Why productivity matters
Productive companies get more out of what they’ve got, enabling them to increase their profits, pay higher wages and invest in their future. More productive businesses mean a more prosperous country. Discover why productivity matters below.
Filter
Leadership & Strategy
Article
A flat management structure can empower staff during rapid growth
A flat management structure gets rid of traditional hierarchies and empowers employees. We looked at the benefits and potential drawbacks.
Leadership Behaviours
Digital Readiness
Article
Delighting consumers with an innovative customer service strategy
From providing a direct link to the CEO to incentivising feedback, innovative customer service approaches are worth taking the time to devise and execute – as Be the Business found out.
Digital Commerce
Digital Readiness
Article
Using strategic data isn’t as daunting as it might seem
Even if your company isn't of the digital variety, the volume of strategic data now at the fingertips of most business leaders can be quickly converted into practical improvement.
Digital Commerce
People & Team
Article
Staff motivation: Lessons learned from failed workplace perks
Perks and rewards are a popular way to boost motivation – but it takes time to get right. We spoke to business owners about motivating staff.
Motivation
Digital Readiness
Video
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.
Collaborative tools & analytics
Planning
Article
How Chance & Counters used personal experience to carve out a niche
Board game café Chance & Counters was founded on a simple belief that most business owners can relate to – that something could be done better.
Create a distinct offering
Leadership & Strategy
Video
Plans, processes and people – the three Ps of successful delivery
John Lucas is COO at Tharsus, a robotics firm in Northumberland. He told Be the Business about the three Ps of delivery: plans, processes and people.
Vision & Values
Sales & Growth
Article
Coronavirus: Protecting customer relationships
There’s lots individual companies can be doing to protect customer relationships and revenue streams, even in cases where operations have had to be halted.
Marketing & Sales
People & Team
Article
How to stop your employee talent from leaving the business
You spend all that time, money and effort securing the best hires and then your employee talent decides to leave well before you’d like them to. Find out how two very different businesses keep their best.
Talent development
Planning
Article
Linking staff incentives with frequent reporting and target hitting
Staff incentives provide a tool to increase motivation, shape the way people work and make businesses more productive. But how are they best aligned with hitting targets and KPIs?
Target Setting
Planning
Article
Your coronavirus cash conservation checklist
With so much uncertainty around how long the impact of coronavirus will last, cash conservation will decide how your business gets through the outbreak.
Article
I’ve been in hospitality for 30 years, but I never stop learning
As MD of Dukes Collection, a boutique hotel in London and Dubai, Debrah Dhugga has developed a keen eye for what customers are really looking for.
Digital Readiness
Video
VIDEO: Why easyJet embraces a curious, not critical approach
Eager to uncover how it can better serve its diverse customer base, easyJet ancillary revenue director Andrew Middleton explained how the airline is iterating and evolving through constant feedback.
Collaborative tools & analytics
Planning
Article
Coronavirus: Rent, rates and business property
With the outbreak of coronavirus, many firms are facing the temporary closure of their primary business property. But there are some steps you can take.
People & Team
Article
Cutting half its staff provided a renewed focus for LifeSkills
It takes a brave leader to make half their employees redundant and slash turnover, but that’s exactly what LifeSkills boss Spencer Fearn has done.
Motivation
Digital Readiness
Article
Let Google train your team in Google Analytics
While most SMEs agree that Google Analytics is a vitally important data tool founder of marketing agency Digital Clarity, Reggie James says that more than half of all companies are not very clear on how they should be using it.
Digital Commerce
Planning
Article
How do you plan in a rapidly changing environment?
No matter what new rules or guidelines may emerge over the summer, Kristina Rowe is aiming to cover all bases with her forward-thinking planning efforts.
Sales & Growth
Article
The businesses selling into unusual export countries
Libya, Jordan, Senegal and the Philippines – all unusual export countries British SMEs are doing business with. Be the Business looked at how each of these companies selected the right trading nations and what was crucial in de-risking the process.
Expanding & Exporting
Leadership & Strategy
Article
It’s The Small Things: PureGym CEO Humphrey Cobbold
PureGym CEO Humphrey Cobbold shares his approach to thinking small in pursuit of business improvement as part of our "It's The Small Things" podcast.
Structure your approach
People & Team
Video
Matthew Thomson of Fifteen Cornwall says drawing on your team’s knowledge can drive up productivity
Matthew Thomson of Fifteen Cornwall explains how important it is to draw on your employees’ expertise – especially what they know about your customers.
Talent development
Leadership & Strategy
Article
The different approaches taken to communicating vision and values
Taking the vision and values a company develops from the drawing board and into the workplace is easier said than done – but there are some proven strategies for communicating vision and making values stick.
Vision & Values
People & Team
Article
Engaging with remote working has helped my business to…
While issues such as trust, accountability and productivity often cloud the subject of remote working, businesses around the UK are embracing the practice and making it work by layering it into the company culture.
Talent development
People & Team
Downloadable
Steps to building an onboarding process for new employees
Onboarding process steps you need to consider, including how to improve employee performance and a complete onboarding checklist.
Sales & Growth
Article
Creating a business marketing strategy that stays relevant
From selling to millennials to leveraging new trends, a business marketing strategy is a process constantly under pressure and in need of innovation. Find out how five British SMEs have tackled the issue.
Marketing & Sales