The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, which took place over the weekend saw huge celebrations in the UK and around the world. Her 70 years as monarch represent a remarkable length of time, which dwarf the typical tenure of a here-today, gone-tomorrow leader in politics, business or other arenas. Whilst different fields have their own particular characteristics, there are parallels between the responsibilities and challenges of leadership, whether you’re the Queen or a leader of any organisation or group. Ten macro themes of the Elizabethan era, which a leader in any field would do well to take note of are as…
Author: sme-admin
Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) data for Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) is a growing priority. Whereas smaller companies may not have previously cared about their ESG credentials, the pressure from European banks and investors, as well as larger businesses at the top of the supply chains, have made sourcing and showcasing this information a greater focus. Jessica Camus, Head of ESG at diginex provides some pointers. However, with so much discussion, emphasis, and focus on the data itself, many SME leaders would be forgiven for thinking the job was done once the data has finally been sourced. The reality is…
For a new business owner, there are a lot of things to consider, from marketing and logistics to HR, design, accounting and more. It can be overwhelming, but we’re going to explore the best beginner marketing ideas to get you started: Why is marketing important? What are KPIs, and how do they impact marketing? How to write your marketing plan Read on to discover how easy your marketing plan can take shape… Why is marketing important? Someone once said, “A goal without a plan is just a wish”, so, while you may have a goal and an aim for your business,…
Its Business Innovation all the way in Birmingham and our aim is to bring business together @ The Midlands Expo Birmingham Here at Great British Expos we are delighted to bring back one our longest running Exhibitions The Midlands Expo (Birmingham) on Thursday 24th June @ The Holte Suite, Aston Villa FC, Birmingham. This exhibition is the ultimate event for businesses within the Midlands region, designed to help you network, make new connections and grow your business. Attending the Midlands Expo gives SMEs a huge advantage. Join over 1000 SMEs from across the region who will be attending the business…
Xero’s Small Business Index is at its lowest point since February 2021, suffering the most drastic monthly fall since April 2020 Tougher economic conditions caused by rising inflation has left the UK’s small businesses squeezed tighter between soaring energy bills and wages on one side, and slower consumer spending power and late payments, according to the latest data from Xero, the global small business platform. Xero’s Small Business Index, based on anonymised and aggregated data from hundreds of thousands of small businesses, fell 11 points to 83 in April. This is the lowest reading since February 2021 and the most…
Julianne Ponan, the founder of award-winning, allergy-free food brand, Creative Nature, will be one of the key speakers at The Allergy & Free-From Show in London this summer. It’s ten years since Julianne Ponan aged just 22 started making her own healthy snacks out of frustration at the lack of nut-free products on the market that weren’t packed with additives. She used superfood ingredients to improve the nutrient value and used her then fiancé, Matt, as a guinea-pig to get the flavours right. Julianne has life-threatening allergies and her business, Creative Nature, was built to cater for those with problems…
Michelle Stark, Director at Fasthosts shares the four key indicators you should look out for when checking your hosting provider’s cybersecurity is up to scratch. Just as a physical shop wouldn’t underestimate the importance of burglar alarms or CCTV cameras, businesses operating in the online world can’t afford to overlook their cybersecurity. The internet is constantly expanding and evolving, and the wider a business casts its net into this, the more likely it will catch something it doesn’t want. In fact, there are 65,000 attempts to hack small to medium sized businesses occurring every day in the UK and this…
The workplace can be very stressful at times and, while some stress can be avoided with proper task delegation, communication and resource allocation, another less obvious factor is negatively impacting many workers’ mental wellbeing – gut health. With corporate wellness high on the agenda for many organisations, now is the time for employers to prioritise their teams’ gut health as part of their overall approach to employee mental wellbeing. However, with limited understanding amongst employers on the intrinsic connection between the gut, the brain and workplace wellness and performance, it is no surprise that so few are taking their…
A new study on skills in the workplace has revealed a list of the most important skills that workers expect a manager to possess, with leadership right at the top of what they want. Around half (51% of men and 45% of women) of the 2,048 working-age adults polled by Censuswide, on behalf of enterprise LMS provider Digits, thought leadership skills were the most essential. Verbal communication and teamwork skills ranked joint second for over a third (35%) of people, closely followed by empathy and problem-solving skills (30% and 29% respectively). Surprisingly, written communication skills came last on the list…
The sustained performance of family businesses can be attributed to several characteristics and next-generation leadership skills unique to their business models. A Global Family Business Report from KPMG Private Enterprise and the STEP Project Global Consortium highlights how emotional attachment to one’s organisation and the ability of next-gens to take risks and experience life outside the family business are critical elements of future business success. ‘The regenerative power of family businesses’ brings together insights from 2,439 CEOs and other leaders from top family businesses across 70 countries and territories, illustrating the common factors that make up the formula for family business…