And yet, success is no longer just about financial numbers but equally a more wholesome definition of values at the core of business - from mental health, environmental impact, and diversity and inclusivity.

Consumers sit at a very different outlook today as compared to pre-pandemic, where price is no longer the top driving factor.

Instead, people rate their overall experience higher, and care more about whether the brand or business shares similar values and passions. In fact, research conducted by ad tech firm Channel Factory found that 69% of consumers would prefer to buy from brands committed to socially conscious causes.

The same statistics published in Marketing Week also showed that more than a third of British consumers say they would shop with a brand again if the customer experience is good, even if it is cheaper or more convenient elsewhere, while 73% expect a personal and consistent customer experience across multiple channels.

Putting the customer first At the end of the day, it’s all about being customer-centric. The good news is that now businesses can easily arm themselves with the technology and tools needed to dive deep under the skin of their customer, even amongst the loud noise, vast clutter and brand overload on the market today. Combining market research with technology can help not only gauge audience opinions and consumer behaviours, but can also help businesses predict purchase intent, track feelings and sentiments over periods of time, and inform future product and services development.

This means that successful businesses who are actively, and continuously, listening to their customers with research will have insight into the needs of their target audiences and can lead with a customer first approach -- reaching and engaging with them in a way that really resonates.

COVID has removed the traditional objections and barriers to entry for businesses looking to adopt a tech or software first approach. Time, flexibility, and the bottom line have become ever more important as the traditional rate of adoption is replaced by a new kind of disruption with a shape that mirrors a cliff edge more than a bell curve.

Emerging technology has, and will continue to define us - from how we work to how we interact with family and friends. And, this will have a profound impact on how we measure business performance going forward, where we will undoubtedly see those business leaders who are brave and pro-risk enough to challenge the status quo, and to truly put their customers first in every aspect, will be the ones to succeed.

Author: Ben Hogg, Managing Director, EMEA and APAC https://www.linkedin.com/company/lucidhq/

How to Address the Imbalance Sheet Over the past year in the UK, a wide range of corporates have been supported by a stream of government enforced initiatives designed to stabilise and support businesses during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of the support available to these businesses has been through various debt products which the government introduced to give businesses the best chances of survival during such unprecedented times. These included: • Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS: allowing businesses to access financial support up to £5 million. The government guarantees 80% of the finance to the lender and pays interest and any fees for the first 12 months.)

• Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS: allowing businesses to access financial support with a group turnover of more than £45 million. The scheme helps medium and large sized businesses to access loans and other kinds of finance up to £200 million.)

• Bounce Back Loan Scheme (the biggest advantage of the BBLS was that it didn’t require repayments during the first 12 months but allowed businesses to access financial help quickly during the pandemic. The scheme helps small and medium-sized businesses to borrow between £2,000 and up to 25% of their turnover. The maximum loan available is £50,000.)

All of these government backed financial sources were made available to eligible businesses through to March 2021 with new applications and Top Up applications closing in the same month. These products were specifically designed to minimise the damage caused by the significant disruption to business during the pandemic and reduce risks felt by the subsequent government enforced lockdowns. Of course, these government initiatives may have had an impact on the growth of the UK economy as a whole, which has slowly increased since the beginning of 2021 and the easing of general restrictions. For example, according to the Office of National Statistics, by early August 2021, the percentage of UK businesses trading rose to 89% from 71% in January 2021.

In addition, temporary and permanent changes in legislation over the last 12 months has sought to provide directors and corporates with additional financial protective measures which in turn has prevented a significant level of insolvencies from occurring. As well as being able to access government loan schemes, many businesses also took advantage of the furlough scheme which enabled employers to retain staffing levels and thus allow a return to work for employees post pandemic. This also meant that businesses could reduce the risk of redundancies and stand an overall better chance of survival.

The consequence of loan scheme initiatives provided by the UK government since the outset of the Covid 19 pandemic has ultimately led to a substantial increase in the level of liabilities

on the balance sheets of UK corporates. This necessary liquidity has largely been obtained through extending credit lines with HMRC, suppliers, landlords and increased bank borrowing. All of which must be repaid by businesses which was expected however, the repayments are required over a relatively short period of time and perhaps what’s worse, is that this comes at a point when there remains an inherent level of uncertainty over the outlook of the market. Even in areas seeing the most growth.

The future for many UK businesses still looks uncertain, despite the succession of UK government loan schemes. The edge had been taken off the pandemic for businesses through these loans, but the sheets remain unbalanced. With inflation high and 1 in 50 business still reporting that they expect to make some of their workforce redundant over the next three months as we move into the last quarter of 2021, the forecast for UK corporates still looks uncertain.

What Next?

There is no question, communication still remains key in today’s economic climate for UK corporates both internal and external meaning it is critical that businesses maintain regular and honest communication with their key stakeholders to ensure they all remain informed and supportive of the direction being taken. No matter where the road eventually takes them.

Perhaps more so than ever, it is imperative that directors of corporates proactively plan for the challenges ahead as they navigate their way out the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic. Focused thinking, strategic planning and an understanding may well be the keys to a profitable and brighter future. As they move forward it will be important to consider the make-up of their balance sheet, how it has evolved over the past 12 months and what actions need to be taken to address that imbalance now and in the future.

In most circumstances, the amount of current liabilities has disproportionately increased to a point where the level of support from these stakeholders has been maximised and the expectation that it would actually begin to unwind within a relatively short period of time. However, realistically this may not be possible for most corporates depending on the sector, liquidity status and profitability levels.

Therefore, where necessary, directors should consider the options available to restructure the balance sheet to become more aligned to the cash flow needs of the business. This may include reducing or even normalising their current liabilities with a more manageable longer-term debt solution, should lockdowns happen again in the future. This means they will be able to stand stronger and face future challenges with greater foresight and understanding, even if it means considering

traditional sources of finance and/or a recapitalisation through equity means.

In certain circumstances neither of these options may be available or deemed suitable, and that may well have been in the past. Not all businesses will find themselves in the same boat, post pandemic. Some may find that the road to recovery is steeper than others foreseeing tighter future budgets as a result of schemes ending.

As a consequence, the government has introduced a new Recovery Loan Scheme which is designed to help businesses of any size as they grow and recover from the disruption of the pandemic. This is a government backed loan scheme supporting borrowing of up to £10m for individual businesses and up to £30m across a group. The use of these proceeds

can include cash flow management, growth and investment.

We therefore thoroughly recommend that directors complete a comprehensive and critical assessment of their business and forecast to ensure timely and appropriate action is taken where needed to create a stable and manageable platform not only to financially support their businesses and assets but to more importantly, safeguard the longevity of their business for a brighter future.

Author: Martin Gray, Managing Director in the Restructuring Advisory practice at Kroll. https://www.kroll.com/en

Which type of funding should you seek, based on your capital needs?

You’ve decided to invest in property. Fantastic. But which type of funding should you seek? Do you just need capital or would a bit of hand-holding and business advice help you to reach your property portfolio goals faster? There are merits to both approaches, so let’s take a look at them in detail to see which suits your needs.

Think about what you’re giving away

The case for capital

For example, are you planning to build up a property empire that you will keep for the next 20/30/40 years before eventually handing down to your children? If so, it makes sense to do all you can to avoid giving away equity. Of course, that’s easy to say, but in reality it will likely involve doing some hard miles to start with.

Are you 100% confident in the property investment that you’ve got lined up? If so, and all you need is cash, then you’re in a strong position to ask family and friends to lend you what you need. Or to go down the route of using a bank or other lender.

Either way, if you’re confident you can return the capital – along with interest, of course – and you can convince those you’re borrowing from to share your confidence, then this can be a neat and straight-forward solution to finding the funding you need.

The benefits of business advice It’s important to understand whether you might need more than just cash for your property investment. After all, there’s a lot to be said for learning from the mistakes of others rather than making them yourself, particularly when large sums of money are involved.

If you feel you’re going to need experience as well as capital, then it’s worth seeking a partner who can help guide you through the acquisition side of the investment. In that case, it’s worth considering the person who you’re borrowing from just as carefully as the return on the capital.

Finding the perfect partner means looking for someone who brings a wide range of knowledge to the table. Their experience can be invaluable, as can their contacts. Look out for someone who knows how to deal with tough situations and who has plenty of experience of different types and sizes of property investment transaction.

It’s also important to find someone who is a good listener. The emotional side of investing in property is often overlooked, but the process can go from being exciting to worrying to infuriating and back to exciting very rapidly. Having a partner who understands this and who you can talk things through with can help you to keep calm and make sensible, wellplanned decisions rather than rash, reactive ones.

Finding a lender who can provide all this – as well as funding – can really pay dividends, so don’t feel rushed to borrow from someone that you don’t have the right feeling about. There’s a lot to be said for trusting your entrepreneurial side when it comes to deciding who you’re going to work with.

Whichever kind of funding you opt for – whether with business advice or without – think carefully about the return that you’re going to give on the capital you borrow. Your long-term plans will come into play here.

As such, keep your eyes on the prize while you’re putting in the hard work for very little initial return. Start small, with low overheads and build up your property portfolio slowly. After all, if you’re looking at a decades-long plan for your property investment, you’ve got time to spend building up a solid base for that on your own terms.

If, on the other hand, you’re looking to invest in multiple properties, with a view to selling after a few years in order to make a relatively fast profit, then it might be worth giving way equity in exchange for professional advice and support from someone with the experience, contacts and time to accelerate the speed to sale. If that person can walk you through the legalities of founding a tax-efficient property investment company and help package the business for sale when the time comes, then there’s a compelling case to make it worth their while with equity as well as (or even instead of) cash returns.

Shorter business lifespans such as this are better suited to partner-funders, as they can get you to your goal faster.

Ultimately, which type of funding you should seek will depend on your personal circumstances, goals and long-term strategy.

There’s not really a right or wrong approach here but it is essential to recognise that the decisions you make early on in your investment process will likely still be with you years later, so they warrant plenty of thought and careful judgement.

Author Bio Steve Jacob is Group CEO of Fabrik Property Group, as well as a director of its subsidiary, Fabrik Invest. https://fabrikinvest.com/

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How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome Have you ever felt like you’re not good enough? Like you’re a fraud or you’re going to get found out? That you’re in a room full of people who are so much better than you?

Well, that is called imposter syndrome and you’re in good company as 70% of us feel like this at some point in our life, with women being much more susceptible to this than men.

And whilst women are more likely to suffer from imposter syndrome it can impact anyone. Imposter syndrome is not a diagnosed medical condition, nor are there any magic potions to make it go away, but it is essential to tackle head on and make sure that it does not have a debilitating effect on your work and success.

Those suffering from imposter syndrome will often start a task or new job with strong feelings of self-doubt, inadequacy and often anxiety. And even when they are successful or have achieved the desired outcome, they often attribute this to luck, a fluke or overworking. These cycle of thoughts often make you feel like a fraud waiting to be exposed which then perpetuates and aggravates these self doubting beliefs.

Needless to say, this is not the case and these individuals are competent and suitable for the task in hand. High achievers are generally more prone to this phenomenon because of their school or university career. Where they would have previously attributed their successes to a percentage or letter determining their intelligence, in the working world their abilities hold no solid ‘grade’ proof and in most cases the constant worry of being exposed or tagged as such can result in anxiety and depression. * So how do you overcome this? Or is this just the way things are always going to be?

I’ve had years of working on overcoming challenges all linked to imposter syndrome and I know I’m not alone! So, I want to share my process for recognising those imposter feelings, acknowledging them for what they are (not true!) and releasing them so you can start confidently and powerfully showing up and serving your audience - and boosting your business to the next level.

Tip one: Let’s get visual Whenever any feelings of doubt creep in, I visualise a dark little devil sitting on my right shoulder. He tells me the things that keep me safe, don’t stretch me or put me in the way of danger. He’s the voice that says “Don’t do that because something bad will happen” or “You can’t do that”.

By visualising him and giving him a persona, this really helps me recognise what is going on and helps me stop him in his tracks.

In contrast to the little devil (the imposter syndrome), I also have my angel sitting on my left shoulder. She is full of light and positivity, and whispers “You can do this, give it a go, what’s the worst that can happen”, “you’re going to be good at this, you’ve got all this experience, you’ve done all these things… use them!” I visualise her as having warmth and energy.

Both of these personas have very different voices and agendas, both make me feel and act very differently. But the process I use when I hear these voices is the same: Recognise: Firstly, I recognise whose voice it is. Is it the imposter devil or my positive angel?

Acknowledge: Then I acknowledge what they are saying to me. Is it useful, factually accurate, worth listening to?

Release: Finally it’s about releasing. I choose not to listen to the negative voice if he’s whispering unhelpful things, releasing his negativity, and only take on board what the angel says to me.

To release I use an NLP technique which taught me to visualise a huge stop sign as soon as I recognise the little devil’s words. I visualise putting it in front of him. He can’t get over it, under it or round it… and he’s definitely not getting through it!

This is something you need to keep working on as the imposter naturally can come back from time to time, (there’s a saying ‘new level, new devil, for a reason!) but when it does, I just use the same technique.

If you’re not a visual person, you can try writing the thoughts down then physically throwing them away, or using another powerful stop word which resonates with you. Just keep trying different techniques until you find one that works for you. I also encourage you to welcome your angel’s voice and all the positive thinking surrounding that - visualise all the things you can achieve and start believing in yourself. After all, what you believe is what you can achieve.

Tip two: The worry journal Another technique which worked wonders for helping me manage feelings of anxiety and worry was a ‘worry journal’.

You only need to spend 10-15 mins a day writing down and ‘brain-dumping’ all the things that worry you - it’s a purposeful, allocated time for worry, so don’t go over the time slot.

All worriers know that once you start worrying about one thing it can easily spiral. Allocating a set time is really powerful as you’re recognising those feelings, you’re acknowledging them but you’re not letting them control you, and you’re releasing them by getting them out of your head

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so they aren’t whirring around and getting jumbled with reality.

You are taking back the power of how you feel, act and think - and that is the key to stepping up and showing up powerfully to your audience.

Tip three: Flip reverse it…

This leads me nicely on how to flip the imposter and turn those negative thoughts into positive questions that you could use to your advantage. For example, if you hear him saying “You can’t do this” change this to “How can I do this?”

Reframing your language is one of the most powerful things you can do for your self-belief.

You owe it to yourself, your clients, and future clients to show up and share your expertise. Only by stepping out of your comfort zone will you create a new comfort zone and edge closer to your goals.

So, what are you waiting for?

Experiencing bouts of imposter syndrome is entirely normal and natural, some people are more susceptible than others, but know that you are not alone! We usually hear his little growling voice when we’re stretching ourselves out of our comfort zones, so it can be seen as a good sign. Remember, ‘new level, new devil’ - but you can stop him in his tracks and step fully into your power. *https://www.sciencedaily.com releases/2021/03/210316112323.htm

About the Author Rhiannon Bates is the driving force behind Garnet PR, a boutique agency specialising in mindset, business and PR coaching for female business owners, particularly servicebased business or those in the rural and luxury lifestyle sectors. She also provides Public Relations services for highlevel female coaches and entrepreneurs. www.garnetpr.com

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Five ways to keep employees engaged post-pandemic As employees venture back to the workplace post-pandemic, employers must reconsider how to re-engage staff to help prevent high staff turnover, reduced productivity and low morale.

New ways of working have challenged businesses, meaning it has become increasingly important to ensure employees don’t feel isolated and they remain connected to a larger purpose on their return.

Since the pandemic started, HR specialists Breedon Consulting have had a surge of questions from employers needing advice on how to keep employees motivated and productive once their period of furlough or working from home has come to an end - be that part-time or full-time.

We know that companies with engaged employees outperform those without by 202% (Gallup), therefore, the team have outlined five key areas that businesses can focus upon to ensure staff remain confident and thrive.

Managing director of Breedon Consulting, Nicki Robson, said: “Reintroducing either furloughed workers or those who have been used to working at home brings with it a new set of challenges.

“As workers have become accustomed to a different environment its extremely important to engage with them effectively on return to the workplace – the impact of this transition can be reduced by following our one-to-one advice.”

1.Communicate the overall business strategy It’s vital that on return to the workplace staff understand your business position and strategy clearly following the impact of Covid-19. It can be a worrying time for employees, with questions around how the business is performing and in turn how that may affect their position and flexibility.

Be transparent, communicate effectively any changes and share any future business plans or goals. This will directly correspond to how their role adds value within the wider commercial setting and allow the employee to feel respected and involved.

2.Relay role expectations and opportunities for progression Outline clear responsibilities to staff, monthly expectations, and if appropriate, re-communicate clear KPIs - allowing performance to be measured effectively by both the business and individual. Communicate any career opportunities and consider providing training. This should help to re- establish motivation, clarity and confidence within the workplace.

3.Have fun After such a long period, it can be a daunting prospect to acclimatise to a sociable office environment and work alongside colleagues again. Ensure to put together a calendar of activities and events to aid an employee’s adjustment. Think about activities that will unite your team – perhaps a common interest. It will help boost team morale and can also provide a level of healthy competition in the workplace.

If members of staff are working from home – put in place Zoom socials or set aside time where teams can talk about things other than work.

4.Create a safe space to share During the pandemic, employees faced many stresses including job security, health and safety. With so many employees becoming accustomed to the benefits from working from home – it was inevitable workers would start to require levels of flexibility and support. Create a safe space for employees to share any concerns or needs they may have on return to the workplace. Consider sending out anonymous surveys or creating a staff forum where workers feel able to share their worries.

5.Adapt and update the working environment Adapting to sitting at a desk daily when it’s become a norm to work from the comfort of your sofa could encourage a shift in how we perceive the office environment. Consider adding a ‘breakout’ area for individuals to work on laptops and ensure there is a space to eat lunch away from their desk. Factors such as increased interruptions and noise could be unsettling, so provide quiet areas for working. Also consider allowing employees to wear headphones if this wasn’t in your policy previously.

Breedon Consulting is offering free 15-minute consultations for employers to talk about how best to deal with reengaging employees back into the workplace. http://www.breedonconsulting.co.uk/

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What budget do you need for raising capital?

By Oliver Woolley, Envestors. A successful start-up may well reach the stage where the founders recognise that they need more funds to grow the business and achieve their vision. In this situation you may want to raise equity growth capital. However, it is important to recognise that fundraising is difficult, complicated and time consuming and involves significant cost. Often entrepreneurs do not understand this when they set out.

To help, Envestors, which has raised over £100m for 200+ businesses, has created an overview of the costs of raising capital. This will help you establish a budget for your raise.

As a rough guide it is recommended that, to cover upfront costs, you’ll need a chest of £7,000 to £29,000. Factoring in success and/or monitoring and due diligence fees for funds, your total spend will be in the range of £20k to £60k, depending on where the funds come from and the total raise amount.

As a percentage of the amount raised, this can be as little as 5% to 13% for raises above £500k or as much as 9% to 24% for raises at or below the £250k mark.

So, what are the costs making up this overall amount?

Legal fees Selling shares in your business requires a number of legal documents. This is an area worth spending budget on – so if you find some handy free templates on the internet resist the urge and navigate away. What doesn’t seem like a big deal today, could be a huge problem for you later. While we always recommend working with a lawyer specialised in early-stage investments, you have a choice between platform-based services, like Seedlegals, which may be less expensive starting at £1,000 or firms like CMS, which while more expensive starting at £5,000, are a safer choice for businesses beyond the seed stage.

•Term Sheet: The Term Sheet is a summary which outlines the material terms of the agreement. This is something you can create yourself which your lawyer will use as a basis for further documentation •Shareholders Agreement: This sets out the relationship between the management and the shareholders following the investment. It covers areas such as voting rights, rules around share transfer and processes for the resolution of any disputes •Subscription Agreement/Investment Agreement: Sometimes combined with the Shareholders Agreement, this sets out the terms of the Share Subscription, including pre-conditions of the investment, warranties about the existing business and details of any options or bonuses to be awarded

•Service Agreement: This includes employment contracts with the managers/directors, incorporating non-compete restrictions. Many investors will review employment contracts as part of their due diligence process, so while it’s not requisite to launch your fundraise, you will need it down the line •Disclosure Letter: This makes disclosures against the warranties in the Subscription Agreement •Articles: The Articles of Association deal with the company’s internal regulations (e.g. proceedings at shareholder and board meetings) as well as incorporating shareholder rights (e.g. voting and dividend rights). Articles are publicly available at Companies House •Deed of Adherence: This term is applied to a brief and simple document used when new investors are joining a preexisting group. The new investors are required to accept the terms of the existing Shareholders Agreement and Articles without amendment on the basis that these have previously been negotiated and accepted by similar investors on a previous round.

That is a lot of documentation to put together – especially if you’re just starting out. Sometimes smaller deals, under £100k will use a Letter of Agreement/Conditions of Investment Letter. These letters may be drawn up with little involvement from a lawyer. The advantage is that this process is quicker and cheaper; the disadvantage is that these documents may not incorporate proper legal protections for the investors.

You may also need advice on your company’s Articles and the shareholder’s agreement (if there is one).

Corporate finance advisory fees In addition to legal advice, many seek corporate finance help to ensure they are ‘investment ready’.

Investment readiness means you have a clear proposition, i.e. the answer to the question ‘why should I invest in you?’, and all requisite documentation to support your raise.

Some Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) or Chambers of Commerce offer subsidized ‘investment readiness’ programmes. The level of fees can be anything from £1,000 to £10,000, or a monthly retainer.

Tax advisory fees Businesses which qualify for the Seed and/or Enterprise Investment Scheme (S/EIS) will want to take advantage of the scheme as it is a major incentive for investors. However, as with all government schemes, S/EIS requires a fair amount of paperwork. It’s complicated and unfortunately easy to make a mistake. If you do apply yourself and make a mistake it

ENTREPRENEUR might mean your application is rejected or it could mean that down the road your investors find out that they are not getting the tax breaks after all. Due to the complexity, we always advise working with a third-party on your application. Starting costs range from £1,500 – £3,000.

Marketing spend Marketing spend can vary greatly from one raise to another.

Many entrepreneurs choose to create all their materials inhouse, while others splash the cash on extravagant pitch decks, multi-channel awareness campaigns and videos with animation. What the right amount will be depends on a several factors, including your audience, the size of your business, your current level of awareness and what particular investors you’re targeting.

For many, working with an agency to produce a pitch deck is a sensible move. We’ve seen a lot of pitch decks where it is difficult to understand the business and to understand why anyone would want to invest in it. Common mistakes include spending too much time on the wrong topics and cramming to much onto a single slide. If an investor can’t understand what your business does, they are never going to invest.

Video has been shown to drive engagement. However, a good video can be expensive with £3k being a typical starting point.

Registration fees While many entrepreneurs believe they can find the investors they need using LinkedIn, the reality is that coldapproaching investors is not the best way to raise capital.

There are organisations that have networks of registered investors; these networks have a good idea of the type of deals which will interest their community, however they do typically charge fees for access.

Each network is unique; some charge for investment readiness and promotion while others charge a flat fee for access.

Fees can be anything from £200 to £6,000 and depending on the service it could mean you won’t need to spend on advisory fees.

Success fees Success fees are payable as a percentage of funds raised through an intermediary. Typically, between 5% and 7% of the funds raised, although some will charge much more than this. Some brokers may also ask for options.

Due diligence fees and abort costs These fees are often charged when working with funds and cover the cost of conducting legal, financial and technical due diligence on your company. This can be anything from £10,000 to £25,000 and is typically taken out of the funds they invest. If you pull out of the deal, you may also be liable for these costs as an abort fee.

Post-investment monitoring fees Most investment funds will require you to pay monitoring fees once the funds are in place. These are usually around £6,000 per annum. In some cases, you may be able to increase the amount of finance raised to cover some or all of the costs.

For your fundraise it is important is to gain an understanding of the scale of the costs from the start and then spend your money wisely. That way you’ll be best positioned to attract the equity growth capital you require.

About the Author Oliver Woolley is CEO and co-founder of Envestors. Envestors’ digital investment platform brings together entrepreneurs and investors across geographies, communities and sectors – creating the single marketplace for early stage investment in the UK. Envestors partners with accelerators, incubators and angel networks to provide a white-label platform empowering them to promote deals, engage investors and connect to other networks. Founded in 2004, Envestors has helped more than 200 high growth businesses raise more than £100m through its own private investment club. Envestors is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Web: https://www.envestors.co.uk/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/envestors-llp/ Twitter: @EnvestorsLondon

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Advertising vs Organic Interaction - Infuencers Beware For many years now, social media influencers and online content creators have been somewhat forced to disclose whether the posts they are sharing are in fact a paid-for advertorial or not.

Just as we see on television and in magazines, it is clear what is an ad, and what is not – so why should things be different across social media?

In today’s world, many would say that social media influencers and the content they share is much more impactful than that of more traditional forms, and so the need to honestly disclose ads becomes even more important.

Which is where the Advertising Standards Authority, also known as the ASA, comes into play.

The ASA is the UK’s advertising regulator, ensuring that ads across UK media stick to the rules put in place. From influencer marketing, to print and broadcast, the ASA monitor it all and everything in between.

And Amelia Neate, senior manager of Midlands-based influencer marketing agency Influencer Matchmaker uncovers why the enforcement of such disclosure is now important as a new era of ‘genuinfluencer’ has arrived.

With the arrival and accessibility of platforms like TikTok and the expansion of content creation from the everyday social media user, there has been a collective shift for generation Z in particular, who have become bored with the celebrity show boater and are more focused on the authenticity and human behind the screen.

Cultural conversations via influencers have caused movements such a Black Lives Mater, MeToo and even more recently the #FreeBritney campaign that set out to understand and remove the conservatorship that Britney Spears was under post her mental health struggle in 2008. While other media platforms like LadBible and ArchBishopofBanterbury have prided themselves on redefining entertainment – often taking ordinary people with relatable circumstances and making them part of the conversation.

Like the above outlets, while they are able to monetise with paid for advertisement ahead of videos, it is imperative that the authenticity still comes across in their storytelling and therefore content from real people, addressing real life situations is imperative to the success of the viewership.

Whilst many popular influencers take pride in appropriately labelling their paid for content, the ASA recently threatened to name and shame influencers failing to stick to the guidelines.

These days, the GenZ demographic are more sustainable, more ethical and more educated. They want full transparency from

brands and from social media, with recent research stating that 82% of followers agreed the importance of influencers disclosing their personal use history with the product they are promoting. But with ASA guidelines being regularly updated, some influencers have struggled to keep up.

And, with it not just being a paid-for advertorial or post that needs to be disclosed influencers must consider how the rules can vary dependant on a typical sponsored post vs integrated videos on YouTube, affiliate links, PR products and press discounts.

Previously, when the industry was in its infancy, brands would send out products to their favourite influencers in the hopes that they would be authentically mentioned on their platforms.

Whilst this is still the case, such products must be disclosed as ‘PR product’.

To some, this may seem slightly overboard, however in this industry, influencers must be conscious to make their audiences aware of what might qualify as a means of payment in order for the consumer to make an educated decision about the purchase of a product based on that influencers testimonial of a brand. If this is backed by a true and genuine story that equally connects their recommendation, then it will clearly better connect with its audience.

For example, health and fitness influencer Carly Rowena made her mark on the industry because of her love for fitness and nutrition. And, after many years of being recognised for her easy-to-follow workout videos, Instagram posts and blog posts, Carly has teamed up with Halo Fitness to create her very own range of activewear. Because of her genuine love and passion for finding the perfect workout gear for many years, it seemed a natural and obvious choice for Carly to launch such a collection.

In the next year, 63% of marketers intend to increase their influencer marketing budget. Instagram is also extending its shopping features, testing its Shop tab, which will allow users to click and view extra product details quicker.

The introduction of these features will certainly be the becoming of new sponsored ad additions for the ASA guidelines and with more consumers demanding such transparency influencers must keep ahead of the curve when it comes to genuine and purposeful content in order to reach a profit.

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How to Work Successfully With Investors When working with investors for the first time, there are a number of business fundamentals to consider. Make sure you have all your ducks in a row before approaching. First and foremost, prove that your concept works and has merit, whether this is demonstrated by a pilot customer, data that indicates that your concept can work, or a product market fit.

Once you are satisfied the business is viable, you need to simplify the components of success to the bare bones; create a crisp one-liner that embodies your vision, highlight the problem you want to solve, and explain your solution.

For example, when we created Bookaway and its mission to digitise the ground transportation industry, we showed that the industry market value is over $157 billion, and yet only 5%10% percent of its transactions are made online. It was clear independent operators are missing out on huge opportunities for success and weren’t reaching potential customers.

Look at current players in the market, and why and how you will become the top player. Being able to tell your story and make it almost obvious to why this is worth doing, is a craft you want to master. The larger the market and the less saturated it is, the more likely you are to jumpstart your mission.

The last and probably the most important element of your pitch deck, is your team members. You need to be able to demonstrate why the chosen few you have selected are the ones that will turn the vision into a measurable reality, within a reasonable number of years. Once you have these elements and you are able to explain, in the simplest way and within 2 minutes and 30 seconds, how you plan on building the company, you’re ready to approach investors for funding.

Aligning values Working with investors who share in our goals values was paramount for Bookaway, and we pride ourselves on our strong relationships with investors. Finding the right investors for your mission is a craft of its own, as it is all about the fit between your vision and the investor’s own strategy. Ultimately we want to use our business for good - improving the travel industry not just for customers but for independent businesses worldwide who rely on tourism.

Our leading investor, Aleph (one of the first investors in WeWork and House Party), has been a loyal supporter since 2019 and we’re lucky to have worked with a group of angels led by Elad Kushnir (investor in Karma and early-stage start-ups) as well as Corner Ventures (investors in Yelp, Grubhub and Wix.com), and Entrée Capital (investors in monday.com, Stripe and Snapchat).

I’ve learned that each investment we have successfully secured is a result of the thorough research we carried out before the approach. Find out the investor’s personal interests,

professional background, and the industries in which past investments were made. This helped me find investors who fully understood the goals behind our brand and could relate us to other successful businesses within the industries they excel in.

Sustain long-term relationships Investments are never one-off transactions and it is essential to create long-term partnerships that benefit both parties.

Investors can be utilised for more than financial support - start-ups can go to them for advice, based on their own experiences of running a business and witnessing other companies go through crises. We can learn so much from their success and how they handle challenges. It’s not just about proving yourself, it’s also about being open and willing to learn from and listen to them.

We manage our relationships by keeping investors informed and engaged – sharing updates with them on a regular basis and utilising their help, strengths and connections to keep growing. Transparency is key – always remain open and honest about your current status and what your future predictions are. Be rational, be transparent, and listen. When you go to your investor, remember that you’re in the same boat.

About the Author Noam Toister is CEO and founder of Bookaway, an online ground and sea transportation booking platform that connects travellers with local suppliers worldwide, creating a more positive experience for those exploring new corners of the world. www.bookaway.com

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About to launch an App? Here Are Five Things to Consider First

By Sarah Woodhouse, Director or Ambitious PR. When it comes to getting your app from the store onto the smart devices of potentially millions of people, where do you even start?

Similarly, reaching out to credible industry journalists, analysts and thought leaders with a description of your app and a free trial in return for an endorsement will allow you to capitalise on their authority.

Strong PR and communications is the springboard to getting in front of your target market. With 4.41 million apps available[1] for users to choose from, a well thought out campaign that starts even before the app has launched can make the difference between a marketing ‘buzz’ or a disastrous fizzle out. Here are five key things to consider when launching your app.

5. Compile an essential media pack

1. Research your target audience Children, teens, adults, parents, silver surfers – every demographic has different needs, desires and spending habits. Get to know the audience you are targeting through gathering demographic data on them to help you build up a better picture and plan your PR campaign.

This will help you to be crystal clear in your brand positioning and launch strategy.

2. Build a website Like any other product or service, a website is the base for your app launch. You can boost your web presence in numerous ways from blogs, competitions and free trials with links to purchase the app, of course. The website allows you to remain in control of your brand message and SEO – your owned media – and you can be much more targeted with designated landing pages for each audience if you’re targeting more than one.

3. Create a pre-launch buzz The best way to create hype around your brand before launch is through growing a social media community. Find your niche, invest time in getting to know them, post frequently and invite engagement through competitions and how-to videos. Interact with similar pages to grow your following.

Are you able to offer some free trials to selected followers in return for them being your brand advocate?

4. Use third party endorsement Influencer endorsement can propel your brand forward in your target markets. The right influencers can create a noise and a buzz about your brand which acts like a snowball effect; whether that’s via social media or traditional media. Many consumers are now influenced by reading a blog or a social media post by someone they can relate to. In fact, 89 per cent of marketers say that the ROI from influencer marketing is comparable to or better than other marketing channels[2].

Images (including screenshots and high quality lifestyle images), logos, videos and review guides are all essential items in your launch press pack, but what other PR assets could you make available to a journalist?

Paid research with your target market can help to boost print and digital brand mentions to raise awareness, both pre and post launch. It shows that you have your finger on the pulse of your target market and understand their current challenges. For example; you’re launching a wellbeing app for busy parents. Find out when was the last time they took 30 minutes for themselves to read a book or have a bath.

Research can be used to start drip feeding the press news content before you’ve even launched.

About the Author Sarah Woodhouse is Director or Ambitious PR. The company was crowned Best PR Agency at The Drum’s RAR Awards 2018, 2019 and 2020, the national award based on client ratings. Its focus is corporate and business-to-business communications. www.ambitiouspr.co.uk

Sources: [1] Statista: number of apps available in leading app stores, 4 May 2020 https://www.statista.com/statistics/276623/ number-of-apps-available-in-leading-app-stores/ [2] Mediakix.com Influencer marketing survey 2019 https://mediakix.com/influencer-marketing-resources/ influencer-marketing-industry-statistics-surveybenchmarks/#:~:text=89%25%20Say%20ROI%20From%20 Influencer%20Marketing%20Is%20Comparable%20To%20Or,are%20equal%20to%20other%20sources.

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5 Interactive Skills to Use This Year to Improve Communications This year has been one like no other and is certainly one that the majority of us will be keen to say goodbye too. That said, it’s been an interesting one for businesses as we’ve adapted and completely transformed the way in which we communicate.

Here, Tony Hughes, CEO of global negotiation, sales and communication specialists, Huthwaite International, highlights the top five key communication lessons from 2021 that we should take on board as we enter the New Year.

Be mindful of your online behaviours One thing that many of us realised quite quickly is that there are a number of behaviours that can be instantly irritating to people during conversations that take place online. Virtual communications themselves provide multiple barriers such as poor connections and technology issues, this means without even having a conversation – the experience can be quite irritating. Therefore, with virtual communications not disappearing from the agenda anytime soon, it’s crucial that verbal behaviours do not further irritate those you are talking to.

Self-praising declarations are one of these irritators. Using the words ‘fair’ and ‘reasonable’ when talking to people can cause tension as they can undermine the person you’re speaking to and may cause lasting damage to your relationship. There are also other ways of communicating that can indicate a lack of sincerity. Verbal behaviours such as telling someone you’re ‘being honest with them’ or ‘that you’re trying to be frank’, can indicate that you may not have been completely honest in the past, or that you may be suggesting your counterpart is being intentionally dishonest. Leave this use of language where it belongs - back in 2020!

Active listening is essential Listening is what separates skilled communicators from unskilled and using active listening is key to ensuring the conversation goes well. We demonstrate active listening by acknowledging statements. Acknowledging is not the same as supporting, by acknowledging we show we are listening but do not necessarily show agreement. Using phrases such as ‘I understand’, or paraphrasing statements show that we are aware of their opinion and their thoughts without necessarily agreeing with them.

Taking care to allow people to fully express themselves, especially if they are agitated or excited, is key to defusing a highly emotional or tense conversation. If we must disagree, we should take care to make a positive statement before and after the disagreement. This means saying things like ‘I fully understand what you’re saying, and will do my best to help.

However, I will need some time to investigate the situation.

Let me come back to you in X time’. Implementing active listening into your communications during 2021 will lead to much more effective and less confrontational conversations.

Remember to show emotion Perhaps surprisingly, skilled communicators show their emotions and indicate how they are feeling towards a situation more than the average communicator. This skill is particularly important when dealing with a difficult online conversation. For example, phrases including ‘I am pleased we are making progress’ or ‘I’m worried that this won’t work out’, can be used as a substitute for an outright agreement or disagreement as it’s difficult to argue with someone else’s emotions. This verbal behaviour also reveals something personal, which is likely to encourage trust within a conversation. If someone expresses that they’re concerned a deadline won’t be achieved – it’s then difficult to retort with ‘no you’re not.’ When used in the right context, showing emotion is a highly effective way of deescalating confrontation.

It can also be difficult to observe someone’s body language over a virtual camera call so tone of voice is more easily interpreted and allows to show empathy. Listen carefully for clues to how the conversation is going from their tone and note that nerves tend to make the voice higher and this can be very noticeable – a warm drink may help to relax your vocal cords and deepen your voice. Smiling when you speak (if appropriate) will also help to relax you, and the other person. If you need to get it all right first time, practice makes perfect. Practicing with a friend of colleague can help to produce the relaxed tone of voice necessary to sound sympathetic or authentic.

Dealing with extreme levels of reaction People who have an unusually high or low reaction level present characteristic problems, and how you deal with these high or low reactors is a whole communication skill in itself. We’ve all experienced talking faster or drying up I’m sure, when dealing with a ‘low reactor’ or perhaps giving away too much information or exaggerating? It’s important to stay focused and factual if people appear unresponsive – don’t try and fill the communication gap! Similarly, you need to look out for feedback from high reactors who may be too quick to support and or disagree over issues. In a meeting scenario, ensure you check on the views and contributions of ALL participants.

Don’t allow discussions to lead to a breakdown in communication A strong indicator of an effective meeting is how well people respond to one another’s ideas and proposals.

ENTREPRENEUR When a meeting is working well, people react positively or at least constructively, to what others say. When a meeting is ineffective, the opposite can occur and tensions can rise leading to a potential communication breakdown. An extremely negative discussion can lead to what Huthwaite refer to as ‘Defend/Attack’ behaviours where opinions are expressed more strongly and more directly which can lead to people feeling exposed and becoming overly defensive.

Defend/Attack usually involves value judgements and contains emotional overtones.

Avoid these behaviours by responding positively and appropriately and most of all, try to actively listen to what is being said. Really take the time to understand a differing point of view and respect their position before jumping in with a response. Taking the time to listen will give you time and space to fully consider other opinions. If you decide you do disagree with what they’re saying, active listening will leave space around the discussion which offers the opportunity to react in a constructive, rather than an emotional manner. www.huthwaiteinternational.com

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How to Kick Start PR for Your Start-Up

By Joanna Dodd of the Rochester PR Group. As a startup, you’ve got loads of goals, problems and opportunities to think about, but carve out some time for some PR that will help raise your profile and your business grow.

Understand what PR is Firstly, it’s worth understanding what PR is. Consider it as a strategic communication process which builds mutually beneficial relationships between your company and brand and your audiences. The best PR is carefully planned with time to formulate ideas, finesse messaging, create materials and ensure the right people are being targeted. Take a look at other startups, their media coverage, their websites and content, what messages do you think they are sharing. What might those be for your business.

Define what you want to get out of any PR activity Work out your business objectives and plan your PR activity to help you achieve these. For example, for the business objective of reaching a sales target, you might need more or new people to know about your brand. The PR objective would therefore be to generate more awareness. Other startup objectives might be to successfully launch a new product or service, to attract the right talent to your business or to secure financial investment to help you grow.

Capture your founder’s story One of my favourite pieces of advice, is to remember to capture your founding story. It’s a great piece of content that you can use for many years to come so capture it whilst it’s fresh and make sure you know it! You’d be surprised how often I have seen stories change or hear different versions of events from different founders.

If you’re a not-so-new startup, things may have changed since you first started and may have become more complex since your initial “ah-ha” moment. You have probably spent months fine-tuning your product or service and creating business plans, but your most powerful tool is why you did it in the first place. What prompted you to launch your business, what problem were you trying to solve? How does your product or service aim to enhance people’s lives? Re-connecting with that emotion can help with many a PR angle and story.

Back to basics Start by taking a long hard look at your website and social channels and other collateral. Do they reflect your mission, vision and values, are they up-to-date, relevant to the market

and with great content? Get rid of typos or out-of-date information. Give everything a spring clean, it’s your job to put your best face forward.

Understand your targets Think about who you need to reach with your messaging and content and, then find the media that reaches them.

Do you know what they are reading/watching/listening to?

Try to avoid basing this on your personal likes or dislikes as you’ll introduce bias to your targeting. Make sure you get to know these media outlets before you start pitching. You’ll need to target the right journalist with the right kind of story otherwise your investment will be wasted.

Make a start Being ‘a best kept secret’ is never a good plan for a startup.

So, pull together your media collateral, make it relevant, make sure it’s newsworthy. When crafting your news release, think Topical, Relevant, Unusual, Trouble, Human interest. Think of your end audience, how do you want them to react or what action do you want them to take when they see/hear/read about you?

Follow the news agenda Once your startup is launched, think of follow on stories.

Whether you are a food brand following consumer habits or a tech brand with the latest innovation, remain relevant, jump on the news agenda and react to ensure you stay part of the conversation.

Measure and analyse what works PR is much more measurable than you may think, with so much media visible online you will be able to track click throughs from online coverage to your site. And when it comes to social media, you can track analytics including engagement, follows, reach. After your first foray into PR, you will be better armed with information that will help you make even more impact with your next story. www.rochesterprgroup.com

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How to Improve Your Content Strategy to Ensure Start-Up Success

By Timo Virtanen, CEO & Co-founder, React & Share.

Trustworthy content has never been more important for startup businesses, as only 1% of Brits believe everything they read online. Our recent research collected by the team at React & Share showcases the search habits of consumers online in 2020/21. Through the use of a YouGov survey, it was revealed that only 1% of Brits believe everything they read online despite 88% of us searching online at least once a day.

social proof enters the chat. Social proof is the idea that people mirror the actions of the masses and can come in many forms including word of mouth, reviews and other content efforts.

As online searches continue to grow, it has never been more important for consumers to trust the content they read online. Any website that holds trustworthy content can relate to sustainable business growth by ensuring repeat traffic and increasing your rankings. This is key for any startup business to conclude their success.

Don’t ignore the (qualitative) data

So how can you improve your content strategy and build trust within the online content that you provide your target audience?

Let your audience talk to you Asking your readers what they want is the number one way to build trust in your content. By reaching out to your audience to find out what they think, you are automatically displaying an interest in their needs - putting your head and shoulders above those who press post without a care in the world.

After all, when you publish content how do you know - without collecting feedback - that your audience has left the content feeling satisfied? To get effective feedback from readers, don’t ask too much of them. A couple of your readers will want to email you or complete a survey. A few more may leave a comment or chat with a bot but almost all would be willing to click a button.

At the end of the day, audiences want to feel like their opinion matters. Choose the feedback tool that’s right for your content and watch your trust and engagement soar.

Ask the experts We’re huge advocates for pulling in voices from respected industry members to foster trust between you, your content, and your community. In these turbulent times, reliable content from reliable sources has become central to the lives of millions, and who’s more trustworthy than the (other) experts in your field?

Featuring industry thought leaders, highlighting testimonials, platforming case studies, or even including your customer in your content is a great way to build credibility. This is where

A third-party perspective in your content will always contribute to attesting to your value and validating your work.

It’s important to pay attention to what the numbers are telling you about your content. Data can be deployed to influence decision making, inform content strategies, and demonstrate your teams’ efforts. There are plenty of free tools to gather some pretty interesting insights, however, we’re inclined to warn against focusing solely on gathering quantitative rather than qualitative data.

Quantitative data can give you great insights into how your content is performing on the surface but quantitative data gathered via feedback can let you know exactly how your reader feels about the content that you’re posting. Bounce rates, traffic, and likes are much less important than humancentric metrics such as customer satisfaction, shares, and engagement that get to the heart of your audience’s needs.

Spend some time unearthing qualitative data – you’ll be surprised at what it reveals about your content.

Be authentic Employing a consistent and authentic tone of voice across all channels that align with your brand is crucial. Imagine stumbling upon the socials of a website that you know and love and discovering that the messaging across the social channels doesn’t resonate at all with what you like about the web pages.

Beyond authenticity, injecting personality into your content can make it seem more genuine, reminding readers of the real people behind the screen. Personalising content won’t do any harm either. However, any inconsistencies in voice, messaging, imagery, quality and overall branding – no matter how small – are a massive red flag to anyone reading your content. If trust is central to your content strategy, make sure that all of your content plays by the same rules.

Conduct an audit of all of your content and ensure there are no discrepancies. We’re all human, typos happen.

ENTREPRENEUR Prioritise clarity and accessibility

About the Author

Ensure that all information is clear, accurate, and above all accessible. Just one spelling mistake can chip away at the trust your audience has in you, and they’d become less and less likely to stand up for your content.

Timo Virtanen is CEO & Co-founder, React & Share. The team at React & Share polled 2,000 UK consumers via a YouGov survey for their research. The full extent of the research can be found here.

Beyond small errors, refusing to address crucial conversations around accessibility and publishing pieces that exclude a large portion of your readership could have disastrous consequences when it comes to trust in your content. Keeping content clear, concise, and compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines is a good step towards creating content that readers can utilise. Also, ensure that any tools you are using are aligned with the same guidelines. You’d be surprised how many aren’t.

Timo launched React & Share with a bunch of ideas and a strong co-founding team who worked together to get the company to the doorstep of success. Before React & Share, Timo was involved with a range of different businesses in Finland, always with a finger on the pulse of emerging technologies.

His key skills are rooted in a passion for digging deep into the subjects that he cares about. www.reactandshare.com

By putting clarity and accessibility at the top of your list, rather than as an afterthought, you’re less likely to jeopardise trust.

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4 Simple Marketing Tips Guaranteed to Grow Your Business Now more than ever, marketing plays a critical role in any business’ growth, development and ultimately, success. As we begin to return to some sort of normality, many businesses need all of the help that they can get to claw back what they’ve lost as a direct result of the pandemic. They must also set themselves apart from their competitors, as customer favour has become more relied upon than ever before. Marketing is the key to achieving both of these goals.

According to recent data, 90% of businesses have said that targeted marketing efforts significantly increased exposure for their business, whilst 75% say website traffic has rapidly increased, resulting in direct sales. It’s clear that when implemented correctly, marketing can have a huge impact on any business, enhancing awareness and profits in turn.

However, many business owners don’t know where to start.

‘Businessperson of the year’, Sarah Kauter, is CEO of multiaward-winning marketing and PR agency VerriBerri; having worked in the industry for over a decade, she has noted the top marketing tips for business growth and how to implement them. Here, she shares her expertise, outlining the marketing techniques businesses should be utilising in 2021 to effectively stand out from their competition. With a little help, we can all reap the rewards of effective marketing.

Have a Plan In Place ‘As a business owner, your first priority should be to develop a marketing plan. Even if you’re not an expert, outlining your initial goals and what you’re looking to achieve is a good place to start. Business owners are often overwhelmed by the sheer amount of marketing that’s required to put their business on the map; although they may try their hardest, independently overseeing a marketing strategy whilst managing the everyday running of a company is, in most cases, an impossible task. As a result, the growth of the business is hindered.

Having a marketing overview can help prevent this outcome.

Break it down into sections, define your goals and identify where you’ll need support. Taking a look at your competitors and their successes can also give you an indication of what could work for you, providing you with a useful point of comparison.

If marketing isn’t your area of expertise, then stick to what you know and find a reputable marketing agency to help you specialist expertise is always an invaluable investment. Begin by booking some consultations to find the perfect marketing match for your company; discuss the agency’s values, how they could help you and make sure they understand your business.

Having a plan in place ensures that you never lose sight of the bigger picture and what you’re wanting to achieve;

only by accepting help and looking beyond your own understanding can your business truly grow. Think about your goals, consider what you need to do to achieve them and embrace the expertise of specialists.’

Develop a User-Friendly Website ‘A professional looking website can make a tremendous difference when it comes to sales and generating a reliable return on investment (ROI). However, this isn’t simply a case of setting up a domain and immediately being good to go… A website must be nurtured consistently to maximise its SEO value. This essential maintenance is often overlooked and as a result, businesses end up further and further down search engine results pages (SERPs).

If your website doesn’t look inviting, whilst being filled with content that isn’t relevant nor concise, then potential customers won’t stay on your page for very long. Google will pick up on this and your SEO will be negatively impacted. According to Google’s EAT guidelines, you must be viewed as an authoritative and trustworthy expert to climb the SERP ranks; therefore, it’s important that your website is filled with valuable, informative and reliable content, whilst looking professional. More specifically, your content must be updated frequently, relevant to the common searches, informative and, of course, easy to navigate. User friendly pages will encourage readers to engage with your website – people won’t always read between the lines so you need to be clear, concise and credible.’

Prioritise a Social Media Strategy ‘A social media presence is just as important as an optimised website. In today’s ever-changing digital society, social media is essential for business growth; if used correctly, it’s a steadfast way to gain quick, longlasting exposure to a wider demographic and, in turn, increase your business’ revenue.

The great thing about social media is that you don’t need to be an expert, you must simply decipher what you want from it. Firstly, consider the platforms most appropriate for your brand; with over a billion monthly users, Instagram is often a good place to start for many businesses, however this depends on your industry and the platforms your customers use most frequently. In any instance, keep in mind that the content you post should be effective and appealing, it’s a direct reflection your brand and shouldn’t be frivolous. Be strategic with your posting; if you want to gain maximum recognition, then post valuable content at times when social media traffic is high to increase the engagement you receive.

ENTREPRENEUR Similarly, sporadic posting does nothing for your credibility against most platforms’ algorithms, so update frequently; one post a day will garner results.

the box, listening to feedback and accepting help that comes your way, you’ll undoubtedly find marketing success in 2021.

Additionally, the use of hashtags is a brilliant way of getting your business noticed by the right people as users can follow and engage with specific hashtags to stay updated on trends and/or topics that they’re invested in. If you use hashtags that are relevant to your business then you’ll naturally reach potential customers who will be interested in your brand.

Remember, social media allows you to connect and converse with consumers – this is essential if you’re looking to grow.

About the Author

Finally, if people are talking about your brand be sure to acknowledge it! Engaging with current and potential customers alike will only play to your advantage.’

Remember, a Good Reputation Is Marketing 101 ‘Marketing 101: a good reputation will see your business grow from strength to strength as consumers will always go to a reputable source for what they need. Fortunately, there are a few simple ways by which you can improve your reputation and propel your company’s development.

Firstly, focus on your SEO. As humans, we want quick results and that’s why it pays to be higher up on SERPs; most of us will only ever click on the first few options that appear. The more people that click on your domain, the more credible you are in the eyes of Google. So, focusing on your SEO will steadily improve your ranking, giving you maximum visibility online whilst strengthening your reputation and recognisability.

Link building and backlinks are another brilliant way to gain positive recognition and stimulate business growth. A ‘backlink’ refers to a reputable source linking to your business as a point of reference. Essentially, they’re giving their approval of your business to Google and potential customers by recommending you. The more backlinks you get from authoritative websites, the more trustworthy you appear.

Meanwhile, really listen to your audience. Having a personable and sincere etiquette sets you apart from your competitors by demonstrating your commitment to customer satisfaction.

Anyone can be taught sales and merchandising techniques but amazing customer service is something that will consistently bring you business.

Lots of companies are so focused on reaching more people that they unknowingly fail to prioritise their current customers. New customers are of course important but you should never underestimate your existing customers; their loyalty and continued custom speaks volumes. Repeat customers have fewer barriers to overcome before using your services, because they’ve supported you previously, and their continued trust in your brand shows that you’re a reliable business. Really get to know your target demographic and listen to current customer feedback. Establish strong foundations to begin with because a misread of audience early on could cost you further down the line…

No two business are exactly the same, however it’s vital that every business takes the time to evaluate their marketing strategies; this will form the basis of continued growth.

Consider your goals and how you can more effectively engage with existing and potential customers; by thinking outside of

Sarah launched VerriBerri in 2009; it has since continued to grow, subsequently becoming one of the leading marketing and PR agencies in the South East. Sarah was recently awarded ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year’ and ‘Businessperson of the Year’, whilst VerriBerri has been nominated for and won several titles including ‘Best PR & Marketing Agency 2021’ at the Global Business Awards. www.verriberri.co.uk

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4 Key Points for You to Follow to Be a Leader, Not a Manager Managing a team of people comes with a new level of responsibilities. But have you ever considered the vast difference between being a manager and a leader? Harvard Business Review reports that 30 is the average age of a firsttime manager while 40 is the age where people first embark on leadership training. This is a decade of lost years of building leadership skills – this can lead to ingraining bad habits and not practising to improve your style.

Being a manager doesn’t automatically make you a leader.

The main difference between a manager and a leader is that managers delegate tasks to those who work for them whereas leaders have people follow them and believe in what they’re setting out for the company. The best part of the last year has demonstrated that leaders need to be prepared and agile to respond to protect their business and employees.

Here, we will determine the four ways that managers can transform themselves into leaders.

Respect goes two ways Firstly, and most importantly, be respectable. Respect should be earned, not expected – no employee is going to consider a manager their leader if they don’t respect them. There are a number of things you should consider in order to gain your employees’ respect. After all, if they respect you, they’re likely to work harder for you, cooperate more with others, be more creative, resilient, and likely to take direction.

These include: 1. Leading by example. Be prepared to pick up tasks big and small, for example making your own cup of coffee or printing copies out to hand out to the workforce.

2. Listen to your team. Open the floor for others to speak and allow them to voice their opinions on how to improve things. Holding steady team meetings opens up a dialogue of feedback and ideas.

3. Follow through on deadlines and agreements.If you can’t meet your own deadlines, why should your team? If you offer to help someone on a particular project, honour that promise.

4. Accept responsibility if things don’t work out.

Communication is key Never underestimate the power of communication. Managers with poor communication skills often alienate their workers, leaving the team confused and with little faith that things are being run properly. Take time to communicate your ideas, expectations, strategies, and everything in between, making

everyone else feel involved in what’s going on. You can do this by thinking of any strategy the same as telling a story to someone who knows nothing about it. You can focus on things you don’t know or what you need to understand yourself in order to relay it others.

By involving your team and keeping them engaged, this will also allow successful executions and a happy, motivated team – you can’t expect a strategy to work if it isn’t understood and nobody is committed.

Shape company culture Leaders should contribute to an active company culture. If workers’ characteristics don’t fit into the culture, this could influence their decision to leave. By defining a culture early on and recruiting those who fit into the talent pool, employees will feel comfortable which will have a positive effect on their performance.

Harvard Business carried out research to find out which qualities are most important in leaders. 700 workers were asked which qualities they value the most – 70 per cent agreed that creating a culture of engagement is a very important attribute and results in lower turnover rates, more productivity, and more profitability.

This reiterates what was mentioned in the first section – leaders must lead by example. They can determine how valued traits are within the business, for example, communication, integrity, and commitment. Employees who work in an engaging culture with their leader will have positive opinions about the company and will be strong advocates.

Leadership training programs Go over and beyond for your team and consider enrolling on leadership training programs. which are designed to guide leaders through key issues and how to effectively adopt forward-thinking strategies. Organisations are constantly evolving in the modern world, therefore so does the nature of leading. Building on agile and reactive skills can help you become a capable and inspiring leader.

Leaders certainly have a big responsibility to inspire and encourage their workers – so it is important to do it properly.

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How to Create a Marketing Strategy Marketing is like an iceberg. The bit you see above the water is the marketing tactics, whilst below the water is the marketing strategy and deeper still the insight and diagnosis. Quite often, businesses focus entirely on what you see above the water and almost no time on what lies beneath.

As Sun Tzu the great military strategist said: “tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” Without a strategy your activity and marketing spend is likely to be unfocused and inefficient. Before you start the ‘doing’ – designing packaging, advertising, or communicating – time to engage in some thinking. Here is our guide to the thinking required to nail your marketing strategy.

1.Marketing objectives Your commercial objectives articulate what you hope or expect to achieve in financial terms. Marketing objectives should describe how you will achieve them and how you want to change your consumer’s behaviour. Understanding where to focus your attention is one of the first decisions your marketing strategy makes explicit. To make these decisions, you need to have done your diagnosis – finding out your brand awareness and image scores, how well you convert at each stage of the customer funnel, what drives consideration, preference and purchase and how you perform relative to your competitors.

Diagnosis helps you identify what you need to achieve. For example, do you need to generate greater brand awareness (top of the funnel), do you need to focus on getting those who know about you to consider you the next time they purchase (middle of the funnel) or is it about focusing conversion at the point of purchase (bottom of the funnel)?

Your decisions and priorities impact where, when and how you communicate with your target audience. A good marketing objective is one sentence and demonstrates clear decisions have been made. For example, we will get [number] of [new/ existing] customers to switch from [brand x] into buying [product name] by [date].

2. Audience need In your diagnosis, you should have identified the need that your product or service meets. Summarise the need in 2-3 words and then describe why and when the need occurs – what triggers the need and what are the motivations your potential audience has for filling the need.

Next, identify how you meet those needs and what makes your brand different. Avoid category ‘hygiene factors’ i.e., those that all products are expected to fulfil. And check that

any differentiators matter to your target customers. Make sure you have spoken to actual customers – you don’t need to do big expensive research, just find 10-15 users of your products / services or those of your competitors.

The most common mistake we see brands making is using demographics (such as age or gender) to make assumptions about the needs and triggers potential customers have rather than starting with the need and building a picture of who may share this need, where and when.

3.Brand positioning Put simply, brand positioning is the intended brand image in the mind of your target customer. The positioning statement should be simple and sums up how you meet the needs of your target audience. For example, CocaCola’s positioning statement is: For individuals looking for high-quality beverages, Coca-Cola offers a wide range of the most refreshing options — each creates a positive experience for customers when they enjoy a Coca-Cola brand drink. Unlike other beverage options, Coca-Cola products inspire happiness and make a positive difference in customers’ lives.

Your positioning statement isn’t a strapline (as we can see from the Coca-Cola example), rather you are setting the ‘rule’ for what any advert or creative needs to communicate.

The positioning section of your strategy should also make clear the brand’s ‘distinctive assets’ – the main elements of your brand identity that help people recognise you.

Usually, assets are visual – logos, colours, shapes, colours – but for some they include a sound or a smell. Once identified, be obsessive about using them on everything you do to create recognition and association.

4. Your four ‘Ps’ strategy Most people associate marketing only with communications (the Promotions P of our 4 Ps). But marketing strategy also articulates the framework for Product, Price and Place (or distribution). Your strategy framework should include: Product: the rules for your products or services such as what they always are or aren’t, how they feel distinct and recognisable as your brand.

Promotion (Communication): the framework here has 3 elements: 1. Creative: how are you going to show your brand in a distinctive way (such as brand guidelines and tone of voice)

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2. Message hierarchy: 3-5 key consumer-facing messages to be communicated across all comms activity in order of importance.

3. Media channels: what types of media will best communicate your message and reach your audience in ‘trigger’ moments.

Pricing: your pricing relative to your competitors. Set upper and lower limits on price and agree how consistently the price should be maintained, for example, whether you will discount price and what you expect in return such as bulk or bundled spend.

Place (Distribution): how you will make your product or service available to your target audience. Identify the key channels which connect to your audience and their trigger points.

5. Tactical plan Your target audience will never see your strategy, but they do need to understand what you intend in everything you do.

You should start your annual planning process with a review of what happened previously – take the time to make your own assessment and seek input from elsewhere. Once you’ve done this, you can ensure your marketing objectives are stated in relation to where you start the year. There are lots of ways you can then develop new ideas for how you achieve your objectives, but however you do it (such as ideation sessions or briefing your agencies), evaluate and rank ideas against the following criteria:

· Is it aimed at the right audience? · Does it achieve my objectives? · Does it maintain the brand position / build it in the right way? · Is it coded according to brand guidelines and key brand assets?

Set clear timeframes and KPIs for your tactical activity and ensure that you are engaging in both brand building (top of funnel) activity as well as activation (bottom of funnel activity).

There’s plenty of research out there to substantiate the advice that 40% of your budget should be on brand building (with a 3 – 5 year horizon) and 60% should be on short term activation.

Your tactics may change and evolve over the year as you test and learn, but strategy should be longer term (3-5 years) and positioning should change very little over the brand’s lifetime.

Ultimately this is what creates powerful brands. Having strong and consistent strategy that guides and focuses tactics is what allows the world’s most powerful brands to occupy a strong and consistent meaning in consumers’ minds.

About the Authors Vicky Murray and Tamsin Daniel, Co-Founders & Brand Consultants at Atalante Strategic Marketing Consultants. www.atalantemarketing.com

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How to Market Your Business – When You HATE Social Media Read any guide on the best way to market your business and you’re bound to find social media high up the list — and sometimes, the only thing on the list. But what if the thought of all this posting, sharing, liking, boosting, engaging, following and whatnot else leaves you cold? Should you suppress these feelings and slog over social media anyway?

It may be music to the ears of social media dodgers that, according to Gina Hollands, Commercial Director from creative marketing agency PMW that’s the worst thing you can do. “For marketing to be effective, it needs to be authentic,” says Gina. “If your heart isn’t in one type of marketing and you do it regardless, your audience will see right through it and the outcome won’t be desirable — it could even be detrimental for your business.”

So, in this age of social media seeming to be the only way to win the hearts and minds of consumers everywhere, what’s the alternative if it’s just not your bag? Here, Gina gives her top five tips.

1. Focus on your strengths Identify where your strengths lie and focus on these. So, if you’re a great networker, spend your marketing time networking; if you enjoy liaising with the media, then make PR your go-to marketing strategy; if you’re more of a personal relationships type, then make a few appointments to have coffee with people you already know in the industry and see where these conversations take you. When you concentrate on what you do well, your results will be better and you’ll enjoy the process a lot more.

2. Try it, you might like it If you just think you might not like social media, but haven’t ever really given it a go, then try it out — you might be surprised how you take to it. There is a lot of prejudice around social media that it’s just a bunch of teenagers dancing around or people sharing pictures of their dinner, but in fact, many a contact can be made and a deal done when you get it right. Consider taking a beginner’s course or asking a friend who knows their way around the platforms to teach you the basics, and go from there. If you still don’t like it after a few months, then at least you’ve tried. But if you don’t try, you’ll never know!

3. Invest in the experts Love it or loathe it, it is no secret that social media has propelled many a brand from zero to hero. That’s not to say of course that it’s the only way to market a business, but it is definitely a cost effective and accessible way. It may be that you have absolutely no motivation to go there, however, and if that is the case it’s worth paying someone else to take the pain away. Depending on how far you want to go with your social media, you could enlist the help of a local freelancer to create your pages and make a few posts or, if you want to really get serious with your social and use it as a platform for advertising your brand and providing insight and analysis, then hiring a social media specialist could be the answer.

4. It’s not the only way!

It may be hard to believe, but you can still market your business without the need to turn to social media immediately. Certainly, once finances allow, it is wise to invest in hiring a third party to undertake your social media if you don’t want to do it yourself, but in the meantime, consider other routes to market, such as trade fairs, traditional advertising, press releases, events and other marketing methods which suit you and your brand.

5. Pick one thing and do it well We always say at PMW to do something well or don’t do it at all. Diluting your marketing budget by spreading it too thinly across an array of marketing platforms won’t get you anywhere, other than destination disappointment. It’s better to choose one marketing method which appeals to you, which you can afford and which suits your brand and do it well. Once you’ve perfected that, consider investing the return from this activity into your second chosen platform, and repeating the process.

The key things to remember when marketing your brand are to remain within the realms of affordability and — if you’re doing your own marketing — likeability. When you’re authentic to yourself, your passion will shine through and marketing success should follow. pmwcom.co.uk

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How to Boost Your Sales Funnel with PR Lis Anderson, director, AMBITIOUS PR. In the traditional sense, a marketing approach is usually used to drive sales and a PR strategy is used to build and maintain a positive reputation for a company. The PRCA[1] states that PR is “all about the way organisations communicate with the public, promote themselves, and build positive reputation and public image”.

Whilst the two disciplines continue serve different functions, the components are far more intertwined today. But how can PR play a part in driving those all important sales for your business?

You could be leading the way in terms of innovating industryleading products and services but unless customers know who you are and where to find you it’s all for nothing. Without effective external communications, your sales funnel will suffer and competitors may use this to their advantage. Its time to look at how you’re currently seeking out sales and the ways that you’re communicating to current and prospective customers.

Enhance the organic presence of your brand You’ll probably have a website, perhaps a blog, you may be targeting potential customers directly through email marketing and perhaps you’ve set aside budget to place some ads. PR is a powerful communication tool which can align with these tactics to drive organic growth. For example, people may start to become more aware of your brand through your blog and paid ads on social and traditional media. PR tactics will then enhance the organic presence of your brand through proactive social media posts and earned media. Earned media is defined as any publicity not generated by a company but by customers, social media followers, bloggers or journalists. By definition this type of publicity enhances your credibility as it’s rooted through respected third parties, rather than through your own channels.

Three key drivers behind a purchase decision If you put yourself in the mind of your customer for a moment, ask yourself what is it that you would look for in a company before making a purchase?

Trust, reputation and a product or service that really delivers are three of the key drivers. PR is a really effective way of delivering these messages, but its power lies in the subtlety of the approach. The goal is to give customers the chance to discover your brand, arm them with all the relevant information needed – this is where some strong corporate messaging is needed - and then allow them to make a purchase in their own time. Some clever and timely marketing tactics are also needed to make sure that it’s as easy as possible to purchase once they do decide to.

Create a positive emotional response that links to your brand The most effective PR campaigns are those that offer quality insights or advice without asking for anything in return.

Providing something of real value to the customer will evoke a positive emotional response. The goal is that this positive response is then connected with the brand, building awareness along with trust and credibility. Better still, if a customer deems your advice of high enough quality to then share it amongst their contacts, the exposure for your brand then multiplies.

PR can help to increase sales in many different ways, but here is a snaphot of an effective PR strategy including the key tactics used and the process to take to get it right: 1. Get your targeting spot-on Whether you serve other businesses or consumers, having a targeted approach to your PR will ensure that your budget is spent most effectively. If you can, be really focused on who your key customers are. If that’s consumer, it can be helpful to think of your customers according to specific personas; this includes age, sex, job role, hobbies or areas of interest.

By building up a demographic picture, you can then tier the audiences and focus PR activities accordingly. For example, a high percentage of the budget can be focused on the audience that is most likely to purchase with bursts of activity on those audiences that are not yet engaged. Tiering your audience will also help when it comes to measuring the effectiveness of PR. If you’re a b2b organisation, you may already have a clear idea of the businesses that your products or services benefit.

But which job titles would make the purchase decision? What products are they currently using? What problems are they currently facing? Building up a picture of the industry you work in may take a degree of market research, but it will be time and money well-spent if you can then focus your PR and marketing budget in the right place.

2. Make your message clear The foundation of a PR and marketing strategy should be aligned around some clearly defined messages. If you are not clear on what these are, your strategy will lack focus and it will take longer for your customers to build a relationship with your brand. A messaging session can solidify these messages; starting with who you are, what your company does, and how it delivers it. All PR and marketing efforts should be based around these key messages.

ENTREPRENEUR 3. Build trust and reputation Once you’re clear on who you’re targeting and where you fit in to the overall solution, now it’s time for PR delivery; to communicate with your target audience. Having your company and its products and services communicated through trusted media titles can do wonders for your reputation. To increase opportunities for your audience to see your brand, the focus should be on the quality of your content and how engaging it is. Levels of engagement can be determined in different ways; it can improve their knowledge on a topic and create a positive relationship with your brand in the process, it can encourage someone to find out more about your company or even change the way it perceives your company.

A PR strategy will ideally align with a marketing strategy to maximise any paid ad spend, webinars, events, white papers or social media campaigns. It will do this through PR materials such as press releases, opinion articles, case studies, news hijacking, award submissions and speaker slots. Remember, the rule of seven states that it takes an average of seven interactions with your brand before a purchase is made.

4. Measure and set objectives It’s true that its incredibly difficult to put an individual sale down to a particular PR tactic. That being said, PR shouldn’t be done for the sake of it. The best way to measure PR is a

combination of credibility of media reached (i.e. website or print circulation), the domain authority of the website, audience targeted (tier one or tier two etc), number of marketing messages included in content and call to action (for example back link to your website or contact details). If you can measure this against an increase in website traffic or SEO over time it is a good indication of how PR is performing and how the audience is responding to your brand.

Whilst PR shouldn’t be viewed solely as a sales engine, as part of a wider marketing mix PR can be a powerful way to increase the sales funnel. It creates more opportunities to connect an audience through your business stories and thought leadership, creates a solid reputation and can even influence the way that people think about your business. Although it is not necessarily a direct sales route, the subtle persuasive power of PR can play a huge part in purchase decisions.

About the Author Lis Anderson is an experienced PR consultancy Director and MD with over 20 years in the B2B and B2C marketing communications industry. Agency side she has held Board level positions at JBP, also as a partner of Worldcom Public Relations Group, and Bray Leino (Speed Communications) before launching AMBITIOUS. www.ambitiouspr.co.uk

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The Opportunities Presented by Angel Investing

By Gavin Heys, Envestors Private Investment Club. Many of us have watched Dragons’ Den avidly over fifteen years but how many of us have seriously considered the questions ‘Could I be an angel investor?’ or ‘Is this type of investing just for these well-known businesspeople?’

Not enough of us have asked these questions.

Angel investing for many feels inaccessible, an option for industry bigwigs and multi-millionaires. And so, instead of exploring this exciting asset class, we put our investments into more traditional and safer options like stocks and mutual funds.

But the reality is that if you have capital to invest, angel investing is an option you should consider. Like all investments it does carry risks, but it also offers potentially exciting rewards.

So, to help you look at this let’s start by reviewing the basics and then examine how angel investing can offer potentially higher returns than many more familiar investment options.

What does an angel investor look like?

Angel investors invest their personal capital into unlisted businesses in exchange for shares in that business. More than just cash, angels typically offer wider benefits to investee companies in the way of mentorship, advice, acting as a non-executive director or making vital introductions to their network of contacts.

Most angel investors are classed as ‘High Net Worth Individuals’ (HNWI). It is this terminology that likely conjures up the images of three-piece suits, designer watches and luxury cars – making angel investing feel inaccessible. The reality is that to be considered a HNWI, you need an annual salary of at least £100,000 or net assets, excluding property and pensions, worth £250,000. That’s more people, than you’d think – at least half a million in the UK according to Statista.

The other common type of angel investors is termed ‘Sophisticated Investors.’ To be classed as sophisticated, you must either be a member of an angel network, have invested in another unlisted company in the last two years, have worked in a professional capacity in the private equity sector or be a director of a company with an annual turnover of £1M+.

Business angels will usually put in between £5,000 and £500,000 in a single venture and will aim to build a portfolio of investments over time.

Angel investors average returns While angel investing is riskier than other asset classes, and is

less liquid, it does have the potential to offer greater returns.

Data collected in the US in a 2017 Willamette University study on angel investment returns calculated that the average return for angel investors is 2.5X, which alongside an average investment time span of 4.5 years indicates a gross internal rate of return of 22%.

This compares very favourably with more traditional investment vehicles: 1. Mutual funds - Not even the best performing mutual funds of all time will break 20% average annual return, and most of them will not go over 15%; 2. Index funds - Industry favorite, the S&P 500 has provided an average annual return of 13.6% since its inception; 3. Bonds - During the pandemic, UK interest rates on bonds have been cut to 0.1%; 4. Stocks - The average return on a Stocks and Shares ISA in the UK is 5.14% (April 1999 to April 2020).

A more recent study by FounderCatalyst published in January 2021 showed that angel investments yielded an average 2.77 X return. Furthermore, with the additional benefit of EIS tax relief that grows to an average 3.19 X return.

Under the HMRC’s Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS), angel investors receive income tax relief of 30-50% on funds invested in startups and early-stage businesses. This fantastic scheme has helped to raise £1.929 Billion for 3,920 companies yet is still surprisingly unknown to many potential investors who could benefit.

It is worth pointing out here again that averages are averages.

Any experienced angel will tell you that many companies take much longer than 4.5 years to mature and exit, and more fail than have home runs. But, on average, angel investing appears to perform well in the long run versus other asset classes.

Why should you consider becoming an angel investor?

Yes, it makes financial sense to invest in early-stage companies, as they can provide an unparalleled rate of return on your investment, and you can take advantage of generous tax relief schemes.

But many do it for more altruistic reasons. As an angel investor you offer value to a young company not just in the form of hard cash, but also in the form of advice and a

ENTREPRENEUR strategic direction stemming from your experience. Typically, angels are evangelists for the businesses they support - be it the use of big data in medicine, the implementation of AI in charity/corporate matching, or the development of energy saving computers. And everybody loves to hear about the little business you invested in which is about to be merged into a billion-dollar Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC).

About the Author

An angel portfolio

Envestors’ Private Investment Club and digital investment platform bring together entrepreneurs and investors across geographies, communities and sectors – creating the single marketplace for early-stage investment in the UK.

According to the Willamette University study, angel investors get positive returns less than half the time they invest in a company. In fact, they register losses on around 70% of investments, and just 10% of their exits generate 85% of all returns. Diversifying your portfolio is key when trying to improve your return rates.

Looking at the rate of return on original investment of 300 exits from 2018/19, the data shows that angels’ odds of significant returns increase with the number of investments. The FounderCatalyst report states that a portfolio of investments in three companies is likely to yield, on average, worse returns than a portfolio of investments in 10 companies.

However, unless you are Dragons Den’s Peter Jones, opportunities may not always come to you. In fact, having enough deal flow to increase and diversify your portfolio can be a challenge.

One solution is to join an angel network. Well-established and properly regulated networks have investment specialists pre-screening deals, ensuring information is clearly and fairly presented and curating opportunities based on your interests. A good network will be listed on the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) register and will follow FCA guidance which is all intended to help minimise risk.

Investors that join a network: 1. Gain access to deal flow; 2. Lower their risk by receiving support in the due diligence phase; 3. Diversify their portfolio; 4. Join a community of like-minded investors; 5. Can make a more meaningful and more sizable investment through syndication.

According to research firm Beauhurst, the most active angel networks in the UK right now are: In most cases, there is no need for a recommendation in order to gain access to investment networks. Angel investing is available to you from the comfort of your own home, as the most active networks, like Envestors, will use digital platforms to share their opportunities.

I hope this has provided food for thought and you can see that angel investing is something to consider getting involved with. Along with the tax benefits and the potential rewards with this type of investing, you can also enjoy helping young businesses to grow from an entrepreneurial idea to exit.

Gavin Heys is director of Envestors Private Investment Club where he works closely with investors to help them find the right opportunities for their portfolio. He has raised over £15m for companies including Draper and Dash, Censornet and F45 among many others.

Founded in 2004, Envestors has helped more than 200 high growth businesses raise more than £100m through its own private investment club.

Envestors is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. www.envestors.co.uk

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How to Inspire Positivity & Profitability During Difficult Times “In the midst of every crisis lies opportunity.”

Albert Einstein Life puts us all through unplanned change. However, sometimes the unthinkable can occur. The COVID-19 pandemic is a sound example of this. Many of us thought a pandemic could happen, however, many of us never thought it would happen. Unfortunately, rapid unplanned change can also bring with it prolonged uncertainty. When this occurs it is normal to have difficulty seeing the upside of things and a way forward.

Successful business owners understand that in order to help your business thrive, make your company profitable, and keep your customers happy, you need to be mindful of what is happening now. Prosperous entrepreneurs understand if you were to sell your product or service the same way for weeks, months, or years that you would be behind, not ahead of the curve. In other words, successful business leaders embrace change and see the benefits and necessity of doing so. The question then becomes, how does an entrepreneur embrace change and make cents of it all when change can change its mind anytime?

Acceptance

Be Mindful A business can consume an entrepreneur’s time and energy at the best of times, and especially during uncertain times.

Consequently, just like we take care of our bodies, we need to take care of our minds too.

Mindfulness is another strategy business owners can use to achieve balance and successfully navigate change. This is because staying in the present helps us reduce anxiety about the future and depression about the past. Try taking time out each day to calm your mind, even for five minutes.

Calming your brain can help you focus and set your compass for the day, move you towards a more optimistic attitude, and improve your ability to handle the unexpected.

Practice Gratitude Begin each day with intention and gratitude. There is always something to be thankful for, even if it is as simple as the sun is shining, and you are healthy. Research has shown people with a more grateful disposition are more likely to bounce back after times of great adversity. While we cannot control what happens during times of prolonged uncertainty, we can control our response to events. Our intention creates our reality and gratitude illuminates the path by helping us stay positive.

Acceptance is the first step towards navigating change of any kind—especially rapid, unexpected change. Accepting change is occurring in your marketplace does not mean that you have to like what is happening. Rather, it is the willingness to accept change is happening, not resist or deny it, that helps shift your perspective towards more positive, opportunistic thinking. In turn, a more optimistic outlook can promote adaptability and help you switch gears when you need to.

While it is not realistic to expect you can be positive all the time, positive thinking does give us an extreme advantage during times of extreme stress. It helps us respond to the ups and downs of life, rather than react to them, and can support us to move ourselves and our businesses forward, not backward, while upheaval plays out.

Think Outside-In

Jane Enright is an ordinary person who has survived some extraordinary things. An inspiring and humorous positivity and change expert from Canada, Jane speaks to audiences seeking answers for their grief, stress, loss, depression, anxiety, stagnation, indecision, sadness, and more. From top executives to stay-at-home moms, she is helping people around the globe to land “butter side up” after unplanned change.

Outside-in thinking is looking at your business as an observer rather than as a participant. Looking outside-in helps us take the emotionality out of situations (fear, sadness, etc.), so we can look at the big picture, find clarity of thought, and uncover solutions when we need them.

An environmental scan or SWOT is a staple in the business world when developing a strategic plan. It is also a tool business owners can use to look at change more objectively. A SWOT is a review of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for a given scenario. Completing a SWOT can be a useful exercise to obtain fact-based analysis. It can also help you become more flexible of mind so you can look at your business in new ways and from new directions.

About the Author

Butter Side Up: How I Survived My Most Terrible Year & Created My Super Awesome Life is published by Friesen Press and is available in paperback (£13.99) and eBook (£7.99) at all good bookshops and online retailers.

Visit: www.janeenrightauthor.com

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Tax Considerations When Paying Yourself From Company Profits

By Sharon Bonfield, Propositions Manager, St James’s Place Wealth Management. As a busy, growing business, you may now be thinking about how to take a salary from the fruits of your labour; your company profits. But what are the tax implications of paying yourself in this way?

Firstly, there are three main options available to you: Take more salary Pay extra pension contributions Pay a dividend

The same is true of dividends, although you may also have access to the dividend allowance of £2,000 depending on other dividends received. In the example below, we have assumed that this payment is in addition to dividends already taken, which has used the allowance. The higher rate tax on dividends is less than on salary at only 32.5%.

Inheritance Tax (IHT)

Depending on the option you choose, there are several considerations to make which are summarised below in this article:

Although not an immediate tax, payments made to pensions should remain outside your estate for Inheritance Tax purposes. If your estate is already above the IHT nil rate band any further drawing, such as dividend or salary, that are not spent will just increase the estate and therefore the amount of IHT payable.

NI contributions

Annual allowance issues

National Insurance (NI) contributions are paid on an employee’s salary, at a rate of 13.8% employer NI and a further 2% employee NI, or 12% if their salary is below the upper earnings limit. This is the biggest hit that payments could receive.

For many, the tapered annual allowance won’t be an issue, but for those who it affects - including those that have already used their standard annual allowance - this will need to be considered.

For example, £20,000 would suffer £2,425 employer NI. The residual would then suffer a further £2,109, if below the upper earnings limit, and that is even without Income Tax. If above the upper earnings limit however, the employee NI would be only £351.50.

The benefit of tax relief will be lost on anything over the value of your available annual allowance and carry forward, which may mean that a pension contribution is less favourable. The annual allowance can’t be ignored, but it shouldn’t be the sole driver for dismissing pension contributions as an option.

Corporation Tax

Look at what you need right now

Salary and pension contributions would generally be classed as “allowable business expenses”, and therefore would reduce the amount of corporation tax payable. This means that the whole amount can be used as the starting point for the payment. On the other hand, dividends are not a business expense and will be subject to corporation tax. With corporation tax at 19%, this would reduce the payment made by £3,800.

We shouldn’t forget that pensions are a long-term investment that won’t help your day-to-day situation – you can’t buy groceries with a pension contribution. So, although it can be relatively easy to justify a pension contribution on the numbers alone, holistic planning requires you to have a good understanding of your own circumstances.

Income Tax Pension contributions are not taxed immediately but will eventually be subject to Income Tax at your marginal rate, although in most cases 25% will be paid tax-free. Growth is also generated tax-efficiently within the pension, which could increase the eventual tax paid or even subject the payment to a lifetime allowance charge.

The salary will be subject to your marginal rates of Income Tax. If you are earning at or near £100,000, you will need to be careful, as the loss of the personal allowance could make this option less attractive. In the example below, it is assumed that the whole amount will be within the higher rate band, so it is subject to 40% tax.

Maximise use of allowances There are many moving parts to extracting funds from a company. In reality, some if not all the three routes will be used each year to maximise the use of allowances and provide a useable income and protection for the future.

*The levels and bases of taxation, and reliefs from taxation, can change at any time and are generally dependent on individual circumstances.

Website: www.sjp.co.uk

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How to Allocate Your Ad Apend Across Social Media Platforms

By Tim Hyde. It has never been more critical for your business to understand how to get the most out of your advertising budget. But advertising on social media platforms can feel like a minefield and getting your strategy wrong can be very damaging to your business. Getting expert agency advice will show you where you should be spending your money and how that will convert to sales.

How does ad spend work and where do you start?

This really depends on what you have done before. Some businesses will have a really clear idea in mind, typically when you have previously worked with an agency as you will have more insight into how things work and the best way to do things. Others are starting from scratch and have no idea and no experience, either with an agency or attempting it for yourself. Either way, phase one is key – this is setting objectives or the ‘digital plumbing’, making sure everything is tracking and set up correctly.

From an advertising perspective, an agency will usually look at the low hanging fruit and make small improvements that have a big impact, largely based on whatever you have been doing previously. A balanced and effective retargeting funnel can get them going with a couple of easy wins. From here, and once you’ve got a bit of a platform, an agency will be able to start to compare and contrast.

Diversification of spend Diversification of spend is going to be one of the dominating topics throughout the decade. Facebook + Instagram and Google’s ad network have dominated and, in the future, will be challenged as there will be spend going to other platforms such as TikTok, SnapChat and Pinterest. It is highly likely that we will also see Apple ads, and this could be one of the reasons why they made the iOS 14 changes, in preparation for launching their own ad platform. This means they will be able to target the iPhone or iOS users and it’s going to be incredibly valuable. Watch this space.

Spread your budget across a number of channels A competent agency will understand how to do this effectively, but it can be risky if you don’t have an innate understanding of each channel. Done well, it can be highly successful. One aspect of your diversification of spend is about mitigating risk; you don’t want to be solely reliant on one channel, even if it is your best performer. It is also really important to understand where and how those channels work together.

For example, Google is very much an intent based platform.

It is phenomenal for remarketing and really effective if you have already generated brand awareness and someone searches a specific term or your brand name. For this aspect, it is arguably the best marketing tool available. But it is very limited when it comes to scaling. One of the ways you can scale that channel is to increase your budget elsewhere, to make that pool of people or potential customers much bigger.

Maximise your impact with the right approach Rather than you approach being different for each channel, it’s more about your approach being appropriate. You need to hone your style and your language to each platform as diversification of spend optimises the other ad platforms. If you use TikTok, your creative will need to be more tongue in cheek and have a ‘native’ editing style or it will stick out like a sore thumb. Facebook & Instagram can be considered more premium and even more so for YouTube as your creative has to be longer and of a certain calibre. Google is mainly copy based so allows you to hit people in lots of different, creative ways on different platforms. This is really one of the keys to diversification of spend Identifying or quantifying the value of your sales when using multiple channels Understanding how each platform attributes sales will play a big part in identifying or quantifying the value of your sales. The big change with iOS 14 is that Facebook has gone from, at its highest, a 28-day view down to only a one-day view and seven day click. This means that if someone clicks on an ad and then purchases within seven days, you’ll have an attributed sale. However on TikTok and even Pinterest, the attribution windows are much shorter, so if your return on ad spend on Facebook is 3.5 but on TikTok is 1.5, then within the same attribution window, TikTok might be outperforming Facebook because on that last click basis, that performance is quite strong. Understanding the parameters of what success is on different platforms is really important.

Influencer marketing Whilst this is a big topic, ad spend can be extremely effective on influencer marketing if it’s used as part of an upper funnel awareness strategy and its success isn’t measured solely by an uplift in sales. The use of ambassadors or other channels distributing your media can be hugely powerful and definitely needs to be considered as part of your online marketing mix and incorporated within your paid spend.

Getting ad spend right and utilising social media platforms to maximum effect is an art, and to ensure you maximise your success, finding an agency to steer you through could be your most effective use of budget.

About the Author Tim Hyde, Founder and Director of Social Media Marketing Agency, TWH Media Having commenced his career in leading the Facebook strategy for Lad Bible, Tim Hyde boasts an impressive track record of helping businesses and brands scale online through effective social media marketing strategies. One of the industry’s leading social media gurus, Tim founded TWH Media in September 2017 and now works with large brands globally ranging from Adidas to Apple Music. www.twhmedia.com

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Raising Brand Awareness Through PR If you’re an entrepreneur or business founder looking to boost your brand, one of the first ports of call should be a PR agency.After all, while you may be an expert in what you do, a carefully-crafted PR campaign can work wonders for spreading the word and exposing you to a wider audience.

Before we get into the nitty gritty, let’s first go back to some branding basics…

What is a brand?

The term ‘brand’ is Germanic in origin and originally meant burning wood. In Middle English, the meaning shifted to mean permanently marking with hot metal.

In the 17th century, the phrase brand became a mark of ownership in any form and in the industrial revolution it really took off with the meaning as we understand it today.But what is it? Some people may say a brand is a name, logo or symbol – but at Harvey & Hugo we strongly believe that a brand is a feeling. That’s why it is important to tell your brand story and use the correct PR services to spark emotion in your audience.

For as social psychologist and professor Jonathan Haidt says: “The human mind is a story processor, not a logic processor.”

So, what can you do to make your brand stand out in today’s fierce battle for attention?

Getting to know you

If this is done well, in time you and your brand will become recognised as leaders in your field – which brings us to our next point.

A person of influence If you like the idea of becoming an influencer in your industry, then it’s time for some profile building.

At the end of the day, people buy from people, which is why it’s so important to boost your own personal brand as well as your company’s.

Therefore, positioning you as a key person of influence is a win-win situation, building trust and respect for not only you personally, but also your brand.

There’s plenty you can do to raise your personal profile, starting with improving your personal social media accounts, and you may also want to look for interview and speaking opportunities.

Using a combination of the above can, in time, make you famous for the products and services you offer.

A winning plan

Firstly, you need to make sure you really know your brand – after all, if you don’t, how can you expect anyone else to?

Awards can be an often be overlooked when it comes to brand-building, but really, is there any better way to show off your expertise than have other people do it for you?

Hone in on your ‘why’, know your purpose, develop clear values, brand statements and key messaging and find your USP - don’t be afraid to be different!

Simply being nominated for an award can improve your brand awareness and put your business in front of new customers – and think of all that amazing PR if you win.

Once you’re clear on your message, you need a strategy to target the right people at the right time.

However, it’s important to be strategic when it comes to awards; don’t just enter any and all. Think carefully about which you have a realistic chance of winning, and which will be of most relevance to your target audience.

Planning ahead can help you to structure your ideas for how you’ll tell and share your story, and will keep you consistent and on track.

Forging links

Your strategy is also where you can set out your key performance indicators, develop campaign ideas and themes and establish your target market.

The online realm has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for building your brand – but it’s not all as straightforward as it seems.

Read all about it

Yes, we’re talking link-building, a way of boosting your credibility by getting someone equally (or, ideally, even more) credible to share your content.

An oldie but goodie, press releases are a simple but effective way of raising awareness and creating brand perceptions.

They are also seen as more credible and trustworthy than adverts and, being free, are much more cost-effective.

However, sometimes you need more than a press release to get your thoughts and opinions across, and that’s where article-writing comes into play. Strong written work that is shared across different publications is a great way to get your brand recognised.

You can do this by sending stories out to websites to increase backlinks (an incoming hyperlink from one webpage to another website) to your website.

To further boost your online game, it’s worth making sure any online content you put in your website is full of relevant keywords for your industry, to further push you up the Google rankings.

ENTREPRENEUR Staying social Social media is another great (and largely free) way to promote your brand, but, as always, you need to have a plan in place first.

You’ll need to start with deciding what platforms work best for your business before choosing what type of content to share and how often to post.

Remember, it’s not all about selling; social media is perfect for a more informal look at your business and why you do what you do. Behind-the-scenes, staff profiles and how-to guides are all ideally suited to this medium.

Thanks to the digital revolution, it’s never been easier to spread the word about your brand – but that also means the landscape has become more crowded.

Taking the time to create a rounded PR strategy means you can hit the ground running, keeping your eye on the prize and ensuring your hard work pays off.

About the Author Charlotte Nichols has over 15 years of experience in the PR and marketing sector and established her company Harvey & Hugo during that time. Charlotte’s mission is to use PR, social media and marketing techniques to make brands lovable and memorable. The flexible offering of Harvey & Hugo makes PR and marketing accessible to all. www.harveyandhugo.com

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Managing Your Online Reputation An Entrepreneurs Guide

By Simon Wadsworth. Online reputation management is vital to your success in today’s ultra-connected world. When I launched online reputation management agency Igniyte back in 2009, the writing was on the wall. And over the years, the importance of maintaining a curated and careful professional and personal online presence has grown in importance.

From online reviews to social media profiles, and from comments you left on an article 10 years ago to news stories about your company… our online footprints are extensive, wide ranging and significant.

You need be sure, that as an entrepreneur, that nothing negative is lurking online that could impact your future success and that you have a consistent, detailed strategy on how to grow a positive online reputation.

Our interconnected world makes online reputation your number one concern. Google makes it the work of milliseconds for anyone to search your name or your company name. A few more minutes and people will probably be able to find where you live, your political persuasion and which football team you support.

While people are generally more aware of the need for privacy when it comes to private social media channels, ensuring your online presence is completely clear takes time, effort and careful management. But it really matters.

Executives say that almost half of the reputation of the company they work rests on that of the CEO. And on the other side, social recruiting is growing fast. Pretty much every company will search potential candidates online before inviting to interview. Google and other search engines do not care how your reputation comes across. Results are simply filtered by what’s popular and relevant.

Do you need to make changes to boost your online reputation?

So, what can you do? First, Google your own name, job, past roles and anything else remotely connected with you. Have a look at the first page and see what comes up. Depending on your position and personal use of social media, results will be mixed. Even if you don’t immediately see anything that concerns you, the breadth of information you can see about yourself shows just how risky an un-curated internet presence can be.

Whether you’re fronting a company, leading a brand or considering a career move, there are plenty of reasons people might search your name. And it’s possible that negativity online could impact your chances of success.

Assuming there is no outright negativity linked with your name, what else do you see when you Google it? Do the search results portray you and your ideas? Would it instil confidence in potential clients, or in your peers, customers or the media? It’s a good way to see what kind of first impression people might get about you, and to help you figure out what needs to change. After all, having a strong, believable personal brand can really impact the amount of custom your business experiences. If you feel you need to have a more concentrated strategy, there are steps you can take.

Steps to take to improve your online reputation: 1. Actively suppress negative content Most of us never look beyond page one of any Google search. And that’s why the front page of Google is all important when it comes to people finding out anything about you, whether professionally or on a personal level.

Even if there are positive links to be found a few pages down, these become essentially useless as most people simply won’t scroll that far.

This is where content strategies should come in. By creating high-quality, relevant and requested content that people want to read, negative links will be pushed further down the page. Content creation is a deceptively difficult path to take, and it should only be undertaken through extremely high-quality blogs, articles and thought leadership content. The idea is to create the persona that best reflects you in an honest and accessible way. When this is achieved, the front page of Google searches of your name will naturally be full of positive links.

2. Challenge Google to remove content.

This should be the first step (if there is negative content out there about you) if you want to alter the online impression people have of you. If there is something that comes up on Google searches that could feasibly damage either your personal or professional relationships, then you can request that it is removed.

3. Initiate your right to be forgotten.

The legal right to be forgotten was introduced as part of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It means that it’s possible to formally request that unwanted, dated, irrelevant or incorrect online information about you be removed. This includes image, videos or text.

When you make an application to remove any content,

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Google will make a judgement. Your right to privacy is measured against the interests of the public in having access to this information. This means to successfully remove Google content, you need to know exactly what to do, how to proceed, and to ensure that total accuracy is maintained throughout the process. You will need to speak to expert on this one.

4. Implement a coherent and strong social media plan.

Managing social media is a 24/7 job. The Internet never sleeps and nor do the channels that now effectively control the conversation. People never stop posting and, if you are an entrepreneur with a start-up, or a business leader, then at any time someone could be posting about you.

How you come across on every relevant platform matters.

That includes Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Medium, Snapchat, Reddit… And most people by middle age have posted on various channels through the years.

It’s always a plan to check back through your profiles and shut down any that are no longer relevant.

This might sound like a lot of work, particularly if you’re not hugely active in the social media space. But these days it’s essential, particularly for start-up owners, entrepreneurs and innovators. Developing a strong social media presence will do a lot to boost other companies and individual’s opinions of you and your business.

About the Author Simon Wadsworth is a reputation management expert and the Managing Director of Igniyte, a leading expert online reputation management and digital PR company.

Igniyte are experts in online reputation management and they help companies, brands and individuals in building a strong online presence through SEO, PR, content, social media and best practice online reputation management tools and techniques. Based in the UK, in Leeds and London, Igniyte has global reach with clients in the UK, Europe, US, Africa, UAE and Hong Kong. www.igniyte.co.uk

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How to Set a Marketing Budget If you are looking to carry out a marketing campaign it is important to have a clear budget, which is realistic and affordable. Often budgets assigned to marketing are either a complete guess with no thought behind the amount allocated or are optimistically low, where someone believes or hopes they can achieve great things for very little investment. Here, Suzie Farrell, Account Director at marketing agency PMW, answers some common marketing budget questions.

1) How much should I spend on marketing?

When a client comes to us looking for assistance with their marketing, one of the first things we ask is what their budget is. Occasionally, the response is, “We don’t know”.

Cutting marketing in times of austerity is the worst thing you should do. When times are tough, competition is rife. Why would you want to become less visible in tough times and risk losing out to competitors? It may seem counter-intuitive, but marketing budgets as a percentage of income should for this reason actually increase, not decrease, in times of economic difficulty.

3) How will I know where to spend my marketing budget?

Choosing how to spend your marketing budget depends on: Your audience – who are they, where are they and how can you best reach them?

This is never a good place to start. Marketing is never-ending.

When done well, the more you put in, the more you get out.

That doesn’t mean you need an endless pot of money in order to achieve anything worthwhile – that’s where experience, knowing your audience and creativity come in – but what it does mean is you need a clear idea of how much you are prepared to spend before commencing marketing. Being aware of what you can afford is critical.

Your objectives – what do you want to achieve, e.g. sell tickets, raise awareness?

Marketing textbooks may tell you that earmarking 10% of your profit for marketing is the norm, but there is no definitive right or wrong. What’s most important is assigning a budget that you can realistically afford, because no form of marketing comes with a guarantee. Be prepared for a period of trial and error before you find what works best for your company.

Consider this example:

Switch your mindset from thinking results are guaranteed to accepting that some things will work better than others.

While you are unlikely to see a positive return from every part of your investment, you may well see a very healthy return from some. The knack is to do more of what gets you good results. Of course, you won’t know before you start what that is – prepare yourself for some successes and some failures – great marketing doesn’t happen overnight.

2) Why should I bother with marketing if my company’s doing okay?

Marketing for some can be somewhat of an afterthought, especially if a company is performing respectably already. It can also be one of the first things to be cut when times get tough.

If your company is doing well without marketing and you’re content with that, then great. But don’t you want it to perform even better? If it’s doing well without marketing, just think how well it could do with it! Plus, if you allow things to coast for too long, it’s inevitable that a competitor who is investing in marketing will come along and gobble up all the business, just by being on people’s radars.

Your investment levels – how can you achieve the above affordably and over what period?

Only when you have the answers to the above points, are you then ready to make your choices.

You have identified your audience as consisting mainly of women in the UK aged 25-45.

You want this audience to sign up for a paid subscription of your online book club.

You have £5,000 to spend over two months to achieve this.

First, consider the potential platforms through which you can reach your identified audience. This may include TV, radio, social media, print magazines, blogs and live events.

Next, think about what you’re prepared to invest. £5,000 isn’t going to be enough for a decent radio or TV ad campaign, so they’re not the best bets here. It might enable you to produce a radio ad, but you could then only afford to play it once or twice – effective marketing relies on repetition and reiteration. You may consider national magazine advertising, but then find that’s also cost prohibitive.

Our motto is Do it well or not at all– a useful rule to remember when choosing how to spend your marketing budget.

4) Should I do my own marketing or pay someone?

To answer this question, you need to consider where your expertise lies. If, for example, you are brilliant at social media, have the time to do it on top of your job, can reach your target audience this way and achieve your objectives, then go for it!

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Beware though, of making the wrong choice. You shouldn’t be deciding how to spend your money based on your expertise alone. If you believe a PR campaign is the best and most costeffective way for you to reach your audience and achieve your objectives, but don’t have the faintest clue where to start with a PR campaign, your money would be better spent hiring a PR expert than choosing the wrong platform, just because you can manage the other platform yourself – many companies have made this mistake and paid handsomely for the consequences.

5) How do I monitor my spend and the results?

At the outset of any marketing campaign, it is important to have metrics outlined to enable you to measure the success of your marketing campaign. Here are a few examples: Enquiries Sales Traffic to website Link clicks Subscribers Newsletter sign ups Regularly look at the data you’re achieving from your marketing efforts to check if you’re hitting your targets. These could include:

Social media data (likes, follows, shares, clicks) Media coverage achieved (which publications, how many cuttings, positive or negative) Google Analytics (clicks, traffic, dwell time, bounce rate) Newsletter subscribers (new subscribers, unsubscribes, read rate, click throughs) Purchases (units sold, average spend, lifetime value of customer) Do more of what works and less of what doesn’t. Remember though that things can change – buying habits, trends, platform popularity – so what works one year might not work so well the next.

The Roundup 1) Allocate a comfortable budget 2) Choose channels based on audience, objectives and affordability 3) Monitor often 4) Tweak where necessary If you remember these four rules, you should be reaping the rewards of an effective marketing campaign in no time! https://pmwcom.co.uk/

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How to Create an Online Course With years of experience, friends and business partners Gina Brocker and Angie Bonin combined their expertise to create an online photography course. Creating any new business has been a difficult feat due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Brocker and Bonin saw it as no better time. Taking the opportunity to understand each other’s strengths, the photography duo went to work creating a 9 module course to help others invest in themselves, and their future. Now, they’re taking the next step and sharing how they built this course so that others may one day be inspired to do it too.

you made it for! If they don’t know about it, they can’t buy it, and they’ll spend years struggling with the thing that your course could help walk them through in weeks. Create a plan that implements email marketing, partnerships, a strong social media presence that offers information and support, and a PR campaign to consistently get your expertise and the course itself out there in front of prospective students so that they are able to learn about it and sign up to take it.

Creating a course from scratch is not easy, and takes a fair amount of time and effort, but if you have the expertise and have years of experience building a business in a specific field, you can absolutely teach other people how to build a successful business in it too. Here are some of the main steps Gina and Angie took to create their online course, Revealing The Narrative for wedding photographers.

Have fun with it! Think about the experiences you have learned the most from-- usually they are enjoyable and even fun to a certain extent, even if you’re learning about something technical or professional.

Determine the most useful information. Gina and Angie spent a lot of time thinking about the most helpful aspects when it comes to photography and also business, and came up with the ultimate list of topics to focus on that will lead students through building their photography business step by step. The information modules are the foundation of a strong course, because if you overlook one piece, people may struggle and not get the results you want for them. Being really thoughtful about what to include was key for this duo, and they also were strategic in determining which one of them was the ideal instructor to prepare the information on each section, based on their personal strengths and who loved talking about that specific topic most.

Once you’ve outlined the topics and information you need to include, you have to actually create the material. Draft what you want to say for each section, and film videos talking through it.

You’ll also want to develop downloadable or printable material to go along with certain topics, if not all, that people can use to document or work through the specifics of the information for their own business. It can be helpful to have someone you trust go through the information at this stage, to make sure it all makes sense to an outsider and that you haven’t overlooked anything that is key to understanding the material at any step of the course.

Next, you have to find a place to host the course online, and upload all the information to your teaching platform. There are many choices out there and you can use whichever seems to work best for you. You likely also want to create a website to go along with the course, or to build out a page on your existing website to provide information on the course and direct people to sign up!

Don’t forget about creating a plan for marketing the course. You want to make sure to get the course in front of the people who

A few other tips to keep in mind:

Think about what you’d want to get out of this type of course.

Approach it as a student, not the expert that you are. It can be easy to overlook seemingly small details or bits of info that may seem obvious to you as the expert, but would actually create a huge block in learning for a student who doesn’t yet have the knowledge.

Start telling people about it before it launches! You don’t want to finish the course and then launch to crickets. Start talking about it before it’s ready and get people excited in advance. Have a way to keep track of email addresses for people who may be interested, and email them as soon as it’s ready.

With these tools and info, you can get started building a business course of your own. Find your passion and share it with the world. Not only can you benefit from starting an online course, but you can inspire so many people in your field. So, take the next step, gather your expertise, and build the online course you wish you had when you were first starting in your career.

About the Authors Gina Brocker and Angie Bonin are Boston-based wedding photographers and the Co-Founders of Revealing The Narrative, a comprehensive wedding photography course that walks students through creating and building a profitable photography business. They are also the founders of Gina Brocker Photography and Angelina Rose Photography, respectively. www.instagram.com/revealingthenarrative

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How Can Online Businesses Maintain Momentum Post Covid-19?

Over the past year, the coronavirus pandemic has led to significant changes for businesses in the UK. While national restrictions have been enforced by the Government - often with little warning - the majority of the population have experienced pressure, both personally and financially as a result. However, not all change has had a negative impact, and the pandemic has also brought about new and exciting opportunities for businesses. With more than 750,000 stores being closed to the public, consumers were left with no choice but to move online for their shopping needs. In response to this new demand, many brick-and-mortar businesses have taken the leap and moved online too, leading to a boom in e-commerce.

Research from Datafeed Watch shows 51% of consumers in the UK now prefer to shop online. Having an ecommerce presence opens retailers up to a whole range of business opportunities that simply didn’t exist before. However, it has also meant there is more competition online now than ever before. To stay competitive, marketing is key.

To help companies stand out in this new competitive e-commerce world, James Bosley, Marketing Manager at TextAnywhere has outlined five tips to future-proof the success of an online business.

Check-in on the business’ offerings Businesses noticed a significant shift in consumer needs during the coronavirus outbreak as people’s priorities and knowledge changed in line with lockdown measures.

According to the Swiss Re Institute, there were five significant behavioural changes that arose as a direct result of the pandemic: 1) Increased digital adoption (consumers shifted to digital platforms for their needs) 2) Changes in mobility patterns (a reduction in use of public transport) 3) Change in purchasing behaviour (move to value based purchasing and ecommerce) 4) Increased awareness of health (focus on skincare, increased hygiene) 5) Changes in interpersonal behaviour (increase in divorce, pet adoption, etc.)

As a result, brands were forced to adapt their business offerings to continue to meet customer needs. Now, as the final lockdown restrictions are eased, firms must ensure the products that are being sold online are still relevant to the consumer. As restrictions ease, businesses should be ready and willing to adapt to these changes to match shifting customer demand.

Provide excellent customer service The customer journey should be at the heart of everything a retailer does, and this process must be seamless and transparent. If customers can no longer shop in-store, being

readily available as a point of contact is more important than ever. Providing excellent customer service allows businesses to cultivate loyalty from their audience, which is vital to secure in a crowded market. It’s worth extending the customer service hours and using a range of different channels to increase support online, for example on social media and live chat, as well as by phone and email.

Personal business communication with customers Smaller businesses have an advantage over e-commerce giants such as Amazon as they can build a more personal relationship with their customer base. Millennials, in particular, are seeking an ever personal connection with brands, and businesses should focus their attention on speaking directly to customers using SMS or social media to help close any distance. Although building personal relationships with customers may seem time-consuming, it reaps rewards, with strong customer relationships leading to loyal clients, positive word of mouth reviews, and increased sales. Research by 4 A’s claims that 43% of consumers have found it reassuring to hear from businesses that they know during this time, with this style of communication expected to become the new norm.

Have a crisis plan in place As demonstrated by the delay in lifting final lockdown restrictions, the future is still uncertain. Management should take time to identify any weaknesses or potential threats in the business or wider industry and implement measures to help prepare for the challenges ahead. The most vital part of a crisis plan is to ensure the business communicates effectively with its employees in a timely and transparent manner. Before any messaging is reflected to customers or the media, employees should be informed of the businesses’ plan since communication should always start from within.

Optimise your site for consumers To stand out against competitors on search engines, companies should ensure their Google my Business account is updated, to help direct any customers to the online store.

The site should also contain high-quality content that is relevant and adds value to the target audience, since this will help improve the visibility of the business on Google and provide a better user experience for customers. Once on the site, businesses should ensure the page and site load has been optimised, since a slow load time or laggy site will cause customers to move elsewhere for their shopping needs.

As the highstreet begins to wake up again, there is no reason for online retailers to start panicking. By keeping up with consumer demands, communicating with customers, planning ahead and implementing the basics of marketing, online businesses will maintain their momentum during and after the pandemic.

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Mindset Matters: How to Embrace Change Life moves and evolves and sometimes change can be tough and sometimes it can be welcome. In the last few years many of us have been forced to change the way we work, the way we socialise, our holiday plans and the way we keep in touch with friends and family. Some of this change has been heartbreaking, some has been unsettling and disappointing and other changes have delivered unexpected silver linings.

like sycamore and horse chestnut are far easier to catch as they’re bigger, but there’s great kudos if you catch a smaller one like an oak leaf. You might even create a game with points awarded for the how many you catch and how hard they are based on their size. Being outside in or around nature has restorative powers that allow us to get back on an even keel, so we can more forward constructively with the change.

Here are five simple ways to cope with change and build resilience, in just a few minutes a day.

Instead of sitting inside to eat your lunch, why not go to a local park with some work friends and enjoy lunch al fresco.

If possible, add in a little walk too. Just breathe and listen to the sights and sounds of nature.

Take care of the basics If you want to emerge from change fighting fit and raring to go then you need to take care of the basics. That means eating healthy food, getting enough micro-nutrients, enough sleep and drinking plenty of water.

That doesn’t mean that you can’t have take-outs or go out for a few drinks – just take care of the basics most of the time.

Getting enough rest is also crucial. To help with sleep make sure you don’t have a TV in your bedroom and ideally don’t have your phone in your bedroom. Get an alarm clock and charge your phone in the kitchen. Trust me – the world will not tilt on its axis if you are not within touching distance of your phone for a few hours.

Make eating well easy for yourself. Take a few minutes to plan your meals for the week and make sure there is plenty fresh fruit and vegetables in the house. Also consider a social media detox for a day or so. You might be surprised at how much better you feel.

Natural Health Service We’ve all been in awe of the National Health Service through the pandemic but the Natural Health Service is also worth shouting about. Change, even positive change or change that we are excited about, can cause disruption and elevated stress.

Cortisol is the body’s main stress hormone and too much of it can cause havoc to our health and mental wellbeing. Cortisol also creates negative feedback loops which means that the more cortisol we create in the body the worse we feel which in turn creates even more cortisol in a downward spiral.

It’s so important to break that downward spiral as quickly as possible and one great way is to get near nature – a park will do. Pay attention to the sounds and smells and simply enjoy some quiet time and the fresh air. As autumn is with us, one thing I love doing, especially with my children, is trying (and succeeding) to catch a falling leaf. It’s also a great game and it looks very silly to anyone watching. The bigger leaves

Make a move Another great way to disperse cortisol in your system is to move and get physically active. You don’t need to go overboard – no need to pound the pavement at 5am. Just move your body. Put on a favourite song and dance around your living room—like no one is watching—for a few minutes.

The next time you need a hit of confidence during the change process, go to the bathroom and engage in two minutes of superhero pose. You may feel silly at first, but it will do wonders for your health and wellbeing.

Celebrate Failure Change requires us to do, think or be different in some way.

This often means mistakes, failures and slip ups along the way. It’s rare that we move seamlessly from one position to the other without some stumbles. Learning to ride a bike is a change—change from walking to a new form of transport— and learning to ride a bike doesn’t just happen miraculously, like the flick of a switch. It’s a journey of anxiety, questionable balance and a few scrapes. Everyone fails their way to riding a bike.

We all know this and yet when we become adults, we dread failure. It is seen as a weakness or something that must be hidden or fudged. And that is rubbish! Failure is the only way to succeed at anything, including successful change. This is known as having a growth mindset – the idea that everything is possible and we can get better at anything if we stick with it and persevere.

Take a minute to think about how many times you have embarked on change and created unrealistically high expectations for yourself. Stop expecting immediate perfection and instead settle for consistent effort.

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Positive Habits What do you love? What makes you happy? Is it meeting up with friends, listening to really loud music or singing at the top of your lungs in the car on the way to work? Do you love taking some time out and reading a good thriller? Or do you just enjoying some family time at the end of a challenging week? Whatever it is, do more of it.

of our situation and emotions in the moment, to reset and to bring more of our best to help ourselves and others. By taking just a few minutes a day and following the suggestions above you can put yourself in the best possible state of mind to manage change successfully.

Change can be disconcerting. It can feel like your whole life is being shaken, so deliberately hang on to the positive habits that already make you feel happy and safe. If you don’t have any of those, make them. Take a minute to think back to a time in your life when you felt especially peaceful or happy.

What exactly were you doing? Have you stopped doing that?

If so, why?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Another great habit to get into is appreciation. In the shower in the morning or on your daily commute, take a few minutes to think about the three things that you are most grateful for in your life. Relish those things in the midst of change.

I’m a great believer in instant change, little ‘micro-moments’ of learning or adaptation that allow us to actively take charge

Sid Madge is the founder of Meee which draws on the best creativity and thinking from the worlds of psychology, neuroscience, branding, education and sociology, to help people achieve extraordinary lives. To date, Meee has transformed the lives of over 20,000 people, from leaders of SMEs to PLCs, to parents, teachers, students, carers, the unemployed and prison inmates.

Sid Madge is also author of the ‘Meee in a Minute’ series of books, which each offer 60 ways to change your life, work or family life in 60 seconds.

Web: www.meee.global

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Why you should be an angel investor and ditch the NFTs We have seen a huge interest in Non Fungible Tokens (NFT) and for example, money has been poured into assets such as a digital house which sold for $500,000, a digital perfume, and the world’s first tweet which cost the purchaser the princely sum of two point nine million dollars.

Non-fungible tokens or NFTs are cryptographic assets, whose ownership is recorded on blockchain with unique identification codes and metadata that distinguish them from each other. A person can’t exchange one NFT for another as they would with dollars or other assets. Each NFT is unique and acts as a collector’s item that can’t be duplicated, making them rare by design.

which can help affect a broader social impact. b) Available tax schemes The UK government runs two lucrative and important tax schemes that a shocking number of people have never heard of – the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS). Both of these schemes are designed to encourage investment into early-stage businesses. So far, the scheme has helped raise £22bn for over thirty-thousand companies.

It’s that successful because the tax incentives are that good.

This differs from fungible tokens like cryptocurrencies, which are identical to each other and, therefore, can be used as a medium for commercial transactions. Clearly, there are a lot of new trendy things you could invest your money in.

But how long will this craze last, and will there be buyers on the other side? Who’s to say. What I can say is that if you’re looking to invest your money into something exciting (and slightly more predictable) you should consider angel investing.

The EIS scheme, which is for slightly more established, companies offers:

Angel investors not only provide much-needed capital, the lifeblood for early stage businesses, they provide invaluable advice, contacts and support. With angel investing you have the opportunity to identify and help grow the UK’s most promising businesses – and if you’re savvy there is the potential for making a good financial return.

Its earlier stage counterpart, the SEIS scheme offers:

If the idea of becoming an angel investor is new to you, let me share some excellent reasons for looking into it further. a) Making a difference When you invest in property or publicly traded stocks it’s only your cold hard cash that makes an impact, and so the only time you’ll feel pride is when you get a return. With start-ups, it’s a different story. Cash is important, but it is not the only thing these businesses need. They need advice, support and your black book. When you invest in a start-up you join them on a journey, one in which you can directly impact their growth trajectory – whether that’s by making a vital introduction to a marquee customer, helping them get their pricing model right or ensuring they avoid getting themselves into legal hot water.

You may also be the difference between a business growing into a future giant or not existing at all. By providing support early on, you have the ability to help shape which companies get off the ground. So, if there is a cause you feel passionate about, like sustainable fashion or social care for the aging population, you can support seed businesses in those areas

• Income tax relief of 30% of the amount invested • Exemption from Capital Gains Tax (CGT) on any gains from selling your EIS shares • Further income tax relief at top rate of income tax (40% or 45%) for any losses made on the disposal of EIS shares • Unlimited deferral of capital gains

• Income tax relief of 50% of the amount invested • Exemption from Capital Gains Tax (CGT) on any gains from selling your EIS shares • Further income tax relief at top rate of income tax (40% or 45%) for any losses made on the disposal of EIS shares • Unlimited deferral of capital gains All of this is designed to encourage investing into early-stage businesses, while off-setting the risk, because investing in early stage businesses is risky. c) Potential returns Yes, one day you might wake up and read the news, and drop your phone in excitement when you learn one of your businesses has just been sold for big money.

(Conversely, I do need to mention that one day you might wake up and read the news and drop your phone in utter disappointment when you learn one of your businesses has gone under.)

Joking aside, angel investing, while it carries risk, can be very lucrative. Data collected in the US in a 2017 Willamette University study on angel investment returns calculated an average return for angel investors of 2.5X. With an average investment period of 4.5 years, this indicates a gross internal rate of return of 22%.

ENTREPRENEUR Compare this to other investment vehicles: a) Mutual funds - Not even the best performing mutual funds of all time will break 20% average annual return, and most do not go over 15% b) Bonds – Over the last year, UK interest rates on bonds have been cut to 0.1% c) Stocks - The average return on a Stocks and Shares ISA in the UK is just 5.14% (April 1999 to April 2020) d) Index funds - The S&P 500 has provided an average annual return of 13.6% since its inception e) NFTS – No one knows A more recent study published in January 2021 by FounderCatalyst showed that angel investments yielded an average 2.77 X return. With the additional benefit the EIS scheme that grows to an average 3.19 X return. It is worth pointing out here that averages are averages. Any experienced angel will tell you that many companies take much longer than 4.5 years to mature and exit. Some companies fail quickly while others fail slowly, never growing and never exiting— locking up your assets indefinitely. d) Networking opportunities While investing in ISAs or stocks will leave you solitary, leafing through the financial section with ink-stained fingers or spending quality time with your investment app, angel investing is social. You will meet new people, clever people like you.

A huge part of angel investing is networking. As you start to investigate opportunities you will meet passionate founders and like-minded investors with whom you can discuss said passionate founders. You’ll be invited to pitching events where entrepreneurs will present their investment opportunity to you while you sip wine and contemplate the potential returns.

You can also join an investment club (which I recommend for all new investors). You can opt for a sector specific club that aligns to your interest and expertise or for a sector- agnostic one. There are plenty to choose from and research agency Beauhurst has helpfully listed out the most active ones here (including Envestors Private Investment Club – which is at the top of the list!)

e) The stories you’ll be sharing Whether you make a fortune or whether you don’t, your angel investing will provide some great stories. Perhaps you’ll have spotted a seed stage business that has become the new brand everyone wants…Whatever happens, and however much you make or don’t make you’ll have made a difference to the entrepreneurs and businesses you’ve invested in.

Author Chantelle Arneaud is from Envestors. Envestors’ digital investment platform brings together entrepreneurs and investors across geographies, communities and sectors – creating the single marketplace for early-stage investment in the UK. Website: https://www.envestors.co.uk/

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What Should be in an Investment Pitch CAM Ventures has only been officially around for a few months but already a lot of pitches and enquiries for investment have been sent over, and what a variety of content I have seen. There have been very detailed business plans with spreadsheets of numbers and there have been emails saying “Can I have some money please?”. This makes me think, what are the non-negotiables for a business plan or investment pitch? Obviously what I think may not be what a large venture capital fund wants to see or what is necessarily “correct”, but I think these topics should be included in some form and the pitch should not be purely about numbers.

Values What does your company stand for and what do you believe in? Customers’ desire to buy from companies that reflect their own moral compass is continuing to grow and will only ever get stronger. Will you be eco-friendly? Will you invest in your team more than your competitors? Will you work to support your community?

The People

Whatever it is make sure you make it clear. However, if you say you are going to do something then you must do it! It is better to have limited values than have a long list and do nothing towards them.

We are a micro-investment company with the majority of transactions being under £50k with some rising up towards £100k. We are not investing in large companies with multimillion pound turnovers, we are investing in small start ups that may not have progressed very far beyond an idea.

Numbers are important and an investor will want to know what commitment they are making and how they will earn that (and then some) back, but the majority will also want to know what makes you and your company tick, so please don’t miss it out.

With this in mind, more often than not, we are investing in the people whether that be a single person or a small team of individuals. The pitch has got to include an introduction to the people involved, the skills and experience they have and some of the personality should be able to come through as well.

Author: Will Macpherson. Managing Director. CAM Ventures

The majority of start ups will succeed or fail on the strength of the people involved, so it is key to get over to the investor that their money is in safe hands because you are awesome.

I would never put a picture on a CV, but within a pitch deck then a picture can be very useful to try and get over your personality and personal brand.

Please don’t use a picture of you at a Christmas Function wearing a turkey hat…… that is not showing your fun side.

Brand Identity How your company and/or brand will be perceived by the general public is key. Will it reflect your individual personality or will it be completely different? Whatever is the right answer to that question, it needs to be clear in your pitch.

You may not have the budget to have had a professional work on your brand, but you should be able to describe what it will be and try to use imagery, colours and fonts to communicate how you visualise it.

If the pitch deck tone does not reflect the product or service then I really question whether there has been enough thought into who the customer is and who will buy the product or service.

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Business Skills: How to approach a Q&A session It’s a common scenario: you have just finished that presentation you’ve spent hours, days or even weeks preparing for, and you are really pleased with how it went.

But now you are faced with a question-and-answer session.

Although this may be daunting because it is harder to rehearse, it can be an incredibly useful experience and should be encouraged if time allows. It offers you the opportunity to further demonstrate your knowledge and expertise on a particular subject which could benefit your business, for example, by instilling confidence in potential investors and therefore encouraging their participation.

Q&As also offer a valuable chance for self-reflection. For instance, a section of the presentation you think is clear, may not be if you receive lots of questions about it. Perhaps it is time to look again at the content or your delivery of this topic, and either edit it if you are giving the same presentation again or be mindful of avoiding similar mistakes in your future presentations.

Here, Zoe Melhuish, Content Creator at creative marketing agency PMW, advises on how to approach a Q&A session.

Preparation Although it might not be possible to rehearse exactly what questions you might receive in the same way you can your presentation, it is still possible to prepare for your Q&A to an extent. Look through your presentation for any obvious gaps. Perhaps, for example, you have not included certain sales figures, or projections. Any gaps in your presentation are where your questions are most likely to come from and identifying them allows you to ensure you know the relevant information you may need. You could also try practising your presentation to a trusted colleague who might think of questions on topics you hadn’t considered, increasing your awareness on the types of questions you may receive and allowing you to prepare for them.

On the day A bottle of water is your best friend. Those first few seconds after being asked a question can be nerve-racking. You don’t want to start speaking before you’ve had chance to think about your response, nor do you want to be seen as hesitant and therefore nervous or uninformed on a subject. By having a drink of water at hand and taking a sip before you answer a more difficult question, it gives you valuable thinking time without looking like you are hesitating. However, it is best to avoid having a sip of water before every answer as this might then appear to be a nervous habit.

Be mindful of your body language No matter how many times you have presented, it is natural to feel nervous which can make us feel uncomfortable and more likely to fidget or use body language we would not normally. Try to avoid crossing your arms as this can appear defensive, and fidgeting, for example, with a button or hair tie can highlight your nerves. However, it is important to not look too stiff and rigid as this could also demonstrate discomfort.

A good way to stand is with your shoulders nice and relaxed (try to consciously push them down. When we feel nervous, we tend to raise them without realising) with a calm, open posture, a smile and a nod whilst talking can also indicate confidence.

To really connect with the audience, it might be useful to employ something called convergence, where your speech and your behaviour becomes more like that of the person asking you a question as a way of making yourself more relatable to them. For example, you could try adopting a similar speed of speaking and perhaps using some of the same gestures or phrases that they do. You don’t have to change your natural style of speaking too much, in fact it’s best not to, but using a few similar phrases will help you connect to your audience, making them more receptive to your answers.

The answers When delivering your answers, an awareness of a theory regarding four key components of effective conversation, known as Grice’s Maxims, could make your responses more effective and help you feel more confident. This consists of: Quantity Your answer should detail enough information that the question has been addressed fully but should not be too long.

Once you have given all the relevant information you need, stop. It is easy to think a long, in-depth answer is needed to show your expertise, but this is not the case, and you are more likely to ramble making you appear less confident or knowledgeable.

Quality (truth) Your answer should be true or if you are unsure, for example, if the question is about a future projection, it should be what you believe to be true. Whilst it can be tempting to exaggerate to try to impress, it can be easy for the audience to spot and embarrassing if you get caught out. Being honest, even under pressure will make you appear more trustworthy and ultimately benefit your business.

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Relation (relevance) Your answer should be as relevant to the question as possible.

This shows that you are actively listening to the question and have understood it. It is possible that in your presentation you might have missed out a piece of information that you wanted to include, and the temptation might be to try to include it in an answer that doesn’t really fit the question. However, this is more likely to make it appear as though you have misunderstood the question and undermines the audience’s confidence in you.

Manner (clarity) Deliver your answer in a clear way. Try to avoid ambiguity, obscurity or vague language. Remember if you need to take a second to think of the answer before you give it, that’s OK. A clear, well-articulated response will leave your audience with

a greater understanding on the topic and confidence in your expertise. Don’t forget to consciously slow down your speech as we often speed up when we are nervous, which can make our answers less clear.

With practice your Q&A can become as strong and confident as your main presentation. If you are still feeling daunted, try to remember that the questions are not being asked to trick you, but because of a genuine interest and to learn from you.

You are the expert, so have confidence in yourself and your answers. https://pmwcom.co.uk/

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How can ecommerce startups grow internationally?

Money, dedication, sleepless nights - maybe even some failure along the way. Starting an ecommerce store can be a daunting task, but nothing matches the feeling once you start to reap the rewards of all that hard work. But in a world with everything at our fingertips, startups are limiting themselves from the outset if they’re only thinking about their local market. There’s a huge pool of potential customers in other geographies currently going untapped, with more than half of global consumers said they are ready to buy from the UK. So why just think local when you can go global?

Grow, grow, grow It’s only natural to think first about your closest customers first. Some of the most popular businesses started off small, catering to local consumers before becoming the ecommerce giants they are now. But once the home market starts to become saturated, it’s probably time to start thinking about expanding internationally. International consumer markets are growing at a rapid pace, with businesses of all sizes and in all locations reaping the rewards of the current ecommerce ‘boom’. Yet many startups are still being forced to focus on products in their home market with the aim of first gaining momentum to navigate the traditional obstacles of earlystage businesses.

The problem is, if a business focuses too much on just the local market without keeping one eye outside of the country, it likely won’t be able to support itself in the long-term. After all, there are over 7.6 billion people in the world, and only 66 million in the UK. Localisation and globalisation are closely linked In an era of globalisation, startups are having to compete with or use the services of the likes of Amazon or eBay. But offering localised services and products could offer a significant competitive differentiator. Businesses that offer localised products are able to utilise and promote deep market knowledge to attract new customers and increase brand awareness and loyalty. This also rings true in their communication and marketing, as the same taglines and headlines that proved popular within one market could be completely lost on another.

As a startup looking to scale internationally, you can’t afford for messages to get lost in translation. But it’s not just a matter of swapping languages. Scaling globally takes an understanding of other cultures and new audiences - and ultimately how to cater to their needs.When entering new markets, think about the language, design and cultural elements of the website to provide a relevant experience for your new customers.

Consumers need a personal touch Just 14% of UK businesses currently sell internationally. So, if you’re one of the 86% of businesses that aren’t selling internationally yet, it’s time to start thinking about it as there’s

a lot of opportunity to be had. Because, there are still a lot of barriers for growing internationally, the typical ones of cost, delivery times and language barriers are being removed, allowing online businesses to thrive across borders. Language is an important barrier, and probably the most obvious place to start for businesses entering new geographies.

According to a survey commissioned by Weglot, 61% of UK consumers said shopping on a foreign language website was a significant put-off, while 49% said they wouldn’t buy a product online if the website wasn’t in English. The key to expanding is producing a business which is able to personalise and localise their products to cater to specific geographies, but there are certain aspects to think about first in order to boost success.

Firstly, it’s important to take it step by step. Rushing into opening several stores across the world takes time, resources and manpower, so you’ve got to be confident that you have these first if you’re to meet consumer expectations. Start small by translating your store into one language first, as it’s better to build up a solid base as you go along rather than trying to expand everywhere and anywhere at the same time.

This actually leads me onto the next tip, because the first one would typically be the most popular language based on where your current web visitors are coming from, as it’s clear there’s a demand for your products.

When selecting which new territory to open up in, make sure you check the location and amount of current website visitors. This will tell you where you already have a base of budding customers and give you a good platform to build further success. Last, but by no means least, ensure you are constantly monitoring web traffic to check on performance, sales and what can be improved. Your website is your best sales tool, so make sure it’s optimised, user friendly and a good representation of the brand.

And be patient. Building success in brand new areas can take time, but if you utilise the right tools and put the customer first, you’ll put yourself in the best possible place.

Unimaginable growth Scaling a startup internationally doesn’t have to be hard work.

The difference between failure and success usually comes down to diligent planning, a global frame of mind and keeping everything customer-centric. This doesn’t mean launching a business in multiple countries at once, but rather a focus on identifying what it is about the business that appeals to global audiences first and building on success one step at a time.

International expansion takes a lot of patience, but with the right plan and strategy behind you, each and every new market can make your business a global success.

By Augustin Prot, CEO and co-founder of Weglot. www.weglot.com

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How to be an effective leader when you work remotely As millions of employees embarked on a mass move to working from home during the first UK lockdown, the past 12 months have shone a light on how workforces remain productive, motivated, safe, and happy when their teams are not all in the same room.

Back in March 2020, there would’ve been several managers not used to conducting operations from anywhere other than company headquarters. However, if the pandemic has taught business leaders anything, it’s how important it has been to remain agile and react positively to economic flux.

For many organisations, they’ve used the global crisis as a chance to diversify their propositions, evolve products and services, and focus on developing their company culture.

Those who have exceeded expectations, have witnessed an increase in staff productivity too with employees enjoying fewer distractions.

But how can leaders maintain momentum when they continue to operate from all corners of the UK? Here are some areas for managers to focus on, to remain effective and keep employees engaged.

1.Continue to hold virtual check-in sessions During the early parts of the lockdown, there wasn’t a day that went by where people weren’t posting screenshots of their latest Zoom call or snippets from the staff quiz and team building exercises. However, there is a lot to be said about the art of communicating well when everyone’s in a virtual setting.

In terms of providing one-to-one sessions, employees here have the chance to meet with their line managers, colleagues, CEOs, or company decision makers and discuss issues in confidence. On group chats, there should be a way in which everyone feels confident to have their voice heard.

Just because teams are working remotely doesn’t mean that their personal goals have to come to a halt – and every effective leader should understand that.

Providing opportunities for members of the team to upskill – whether via online courses, one-to-one mentor sessions or virtual masterclasses with third-party experts – will start to build a workforce’s expertise and pave the way for more employees to take on greater leadership roles throughout the organisation, not just the CEO or managing director.

Effective leaders are those able to embrace an agile mindset and that includes working on personalised frameworks and KPIs that are agreed on between colleagues and themselves. Virtual check-ins can then be held to further motivate employees to stay on track with their learning, especially when they don’t have colleagues physically by their side to spur them on.

3.Making decisions and communicating them Not every CEO, managing director or senior member of a business is going to get everything right, but they shouldn’t shirk away from big moments either.

Many individuals will have been faced with tough calls to make in isolation, such as furlough or restructuring – and that’s where effective communication comes to the fore.

Organising online meetings to speak confidentially to the HR or finance department about critical organisational developments or booking in colleagues’ time to discuss new recruits and ongoing internal changes can not only alleviate fears but also provide a ‘safe space’ for open and honest dialogue.

4.Let the team know it doesn’t matter if they make mistakes

Following so much uncertainty, leaders must be ‘present’ when online and provide an opportunity for personnel to safely open up about a worry or concern – even when they’re not in the same room.

Nobody is perfect – even the CEO! If a company promotes a culture where people are vilified for their errors, this can cause serious problems for both the employee and the business’s future.

Virtual check-ins can be informal or formal and vary in length, depending on the agenda. The main thing is to provide enough space and time to discuss pertinent topics, have team-building social events, or offer additional support.

And any feedback should always be taken on board and acted upon accordingly.

If employees feel that their mistake is being punished, they’ll not only be afraid to provide ideas in future but when it comes to logging-off, it’ll also impact on their quality time away from work.

2. Encourage learning and development

And when people aren’t in the same room, a ‘blame’ culture can manifest into something that many enterprises struggle to come back from. Therefore, any failures along the way should be accounted for, taken on the chin, and learnt from.

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5.Be positive The most effective leaders are authentic communicators and can provide empathic, ‘human’ responses to each staff situation. Listening to how colleagues are coping while working from home – and providing additional support where necessary – can make people feel more supported.

still part of a collaborative workforce even when they’re in different settings. And an effective leader knows how important it is for everyone’s voice to be heard if they’re to achieve employee buy-in and ultimately drive the business forward.

A positive leader helps motivate employees and keep them productive – whether that’s via a quick virtual check-in, an instant message or rewards in the post. Making staff members feel valued and trusted to do their jobs away from HQ is vital. This shouldn’t always land at the CEO’s desk either – with leaders throughout the team, every employee has an important role to play.

By Jon Pickering, CEO of workplace data analytics organisation Tiger

Staff members operating remotely should be provided with the tools to complete tasks autonomously and know they’re

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Today’s Business Leaders Need Research Technology to Keep the Consumer Close The acceleration of digital adoption in the last year has been quite remarkable. Technology is now critical to sustaining business and life as we now know it. And, as we make our way through a second year of upheaval caused by COVID-19, it is clear that the future of business innovation and success will lean on tech as the cornerstone of global leadership.

Not only does that change the way in which we operate from the inside out, but it also changes the fundamentals of how we interact with customers. As we discussed in the previous article on the growing importance of ResTech, it is no longer good enough to make assumptions and hypotheses about consumers and their interests or intent. To properly and effectively engage customers, business leaders need to really understand them. Companies that keep a direct pulse on their customers are far more likely to succeed, and as such, measuring the changing sentiments and behaviours of your audiences has become increasingly important.

Today’s business owners and founders not only face these challenges associated with how best to reach and engage with customers in the most meaningful way, but keep a keen eye on what’s next. They need to be agile and flexible enough to turn on a dime. They must also ensure that the processes and strategic approach they adopt are future proof, which is where simply knowing your audience, creating and nurturing a bond with customers can pave the path to better customer engagements.

Prioritising personalisation The evolution of digital transformation and tech innovation has taught us that knowledge is power. As such, data has become a force at the heart of the organisation driving positive change. The time has never been better for research to support today’s business leaders - to empower them to be bold and disruptive by placing research and tech at its heart, to help provide real-time clarity into the thoughts, opinions, and feelings of customers across the globe.

Case in point: according to a recent piece in Marketing Week, personalisation and customer experience top the agenda when it comes to today’s consumer. It states that 43% of UK consumers believe personalisation is a basic requirement of online shopping, while 60% say they are more likely to commit to a brand again if they feel they’ve had a personalised shopping experience.

The power of ResTech to provide insights into the customer of today is second to none. And even more so, to help businesses understand what makes their customers tick, what they care about, and how to best appeal to them through personalised and targeted messaging.

Aligning on shared values Every business leader living and breathing today’s challenges knows that every dollar matters. And yet, success is no longer

just about financial numbers but equally a more wholesome definition of values at the core of business - from mental health, environmental impact, and diversity and inclusivity.

Consumers sit at a very different outlook today as compared to pre-pandemic, where price is no longer the top driving factor. Instead, people rate their overall experience higher, and care more about whether the brand or business shares similar values and passions. In fact, research conducted by ad tech firm Channel Factory found that 69% of consumers would prefer to buy from brands committed to socially conscious causes.

The same statistics published in Marketing Week also showed that more than a third of British consumers say they would shop with a brand again if the customer experience is good, even if it is cheaper or more convenient elsewhere, while 73% expect a personal and consistent customer experience across multiple channels.

Putting the customer first At the end of the day, it’s all about being customer-centric. The good news is that now businesses can easily arm themselves with the technology and tools needed to dive deep under the skin of their customer, even amongst the loud noise, vast clutter and brand overload on the market today. Combining market research with technology can help not only gauge audience opinions and consumer behaviours, but can also help businesses predict purchase intent, track feelings and sentiments over periods of time, and inform future product and services development.

This means that successful businesses who are actively, and continuously, listening to their customers with research will have insight into the needs of their target audiences and can lead with a customer first approach -- reaching and engaging with them in a way that really resonates. COVID has removed the traditional objections and barriers to entry for businesses looking to adopt a tech or software first approach.

Time, flexibility, and the bottom line have become ever more important as the traditional rate of adoption is replaced by a new kind of disruption with a shape that mirrors a cliff edge more than a bell curve.

Emerging technology has, and will continue to define us - from how we work to how we interact with family and friends. And, this will have a profound impact on how we measure business performance going forward, where we will undoubtedly see those business leaders who are brave and pro-risk enough to challenge the status quo, and to truly put their customers first in every aspect, will be the ones to succeed.

About the Author Author Ben Hogg is Managing Director, EMEA and APAC, for Lucid. https://www.linkedin.com/company/lucidhq/

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Personality vs Profit: You Can Have Both When You Recruit Right Businesses have never recruited as much as they do today.

They spend more time doing it and invest more money to get it done. But why do so many businesses get it wrong?

What is the true cost of their mistakes? And is the increased emphasis on personality conceding ground to competence?

David Bernard, CEO of the innovative recruitment technology firm AssessFirst, believes that businesses can improve both their profits and personality-led cultures by modernising the recruitment process.

The traditional hiring process follows a pattern that most of us are familiar with and have experienced. It goes something like this: HR determines what the tasks of the vacancy are with hiring managers and outline the attributes required to fill it. Job adverts are posted and applicants apply. An interview is arranged. The winning candidate is offered the job. That process has undergone some change over the years, but the essential structure has remained the same. The problem with this model is that we don’t know how successful it is. Most companies can tell you how much they spend in pursuit of the ideal candidate. But far too few of them can explain the true cost per hire.

What we do know is that the traditional recruitment process is broken. I often put my head in my hands when I read the myriad of HR reports that reveal the prevalence of bad hiring.

The 2020 Career Builder report offered little reassurance. It stated that 74% of employers hired the wrong person last year. This came at an average cost of £10,843. This is madness.

Profit Productivity ought to be a key consideration when seeking a new candidate. Ideally, the new hire should be more productive - either through skillset, efficiency or both - so that profit opportunities can be maximised. This makes a bad hire doubly costly. Not only are businesses paying for a wasted recruitment process with inefficient training and slowed productivity, but the cost of missing a chance to improve the quality and volume of output is equally detrimental in the medium-term. Profits that could have increased, instead suffer.

Research by McKinsey & Company suggests that the top 5% of talent is 8 times more productive than average talent. Of course, every employer should aim to be recruiting from as near to that top 5% as possible. Now you might, if you are an employer or recruiter, dismiss this as impossible – ‘that’s ok for the Google’s and Apple’s of this world, but how can I find that top 5%?’ This doesn’t have to be an impossible aspiration.

There are solutions that I will come to shortly, but first let’s breakdown just how a bad hire can damage profitability.

The $200,000/$50,000 formula demonstrated by HR Daily is a fantastic illustration of the problem. It outlines how an employee who brings in $200,000 in revenue would make their employer a profit margin of $80,000 on the hire. But an employee from the top 25% of the talent pool would give the business a profit margin of $130,000 because they will bring

in more revenue. A bad hire therefore results in a $50,000 loss of profit.

Personality “The first thing we look for when hiring new staff is personality. In my eyes, personality always wins over book smarts.” - Sir Richard Branson. It is a statement that divides recruiters, business owners and HR professionals. Whilst the declaration that personality wins over ‘book smarts’ is contentious, it is inarguable that character is a vital and too-often overlooked requirement for any given job role.

Finding candidates that match the core values and culture of a company is a profitable exercise, increasing the likelihood that good candidates can be retained. It also provides the opportunity to diversify your pool of talent, bringing in people who think differently to other staff to challenge norms and existing processes. Deciding between two or more candidates who appear to offer similar advantages is hard; the choice can be simplified with in-depth personality data.

Personality is in fact a predictor of future job performance that exceeds the quality of information that you can obtain from analysing a person’s CV or qualifications.Comprehensive personality assessments increase the chance of hiring the best people. And the best people drive healthy profitability.

Personality metrics At AssessFirst, our AI recruitment platform collects hundreds of data points about a candidate without the candidate having to complete long drawn-out questionnaires. This gives employers two crucial advantages in the hiring process; it provides a breakdown of a candidate’s personality type. And it helps to predict each candidate’s behaviour, revealing the tasks, projects and even teams where they will have the most impact. Gathering objective personality data provides insight that can help to eradicate unconscious biases. All employers are susceptible to, for example, confirmation or affinity bias during the recruitment process. This bias, perhaps more than any other factor, contributes to bad hires.

Those continuing to recruit without the benefits afforded

by Artificial Intelligence are prone to being in the 74% of employers that make the wrong hire. Data driven personality recruitment goes well beyond a simple tick-box personality test. It is a deep analytical tool that draws from behavioural science: assessing cognitive and non-cognitive patterns. This is how employers can tap into the top 5% of talent specific to their company and culture. The recruitment model of ‘advert, application, interview’ is as antiquated a process as there is in business. AI powered recruitment is more frequently associated with blue chip tech companies, but I think that a much larger cross section of the business community, many of whom are challenged by the uncertain post-pandemic market, cannot afford to get recruitment wrong. And it is personality metrics that will help to ensure they get it right. www.assessfirst.com

ENTREPRENEUR

WIN 20 LUXURY L

NTER 021 LIFESTYLE

Avington Park

For centuries, Avington has served as a playground to Kings and Royal Courtiers, with a rich and vibrant history. A stunning country estate, the elegant stately home and its 150 acres have recently been re-imagined – with every detail considered. This unique venue can now be exclusively yours…as your own private party palace, a country estate retreat, or the backdrop for a show-stopping wedding.

Set along the banks of the River Itchen, within easy reach of Winchester and London, this Hampshire estate has it all; journey through Avington Lake on its own classic launch boat, jump on a quad bike and explore the estate, enjoy a spot of fishing or head off in one of the Avington Land Rovers for clay pigeon shooting.

With an arrival worthy of a period drama, the awe-inspiring venue features its own private bridge across the river, extensive grounds and four magnificent opulent rooms, alongside a beautiful Orangery, seating up to 200 guests.

Avington features 21 luxurious suites, with carefully curated furnishings in keeping with the estate’s country setting. You and your and guests will feel like royalty as you make yourselves at home. There are even majestic Peacocks roaming the land.

A prestigious country retreat, Avington is famous for hosting besotted kings who snuck their mistresses away. Once owned by King Charles II, with many of the original features from this time remaining, Avington was a notorious party palace, in which the royal court attended. The love of huge parties continues some centuries later, whether it’s a wedding or private event, party like a royal at Avington!

Inside the splendid stately house, the décor has been beautifully curated, bridging heritage and modernity. With remarkable original works of art and stand-out historical features, Avington will surprise and delight. Despite its impressive grandeur,

every detail has been considered to offer a relaxed and lived-in feel.

There are elegant furnishings, hand painted wallpapers, White Company aromatics in the bathrooms and fresh flowers throughout.

Portraits of Charles II and his family hang on the walls and the show-stopping ballroom ceiling, painted by Antonio Verio who was tasked with replicating his ceiling masterpiece in the Palace of Versailles, gives a notably regal and exquisite feel.

The estate is yours - with a range of characterful rooms, for meetings, intimate dinners, dancing, celebrations and more, alongside expansive grounds to enjoy and explore. From 15 to 200 guests, the venue is perfect for private events, family get-togethers, corporate getaways, weddings, parties and exclusive-use stays.

Drinks receptions can be held in the expansive grounds or King Charles Hall, with its hand painted walls by the famous Claremont, making a grand first impression as guests take their first steps into Avington. The Crown Jewel of the house, the Versailles Ballroom, is flooded with natural light and views across the rolling parkland, making a breathtaking space for celebrations.

The Grand Dining Room is perfect for a cosy, more intimate gathering, or to enjoy an afternoon tea as you relax and make yourselves at home.

The Orangery is a whimsical and enchanting space, where the outside floods in. With walls bursting with jasmine, lemon and lime trees and views across the estate, this offers the perfect setting for a celebration for up to 200. The Library offers a unique backdrop to retreat to for evening drinks, or dance the night away, as your guests soak up the character of this charming home.

Visit www.avingtonpark.co.uk for more information.

Step Back in Time Century House, Cotswolds Few holiday cottages are as picturesque as this one, nestled in the historic town of Moreton-in-Marsh in the heart of the Cotswolds. It’s the perfect place for a romantic weekend escape from the city where you can take countryside strolls, enjoy quaint pubs and relax in front of a log burner fire with a good bottle or two of wine.

This idyllic retreat has three pretty bedrooms, two bathrooms, spacious living areas and kitchen with all the mod cons. If the weather is kind you can make the most of the garden and sun terrace and enjoy a BBQ. The Cottage is self-catering and we highly recommend a ten minute drive to famous Daylesford Farm. Here you’ll find an amazing farm shop with an incredible range of beautifully presented artisan fare. You can enjoy a fantastic lunch here too - and a spa Once you’ve explored the Cotswolds you can venture to Stratford-Upon-Avon just 17 miles away, or Cheltenham just a 40 minute drive. For Tudor history fans, Sudeley Castle is worth a visit and just a short journey away. Moreton in Marsh has a wealth of places to shop and dine in. There’s handy parking outside too.

The cottage has been sympathetically refurbished throughout and retains so much of its country character. It’s a dog friendly property and you’ll enjoy a welcome hamper on arrival.

For more information and to book visit: https://www.cotswoldcottagegems.co.uk/century-house.

For information on Daylesford (pictured below) visit: https://www.daylesford.com/locations/daylesford-farm/

Billesley Manor Hotel & Spa

By Alice Bradley

Listed in the 1086 Domesday book commissioned by William the Conqueror, the Billesley Estate has an expansive history dating back to 705 AD. Its decadent, medieval charm can be seen as soon as you approach the grounds. A winding stretch of road leads you to this proud country manor hotel situated amongst 11 acres of English countryside.

One of its famed visitors includes William Shakespeare, the playwright and poet who allegedly married Anne Hathaway in the All Saints church next to the hotel, and who’s granddaughter followed suit by marrying in the same church.

This hotel is steeped in historical mystery and makes for a fairytale weekend away or venue for celebration.

A recent £5.6 million refurbishment has led to extensive improvements throughout the hotel. Guests can expect newly refurbished bedrooms complete with inviting fresh designs, upgraded and more contemporary guest spaces and a redesigned restaurant and bar, not forgetting a newly renovated spa and wedding venue.

Many of the bedrooms have also been expertly upgraded, with a focus on elevating guests’ sleep experience, guaranteeing comfort and the feeling of historic decadence within each individually designed bedroom. Four poster beds, cosy period fireplaces and grand writing desks are the focal point of the room and allow guests to unwind and enjoy their space.

Venture from your room to the Billesley Manor Spa which offers a relaxing escape from the everyday. Guests can sample a variety of Decleor treatments at the newly refurbished spa for the ultimate relaxation after a day spent exploring the hotel’s surrounding gardens and countryside. Take a dip in the pool or relax in the steam and sauna room. Or for something more invigorating, guests can make use of the private gym and yoga hut facilities.

Other memorable features of this hotel include the welcoming staff who are able to accommodate everything from your guests dietary requirements to organising local activities for you to enjoy. It’s the perfect balance of attentiveness and leaving guests to discover the grounds for themselves. The Billesley Manor Hotel and Spa is also part of Bespoke Hotels, representing over 120 properties worldwide, and now stands as the UK’s Largest Independent Hotel Group. The group prides itself on a diverse roster and a unique, individualised management style.

Venture from the hotel to Stratford-upon-Avon town, where you can educate yourself at the Shakespeare Distillery where you will get to see behind the scenes of their gin and rum production. Established in 2015, Shakespeare Distillery is an artisan spirit producer with their name taken from the town’s most famous inhabitant. Founder and Head Distiller, Simon Picken joined forces with Peter Monks were proud to live and work in this historical town and wanted to create something authentic to their area. Now crafting a range of premium, handcrafted gins and rums made entirely onsite at the distillery, the duo have created award-winning spirits.

Inspired by Tudor knot garden botanicals, Shakespeare Distillery gin is produced in small, handcrafted batches and uses traditional ingredients from this period. Taking on the personality of Shakespeare’s jesters, who were also known for being fond drinkers, this fermented and twice distilled Jester Rum is made from scratch in the local distillery. Their rum promises to be both bold and memorable.

Tours approximately 1 hour 15 minutes and visitors are able to join the team for a fun and informative tour around the working distillery. The tour is followed by a tutored tasting of at least three Shakespeare Distillery spirits, finishing with a Gin & Tonic.

Make time to venture on the grounds and find yourself exploring the exquisite, listed topiary garden planted over 125 years ago, that has been curated and shaped to form giant chess pieces, inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

A walk around the gardens will certainly work up an appetite so regular visits to the Stuart restaurant will become part of your routine during your stay.

If you’re looking for a place to enjoy lunch in the town after your boozy distillery tour, make sure to stop by El Greco, a family run Greek restaurant that is both friendly and foodfocused. The set menu for sharing will leave you as stuffed as their tangy vine leaves, that are soaked in a fresh tomato sauce. Make sure to leave room for the vegetable moussaka and for dessert their sticky baklava.

Notably, the Stuart Restaurant is a versatile room that sees guests from breakfast, right through to their night-cap at the end of their evening meal. Whether it be the hotels’ buffet breakfast, post-spa light lunch or indulgent themed afternoon tea. For an exclusive gastronomic experience, dine at the restaurant in the evening for an intimate candle-lit dinner where locally sourced produce and specially selected wines come together to form the perfect evening. Drawing inspiration from the romantic English landscape, historic origins and the notable voices of past and present, this dining space is a talking piece in itself.

Once you’ve indulged at El Greco, walk through the charming historic town that is both a mixture of high street shops, independent boutiques and gift shops. Head to Henley Street, where you’ll be welcomed by a bronzed William Shakespeare statue and tour his birthplace.

Billesley Manor Hotel & Spa rates start from £160 per night B&B based on two people sharing, subject to availability.

For more information about Billesley Manor Hotel and to book a stay, please visit www.bespokehotels.com, www. billesleymanor.com or call 01789 279955.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland Best Winter Gardens to visit Nature lovers across the UK are being encouraged to wrap up warm, grab a hot drink and explore some of the UK’s best winter beauty spots. As we move into the frostier months, there are still lots of public gardens across the UK ready to be explored, with some specifically designed to flourish in the winter months.

Anglesey Abbey, Cambridge This Cambridge winter garden was designed specifically for the snowy season, with flowers and plants chosen specifically for their colour, appearance and fragrance during the winter months. With the dedication and work put into creating the perfect garden for a winter walk, this is a must see for all nature lovers.

Belsay Hall Gardens, Northumberland Owned by garden enthusiasts this gorgeous space has been lovingly and carefully made into a well loved beauty spot, with several formal gardens including a winter garden. As temperatures drop, visitors can enjoy the beauty of three types of snowdrops, yellow-berried hollies and festive red rhododendrons displayed within the winter garden.

Cambo Gardens, Fife This gorgeous park spans 2.5 acres and dates back to the 1800s.

The approach to the park includes creating year-round interest and beauty, meaning the garden is constantly changing with the seasons. The winter garden is bursting with tall silver birch trees and snowdrops.

Dunham Massey Garden, Cheshire Dunham Massey’s winter garden boasts over 1600 trees, winter shrubs and evergreens, chosen specifically for their resilience and beauty through the winter months. The huge seven acre area is filled with flowers, greenery and wildlife which can be easily spotted by all visitors to the park.

Dyffryn Gardens, Cardiff This beautiful Welsh garden displays lots of life and colour over the winter months, making it a perfect spot for a chilly walk. Nature lovers should head to the arboretum to explore the festive holly berries, winter roses and beautiful red barks.

The Eden Project, Cornwall Escape the chilly weather and explore the wonders to be seen inside the Eden Project’s famous tropical biomes. With the largest indoor rainforest in the world, tropical plants and botanical garden, this spot is sure to distract from even the coldest of weather and is a must see for adults and children alike.

Flatford Wildlife Garden, Suffolk Whether looking for a festive winter beauty spot or a place to seek out the best winter wildlife, this Suffolk based garden is a mustsee spot. Brimming with flocks of birds and beautiful flowers, the garden is a great place for all ages to enjoy a winter walk.

Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire Perhaps one of the most widely known arboretums in the UK, this Gloucestershire spot has one of the most impressive tree collections globally and is definitely not the average garden! The park celebrates the festive season through their Enchanted Christmas event, encouraging visitors to wrap up warm and enjoy the beauty of the park. By https://www.gardenbuildingsdirect.co.uk/

Cayman Islands Beautiful Beaches & A Fabulous Local Gastronomy Scene Although some travellers like the convenience of booking an all-inclusive package, as it takes the guesswork out of planning their meals, it can also take away an exciting part of any holiday: spontaneously discovering the local cuisine. Experiencing culinary traditions, mingling with the local residents and soaking up the atmosphere often stem from making the most of local bars and restaurants – and making the most of your Caribbean trip.

gastronomy.

Boasting a varied gastronomic scene with over 200 restaurants that range from beachside fare to fine dining, the Cayman Islands are the perfect place to embark on a bespoke culinary exploration. Located south of Cuba and west of Jamaica, with warm temperatures, white sand and turquoise waters as a backdrop and 135 nationalities represented across this British Overseas Territory, a smorgasbord of exciting dining options awaits. Who would want to miss out on sipping rum cocktails on the beach, feasting on fresh lobster with their toes in the sand, or trying an exciting new culinary fusion?

For an intimate and educational dining experience, up to ten foodies at a time can pull up a chair at the Chef’s Counter at Avecita - located within the Kimpton Seafire resort - and watch Massimo de Francesca’s team prepare a five-course tasting menu.

Frequently heralded as the ‘Culinary Capital of the Caribbean’, the Cayman Islands are home to an extraordinary variety of chef talent and extensive ‘farm-to-table’ and ‘ocean-to-table’ movements championing the use of fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

With a vast array of everything you might want from casual eateries to five-star restaurants and several culinary initiatives including the 2022 Taste of Cayman Food & Drink Festival in Camana Bay (January 2022), there are a multitude of culinary delights to explore.

Here are some key Cayman culinary experiences to tempt island visitors.

Eat like a local With an abundance of fresh fish and seafood on the doorstep, Caymanian cuisine is centred around produce sourced from local crystal clear waters. Conch stew, Cayman-style lobster, coconut shrimp or fish and fritters are just a few mouthwatering local dishes to try.

Of course, widely known Caribbean favourites such as Johnny Cakes [small, deep-fried dumplings] or Jerk Chicken should not be missing from your gourmet itinerary. The Heritage Kitchen in Grand Cayman’s West Bay is an authentic, colourful and quirky seaside shack that allows diners to sample local delicacies on the white, powdery sands while watching the waves.

To sample some of the best local fried snapper and mahi mahi, head to the Grape Tree Café near Bodden Town. A firm favourite amongst locals and visitors alike, Grape Tree Café offers delicious fish fry in a beautiful beach location – perfect for savouring this Caymanian Sunday tradition.

Be dazzled by world-class chef talent The Cayman archipelago packs a punch where big name chef talent is concerned, giving visitors the opportunity to sample Michelin Star quality food prepared by some of the most exciting names in

Arguably one of the most famous amongst them is Eric Ripert, widely regarded as one of the most influential chefs in the world. Renowned for his three-Michelin-starred flagship restaurant Le Bernardin in New York, he heads up fine dining haven Blue by Eric Ripert at Grand Cayman’s Ritz-Carlton*.

Eating healthy local produce With an abundance of tropical fruit, sun-ripened vegetables and fresh seafood to be found in the region, trying the local produce is a pleasure to savour. Get a first taste - and a healthy dose of vitamins by sipping on a fresh, cold-pressed concoction from Jessie’s Juice Bar Café in Camana Bay. Known to locals as ‘Caymans’ secret pleasure’, The Brasserie is a prime example of the ‘farm-to-table’ philosophy. Not only does the elegant restaurant in George Town send out its own fishing boats, it also grows fruit and vegetables in its gardens. Furthermore, the team is passionate about nurturing relationships with the best local artisans, fishermen and farmers, fusing a modern approach to cooking with traditional ideas.

Supporting local farmers, producers and fisherman is at the heart of Cayman Cabana and its menu offers the best local produce, meats and fish that the islands have to offer. From the Market Catch Ceviche and Local Market Salad to the Cabana Signature Seafood Boil, there’s a wealth of Cayman flavours to savour.

Visitors following a specialist diet need not worry, as vegetarian and vegan options are also readily available. VIVO Alternative Restaurant in West Bay offers sustainable cuisine made with organic local products, catering to vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free lifestyles.

A paradise for seafood lovers It goes without saying that in the Cayman Islands, you have unlimited access to the finest fresh fish and seafood. Whether you prefer a lowkey meal right on the beach, a romantic sunset dinner or a glamorous fine dining experience, the sea is the key protagonist when it comes to dazzling even the most discerning of gourmets with spectacular ingredients.

Featuring bold colour schemes of red, blue and orange throughout and French doors that open up on to a deck overlooking Morgan’s Harbour, the charming Calypso Grill offers an extensive fresh seafood menu. With fish coming into the dock beside the restaurant daily before being prepared, grilled, sauteed or blackened, diners are guaranteed the freshest fish in every dish. What’s more, the Chef’s sticky toffee pudding is famous on island and not be missed!

Try fantastic fusions With 135 nationalities represented in the Cayman Islands comes great creative flair where fusion cuisine is concerned. Combining outstanding local ingredients with traditional cooking techniques and international influences, visitors will be dazzled by bold flavours and unique dishes.

Alongside ‘ocean-to-table’ fare such as wahoo ceviche and tuna sashimi, Morgan’s, in the newly redeveloped Cayman Islands Yacht Club, offers a range of internationally-inspired dishes, including its famous chicken schnitzel and Mediterranean lamb. Creating a truly memorable dining experience, the casually elegant restaurant offers a waterfront deck and panoramic views of Governor’s Creek.

For a sumptuous combination of fresh Caymanian ingredients, Venetian flavours and culinary innovation, Bacaro in West Bay is the place to head. Choosing from the delicious range of dishes, including zucchini parmigiana and beetroot gnocchi, may be a hard task but with Bacaro’s five-course tasting menu, diners will be delighted by a full range of flavours as they savour water-front views.

New experiences and venues Over the past few months, a range of exciting new dining experiences and venues have opened in Grand Cayman, offering even more choice to visitors to the island, both returning and new.

The recently opened Union Bar and Grill in Camana Bay is a new goto gastro destination for food lovers. With a range of expertly made classic and brand-new artisan cocktails on offer and a menu bursting with flavoursome dishes, such as tuna tartare, pan -seared snapper and citrus burrata salads, there is every reason to visit this brand-new sophisticated dining venue.

Another new addition to Camana Bay, Tomfoodery Kitchen brings Chef Thomas Tennant’s ‘local-ish’ style of cuisine to Grand Cayman.

From saltfish fritters and cassava bravas to Cayman style beef and delicious breadfruit, there is something for everyone. Before leaving, don’t forget to pick up a bottle of Tomfoodery’s already locally famous FIYAH hot sauce perfect for bringing heat and flavour to dishes when back at home.

The newest eatery at The Westin Grand Cayman, woto offers a melting pot of fresh fish cuisine. The uniquely diverse, island inspired menu features a range of delicious sushi, ceviche and poke, including Caribbean snapper ceviche, spicy yellowfin tuna poke and tempura shrimp maki rolls.

To discover more about the Cayman Islands and the fantastic culinary offering, please visit: www.visitcaymanislands.com/en-gb

Soneva Embarks on Project to Launch One of the World’s Largest Coral Nurseries Soneva has launched an ambitious programme to restore coral reef systems and create a coral hub for the Maldives.

A partnership between the Soneva Foundation, the Swiss environmental organisation Coralive and the global ecosystem restoration organisation Ark2030, the project aims to protect and regenerate this vital marine habitat, which has been decimated by rising sea temperatures, ocean acidification, El Niño events and ocean pollution. The coral restoration programme, located onsite at Soneva Fushi in the Baa Atoll, is the largest conservation initiative to be supported by the Soneva Foundation. Founded in 2010 by Sonu and Eva Shivdasani, this UK-registered charity builds on their belief that a business must have a purpose beyond profit and invests in the development of global projects that have a positive environmental, social and economic impact.

“With the global warming crisis, the Maldives has little influence over the actions of the big greenhouse gas emitting countries.

We can’t bet our future on a wish and a prayer that the big countries decarbonise their economies in time to halt climate change before it wipes out our coral reefs. We need a backup plan. When finished, the coral farm at Soneva Fushi will be 1 hectare in size – one of the largest coral farms in the world – and in the ensuing years it is our goal to cultivate 1 hectare of coral each year at each of our resorts. This is the scale that is needed to have a meaningful impact and it also represents a huge opportunity for the Maldives to become a global leader in an activity that will likely have considerable future demand,” said Sonu Shivdasani, CEO and Co-Founder of Soneva.

Coral reefs are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, providing habitat for a quarter of all marine life, as well as protecting coastal communities from storms and erosion, with an estimated half a billion people worldwide reliant on reef systems for their livelihoods. Over the last three decades, more than half of the earth’s corals have died, with scientists predicting that up to 90 percent of all reefs will be lost over the next 20 years if decisive action is not taken.

The large-scale, in-situ restoration programme at Soneva Fushi aims to restore coral habitats and improve the resilience of the marine ecosystem around the Baa Atoll resort, with the longterm goal of becoming a coral restoration and knowledge hub for the Maldives and beyond. Following a two-year study to define the most suitable restoration techniques for the Maldives’ unique marine environment, it will become the largest Mineral Accretion Technology (MAT) coral nursery in the world. Once fully operational, the nursery will cover one hectare of ocean and propagate 50,000 coral fragments every year. The ultimate aim of the programme is to regenerate the reef back to the state in which it existed 25 years ago, covering out-planted corals across 40 hectares over the next decade.

Channelling low voltage electricity through metal structures placed underwater, MAT creates the ideal environment for corals to grow – as the electrons flow, calcium carbonate (CaCO3) deposits begin to accumulate on the structures, the same mineral that forms the skeleton of most hard and some soft coral species. Corals that have been placed on MAT structures have been observed to grow up to four times faster

than other propagation methods, as well as having significantly higher survival rates during bleaching events. At Soneva Fushi, the nursery will be cultivated from ‘corals of opportunity’ – rather than being harvested, these are corals that have been broken or damaged due to storms, waves or human activity.

Located at the outer edge of the house reef, the coral nursery at Soneva Fushi will comprise 432 table structures, arranged in three circular clusters. The project is divided into three distinct phases: the initial installation phase, where the tables and nursery infrastructure will be placed into the water, expected to take up to three months; a two- to three-month population phase, which will include scouting for donors and creating a detailed database to record taxonomy, growth and survival rates; and the third, ongoing maintenance and monitoring phase to ensure the health of the corals, monitor predation and verify that the MAT equipment is fully functional. Each table structure will be given its own unique code, where coral growth rates and health are recorded twice a year.

The restoration site at Soneva Fushi will be constantly monitored via an Aqualink Smart Buoy, which records temperatures at both the surface and the ocean floor, with all data accessible through the cloud. In phases two and three of the project, guests at Soneva Fushi will be invited to join in the restoration efforts themselves – a unique opportunity to be part of this ground-breaking project.

For more information about Soneva, visit www.soneva.com

A Feast of Festi

From amazing hamp delicious seasonal t favourites f Another fine purveyor of gorgeous Christmas hampers is Classic Deli. Their online store offers a huge choice of seasonal fare from seafood, to fine meats and even Valrhona gourmet chocolate (a KCR firm favourite!).

Their Luxury Treat Christmas Hamper is the perfect gift for any loved one and is packed with caviar, truffles, fine chocolates, high-quality charcuterie, cheeses, wine and more. £280 from https://classicdeli.co.uk/ content/13-christmas-hampers

Celebrity favourite Daylesford offers a large variety of prettily packaged hampers to suit a wide range of tastes. Generously packed to the brim with fine organic fare, they make a wonderful present, or decadent treat. £150 The Notting Hill Hamper is a favourite of ours. Named after their organic farm shop on Westbourne Grove, it’s filled with some of Daylesford’s most popular wines, savoury biscuits and sweet treats. Buy from https:// www.daylesford.com/shop/gift-guide/forhim-gift-guide-for-christmas/notting-hillhamper/

Brindisa offers an exceptional range of fine Spanish foods to savour. We particularly love their range topping Christmas Hamper for its artisan cured meats, celebratory bubbles, truffles, saffron, fine olives, gorgeous cheeses and other treats. Such a wonderful gift for someone who, like us, adores Spanish cuisine. £175 from https://brindisa.com/ collections/hampers/products/christmashamper

f Fabulously ive Fare

pers to fine kitchen ware and treats, here are some of our for this Christmas Award-winning, highly acclaimed Darts Farm offers a range of excellent Christmas hampers and other fine fare. Family run by three talented brothers and still a working farm today, it’s located in the pretty Clyst Valley in Devon, and believes in the ethos of selling in-season and home or locally produced goods. The Large Festive Hamper is a delight and filled with the most delicious artisan produce - a gift that’s bound to be received with pleasure. £65 from https://shop.dartsfarm.co.uk/collections/ christmas-hamper/products/large-festivehamper-1?variant=39506265210957

Dukeshill offers a wonderful range of luxurious hampers, fine fare and cured meats and even truffles. Whether to treat yourself or loved ones, you won’t be disappointed with the wide choice to suit all tastes and exceptional quality. Hamper shown is the excellent ‘It’s a Wonderful Life Hamper’, generously filled with fine ham, smoked salmon, rich fruit cake, mince pies, Christmas pudding, cheeses, sweet nibbles, bubbles and more. £150 from https://www.dukeshillham. co.uk/christmas_hampers/its_a_wonderful_life_ hamper/13708_p.html

The perfect gift for someone special with a rather sweet tooth, this prettily boxed exotic Gold Luxury Gift Hamper from Farhi is a delight. It’s Filled with the most decadent mix of chocolate dipped dates, dried and candied fruits and nuts you could possibly wish for.

Available from https://www.farhi.co.uk/products/ gold-rf-hamper. £100.

Our Favourite Hampers & Foodie Gifts for Christmas The Wine Society Christmas Pamper Case

Typoon Housewares Elements Board

The perfect gift for someone who loves beauty pampering products, delicious chocolates AND wine. £68 from https:// www.thewinesociety.com/.

A food presentation board with serious style. We love this Elements Marble and Acacia Rectangular Board from Typhoon for it’s use of attractive natural materials and pretty flash of gold. It will grace any kitchen and display your favourite nibbles beautifully. £25 From https://www.typhoonhousewares.com/.

The Wasabi Company Gourmet Yuzu Collection If you like us adores Yuzu and Japanese cuisine, you’ll love this wonderful Yuzu Gourmet Collection from The Wasabi Company. £43 from https://www.thewasabicompany.co.uk/.

Wriggle Negroni & Nibbles Hamper Negroni and nibbles, how very Sex in the City! A perfect gift for that cosmopolitan lady in your life from Wriggle. £60 available from https://getawriggleon.com/ Cartwright & Butler Festive Treats Gift Set For afternoon tea lovers this little but packed Festive Treat Set from Cartwright & Butler is a delight and comes with old fashioned preserves, biscuits, fudge and more.. £22 from https://www. cartwrightandbutler.co.uk/.

Petrossian Caviar & Truffle Caviar AND truffles? As if just the one wasn’t decadent enough.

This gourmet treat from caviar masters Petrossian features a wonderful interplay of textures between the melting grains of caviar and the crunchy truffle chips. £140 from https://www. petrossian.com/.

The Pished Fish Christmas Collection Box Smoked salmon lovers will ADORE this gift box of booze infused delights from The Pished Fish. Our featured box comprises three packs of award winning smoked salmon which lend themselves perfectly to being served as canapés. Simply add blinis or toasts and a little dollop of crème fraîche. Delicous! £44.99 from https://www.thepishedfish.com/.

Viners Assure Colour Code Knife Block Set For keen amateur chefs in the family, this high quality colour coded knife block from Viners is a lovely gift. The individually coloured handles mean you will be able to select the exact knife you need for any particular task with ease. £64.50 from https:// www.viners.co.uk/.

OXO UK Chefs Mandolin The perfect present to make food prep a breeze. This top quality chef’s mandolin from OXO is easy to hold and use and offers 21 different cuts with thickness settings in 0.5-mm intervals. It has straight and wavy blades, and built-in julienne and French fry blades too. From https://www.oxouk.com/.

7.5 Weeping Spruce Real Feel Pre Lit Tree from www.hayesgardenworld.co.uk/

Savoury Luxury Macarons from Petrossian

Renowned curators of the finest caviar, Petrossian have, launched an exclusive range of unique macarons just in time for Christmas celebrations. It took 3 months to develop the flavours, in partnership with British company Hilton Macarons, and the 3 signature savoury creations incorporate some of the Parisian fine food purveyor’s signature delicacies: caviar, salmon and black truffle. £42 for a box of 12 from www.petrossian.co.uk.

Made for Drink Ultimate Snack Selection Drinks without nibbles are just ... well... dull. The solution? These delicious snacks from Made for Drink. Keto fans will adore the Chorizo and also Salami Thins and the rest, everything really! Go for the Ultimate, as pictured. £25 from https://madefordrink.com/.

And we’re rather partial to the English Heritage crisp bundle too £24.

Celebratory Sparkles

A selection of our favourite champagnes and fine sparkling wines to celebrate with this season Coates & Seely Brut Reserve NV This delightful non vintage English Sparkling Brut Reserve comprises 40% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir and10% Pinot Meunier. It typically spends 2 ½ to 3 years on lees, blended with 2 to 3 prior years’ reserve wines, and is only released after a further 6-12 months on cork. Notes are of bright apple, citrus, ripe melon and peach - with hints of brioche . It’s full bodied with a lasting creamy finish. £32.95 from Coates & Seely https://coatesandseely.com/ Zuccardi Blanc de Blancs This lovely Cuvée Especial Blanc De Blancs from Argentina has wonderful notes of green apple, toast, white florals and a hint of spice. It’s a long lasting and elegant sparkling perfect for any special occasion. £14.14 from Vivino https://www.vivino.com/ Taittinger Brut Reserve Champagne As one of the few Champagne Houses to remain owned and actively managed by the family, the hallmark of Taittinger Champagnes is is the high percentage of Chardonnay used in their winemaking, providing for a style of elegance, delicacy and finesse. Renowned for its golden yellow colour with a consistent, fine lingering mousse, the Brut Réserve NV is elegant and light, giving it the flexibility to be the Champagne for the moment or excellent as an aperitif. Notes are of fruit and brioche and it pairs beautifully with smoked salmon, oysters and canapés. £46 from Fortnum & Mason https://www.fortnumandmason. com/ Borgo Antico Congliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco A great choice for festive parties, this lively Prosecco can be paired with shellfish, canapés and a host of other foods. Notes are of ripe fruits, brioche, apple and lemon. £10.77 from Vivino https://www.vivino.com/ Bolney Cuvee Noir 2014 For something a little different do try this wonderful traditional method English sparkling red wine from The Bolney Estate. Rich and sweet with ripe cherry, redcurrants and blueberries and a hint of spice on the finish. £30 from The Bolney Estate https://bolneywineestate.com/ The Emissary Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut This refined premium Prosecco is made from only the finest selection of grapes grown in the ‘DOCG Asolo’ region. It’s elegant, rich and complex with extra fine, velvety bubbles. The bouquet is rich with fruity and floral notes. Vibrant, zesty acidity and a subtle hint of sweetness balance gracefully on the palate.

Round, gentle finish with lingering notes of fresh fruit. A perfect celebratory tipple. £17.99 from The Emissary https://www.theemissary.co.uk/ Calvet Crémant de Bordeaux Rosé A lovely, excellent value party fizz. Made with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with notes of berries and brioche perfect to pair with pastries and fruit based desserts. It has a long finish too and is perfect as an aperitif. £10.39 from Ocado https://www.ocado.com/

Liquid Diamond Rosé Prosecco Another lovely Prosecco perfect for parties and seeing in the New Year. This Liquid Diamond Rosé is bottled in Valdobbiadene, the heart of Prosecco and is vegan-friendly. The pretty bottles come in a gift box making this an attractive gift too. This Rosé Prosecco has notes of pops ripe red fruits, especially raspberries, cherries and blueberries. £20 from Liquid Diamond https://liquiddiamondwine.com/ Jenkyn Place Blanc De Blancs 2015 This wonderful English Blanc de Blancs is made only from Jenkyn Place’s vineyards’ 8,500 Chardonnay vines. It is the first Blanc de Blancs they made, and the 2015 Vintage, with its low yields and concentrated fruit, has given it weight and complexity.

This is a lovely zesty wine, with notes of lemon and verbena tempered with plum and other stone fruits. It’s delicious paired with festive fair such as smoked salmon, turkey, shellfish and mild cheeses. £38 from Jenkyn Place https://www.jenkynplace.com/ Gusbourne Rosé 2017 A most delightful English rosé made from a blend of estategrown Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Notes of summer berries and white florals give a freshness which mellow to a creamy and well rounded finish. It comes in a special gift box too. £49.00 from Gusbourne https://www.gusbourne.com/ The Wine Society Christmas Pamper Case The perfect gift for someone special who loves sparkling wine and beauty. Inside are pamper-perfect treats with a vinous twist, including a scrub and a body butter enriched with grape seeds, a hand & lip duo and a box of chocolates plus the Wine Society’s own bottle of excellent Prosecco. £68 from The Wine Society https://www.thewinesociety.com/ Gusbourne Bland De Blancs Gusbourne’s excellent Blanc de Blancs typifies the linear purity of this classic style. The finest lots of chardonnay that exhibit natural minerality are selected, ensuring the wine has both finesse and elegance, as well as the requisite qualities for extended ageing. Presented in a special individual gift box. £59.00 from Gusbourne https://www.gusbourne.com/ Graham Beck Brut Rosé This lovely South African sparkly from Graham Beck is a perfect celebratory drink. It’s made in the same way as champagne.

Decanter called it “great value”. It has elegant creamy red-fruit aromas, rich mousse and a brioche-laden finish. £16.99 (£71.94 for 6, £143.88 for 12) from Majestic and https:// grahambeck.com/ FIOL Rosé Prosecco Such a lovely coral coloured Prosecco with delicious notes of raspberry and wild strawberry with hints of zesty lemon and white florals. Refreshing and elegant, the Pinot Noir shines through, showcasing a harmonious palate and persistent finish.

Perfect paired with festive canapés. £16.95 from Greatwine.co.uk and also Tannico https://www. tannico.co.uk/

Frerejean Frères Blanc de Blancs Champagne Frerejean Frères Blanc de Blancs Champagne NV 75cl is created using exclusively Premier Cru and Grand Cru Chardonnay grapes from the Côte des Blancs. 50% of the reserve wines used were from the harvests of 2010, 2011 and 2021 - By blending different vintages, Frerejean Frères have crafted a wine of great generosity and complexity with beautiful aromas and a linger after taste. All Frerejean Frères Champagne is sold in small, limited quantities all over the world and the house is known for their fresh, innovative approach they take whilst respecting the traditional methods of producing Champagne. This lovely champagne which comes in gorgeous packaging pairs perfectly with cured meat, fish, soft cheeses such as Brie and summer fruits. £63 from The Champagne Company https://frerejeanfreres. com/ Champagne Taittinger Nocturne This lovely champagne from Taittinger has fine bubbles and notes of white blossom and ripe fruit, with overtones of ripe peaches and apricots. On the palate its soft and mellow but retains a fresh zing. Has a long aftertaste and is a fine example of a well rounded and very well balanced champagne. £40 from Champagne Direct https://www.taittinger.com/ Vilarnau Brut Reserva Cava This excellent and award winning Cava is decorated with a Gaudi Sleeve is the latest edition by Vilarnau. It’s fresh and fruity and perfect as an aperitif before a meal or enjoyed at any time. Pairs beautifully with seafood, brioche, fish and even venison and most festive fare.

The Champagne Company £11.50 https://thechampagnecompany. com/ Lo Sparviere Franciacorta Rosé Franciacorta Rosé “Monique” is exclusively produced from Pinot Noir grapes from the Sergnana and Ronchetto vineyards. The grapes macerate on their skins for the time necessary to extract the most subtle aromas and to give the wine the precise desired rosé hue. A refined, extremely expressive bouquet releases smooth nuances of red berry fruits and rosewater.

From Independent Wine https://www.independent.wine/ Champagne Castelnau Reserve This refined and elegant Castelnau Reserve champagne is aged for at least 5 years and suited both as an aperitif and with fine food. It’s wonderfully zesty and fresh and perfect as a celebratory toast and to accompany scallops and other shellfish and other light festive fare. If you prefer your champagne to be vivacious rather than rich and heavy, this is the ideal choice for you. £35 from Winebuyers.com https://www.castelnau.co.uk/ François Martenot Crémant de Bourgogne This delightful Crémant de Bourgogne offers finesse and a nice aromatic intensity. Notes of white florals and apples, peaches and brioche make it compatible paired with a wide range of festive fare. £15.92 from Drinks & Co and https://www.ocado.com/ Champagne Armand De Brignac For a very special treat, Armand de Brignac’s flagship Brut Gold cuvee was rated the best Champagne in Fine Champagne magazine’s tasting of 1,000 brands. Super complex and fullbodied with a floral fresh and lovely bouquet it’s wonderful with scallops, roasted quail and freshwater fish. Or of course as a very special champagne to toast in the New Year. £289.99 from https://www.fortnumandmason.com/

Domaine Carneros by Taittinger Le Rêve Blanc de Blancs is a highly acclaimed tête de cuvée - the winery’s finest sparkling wine and frequently named America’s Best Sparkling. French for “the dream,” Le Rêve is crafted from 100% estate grown Chardonnay, making it a pure expression of Domaine Carneros. A wonderful wine to savour and celebrate with. $120 from Domaine Carneros https://www.domainecarneros. com/ Gusbourne Rosé 2017 This distinctive and delicious high quality English Rosé made from a blend of estate-grown Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Presented in a special individual gift box. A lovely present and perfect celebratory toast. £49.00 from Gusboune https://www.gusbourne.com/ Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Essential Extra Brut 2015 Notes of green apple, brioche, almonds and citrus marry beautifully in this refreshingly crisp Piper-Heidsieck champagne.

Has a good length, and pairs well with pork, shellfish, rich fish dishes and mild cheese - or of course on its own as a celebratory toast! £39.95 from Vivino www.piper-heidsieck.com Lo Sparviere Franciacorta DOCG Brut Millesimato 2014 A delightful “metodo classico” sparkling wine made from 100% Chardonnay. It’s a millesimato, which means that all the grapes come from the same vintage. This only happens in the best years, and shows that this is a top of the range fizz for this winery.

Further evidence is that it won the prestigious Bronze medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2021. £30.45 from Independent Wine https://www.independent.wine/ Image credit: Domaine Carneros

Good Cheer to All! Our selection of the best fine spirits, wines, mixers and even non-alcoholic tipples to enjoy with family and friends

Rudolph Wreath from https://floward.co.uk/

Wine, Spirits & Mixers Selection Luscombe Drinks Luxury Cocktail Set https://luscombe.co.uk/ Jin Jin Enzyme Drink https://www.drinkjinjin.com/ Caorunn Small Batch Scottish Gin https://www.caorunngin.com/ The Wasabi Company Yama Yuzu Shibori Sake https://www.thewasabicompany.co.uk/ Stranger & Sons Gin https://strangerandsons.com/ Edi Spirited Euphoria hemp/CBD non-alcoholic spirit https://edispirits.com/ Bullards Coastal Gin https://bullardsspirits.co.uk/ Copper Rivet Dockyard Oak Aged Damson Gin https://copperrivetdistillery.com/ Pensador Mezcal Oaxaca Hot Chocolate Set https://www.pensadormezcal.com/ Moore House Signature Cocktail Collection https://www.moorehousecocktails.co.uk/ Cider is Wine Tasting Sets https://www.cideriswine.co.uk/ Neptune Barbados Rum https://www.neptunerum.com/ Adriatico Amaretto Bianco https://www.amarettoadriatico.com/ Cabal No. 1513 Aged Rum https://www.cabalrum.com/ The Pickle House Spiced Tomato Mix https://www.thepicklehouse.com/ Villa Maria Taylors Pass Sauvignon Blanc https://www.villamariawines.com/ Villa Maria Reserve Pinot Noir https://www.vivino.com/ Exquise Rose Prestige 2020 https://www.vivino.com/ Benjamin Darnault Pique-Nique Rosé https://www.nakedwines.com/ Latentia Primitivo https://www.drinksandco.co.uk/ Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz https://www.wineandsomething.com/bottles-of-kindness Zalze Old Vine Chenin Blanc https://www.waitrosecellar.com/ Demarie Roero Arneis https://www.independent.wine/ Montefalco Sagrantino https://www.independent.wine/ Mairena Malbec https://www.wineandsomething.com/ L’Avenir Single Block Chenin Blanc 2012 https://www.wineandsomething.com/ Villa Maria Earth Garden Sauvignon Blanc https://www.villamariawines.com/ranges/earthgarden-range/ Pink Diesel Rosé https://www.pinkdiesel.co.uk/ Laylo Luxury Boxed Wines https://drinklaylo.com/ Wickham French Champagne and White Wine Gift Set https://wickhamwine.co.uk/

A Fragrant Festive Home

Made by Zen Glo Diffuser £90 & Kasper Diffuser £89 & Super Self-Care Essential Oil set £70 https://madebyzen.com/glo.html Laboratorio Olfattivo MeloMirtillo fragrance diffuser £39 https://www.laboratorioolfattivo.com/ Luna London Candle £28 https://www.lunalondoncandles.com/ Holistic Impact Lemon Grass and Eucalyptus Candle £25 https://www.holisticimpact.co.uk/lemongrass-eucalyptus-candle Alexandra Key Time to Breathe Essential Oil Diffuser £75.00. Essential Oils £20 https://www.greenpeople.co.uk/products/ alexandra-kay-time-to-breathe-ceramic-diffuser Rawe Wax Melts £15.50 https://www.rawesugar.co.uk/ Nest New York Sicilian Tangerine 3-Wick Candle $70.00 https://www.nestnewyork.com/ The Calm Society Balance Candle and Essential Oils £19.99 & £10.99 https://thecalmsociety.co.uk/ ESPA Delux Winter Spice Candle £37.00 https://www.espaskincare.com/home/candles.list

The Gift of Fragrance We’ve selected some of the season’s most gorgeous fragrances, each perfect as gifts loved ones will adore

Creed Silver Mountain Water £175 www.selfridges.com Le Couvent des Minimes Porto Bello £65 https://m.feelunique.com/p/Les-Couvent-des-Minimes-Porto-Bello-50ML Storie Veneziane by Valmont Zafferano 1 Extrait De Perfum £451 https://www.lamaisonvalmont.com/gb/en/zafferano-1. html Parfums de Marley, Oriana Royal Essence £210 www.selfridges.com Bon Parfumeur 002 and 101 £70 www.lookfantastic.com and https://www.bonparfumeur.com/ Maison Crivelli Hibiscus Mahajád £200 https://maisoncrivelli.com/ & In Store at Selfridges.

‘Les Absolus’ by Alex Simone Parfums Monte Carlo Circa £150 https://alex-simone.com Saunders & Long Q £195 https://saundersandlong.com IKON 914 Eau De Parfum 100ml Spray, £60 www.thefragranceshop.co.uk The Organic Pharmacy Jasmin EDP £150 www.theorganicpharmacy.com Ellie Saab Le Parfum Lumiere £88 www.harrods.com Van Cleef & Arpels Orchid Leather Collection Extraodinaire £130 www.johnlewis.com Givenchy L’Interdit Eau De Parfum Intense 50ml £79.50 www.beautybase.com Miller Harris Gift Sets - Scherzo Collection & Rose Silence £105.00 Each www.millerharris.com Ojar Mahrajan https://www.ojarofficial.uk/collections/absolut

Best Beauty Gift Sets Our pick of the very best beauty gift sets to treat your loved ones with this season

Best Beauty Gift Sets this Season Paul & Joe Makeup Collection Gift sets don’t get much prettier than this amazing collection from Paul & Joe. Such a treat for any makeup lover - including teens, for its generous array of top quality makeup and skincare items (including some limited editions) all packaged in a most delightfully cute case. 110 Euros. https://paulandjoe.com/

Diamond range for its delicate fragrance, silky smooth textures, soothing qualities and effectiveness.This new skincare kit is a great introduction to the Rose Diamond Range and a lovely gift. . £95. Do also seek out their stunning organic Tuberose, Jasmine, Oriental Blossom, Rose Oud and Orange Blossom fragrances too, £150 each). https://www.theorganicpharmacy.com/

L’Occitane Immortelle Divine Gift Sets We’re major fans of this lovely brand. Their Immortelle Divine Gift Sets are such a treat and wonderful gift for anyone who appreciates excellent skincare products.

With 5 registered patents, this anti-ageing skincare trio, potent with the power of immortelle essential oil, provides complete rejuvenation of the skin by lifting the features, redefining facial contours and brightening dark spots as well as skin’s tone to ensure that the skin retains its youthful glow. The set contains 50ml Immortelle Divine Cream, 30ml Immortelle Divine Serum and a15ml Immortelle Divine Eye & Lips Contour. £162 https://uk.loccitane. com/

Red Carpet Beauty Elite Professional Starter Kit This is THE most fantastic gift for someone who loves to beautify their nails. The Elite Professional Starter Kit is the ultimate starter kit to obtain professional nails at home. The Salon Ultra Cure LED light will cure your nails in just 30 seconds and wear will last up to 21 days. This kit contains three beautiful F&P shades to get you started and all the essentials for damage free removal when you are looking to change up your nails. £124.95. https:// redcarpetbeauty.co.uk/

Image Skincare Age Defying Essentials Gift Set Another lovely gift set, this time from highly respected Image Skincare. This attractive box contains all you need to optimise your age-defying regimen: The MAX™ stem cell facial cleanser: 188 ml, AGELESS total anti-ageing serum: 30 ml, and PREVENTION+ daily ultimate protection moisturiser SPF 50: 95ml. £75 https:// imageskincare.co.uk/ Jurlique Essential Face Trio This very prettily packaged set contains three of the brand’s acclaimed favourites: Activating Water Essence+ which hydrates the skin by activating your skin’s ability to retain moisture; Rosewater Balancing Mist which provides instant hydration and supports moisture balance, and Moisture Plus Rare Rose Cream which delivers intense hydration throughout the day. Such a lovely gift for a mum, girlfriend or favourite aunt. £84 https:// www.jurlique.com/ ESPA The Jewels of Nature Collection ESPA is another brand we’re long-time fans of. This year they have a fantastic range of gorgeous bath/shower and skincare gift sets to suit all tastes and skin types. Inspired by world-renowned ESPA spas and treatments from around the globe, this indulgent chest is filled with top-to-toe luxury. This exclusive selection holds the secret to nature’s most precious jewels, designed to enhance inner calm. Discover all you need to create a divine spa experience within your own home and bask in the most precious gift of wellbeing this Christmas. £195 (worth £365). https://www. espaskincare.com/

Illamasqua Pro On The Go Brush and Tools Set An ideal gift for any MUA or makeup enthusiast, this top quality Pro On The Go Set features a powder brush, best-selling foundation brush, blender brush, eyelash curlers and a pencil sharpener.

All can be carried safely and cleanly in a durable brush canister.

Valued at £114 it’s now £45 https://www.illamasqua.com/ REN All is Calm Set REN is another of our favourite brands. This lovely gift set is a perfect present for any loved one with sensitive skin. It contains REN’s bestselling clinically proven Evercalm™ Global Protection Day Cream that helps combat free radicals and dryness that can lead to sensitised skin, especially this time of year. The cream is infused with an antioxidant-rich blend of Blackcurrant Seed Oil to help nourish skin, and Camelia Oil to hydrate and help strengthen the skin’s natural barrier. In addition to the Day Cream is REN’s ultra-nourishing Evercalm™ Overnight Recovery Balm, specially formulated with natural oils proven to calm and soothe skin while you sleep. £45 (from £80) https:// www.renskincare.com/ Dear Dahlia Mesmerizing Moment Collection Palette The perfect luxury stocking filler, these 8-shade palettes, available in 4 different tone feature velvety mattes, silky shimmers, and iridescent glitters that are all super-easy to mix and match.

They’ve a lovely smooth texture making them highly blendable.

They are infused with patented Dahlia Flower Extract and certified organic Sweet Almond Oil, Argan Oil, Shea Butter, and Cacao Seed Butter, are the irritation-free and come in elegant and eco-friendly packaging. 57 Euros https://deardahlia.eu/

GAIA Crystal Range Trio Natural and handmade containing Gaia’s bespoke elixir, these three items are a lovely new introduction to the range. The Naturally Face Exfoliator will leave your skin texture smooth in buffing dead skin. The award-winning Crystal Purifying Mask will encourage cell regeneration, and to finish your skincare routine, the Crystal Nourishing Cream will heal, calm, and soothe. The rose quartz in the mask and cream promote a feeling of self-love and care for your wellness, naturally. All presented on a GAIA wooden block. £90 (worth £120) https://www.gaiaskincare.com/

Skinny Tan Wonder Collection Gift Set A perfect gift for loved ones who like to look bronzed and gorgeous all year round. The kit contains 4 full size acclaimed Skinny Tan products: Wonder Serum, Dual sided velvet application Mitt, Dry Mist finishing Spray and Gradual Tanner to maintain that ‘lit from within’ glow. £29.99 https://www.skinnytan.co.uk/ Biossance Unstoppable Glow A super set of excellent and effective skincare items from Biossance. Containing three of the brand’s bestsellers - a gentle resurfacing serum, deeply nourishing repair cream, and brightening vitamin C rose oil, it’s the perfect gift for anyone who appreciates great skincare products. £45 https://biossance.com/

The Organic Pharmacy Rose Diamond Skincare Kit If you’ve not heard of this fantastic brand yet - you are missing such a treat. The Organic Pharmacy offers a range of super-effective and beautifully scented products. We’re major fans of their Rose

BAO Christmas Hand Brightening Duo This lovely set is a perfect Christmas gift for anyone who appreciates organic and vegan skincare. Containing a 200ml Brightening Hand Wash and 200ml Brightening Hand Cream this duo features the

uplifting scent of sweet orange and geranium and the nourishing properties of hydrating plant oils to leave hands feeling soft and smelling incredible. The box is fully recyclable too. £48 https:// www.baoskincare.co.uk/ Sensai The 12 Holiday Gifts Collection This is a set we would really love Santa to leave under our tree!

Absolutely beautifully designed box, filled with this excellent luxury skincare brand’s best loved items. Inspired by Kirie, the Japanese art of paper-cutting, this limited edition is decorated with scenic motifs unique to Japanese nature and the four seasons. £213. https://www.sensai-cosmetics.com/ Feather & Down Ultimate Sleep Set A gorgeous present for a loved one who really needs to relax and take some me-time. They will appreciate this thoughtful gift of shower cream, body lotion, soap and pillow spray, all formulated with a beautifully fragranced blend of lavender and chamomile essential oils. This set has everything needed to create a sense of calm and tranquillity to help achieve a restful night’s sleep. Just £15 https://featheranddown.com/ Dr Hauschka Revitalising Shower Set A thoughtful little gift which ergives back. The set contains an environment and skin-kind full-size Shower Cream with zesty uplifting fragrance; a silicone-free 30ml Shampoo which contains apricot kernel oil, plant extracts and protein-rich chickpea extract for super-clean hair; and a 30ml Lemon Lemongrass Vitalising Body Milk with jojoba, sunflower and olive oils to replenishing moisture. And, for every set sold, Dr. Hauschka will give £1 to Just a Drop, a charity that focuses on bringing clean and safe water to rural communities across the globe. £25 https://www.drhauschka. co.uk/ Project Lip, Lip Plumping Kit Another great gift for beauty enthusiasts, this complete lip plumping kit works instantly with long term benefits. It stimulates blood flow for fuller and plumper lips, is scientifically proven to increase lips collagen when used every day for 28 days and is100% Vegan and Cruelty-free. £24.95 https://projectlip.com/ Peep Club Ultimate Screen Saviour Kit A fantastic gift for someone who spends a lot of time online. It’s the ultimate treat for dry, tired eyes as not only does it soothe,

nourish and protect the entire eye area against dry eye symptoms throughout the day, it also boosts collagen production and elasticity. The kit includes a Heated Eye Wand and charger which you use to gently massage around the eye area, or soothe with LED red light therapy, and also Instant Relief Eye Spray for those moments when you just need to quickly relieve dry or irritated eyes. The ingredients are all organic and vegan too. £70 https:// peepclub.com/ EyeKo Mascara Trio A perfect stocking filler, this prettily packaged set from EyeKo features Eyeko’s award-winning mascaras, all designed to condition and nourish, while promoting volume, length and curve.

Housed in a festive box, the holiday-edition gift set features a selection of three fan-favourite mascaras to sample: Long lasting Sport Waterproof Catch & Curl Mascara 4ml; glamorous and conditioning Black Magic Drama & Curl Mascara – Cocoa Edit 4ml, and uplifting Lash Alert! Wake Up & Go Mascara 4ml. £15 https:// www.eyeko.co.uk/ Tweezerman Rose Gold Tweezer Gift Set A cute set of petite sized tweezers from brow experts Tweezerman, perfectly proportioned for taking on holiday. The pack features a Petite Point Tweezer with precision sharp tips for baby-fine or in-grown hairs, a Petite Slant Tweezer with perfectly aligned, hand-filed tips which close evenly and firmly to remove hair from the root, and a thick, nylon bristles brush to tame unruly brows. £25 https://www.tweezerman.co.uk/ Stila Cherished Kitten Eye Lip & Cheek Set A great stocking filler from this well respected brand. The set features three of Stila’s top makeup favourites in Stila’s iconic and universally flattering nude shade: Kitten. There’s a plumping lip gloss, multi-use metallic pigment stick and high intensity eyeshadow, for a natural and pretty look that pops. £42 https://stila.co.uk/ Slip Slipsilk Festive Scrunchies Bauble Who said scrunchies were just for the 1980s? This pretty bauble from Slip could be popped in a stocking or hung from a Christmas tree, and features four soft, pliable 100% pure mulberry SLIPSILK™ scrunchies which don’t damage the hair. £27 https://www.slip.com/

The Best Beauty Gadget, Skin & Body Care Products for Winter

Beautifect Luxury Vanity Bag https://www.beautifect.com/ PMD Clean Pro Rose Quartz https://uk.pmdbeauty.com/ Sensica Sensismooth https://www.sensica.com/ DIBI Face Hydra Perfection & Filler Code https://www.dibimilano.com/ Tisserand Aromatherapy Bath Soaks & Sleep Better range https://www.tisserand.com/ Tracie Giles Crème Rescue https://www.traciegiles.co.uk/ Swear by Skin Looklit LED Mask https://swearbyskin.com/products/looklit-led-mask Virtue luxury hair care range https://www.virtuelabs.com/ The Organic Pharmacy Rose Diamond Range https://www.theorganicpharmacy.com/ Brushworks Face Sculpting Roller https://www.beautybay.com/ Cocosolis Natural Sunscreen Range https://cocosolis.com/ Reduit One Gold https://reduit.com/product/reduit-one-gold/

Season’t Best Beauty Skin & Body Care

REN All is Calm Gift Set https://www.renskincare.com/ Revision Skincare https://www.revisionskincare.co.uk/ Parla Toothpaste Tabs https://parlatoothpastetabs.com/ Dermatology M https://www.dermatology-m.com/ Beautifect Luxury Vanity Bag https://www.beautifect.com/ Inlight Beauty Supreme 100% Organic Face Serum Treatment https://inlightbeauty.co.uk/ Leaves & Flowers Skin Sleep Cream https://www.leavesandflowers.co.uk/ Odile Lecoin Paris OR, je vis https://odile.co.uk/ L’Occitane Immortelle Divine https://uk.loccitane.com/ Potyque Calming Cream 250MB CBD https://potyque.com/ Dr Levy Intense Skin Cell Range https://www.drlevy.swiss/en Virtue luxury hair care range https://www.virtuelabs.com/ Utan CBD Tanning Range https://utan.co.uk/ Zoetic CBD Infused Anti-Fatigue Eye Cream https://zoetic.com/ Doctors Cosmeceutical Dragons Blood and Body Bliss ranges https://doctorsformula.co.uk/ REN Evercalm range https://www.renskincare.com/ Zo Skin Care Growth Factor Eye Serum https://zo-skinhealth.co.uk/ Skin Woof Vitamin C Radiance Serum https://www.skinwoof.com/ Paul Mitchell Clean Beauty Range https://www.paul-mitchell.co.uk/ Tisserand Aromatherapy Balance Range https://www.tisserand.com/ REN Radiance Protection Serum https://www.renskincare.com/collections/serums/ products/radiance-perfection-serum d’still rejuvinating Botalical Serum https://dstill.co.uk/products/rejuvenating-botanical-serum?variant=32411081932905

Christmas Shopping Edit Some of our favourite Christmas gift ideas for all generations

HyperX QuadCast S USB Microphone £159.99 https://uk.hyperx.com/ Jabra Elite 7 Pro Wireless Bluetooth Earphones £199 www.jabra.co.uk HyperX Cloud Stinger Lightweight Gaming Headset £74.99 https://uk.hyperx.com/ Filofax Finsbury A5 Organiser £80.00 www.penheaven.co.uk Ion-Sei Toothbrush www.ion-sei.com Jabra Elite 45h Wireless Headphones www.jabra.co.uk Living Nature Kitten Baby https://uk.livingnatureworld.com The Laura Whitmore Edit - Veritas III Waterproof Jacket www.dare2b.com Women’s Plyo Lightweight Trainers www.dare2b.com Men’s Touchpoint Lightweight Waterproof Jacket www.dare2b.com Atom Studios iPhone Case https://atomstudios.com/ Pastbook Photobook https://www.pastbook.com/

7 Amazing Luxury Wellness Christmas Gifts If you really want to treat loved ones to something extra special this year, these fantastic wellness themed items would be an excellent choice and appreciated for years to come.

Electric Height Adjustable Standing Desk The perfect solution for working from home enabling you to choose the optimum desk height, helping you avoid the back and neck strain and aches associated with hours spent on a desk that’s too high or too low.

A must for anyone who’s switched to home working and is seeking the perfect desk for their health and wellbeing. https://ezshopper.co.uk/category/standing-desks/electric/ HigherDose Infrared Mat A quick session on this Infrared PEMF Mat can give you the same results as one hour of yoga or meditation and plug you into the healing benefits of Infrared without an intense sweat session – no set-up or clean-up required. This mat has fast become a celebrity favourite and works by grounding you in the Earth’s magnetic field for a full-body reset, while Infrared’s deeply penetrating heat doubles your dose. The mat can ease chronic pain, help you recover from workouts, or simply provide total-body relaxation. https://higherdose.com/ This is Silk Hot Water Bottle Combining the sensory benefits of silk with the healing powers of heat this is honestly the most soothing hot water bottle it is possible to buy. It even comes with a strap so you can cuddle up with it on the sofa or in bed, or wear it whilst out and about.

Once you’ve experienced how wonderful one of these is, you’ll never go back to a normal hot water bottle again! https://thisissilk.com/

T3 Cura Hairdryer One of the most advanced hairdryers you can buy, Cura is a quick-drying, frizz-defying hair dryer enhanced with T3 Digital IonAir. The innovative technology combines digitally-controlled heat with a wide, gentle airstream to expertly and swiftly dry hair while boosting body and shine. A powerful ion generator smooths the hair cuticle, and three heat and two speed settings cater for every hair type and texture. https://www.t3micro.co.uk/ Bobbin Bikes Brownie 7 The Brownie 7 is a super-versatile and lovely looking do-it-all leisure bike offering simplicity and a comfortable ride. This beautiful bike features colour-matched mudguards, chain guard and rear carrier, branded Bobbin sprung saddle, Duracork handlebar grips and 7 Shimano gears to get you up and down hills. It’s really comfortable to ride and perfect for shopping, commuting or general leisure. https://bobbinbikes.com/ Karai Shakti Yoga Set This gorgeous Karai Yoga Shakti Serpent Pattern Bra and Leggings Set have an eye-catching multi tone iridescent foil overlay, over a black backdrop. Features include: high-waisted, compression, bottom sculpting, moisture wicking, four way stretch and breathable. https://www.karaiyoga.com/collections/the-shakti-collection

Liforme Yoga Mat Signature Collection The original ground-breaking Liforme Yoga Mats feature innovative GripForMe material, which is truly planet friendly. The mats are available in a range of pretty colourss and feature a lovely design. https://liforme.com/

Gorgeous Gifts of Style

Harfi Birthstone & Initial Necklace £100 Pretty and delicate necklace with semi-precious stone and also initial pendants. Harfi offers a gorgeous range of beautifully crafted jewellery. https://harfi.co.uk Cheetah Conservation Fund Jewellery from Licensed to Charm From £45 These beautiful cheetah necklaces are sustainably and ethically produced and a percentage of the proceeds goes to help save cheetahs in the wild. https://licensedtocharm.com/brandshtml/natural-world/cheetah-conservation.html 18K White Gold Angelina 3ct Diamond and Yellow Diamond Halo Earrings, £5649 The Diamond Store has an amazing range of jewellery, including dainty diamond stud earrings from £265 to this stunning set and above. https://www.thediamondstore.co.uk/ Point Zero 24K Gold Plated Ear Seeds £24.99 Worn by celebrities for their healing properties and fashionable look, these ear seeds gently stimulate acupressure points to calm the mind. https://www.acupointzero.com/ Mahabis From £99 Mahabis elevate the slipper into beautifully designed footwear fit for modern life. Choose from a great range sustainably made indoor/outdoor slippers in a host of colour combinations. https://mahabis.com/ Homebody Luxury Sleepwear Sets £265 Handmade, sustainable and incredible quality sleepwear. Super soft, lightweight and warm. The perfect luxury gift for someone special. https://homebody.co.uk/

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