Real business stories | Be The Business

Find out how a wide variety of UK businesses are tackling the issues, problems and challenges central to business improvement.

We've spoken to leaders who have taken the steps to improve their businesses and, in each case, provided three key takeaways to shape your own efforts.

We encourage you to use them as the inspiration to kickstart your own improvement efforts, taking their experience and shaping the right change for your business

Avoid common pitfalls by learning from the experience of others who have been there before
Find out how your peers worked through similar problems – each story has three key takeaways
Read stories from businesses in the same sector or size as you

How David Gandy-backed London Sock Company conquered the menswear market

Focusing on providing one product exceptionally well, London Sock Company is a great example of a digital-first business staying close to its customer and building sensibly.

It's The Small Things podcast: Dave Pickard, co-founder, London Sock Company

Selling online is hard, but it's something Dave Pickard and his business, London Sock Company, have made great progress in. Find out what's worked.

Doing one thing well helped Black+Blum double revenue in two years

A combination of leadership self analysis, product optimisation and team empowerment has helped Black+Blum take big strides forward in the last year. Founder Dan Black explains more.

It's The Small Things podcast: Dan Black, founder, Black + Blum

Doing less but doing it better has been transformational for product design company Black + Blum, seeing it increase turnover and reach new customers.

My staff give me 200 per cent, so I need to give 1,000

Few sectors were hammered as hard by the pandemic as hospitality, but Elaine Clarke of Baa Bar is determined to put the industry's annus horribilis behind her and lead her …

It's been give with one hand, take with another

You would struggle to find an SME as proactive and committed to its future as Dunsters Farm, but the road out of the pandemic is still far from clear. Follow …

New ideas and a more diverse workforce will fuel growth

While the pandemic caught Slater Heelis off guard, it also provided an opportunity to make some important changes. Follow the law firm's story each month to track progress and improvement …

It's The Small Things podcast: Paul Kelly, owner, KellyBronze

Small changes like implementing a simple staff bonus scheme have proved transformational at turkey breeders KellyBronze, a family business proving you don't just have to take the old way of …

We’re having to ask customers for a forecast because we need to understand their needs

Allsee Technologies are specialists in digital signage, and while the business weathered the coronavirus pandemic reasonably well, a global parts shorting is now playing havoc with future planning.

It's The Small Things podcast: Steve Moore, CEO, Flight Club

Flight Club is a business like no other. Blending slick hospitality with NASA-like technology, hear how CEO Steve Moore has developed a slick management and leadership structure that brings it …

Relentless testing allowed Flight Club to reinvent an age-old sport

The amount of moving parts that are involved in creating a seamless experience at Flight Club – from game animation to using hawk-eye-like technology – requires a relentless approach to …

It's The Small Things podcast: Victoria Brocklesby, COO, Origin

The second episode of this season of It’s The Small Things welcomes Origin co-founder and COO, Victoria Brocklesby. Along with her cousin, Neil Ginger, Victoria has built the bespoke window …

Good communication and customer focus transformed Origin into a £40m business

Origin COO Victoria Brocklesby shares how a pioneering approach to customer service, good internal communication and an ethos of always listening to staff ideas has transformed Origin.

It's The Small Things podcast

“It’s The Small Things” is a Be the Business podcast providing the inspiration small and medium-sized companies need to take an iterative approach to business improvement.

It's The Small Things podcast – Will Butler-Adams, MD, Brompton Bicycle

The first episode of season two of It’s The Small Things welcomes Brompton Bicycle MD Will Butler-Adams. He built the business from 7,500 to 55,000 bikes a year with a …

How waste obsession at Brompton Bicycle drove five-fold production rise

Brompton Bikes offers a masterclass in reducing waste. MD Will Butler-Adams built capacity using every tactic available, from installing Raspberry Pi computers to personally taking parts out of the bin.

Considering new technology? Be curious and experiment

A curious approach to adopting technology has played a big role in helping evaporative cooler manufacturer EcoCooling expand by 150-200 per cent year-on-year for the last decade.

External agencies can deliver immediate expertise and fast results

An external agency helped Maxwell Scott double revenue, but software company Softwire warns SMEs to only trust results.