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Planning
Article
My technology failed because I didn’t think big enough
When Formula Botanica realised early on that its technology wasn’t keeping pace with growth it put in place a plan that would provide peace of mind.
Invest in new technology
Sales & Growth
Article
Moving beyond paid acquisition broadened our marketing reach
For BusinessComparison, it didn’t pay to put all its efforts into one type of marketing activity. Broadening the strategy led to greater reach.
Expand your marketing reach
Planning
Article
Our office location restricted growth, so we invested in our firm’s future
The prospect of moving your business to a new site can feel daunting, but Diamond Interiors saw it as an investment in their future.
Invest in future goals
People & Team
Article
A flexible working policy helped us attract top talent
When you’re competing for top talent, a flexible working policy can set you apart from the rest. Here’s how inniAccounts made it work for them.
Embrace workplace flexibility
People & Team
Article
Our appraisal process left us struggling to compare employee performance
Preston-based firm Suresite realised that its staff review process was too vague to provide any real insights on company-wide performance.
Define 'good' performance using clear performance metrics
People & Team
Article
We used coaching and peer reviews to turn around outdated management
Changing an ingrained patriarchal management culture was never going to be easy at Harvey Water Softeners. Find out which two people development tools helped most.
Shape your leadership to fit staff needs
Planning
Article
We took a risk and changed business direction
To succeed in a new market, Natterbox needed to create fresh goals and ensure staff were invested enough to buy into them across the different departments.
Ensure employees buy in to targets
Digital Readiness
Article
Digitising sales processes improved customer retention and created time to innovate
Digitising processes isn’t just about efficiency - it can improve customer retention and leave you with more time to innovate. YES Glazing Solutions found some surprising benefits of adopting CRM software.
Streamline your processes
Leadership & Strategy
Article
As the company grew, we stopped talking about our business values
Accountancy firm The Wow Company found that as the company grew, the visibility of company values suffered and it began hiring what looked good on paper.
Communicate vision and values
Leadership & Strategy
Article
We codified our culture to successfully expand to new locations
To expand your business, try to get your cultural values out of your head and into a format you can share with everyone else. See how Chance & Counters did it.
Keep values across different locations
Digital Readiness
Article
Using a spreadsheet to manage stock was not working anymore
Cheeky Chompers relied on Excel to manage stock, manufacturing and customer orders. This made for a complex supply chain and was hard to keep on top of.
Digitise your supply chain
Leadership & Strategy
Article
I broke with tradition to keep our family business alive
How do you make changes to a 300-year old family business? Carefully. This is how cider company Aspall brought in a fresh perspective.
Challenge the status quo
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Our company values meant something different to everyone
Fordway learned that its company values meant something different to each employee. Here's how they got staff involved in updating and designing new ones.
Create meaningful vision and values
Article
We overhauled how we handled staff requests to fight innovation inertia
Fast Web Media needed to re-engage employees in innovation process after frustration had set in and staff had become fed up with the rate of progress.
Digital Readiness
Article
Digital apathy stopped our business moving forward
HR firm Jaluch found it challenging to increase digital skills into the business. Digital apathy meant efforts were efforts were greeted with groans.
Build digital skills
People & Team
Article
Measuring staff performance kept us consistent through change
Putting a structure in place to measure staff performance and give consistent performance reviews to its growing number of employees was key for mmadigital.
Measure staff performance using a defined process
People & Team
Article
We beat the competition by tackling our industry’s diversity problem
When it came to hiring a team demonstrating diversity Claromentis found it difficult to attract women for certain roles, giving it a restricted perspective.
Determine what talent is needed
Sales & Growth
Article
We lost sight of how important managing customers proactively is
When customer issues started slipping under the radar, Arthur Online took a proactive approach to their customer service.
Manage customers proactively
Leadership & Strategy
Article
We had to build machine learning capabilities without sector expertise
Streetbees believed machine learning could unlock the value of the market research it was doing for clients, but didn’t have the sector expertise needed.
Establish R&D budget and strategy
Sales & Growth
Article
We beat a failing market by talking our customers’ language
Starting a business when your competitors are failing can be daunting, but Forbes Burton beat the odds by adopting a customer-first approach.
Shape your language to fit customers
Digital Readiness
Article
We beat bigger budgets by focusing on our independent niche
How do you compete with some of the biggest brands in the world? Best of British Beer started by embracing its independence.
Identify potential areas for growth
Leadership & Strategy
Article
We encouraged staff to innovate by giving them the freedom to fail
When growth started to stifle innovation, Beer Hawk created a system that celebrated failure.
Empower employees to take ownership
People & Team
Article
We proved culture beats budget to hold on to our staff
Futrli found it challenging to retain staff as a young SME in the tech market. It had to compete with larger budgets for wages and training at bigger firms.
Provide development opportunities
Sales & Growth
Article
We invested in after sales support to create a sustainable business
Car repair marketplace whocanfixmycar.com faced the challenge of building a sustainable business in an industry with a high customer churn rate.
Maximise effectiveness of your salesforce