Fear is something that comes up in every conversation with new clients, no matter how much progress they’ve made so far. And that’s because we’re much more aware that some of the language and beliefs we consumed growing up, are likely to be out of date today. So, everyone is worried about saying or doing the wrong thing or being exposed as someone who doesn’t have all the answers, and that can feel scary. The truth is that none of us will ever be fully confident, as we’ve each only lived our own lives and there’s 8 billion people on…
Author: sme-admin
April 2023: The feel-good PR agency reveals that Brits are working 94 fewer hours annually than 30 years ago. This suggests that employees are prioritising work-life balance and their personal happiness over working long hours. Lem-uhn analysed 30 years of ONS data to discover that the average person is working 5% fewer hours than in 1993. This equates to 93.6 hours fewer annually, 7.8 hours fewer per month and 1.8 hours fewer per week. The weekly average for working hours had remained relatively steady prior to the pandemic. In January – March 2003, 2013 and 2019, the average working hours…
Artificial Intelligence is making a profound impact on human capabilities. It is the digital equivalent of the Industrial Revolution when machines replicated the work of humans, often doing it faster and with greater efficiency than a human ever could. In a similar way, businesses are using AI to automate human processes like those dull, time-consuming, menial tasks that are prone to human error. Not only can AI perform these tasks at speed, but it can also support customers journeys, product development, and enhance service delivery, and ultimately reduce costs. Machine Leaning, Speech & Voice Recognition, and Virtual Assistants, are just some of the top features of…
Mental Health Awareness Week takes place 15 – 21 May, and this year’s theme focuses on anxiety. Most people can relate to feelings of anxiety around a social activity, be it a family gathering, big work meeting, or starting a new job. Social anxiety disorder (or social phobia), however, can be far more debilitating than the ‘normal’ nervousness that we can all experience, and it can have a significant impact on the wellbeing and relationships of those it affects, as well as those around them. Dan Kentley asks what can impact these difficulties and how we can best support those…
Consulting for equity is a practice that has gained popularity in recent years, particularly in the startup world. However, when executed in everyday, established SME’s it can have a huge impact on scaling a business from a small local company into an industry leader. In this article, we’ll explore some of the benefits of consulting for equity and how it benefits both the business owner and the consultant. What is consulting for equity? Essentially, it involves a consultant or advisor offering their services in exchange for a stake in the company. This can be an attractive option for both parties,…
Paul Day, technical director of Berkshire-based document management specialist company Filestream, is taking part in the world’s first-ever Skyscraper Challenge in London on Saturday September 9. The challenge takes place at two iconic skyscrapers – The Cheesegrater and The Gherkin. All participants will run up the 42 floors of The Cheesegrater, followed by the choice of either abseiling 200 metres back down to ground level or taking a zip wire across the London skyline to The Gherkin. 600 people taking part in the event will be raising money for Tommy’s, a charity committed to saving babies’ lives by funding pioneering…
Looking to new tech to help your business grow? You’re not alone. But without giving your IT team the right support, you may find the road ahead tricky. Simon Pollard, Product Category Lead for Mobility Solutions at Virgin Media O2 Business, explores how specialist support can help you get the best bang for your buck. Responsible for employing over 7.5 million people and turning over almost £1.4 trillion a year, medium-sized businesses are the engine of our economy. Despite the economic turbulence of 2023, SME owners remain optimistic. Recent research has found that just under half (47%) expect their revenue…
For Svetlana Tarnagurskaja and Tom Dibble-Burge, co-founders of The Dot Collective, being able to fully trust each other with everything from decisions and ideas, down to the conversations with investors, has been the catalyst to building their successful consultancy. Here, they share how they developed this vital building block for business. Trust is massively important for us at The Dot Collective. It’s essential for our relationship as co-founders and the success we’ve achieved so far. We trust each other to make important decisions independently which speeds things up – but for issues where the other person would rather be aware,…
While recruitment is undoubtedly a great investment for any company, finding the right talent can be quite costly and time-consuming. Faced with financial challenges posed by the approaching recession and impacts of inflation, many companies are striving to find new ways to become more cost-efficient, without sacrificing the quality of their hiring processes and candidate experience. Pairing strategies like Connected Recruiting with powerful technologies such as automation can help firms engage better with talent throughout the recruitment lifecycle, improving time to hire while cutting costs. Andy Ingham, Senior Vice President, EMEA and APAC, Bullhorn provide some guidance on how can…
Xero, the global small business platform, has today launched a report revealing overall small business owner wellbeing is currently below that of the general population, serving as a reminder of the myriad of challenges small business owners are dealing with in 2023 – including high inflation, slowing economic growth, concern about staff wellbeing and general uncertainty about the future. The report, The global state of small business owner wellbeing, found that of the seven countries surveyed from November 2022 through to February 2023, small business owners in the UK reported the lowest levels of wellbeing and life satisfaction. The report…