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.
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Leadership & Strategy
Article
What vision and values building really teaches you
Sometimes it's the journey that teaches the most about your destination – at least that’s how I feel having been part of a vision and values building process.
Vision & Values
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Ask how employees can help define the vision
At data firm Viga, founder Lewis Reeves wanted to ensure the company values were approachable and so got everyone involved helping define the vision.
Vision & Values
Planning
Video
A business mentor gave me a sounding board for my ideas and decisions
A business mentor may seem formal, expensive or out of reach, but there have never been more opportunities to access an experienced individual to bounce ideas off in times of need and drive effective change.
Ambition
People & Team
Article
SMEs need to develop career paths or risk losing staff
Small businesses have to establish viable career paths to retain staff. Three business leaders share the steps they’ve taken.
Talent development
Digital Readiness
Article
How Facebook Live cookery sessions are putting one business on the map
When coronavirus threatened their business, The Cooking Shed turned to Facebook Live and connected with some surprising new customers.
Collaborative tools & analytics
Sales & Growth
Article
How to do business in China: Expert advice for British businesses
International business expert David Nicholls takes a look at doing business in…
Expanding & Exporting
Planning
Article
Define your business USP so it isn’t just hypothetical jargon
The easiest place to start talking about your company is probably the business USP – what makes your product or service different? But it’s difficult to define a USP that doesn't rely on industry buzzwords or hypothetical jargon.
Ambition
People & Team
Article
Boost the company culture with a lunch time activity
Lunch breaks can help boost team energy levels and integrate new team members quickly into the company culture, believes Shai Aharony, a business leader with lots of employee engagement experience.
Motivation
Leadership & Strategy
Article
The power of prioritising business must-dos over can-dos
Business leaders need to manage the tension between investing resources in long-term strategic must-dos with the more immediate and easier can-dos.
Leadership Behaviours
Sales & Growth
Article
Researching new markets? How asking your rivals for help can work
Next time you’re researching new markets before moving into a new sector or geography who will you consult? Will it be a research company, a marketing agency or simply Google? There are other options out there.
Expanding & Exporting
Planning
Article
Rapid innovation in a traditional sector
Lockdown for business owners Mark Holden and Tom Jenkinson mandated a period of rapid innovation – and a glimpse of an interesting new world.
Leadership & Strategy
Article
How to become a disruptive leader in a family business
We spoke with Barry Leahey MBE about what it means to be a disruptive leader – especially when you’re at the helm of a family business.
Leadership Behaviours
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Let new employees see how the whole business works
Suresite's Geoff Oldham makes sure that all new employees are introduced to managers to get an understanding of what the different departments do and, in turn, see the bigger picture in which they can play a part.
Vision & Values
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Your best lockdown decisions – We ask 18 business leaders to reflect
Be the Business asked 18 SME leaders to tell us the most impactful lockdown decisions they’ve made since the coronavirus outbreak began.
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
Digital Readiness
Article
Making sure outside business influences drive business performance
The rapid pace of technological development means companies need to innovate to stay ahead. Tapping into outside business influences is essential to this process and can have a direct impact on company performance.
Collaborative tools & analytics
Leadership & Strategy
Article
I felt like I was in my dad’s shadow
It took Liz Davis a long time to realise she didn’t need to be her dad after taking over the family business – she just needed to be herself.
Improve your own leadership capabilities
People & Team
Article
Meet the companies reinventing the lunch hour
It's a part of the day that unites us all, whether you work on a shop floor or on a building site, but shaking up the lunch hour has proved fruitful for some enterprising businesses.
Motivation
People & Team
Article
Successful employee evaluation schemes only work with staff buy-in
Before you look to introduce new employee evaluation schemes or to enhance existing ones you must get staff involvement explained Bertie Hubbart.
Performance management
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
Sales & Growth
Article
Coronavirus: Managing your supply chain during the outbreak
The coronavirus outbreak means most businesses are facing challenges when it comes to managing supply chains – but there are some simple steps you can take.
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Peter Bibby: I hate waste and I’m efficiency mad
We spoke with Peter Bibby, an expert in turning around failing businesses, with over 20 survival stories under his belt. He shares with us the importance of efficiency and what it takes to make a small and medium-size enterprise successful.
Leadership Behaviours
Digital Readiness
Article
Learning from the leaders of hospitality sector innovation
Find out how three entrepreneurs embraced hospitality sector innovation to help diversify in a competitive industry and take their companies to the next level.
Collaborative tools & analytics
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Three business leaders explain how they make tough business decisions
Whether it's firing someone or working out who to promote, many leaders struggle when it comes to making tough business decisions. Be the Business found out seeking advice and simply biting the bullet helps.
Leadership Behaviours