Author Archives: admin

Starting your own business is challenging. If you haven’t done it before, you’ll inevitably lack know-how, while there are common pitfalls to avoid. So, what key tasks do you need to complete when setting up your own business, if you’re to get off to the best possible start? Start-up and small-business content expert, journalist MarkContinue reading “Key tasks you need to complete when starting your own business”

While some businesses grow steadily over many years, others achieve significant growth in a far shorter time and are started with that key aim. A high-growth business is called a scale-up. A scalable business is defined as a business with average annual growth of at least 20% in the past three years, with at leastContinue reading “How to start a scalable business”

Email marketing can be a highly cost-effective way to attract and retain customers, but your strategy and content must be right if you are to get the open rates and click-throughs that lead to sales. Laura Hanlon of Birmingham-based agency Pink Leopard reveals the secrets of building good email marketing lists, sending emails in theContinue reading “How to use email marketing to grow your business”

In 2019, tired of their daily commutes and living for weekends, Charlie Low, then head of analytics for an adventure travel company, and design consultancy engineer Dale Comely decided to leave the nine-to-five behind by converting an old DHL delivery van into an off-grid mobile home, so they could live a simpler life and travelContinue reading “Start-up story – Charlie Low and Dale Comley of Nohma”

Running a small business can leave you feeling isolated and lonely at times. Often you have no one to share your thoughts and feelings with. That’s when reaching out to other small-business owners can really help. Great value can be gained from seeking their independent opinions (and giving them yours). Many formal peer networking optionsContinue reading “How small-business owners can gain from peer group support”

There are more than five million family businesses in the UK. They employ 14.2 million people and generate a quarter of UK GDP. Many people who start a business do so with a family member, whether their spouse, partner, sibling, son or daughter or other relation. And although there can be many pros to goingContinue reading “How to start and run a business with a family member”

Ex-bartender, Matt Mahatme, launched Lixir Drinks with his childhood friend Jordan Palmer in 2018. They spotted a gap in the market for tonics and mixers that combined big flavours with less sugar, fewer calories and nothing artificial. Matt and Jordan are proud disruptors who wanted to create a brand with an edge and a contemporaryContinue reading “Start-up Story – Matt Mahatme of Lixir Drinks”

Some people ooze self-confidence. Others aren’t very self-confident at all. Most of us are probably somewhere in between. Often, it is the things that happen to us in life and business that damages our self-confidence. Why do some people lack self-confidence while others are supremely confident? How can you boost your self-confidence? Self-confidence and humanContinue reading “How to become more confident when running a small business”

Following a year of eye-watering inflation in 2022, especially energy prices, economic forecasts for the UK for 2023 make for sobering reading. According to the Bank of England, the UK is facing its longest recession since records began, while the UK Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) expects the UK economy to shrink by 1.4% inContinue reading “How to keep your business afloat when times are tough”

Time is the one thing that small-business owners don’t have enough of, with many having to work long hours. Those starting a new business often must work even longer hours to get their business off the ground and into profit. So, what’s the key to making best use of every minute of every day? WhatContinue reading “How to get more done each day”