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Leadership & Strategy
Article
Our cross-training programme has upskilled the team and boosted retention
Encouraging staff to mentor each other helped The Stag Company cope with staff absences and boost team morale.
Develop an internal training programme
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
Planning
Article
We moved away from distribution to survive in the coffee market
To survive in a competitive industry, Coffee Central looked to advanced overseas markets – and made a radical change at the right time.
Keep up with market changes
People & Team
Article
We stopped trying to shoehorn people into a role needing filled
Rattan Direct had been guilty of shoehorning someone into an in-house role they don’t really want or settling for a new hire who lacked the right skills.
Recruit to succeed
Leadership & Strategy
Article
We were first in our market, but struggled to define our service
As an early player in the social advertising niche, Mighty Social struggled with how to frame and communicate a relatively unfamiliar offering.
Seek external advice
People & Team
Article
A structured onboarding process helped staff adapt to our pace
Onboarding isn’t just about welcoming new people in. OneUp Sales saw business improvements across the board when the team gave a little structure to their onboarding process.
Develop a successful onboarding process
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
Planning
Article
Non-revenue targets enabled us to scale our values
A lot of businesses see customer satisfaction ratings plummet as they expand. ImpraGas was determined not to let that happen. Read how they used target-setting to get there.
Create non-revenue targets
Digital Readiness
Article
Cutting-edge automation boosted our handcrafted processes
Automating processes is a great way to save your business time and money. However, for Mackinnon & Saunders, it was crucial not to sacrifice quality for the sake of speed.
Take advantage of new technology
Sales & Growth
Article
We pivoted our restaurant business when sales steered us in a new direction
Quay St Diner launched with a big dream of California-style food, but responded when customers opted for a different direction.
Learn from your sales
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
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 investment in company culture motivates our 300-strong team
How do you keep service consistent when you have 300 staff across 11 sites? London-based cafe Grind focuses on hiring people who are already brand ambassadors.
Develop hiring processes that maintain motivation
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
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Why we marketed our core values before we marketed our product
How do you find customers for a product you haven't quite finished yet? You inspire them with your vision and your brand values of course, like Origin Workspace did.
Ensure clients understand your values
Leadership & Strategy
Article
We used our company’s “why” to steady ourselves during rapid growth
Mojo Mortgages realised growth was making it hard for employees to “buy in” to management decisions being made without communicating across the business.
Structure your approach
Sales & Growth
Article
Building business relationships helped us conquer the education market
When it came to identifying growth channels, Show My Homework turned to building business relationships as a way of knowing when and where to sell.
Build external relationships
Planning
Article
We improved our efficiency to stick to our growth targets
When you grow your business, how do you keep up with customer expectations around speed of service? Anchor Vans developed a visual T-cards system for staff.
Improve internal systems
Leadership & Strategy
Article
We rolled out a profit share scheme to reward staff commitment
MI Supplies wanted to find a way to reward staff commitment and help them place long-term relaionships over short-term profit. It settled on a profit share.
Reward commitment to vision and values
Planning
Article
We chose stories over advice to get the most out of our business mentors
HR firm CharlieHR recognised it would need outside help to continue growing the business, in particular growth strategy insight from business mentors.
Develop external contacts
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
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
Planning
Article
We turned down cheaper alternatives to stick to our sustainable values
How do you stay true to a sustainable manufacturing vision and grow an effective business? Smart textiles company KYMIRA looked carefully at when to compromise and when to refuse.
Stick to long-term goals
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