Business Planning, Digital Media, Marketing
If you haven’t stopped to think about it before, here are a handful of simple ideas that you can easily apply and that will make a difference to your chances of lasting business success.
Business Planning, Pitching
Does “negotiation” bring to mind a hard fought battle of the minds akin to a poker game where the winner takes all? Best avoided? If so help is at hand. After the negotiation there are consequences! If the other party thought you were intransigent, fought for too hard a deal, trampled over them from a position of strength they will get their own back. Expect attempts to renege on the deal, warranty issues, bad reviews. Don’t expect them to do business with you again in a hurry.
Business Planning, St John's Innovation Centre
When innovation is mentioned by the government and media, they usually refer to manufacturing or high tech SMEs. But 70% of small companies are service businesses, and with only a little help, they can innovate more too. And because they can move faster, the payback from their innovation can be seen in months, rather than years. As a nation we need this growth, so why are we largely ignoring the 70% of those who could achieve it for us?
Business Planning, Marketing, St John's Innovation Centre
According to Investec Bank, almost 80% of those in the East of England donated to charity last year, with the average total per person £176.85, compared with £186.15 per person for the UK as a whole. It also reveals that the value of people’s donations to charities in 2011 was 12% less than in 2010, so why should businesses develop charitable relationships?
Business Planning, Marketing
With the private rental sector projected to grow to 21% by 2019 and the average age of the first time buyer at 37, there are still a lot of opportunities for new and experienced landlords to expand their portfolio. Being a professional landlord in today’s market means that you need to make sure that the assets you have make a profit now as well as in the future. The easiest way is to reduce void periods buy buying the right property. Here are my ten top tips to choosing the correct property.
Business Planning, Marketing, Media, St John's Innovation Centre
I recently attended the Meerkats & Avatars 2011 Media Technology exhibition where many new technology products from the East of England were showcased to the national technology press and regional journalists too. I was impressed by the quality of the stands presented and also by the professionalism of the staff from the companies involved. Most of the companies were start-up or small businesses and many of their team hadn’t even attended a business exhibition before, let alone exhibited!
Business Planning, Marketing, Recruitment
Success in business in today’s increasingly digital world calls for engaging, effective PR, marketing and communications activity which in turns needs budget and resource.
But how do you do this in the most cost-effective, sustainable way if you have little or no in-house resource looking after your communications needs? Marcie Bell of The Foundry House works through the options and offers advice on avoiding common pitfalls.
Business Finance, Business Planning, Raising Finance
Ever since the demise of the Grant for Business Investment (which technically still exists but only for large exceptional projects and offshore wind equipment manufacturers), there has been a gaping hole in the provision of grant funding for “ordinary” businesses. By “ordinary businesses” I mean commercial businesses that don’t do technology R&D. However, a few new schemes have just appeared that go some way towards filling this gap.
Business Finance, Business Planning, Media
On 16th November the Telegraph ran an article[1] stating that “Small businesses applying for a flagship innovation funding programme have seen their chances of success collapse following a decision to “front load” the distribution of grants”. The SME Innovation Alliance is quoted as saying that “this inconsistency and bar raising is unfair, unreasonable and is at odds with the UK’s need for innovation from its small companies”, while the TSB is reported to have explained that the front loading was done “to get the programme off to a strong start and avoid unused funds being returned to the Treasury.”
Business Planning, Digital Media, Marketing
During my career as a writer and editor in the healthcare sector, I have seen firsthand the mistakes so many healthcare companies make in their attempts to secure coverage in the media. But by following the ten golden rules outlined in this post, you can ensure that you avoid these frequent faux pas and get your product in front of the readers that matter to you.
Bidding & Tendering, Business Planning, Cambridge cluster
The global market for cleantech is valued at £4.3 trillion, and companies in the Greater Cambridge region are at the forefront of innovation in this area. As we approach peak oil and price of energy becomes a major driver, the market will prefer the cleantech alternatives. However, in the short term these technology companies need support.
Business Finance, Business Planning, High growth coaching, Marketing
Getting your products noticed on the international marketplace can prove to be difficult but Cambs-based company AstraNet have utilised business support and worked on a strong export strategy, providing sound results.
Business Finance, Business Planning
When any company borrows money from a main UK bank, they are likely to be approached by the Treasury sales team in order to ‘examine’ Interest Rate Hedging. The concept and structures available are important to consider. To explain the concept of hedging briefly…
Business Finance, Business Planning
Again this week I visited a small company who have survived the recession and are relatively comfortable that they are consistently making a profit – i.e. they have money in the bank. However, when I challenged them to tell me what profit they made on individual products, they were unable to answer.
St John's Innovation Centre
If you sometimes suffer from tired eyes with a gritty or itching sensation, then relief is nearer than you thought. SJIC tenant, Altacor is a specialist ophthalmic pharmaceutical company with expertise in the phenomena of ‘dry eye’, a common problem for computer-users.
