Eight trends startup founders need to know now

Our world is rapidly changing and the pace of change has been accelerating. These eight trends provide business leaders with an accessible overview of the key movements transforming the way we do business.

1. Your business has to have purpose

Behind any successful business is a strong sense of purpose; a purpose that people can genuinely connect to.

Customers are more likely to purchase from, recommend and protect a brand that they feel has a strong purpose.

Aim to deliver amazing things to customers and tackle the biggest challenges we face in the world.

2. Sustainability has to be woven into every aspect of your business

In today’s market, every business has to incorporate sustainability.

Across all kinds of sectors, companies are working to reduce plastic, decrease waste, track the environmental impact of their products and lower that impact.

Building a more sustainable business also increases brand recognition which, in turn, helps to attract and retain customers.

The majority of consumers are now beliefdriven and want to buy sustainable, eco-friendly and responsible products.

Finally, sustainability also attracts and retains top talent – critical to any company’s success.

3. Finding and keeping talent has to be a priority

The way we work is shifting, with more young people entering the workforce, more gig workers and more remote workers. Employers can now tap into a global talent pool.

With these trends comes a shift in both recruitment and the employee experience.

A willingness to learn new skills will be an increasingly important attribute in candidates.

Rather than seeking specific qualifications, certification or experience, employers must keep an open mind and embrace candidates who are passionate about continual learning.

Keep top talent by providing a positive employee experience in organisational culture, technology and the physical work environment.

4. AI will be a key technology, helping all companies succeed in the future

Whether your organisation is a product-based business, a service provider or a mixture of the two, AI-driven technology will impact your product and service offerings.

Everything is becoming smarter – and this trend isn’t going to go away. Ultimately, every company must consider how this desire for smart anything and everything will impact their own product and service offerings.

Organisations need to rethink and redefine their business. Gone are the days of incremental tech upgrades; we’re entering an era of continuous and rapid evolution.

5. Building direct relationships with customers is key

The growing direct-toconsumer trend has brands across all sectors finding new, direct routes to customers via online channels.

Whether you’re a product or service business, the subscription trend is now absolutely relevant to your business.

Customer demand for smarter, more personalised products and services is on the rise and customers are increasingly turning to subscriptions to meet their everyday needs. Building direct relationships with customers also allows companies to collect more reliable data on customers and markets.

Want to learn more about the 25+ trends that are redefining organisations?

Check out Bernard’s new book, Business Trends In Practice: The 25+ Trends That Are Redefining Organizations – 2022 winner of the Business Book Awards Business Book of the Year. Bernard Marr is an internationally recognised speaker and business strategist, a best-selling author and adviser to global companies and governments around the globe. He is a renowned futurist, writing regularly for Forbes on topics including artificial intelligence, big data and blockchain. For more information, visit:

www.bernardmarr.com 8. There are new and innovative ways to fund your business

Many new funding and investment mechanisms are coming into play in the business finance space, so it’s well worth staying up to date on the latest developments in this field.

Thanks to trends like crowdfunding, initial coin offerings, tokenisation and special purpose acquisition companies, access to funding is becoming easier – and fairer.

That said, there are risks – particularly for investors. I expect we’ll see regulation tighten up around nontraditional financing in the coming years.

6. Finding the right balance between automation and human talent is critical to success

With proper planning, organisations and employees can thrive in the robot revolution.

There’s no doubt that automation will affect every industry, so business leaders must prepare their organisations – and their people – for the changing nature of work.

Understand what can and can’t be automated. The sheer range of tasks that intelligent machines can take on may surprise you.

Responsible automation means identifying the tasks that are better suited to machines so they can be automated, leaving humans to do the more complex, rewarding work. In this blended work environment where humans and machines collaborate, skills such as empathy, creativity, leadership and communication will become critical for success.

It’s absolutely vital that employers reskill their workforce accordingly.

7. The metaverse offers huge opportunities for your business

In our experience economy, consumers prioritise experiences over the ownership of goods.

The metaverse and technology like augmented reality and virtual reality allow companies to create more immersive experiences and new services for their customers.

Organisations need to ask “How can we add even more value by turning this customer interaction into an experience?”.

An added benefit: providing a great customer experience is intertwined with increased employee satisfaction.

Organisations need to rethink and redefine their business. Gone are the days of incremental tech upgrades; we’re entering an era of continuous and rapid evolution.