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
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
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
People & Team
Article
Are you managing your freelance team as effectively as possible?
While it often makes sense to engage with a freelance team or temporary workers, three creative SMEs tell what needs to be done differently – and what should remain the same - to get them working efficiently.
Talent development
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
How businesses in the hospitality market are thinking differently
Two different hospitality firms explain why a sense of community helps stand out and how bringing luxury services to people's doors makes the difference.
Talent development
Digital Readiness
Video
Embracing “productivity to survive” helped one firm compete with multinationals
Wanting to free up more time so the business can target winning more work, Spencer Fereday talks Be the Business through his efforts to become more productive and compete with multinationals in a very challenging sector.
Digital Commerce
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
Digital Readiness
Article
An online retail response to the coronavirus outbreak
Mohammed Patel, MD at Kiddies Kingdom, explains how his online retail business has tinkered with systems and processes to ensure it can continue trading.
Digital Commerce
Leadership & Strategy
Article
If you’re not learning from competitors then how can you ever improve?
Businesses adept at learning from competitors are always looking for ways to improve, whether that’s avoiding the mistakes close counterparts make or exploiting industry trends to stay ahead of the pack.
Leadership Behaviours
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Coronavirus: How to check which government support you can access
An raft of government support for business measures have been announced to help firms overcome coronavirus impacts. Here's what you need to know.
People & Team
Article
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.
Performance management
Planning
Article
A step-by-step guide to getting your business open for business again
With the government publishing plans to enable certain sectors in England to open for business again, here are some important steps to consider.
People & Team
Article
How to break bad news about performance – and turn it positive
How do you break bad news to staff without demotivating them? Business owners share advice on dealing with difficult situations.
Performance management
Sales & Growth
Article
Why some businesses are selling internationally more than domestically
Despite Britain abandoning its target of £1tn in exports by 2020, Be…
Expanding & Exporting
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Making your company vision and values stick in the long term
There may be excitement and engagement early on in a venture’s life, but how's does a company vision and its values become engrained and future-proofed? Be the Business found out.
Vision & Values
People & Team
Article
Leading a worried workforce: Are you supposed to be counsellors now?
Furlough has kept the wolves from the door, but it's also left leaders trying to keep a worried workforce motivated during the coronavirus outbreak.
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
People & Team
Article
Linking innovative performance evaluation schemes with the company culture
Employees, especially millennials, are seeking new ways of working, so companies need to look beyond traditional forms of performance evaluation recommended Ian Hughes.
Performance management
Sales & Growth
Article
This firm is seeking new revenue streams amidst the chaos
Finnmark Sauna planned to maintain its rate of expansion in 2020, and the founders are using new revenue streams to ensure coronavirus doesn't slow them down.
Digital Readiness
Article
Using collaborative tools to provide evidence-based business improvements
From smartphone-based features to digital conferencing options, collaborative tools are helping streamline and improve a wide variety of business-critical processes – with increased productivity and better innovation at the heart of it all.
Digital Commerce
People & Team
Article
Performance management can actually be fun
By its nature, performance management can be a sensitive subject for employees. But one company has found a way to make it more engaging and goal orientated.
Performance management
Planning
Article
Setting targets as a family business – it’s about aligning expectations
Running a family business gives you the chance to think about long-term performance. But it's important to make sure the goals of different family members are aligned when setting targets.
Target Setting
Planning
Article
How a drive for innovation turned Trunki into a global brand
Since launching in 2006, Trunki has grown into one of the most recognisable global brands in the travel space. Staying innovative was key to this progress.
Create a distinct offering
People & Team
Article
Creating team leaders to maximise sales and profitability – stories from the beauty and hospitality worlds
As a business grows it gets harder and harder to stay on top of all day-to-day activities. Nurturing and empowering team leaders helps take some of the pressure off, as Be the Business found out.
Talent development