Filter
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Working with a mentor transformed my approach to staff management
How do you turn things around when your staff lack motivation? For Tutor House founder Alex Dyer, a mentor was crucial to getting his business back on track.
Seek neutral advice
Sales & Growth
Article
Our sales team chased corporate customers, then succeeded in a niche
When PracticeWeb's sales team realised they were spending time on pitches they couldn't win, they went back to the drawing board to define their key client personas.
Train your sales force
Sales & Growth
Article
We had to hire local talent to expand successfully
When Vuealta started global growth planning the amount of information available was overwhelming. It's solution was to invest in local support and talent.
Prepare for expansion
People & Team
Article
We created a bespoke training programme to invest in employee development
When expensive external training proved too generic for staff needs, Tommies Childcare developed its own programme.
Define the skills needed
Sales & Growth
Article
Working with overseas distributors helped us tailor our marketing
If you want to increase export sales, your network of distributors is a crucial source of insight into global audiences. Read how manufacturers Heald made the most of theirs.
Learn from distributors
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We used coaching and peer reviews to turn around outdated management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
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
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
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Engaging our customer service team has kept staff turnover low
Faced with a tough market and limited hiring options, Joseph Turner opted for a system of total transparency with staff.
Encourage staff to share opinions
Sales & Growth
Article
Creating innovative tech? Tick. Making it commercial? Tricky
Concrete Canvas invented an innovative new textile, but faced a race against time to create demand before their funding ran out. Here's how they did it.
Identify commercial opportunities
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
Finding a North Star helped us focus on our future
Nutritionists Beezee Bodies realised it was prioritising immediate, everyday work over tasks that could contribute to long-term business goals.
Develop a comprehensive target-setting 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Hiring for culture over experience helped us stand out from the crowd
If you can’t say what makes your business stand out from the competition, you’re on shaky ground. Here’s what Prezzybox did.
Hire to fit your vision and values
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
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
People & Team
Article
Our positive performance reviews helped quadruple business revenue
Birmingham-based virtual assistant service Time Etc realised it had developed a culture of low performance and hardworking staff had become demoralised.
Review staff performance twice per year
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.