Founded in 2018 in Greater Manchester by Managing Director Paul James and Technical Director Paul Bate, Red Rock Communications has become a beacon of inspiration in the telecommunications industry. As the company celebrates its 5th anniversary, it reflects on its significant growth, both in team size and client base, solidifying its position as a trusted partner for businesses seeking seamless connectivity solutions. Our journey: Red Rock boasts a fully-fledged workforce spanning sales, support, marketing, finance, and operations. Over theyears, the company has played a pivotal role in keeping businesses like COP UK, Williams BMW, Brook Sexual Health, Tameside College, Harvey’s,…

On average, 36 shops close their doors across British high streets every week. However, many small business owners still bet on traditional retail, with an 18 per cent rise in pop-up shop openings in the past year. These outlets are often deemed high street saviours, but they come with technology challenges. Here, Kristian Torode, director and co-founder of small business broadband provider Crystaline, explores the best connectivity options for short-term retail sites. The impact of increasing rents, changing shopping habits and pandemic lockdowns means many traditional retailers are shutting up shop for good. This year has already seen the permanent…

Julie Taylor, Partner from Fenton Elliott Solicitors, set up this new business book club in September 2023 to explore her growing interest in business management topics with local professionals. Working in employment law, she regularly experiences how individual personalities can have a huge impact on how disputes in the workplace both originate and find resolution, dealing with the employment tribunal claims where these escalate. With a long-standing passion for all sorts of literature, she found that many of the books on her reading list explored topics that could help managers lead and get the best from their employees or provide…

Teneo, are normally involved in providing IT solutions, but on the 9th of November they were celebrated for their work in helping provide education for children in rural Madagascar; winning the ‘Best ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) Project of the Year Award’, in their category, at the CRN Channel Awards, ‘the most prestigious awards in the UK IT channel’. The award was aimed at celebrating the achievements of IT companies that are making the world a better place, through ESG projects carried out during the past year. Facing stiff competition from six strong finalists, Teneo won the highly coveted award…

If you’ve recently made the decision to go freelance, you may be wondering where to begin with getting yourself set up for this exciting new chapter in your career. To help aspiring freelancers cut down on what can seem like an overwhelming to-do list, Rose Buckler, Head of Business Banking Operations at Starling Bank, shares her tips on the key priorities to think about when getting started. Decide between setting up as a sole trader or limited company When going freelance, one of the first decisions to make is whether to operate as a sole trader or a limited company.…

Managers and directors are facing unique challenges post-pandemic, with a rise in the need for flexibility, employee well-being and resilience. Being adaptable and open to change is a necessity for all organisations but it can be particularly difficult for those managing staff in SMEs. With smaller teams, staff dynamics are often more pronounced, and changes can be met with uncertainty and affect morale. Sophia Zand, Senior Associate in the employment team at Wilsons Solicitors has put together a ‘top tips’ style piece for our readers, detailing the best ways to manage smaller teams – especially when implementing changes to policy. Generally,…

Not-for-profit Charity Escapes and the UK’s leading online raffle platform Raffolux are running the fourth annual ‘The Great Christmas Raffle’, partnered with Vertu Motors, to raise funds for over 100 charities. The Great Christmas Raffle was established in 2020 to support charities that faced challenges with their fundraising efforts due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the past three years, it has raised an impressive £183K for 86 incredible charities. The UK’s leading digital raffle operator Raffolux reveals that over half (56.5%) of Brits are more likely to donate to charity in the run-up to Christmas. Despite the current cost of living crisis, the new…

Dave Adamson, CTO at managed IT services provider Espria, discusses why RPA and GenAI aren’t a threat to operations, but rather have the power to completely transform SMEs for the better. In the past year alone, industry has seen rapid and revolutionary transformations due to advancements in automation. Organisations have been able to reduce the time spent on repetitive tasks such as data manipulation, migration, entry and analysis, and also those spent remediating human error, saving their resources for more critical tasks. Simply getting up to speed with automation can offer huge benefits to business functions like HR, finance, travel and…

New research from Street.co.uk reveals that the North East of England is home to the most affordable places to buy, with Peterlee in County Durham taking the top spot. Street.co.uk has revealed the top twenty places in the UK that are considered the most ‘affordable’ in the current housing market. Street.co.uk found properties in Peterlee had an income ratio score of just 3.9 – this means that the average property price (£107,042) is just 3.9 times the average full-time earnings* of the county (* Source of average salary, Talent.com). Following in second place is Seaham, County Durham, with a ratio…

From ‘lazy girl jobs’, ‘bare minimum Monday’ ‘ to ‘quiet quitting’, the evolution of hustle culture has seen an array of new buzzwords crop up online and begin impacting the workforce. Many can be considered little more than formulaic buzz phrases, but the rapid take on of the trends highlights the sheer scale of change that office workers have experienced over the last three years with remote working, the great resignation and the cost of living crisis. Whilst many of these trends promote a healthy work/life balance some can be negatively impacting the workforce. Here, Amy Robinson-Nunn, Marketing Director, workplace…

Although the energy sector has already begun making waves in diversity and inclusion (D&I), there is still a way to go. FDM Group, whose mission is to bring people and technology together, has offered businesses within the industry five strategies to help them close the gender pay gap in energy.  As investments pour into renewable energy projects and technologies, a surge in employment is being witnessed across various sectors – from manufacturing and construction to research and development. But according to the OEUK Diversity & Inclusion Survey Report, the energy sector as a whole is in agreement that more needs to be…

One of the first steps to creating a business is deciding on a brand name. It’s how you’ll be known to the world, how people will find you and could determine your success. UK formations company, SUAZ, have pulled together marketing and branding experts to share insights into how you should name your business. The full report covers factors to consider when choosing a brand name, how brand colours play a role, whether your name should be personal to you and more. Factors to consider when choosing a business name SUAZ asked three experts for their thoughts on the top factors…

As we approach the festive season, it’s time to start thinking about organising the perfect office Christmas party. Office Christmas parties deliver numerous benefits, such as making employees feel valued, improving staff retention, boosting motivation, and strengthening workplace friendships. In fact, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) considers Christmas parties the most popular Christmas perk. The team at Blackhawk Network Extras understands the importance of creating memorable and enjoyable events and has put together a festive collection of office Christmas party ideas that will help to make the season jolly. So, let’s dive into some fantastic ideas to…

By Tokunbo Ajasa-Oluwa, CEO, Career Ready For many young people, it is still the case that their career prospects will be determined not by their potential but by their background. As several recent reports have demonstrated, as a nation we are making little progress in terms of social mobility. This matters for our younger generations; it also matters for the economy. If young people continue to face unfair and unnecessary barriers into education and employment, employers will continue to miss out on a vibrant and diverse talent pool. At a time when many companies are grappling with skills shortages and…

UK Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are looking forward to a promising 2024, as they expect to hit an average of 15% year-on-year revenue growth, bringing overall SME turnover from £2trillion (tn) in 2023 to £2.3tn next year1.   New research outlined in the Ambition Index from Three Business – the B2B arm of the Mobile network Three – has revealed SMEs are still looking ahead to a promising 2024 with a renewed sense of optimism and ambition, following the post-pandemic years.   Contrary to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) gloomy outlook, that Britain’s economy will be the slowest growing among G7…

In the Firm (The Forum for In-house Recruiters) Awards this year, eSift were delighted to be awarded the Best Supplier Partnership award for their work with Pilgrim’s Food Masters, adding to the award they had previously achieved for their Recruitment on Demand service. These awards demonstrate that companies should always appreciate the power of a boutique business to lead the way and provide a flexible and agile service to its partners. In 2021 Kerry Foods sold its meat and ready meals division to Pilgrim’s, and part of the process involved setting up a Recruitment function to manage the new division.…