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Leadership & Strategy
Article
Suppliers provided the magic to develop the impossible ice cream
Corte Diletto took an innovative approach to product development – using external help to develop the idea after manufacturers thought it wasn't possible.
Develop external contacts with the aim of developing new products / services
Sales & Growth
Article
A blow to supermarket sales made us reevaluate our growth strategy
Relying too heavily on one revenue stream can be fatal for a business. Pieminister changed direction when its supermarket sales took a hit.
Diversify your income stream
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
Allowing staff to innovate took the business in new directions
When you get stuck in a rut, how do you re-energise your business? Online gift company Prezzybox found that innovation started with its staff.
Encourage staff innovation
Sales & Growth
Article
A focus on brand consistency guided us through a risky expansion
The ideal growth rate is steady and manageable, but how would you cope with an unexpected opportunity for expansion? Restaurant chain The Coconut Tree tackled it with a brand-first focus.
Keep your brand consistent
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
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
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 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
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Creating an acronym for our values made them memorable
How do you communicate your values effectively as you grow? Sheffield Sustainable Kitchens found a way to keep them at the forefront.
Codify your values
People & Team
Article
Diversifying our incentives helped keep staff motivation high
Consultancy firm 383 faced a battle to keep staff motivation high and see important projects through as they gravitated towards comfort zones.
Provide staff with recognition, and experiment with non-financial rewards
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
Planning
Article
Target setting by division gave us greater clarity over our goals
When you’ve got two distinct parts to your business, measuring performance can be tricky. Here’s how vegan brand TRIBE tackled the problem.
Separate your priorities
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.
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
Digital Readiness
Article
We used external agencies to build a luxury ecommerce giant
Leather retailer Maxwell Scott found it challenging to transition its door-to-door business into a digital success, turning to external agencies for help.
Collaborate externally
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
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
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
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
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
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
Digital Readiness
Article
To attract customers to our online brand, we added trust-building features
How do you get customers to leave a lifelong brand and try something new? Subscription brand Waldo found the answer.
Encourage trust online
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