Features

UK-China trade: Is security paranoia preventing a lucrative partnership?

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden recently told the BBC that China represents the “largest state-based threat” to Britain’s economic security. This type of sentiment has been present throughout UK politics in recent years, with the UK Government blocking numerous attempts to buy UK firms by Chinese companies due to security fears. But is the UK’s...

20 July, 2023

Lewis Raymond Taylor’s journey from prison sentences to building a successful coaching empire

Adversity. A word associated with so many high-profile business figures since the dawn of time. James Dyson had 5,126 failed prototypes before coming up with his now legendary bagless vacuum. Self-made multi-millionaire Inger Ellen Nicolaisen, Founder of Nikita Hair, overcame being raised by an alcoholic father and being a homeless 15-year-old with a daughter to...

12 July, 2023

A view of a modern city with it's former look in glasses

From the 1950s to today: How innovation can revive the UK economy

Innovation is the lifeblood of business. The UK has a long history of world-leading and world-changing innovation. From the Industrial Revolution onwards, British innovators have driven forward the engine of global progress. Some believe the global economy today resembles that of the late 1950s. It begs the question then: how did the economy recover after...

6 July, 2023

Virgin Experience Days appoints Christoph Homann as CEO

Virgin Experience Days has announced the appointment of Christoph Homann as CEO as the business enters its next phase of growth in the experience gifting markets in the UK and US. Christoph was most recently CEO of Wishcard Technologies, a digital gift card business headquartered in Germany, where he more than doubled revenue and EBITDA,...

5 July, 2023

Alice Cumming

A man with a briefcase hopping from a sinking paper boat to another one

Is the London Stock Exchange toxic?

The UK is a powerful country. Placed fifth in the world in terms of GDP, it recorded £2.23trn in 2022 and with more than 30 million adults in the labour market, it boasts the second-largest talent pool in all of Europe. However, it also has an Index losing out to its US counterparts and an...

14 June, 2023

Customer-centricity in the connected era: overcoming five common challenges

In this guest article, Chiara Diana, chief design officer at frog discusses how to develop sustainable products and experiences with a net-positive impact on the environment. From smart watches to software-enabled vehicles, consumers are more connected than ever before. By 2030, the number of connected devices is projected to climb to 29.4 billion worldwide. Meanwhile,...

13 June, 2023

What is the difference between B2B and B2C companies?

B2B and B2C are two common but different types of business models. In this article, we take a closer look at B2B and B2C companies to tell you all the information you need to know about them. What is a B2B business? The meaning of B2B is ‘business-to-business’ and B2B companies sell products or services, or...

30 May, 2023

Autumn in Warsaw, top view of the Palace of Culture in Poland

The rise of an underdog: How this European nation is quietly dominating the global stage

Poland is on the verge of becoming a great global power. The Polish economy has proven resilient to multiple global shocks, including the 2020 recession, the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and tighter global financing conditions. What insights can this remarkable success story offer to other countries, and what can UK businesses do to...

24 May, 2023

GDPR turns five: Has it positively changed the landscape of Data Protection?

May 25th marks the fifth anniversary of GDPR. In the UK, we have witnessed huge change in the past five years – including four Prime Ministers, the Covid-19 pandemic and a cost-of-living Crisis – but when it comes to protecting personal data, there is still more to be done. 71% of countries have data protection...

24 May, 2023

Tom Beahon, Andy Murray and Phil Beahon attend the Castore and Andy Murray Press Conference at The Queen's Club on March 06, 2019 in London, United Kingdom

From banking to sportswear: How these brothers built a global clothing empire

We spoke to Tom Beahon, Co-Founder of British sportswear brand Castore, about swapping corporate for clothing, innovative ways to grow a brand, the power of having courage in your convictions, and much more. You went from banking to establishing one of the highest-profile clothing brands in the world – how did you manage this shift...

16 May, 2023

Winning on purpose book on a table with a stack of books and two lights

Winning on Purpose: The unbeatable strategy of loving customers

In his latest best-selling book, Fred Reichheld introduces NPS 3.0 as a way for companies to enrich the lives of their customers and generate good profits. This approach puts treating customers the way you would want to be treated at the centre of enduring business success. Reichheld provides examples of companies with superior NPS delivering...

15 May, 2023

The big thinker on a mission to change the future of work

I don’t think there are many organisational psychologists in this world that can claim to be endorsed as a Jedi by Mark Hamill. Professor John Amaechi OBE can. On top of this, John is also an award-winning, international best-selling author, a sought-after public speaker, an executive coach, and the Founder of APS Intelligence. John’s CV...

12 April, 2023

A person is plugging in a block between two blocks

The rise of the chief of staff

Do you really know what a chief of staff is? You may think you do, but the reality is that a common view of the position is essentially that of a glorified Executive Assistant (EA). But what exactly is a chief of staff and is it worth having in your business? We find out… “The...

4 April, 2023

Going global: How European businesses can expand in 2023 – and beyond

In this guest article, Andy Lockhart, Vice President of Europe, Middle East, and Africa for Cloudflare, discusses how businesses can use technology to scale up their capabilities as they expand and how to tackle barriers like network usage and cloud egress fees. Despite the economic challenges and uncertainties of today’s business environment, there has never...

16 March, 2023

Spring Budget 2023 announced – what does it mean for me?

Jeremy Hunt has announced his first Spring Budget as Chancellor. We’ve broken down exactly what was announced and what implications this could have for you. Energy price guarantee extended for three months The Chancellor confirmed that the energy price guarantee will be extended at its current level for an additional three months, from April to...

15 March, 2023

What are the contemporary business issues you should be aware of?

Global economics and politics can have a major impact on the way a business is run, and the markets businesses operate in. Although this list is not extensive, there are contemporary business issues entrepreneurs should be aware of and we’ve compiled a list of them. Global economic slowdown According to the World Bank’s latest Global...

27 February, 2023

PerfectTed matcha drink launches in Tesco

PerfectTed is led by entrepreneurs, housemates and best friends, Marisa Poster and brothers Teddie and Levi Levenfiche. Together they have created Europe’s first matcha green tea-powered canned energy drink, which is launching to Tesco on the 27th of February in single cans (included in the Meal Deal) and on the 13th of March in new...

23 February, 2023

Is it too late for the UK to rejoin the EU?

In this guest opinion article, Helen Wong MBE, Corporate Solicitor at Setfords, consider whether it would ever be possible for the UK to rejoin the EU. Get Brexit Done was the UK’s call to take back control of laws, immigration and their direction in the political and business sphere. It promised a seismic shift such...

15 February, 2023

UK GDP growth best amongst G7 nations in 2022, but are we now in recession?

According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, UK GDP growth was flat in the three months to December 2022, meaning the UK managed to avoid recession last year. GDP fell by 0.5% in December, which followed the growth of 0.1% in November and 0.5% in October. In Q3 2022, GDP dropped...

10 February, 2023

8 successful business stories where entrepreneurs overcame adversity

The economic forecast for 2023 indicates that this year will be a tough one for many. However, there are plenty of entrepreneurs who have gone through adversity and achieved their goals, so here are 8 successful business stories to provide some entrepreneurial inspiration. 1. James Dyson’s 5,126 failed prototypes James Dyson is one of the...

9 February, 2023

The rise of AI: Searches for Chat GPT jump 2633% since December

It’s difficult to go online currently without seeing some sort of discourse surrounding AI programmes, such as ongoing debates surrounding generated art-stealing designs, the potential for Chat GPT to replace copywriting, and even OpenAI, the maker of Chat GPT testing a new tool to detect AI created content. But just how much more have we...

8 February, 2023

Alice Cumming

Where are the world’s top start-up ecosystems?

Start-up ecosystems are created by people, various organisations and start-up companies in different stages of growth, which interact with one another to create and scale new start-up companies. Where excellent start-up ecosystems are present, there are more opportunities for businesses to successfully scale. We took a closer look at the top start-up ecosystems around the...

7 February, 2023