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Business insights from people just like you

Our content is designed to be simple and relatable. At Be the Business we don't pretend to be the expert on motivating your staff or turning that business vision into an actionable plan. Instead we speak to people just like you, business leaders who have dealt with problems and opportunities and have a helpful story or two to tell. Our primary belief? There's a wealth of knowledge out there if you take the time to hear about other people's experiences – regardless of the size of their business or the sector it operates in.

People & team

Peer case studies

Find out how innovative UK SMEs are thinking differently about the way they get the most out of any firm’s most valuable asset – people.

Leadership & strategy

Peer case studies

It comes in all shapes and forms, but what does effective leadership actually look like? Discover how others have tackled the issue.

Sales & growth

Peer case studies

From tech to consumer expectations, the art of attracting and retaining consumers changes daily. Learn from how others are doing it.

Podcast – It's The Small Things

It’s The Small Things is a Be the Business podcast providing the inspiration small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) need to take an iterative approach to business improvement. It goes beneath the surface at some of the UK’s most interesting and innovative businesses.

Working on the business, not just in it

From gym chains to seafood restaurants and from bike builders to precision engineering, we've assembled some of our favourite business improvement stories. Scroll through the gallery below and see which one grabs your attention. It could be the bite-sized inspiration you've been looking for.

The 25 year-old MD who’s not afraid to ruffle some feathers

When taking the reins at a family business the tendency may be to abide by the status quo. Chloe Watmore has torn up the rule book and breathed new life into a stagnated enterprise.

The Climbing Hangar is getting professional fast to meet a market need

Having initially set up The Climbing Hangar to fund a lifestyle, Ged Macdomhnaill sensed the time was right to grow the business and is assembling a team to take the leisure brand national.

PureGym: Dealing with 60m customer experiences a year

From a standing start in 2009 PureGym has built an estate of over 200 sites across the UK. Now led by Humphrey Cobbold, Be the Business found out how the company is learning from rivals and innovating along the way.

An inspiring export strategy built on trial and error

It’s a brand now synonymous with British design and craft, but an ambitious export strategy was what really put Brompton Bicycle on the map.

Focus on what makes you truly unique as a business

When brother and sister team Harry and Leah Lobek decided they couldn’t put off starting a business any longer, the two knew the concept needed to stand out in a crowded market. The end result, London Shell Co., definitely hits the mark there.

Restaurant Nathan Outlaw shakes up industry norms

As the only two Michelin-starred fish restaurant in the country, general manager Ian Dodgson is always having to think about what is next for Restaurant Nathan Outlaw – even if that means thinking differently.

Do you really know what makes your business remarkable?

It might sound abstract, but ask restaurateur Martin Morales what he puts his success down to and he will point to an obsession with being remarkable.

Practical operational changes made Start-rite 83 per cent more efficient

It’s a family-owned shoe brand that has been around since the end of the 18th century, but it took an outsider’s perspective to truly prepare Start-rite for the rise of ecommerce.

How Adnams is shaking off its 19th century tendencies

It’s stood the test of time, but now British beer brand Adnams is blending in some innovative management strategies to support future growth and employee empowerment.

Automating manufacturing to compete on a global scale

Despite a few false starts, Midlands manufacturer JJ Churchill is committed to taking a gamble and making big investments in new productivity-focused strategies

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