New Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has already made a few controversial decisions in her brief tenure, but the decision this week to purchase Tumblr – currently one of the most popular social networks – will likely be the most “make or break” moment in the history of the company. As well as the Tumblr purchase,…
Futurologists have revealed what they expect to be the most highly paid jobs in 2030. You’ve probably never heard of most of them because they don’t actually exist yet. Could one of your children or grandchildren be one of the very first “Vertical Farmers’, who makes the most of limited space by growing plants upwards…
With cloud technology, small businesses can now stay in total control of their affairs even if they want to take some off to go on holiday. Manage your sales, finances and admin while sipping a cocktail on the beach! Why not allow teleworking to change the way your business operates? (via WinWeb Business Blog)
Low fuel prices in April have caused a lower than expected inflation rate and as a result the value of the Pound has fallen. Inflation unexpectedly fell to 2.4% from 2.8% in March and inflation as measured by the retail price index (RPI) fell to 2.9% in April from 3.3% the previous month. Despite the…
Do you define yourself as a micro business owner? If you employ less than ten people, the chances are that your business is not just small but is in fact a micro business. The majority of these businesses are content with remaining small and will also have a small but dedicated customer base that they…
A happy and productive team can deliver great success for a business, whilst a dysfunctional team often results in failing projects and poor company performance. The successful construction of a team is essential to avoid the common pitfalls which can cause a team to be ineffective. Business team management expert Patrick Lencioni identified five dysfunctions…
How important is your business signage? According to the infographic below, the answer is very. A massive 8 out of 10 American consumers have entered the premises of a business simply because the sign caught their interest. Take a closer look at the infographic to see the types of signs that will keep customers away…
If you’ve ever wanted to pitch on Dragon’s Den – but can only spare about six seconds – then you are in luck. Former Dragon Doug Richard will be using Twitter and the video app Vine to accept very quick six second pitches as part of his Launch Me competition. If you haven’t used Vine…
The Business Quote topic for this week is, appropriately for a Monday, about starting new things. “It is always the start that requires the greatest effort.” – James Cash Penney J.C. Penney started one of the largest department store chains of the last century so he knew a thing or two about starting something and…
On the day that David Beckham announced that he will be retiring from professional football, I felt compelled to put aside the theme I’d been planning and write this piece instead. My mum’s side of the family is from Salford, the Red part of Manchester, and my Grandad Sykes always brought me up on United,…
Conformity is a real business problem especially in the field of marketing promotions. In fact it’s a disease that left unchecked, sends companies to the wall. When you’re promoting your business, you naturally want your message to stand out, be remembered and ideally go viral. Yet, so many businesses camouflage what they say because they…
The scariest words to a prospective or existing small business owner are ‘I’m from the government (or bank) and I’m here to help you’. If the schemes and websites of free support for starting a business are primarily run and sponsored by government and financial services companies then B-E-W-A-R-E. My opinion is that they are…
Ouch! I think that hissing is the sound of knives flying through the air aimed at my back. This is where I may upset most business women and most business men. I’ll be accused of stereotyping and other words I find difficult to spell. I’m old but not wise – who knew? However, I just…
Everyone knows that the cost of commuting can be prohibitive to many small businesses, but are you aware of exactly how much it costs you on an annual basis? This infographic (based on US data) reveals how much the average person will spend on their annual commute. It shows that if the person is earning…
The odds are stacked against any new business venture, but that shouldn’t necessarily be something that puts you off starting your own business. Find out the three main reasons why any business might not survive for the first five years and receive some advice about preventing these errors from occurring. (via WinWeb Business Blog)
David Beckham certainly made a lasting impact on the world of professional football (or soccer, for our American readers) but he also taught us some valuable lessons that could be transferred to the world of business too. His bravery, ability to bounce back when almost everyone had written him off, raising his game at crucial…
You might have designs for your business to be around for a long time, but could you ever conceive of it outliving you by centuries? For one seventeenth century scissor-maker in China named Zhang Jiasi that’s exactly what happened, because the fruits of his labour are still very much alive today. The Hangzhou Zhang Xiaoquan…
Experiential marketing isn’t something reserved for big business with equally big budgets – elements of experiential marketing can feed into campaigns, whatever the size of your company. For many, the aim of experiential marketing is to accelerate the customer’s decision making process, which executed well, can reduce your marketing and ad spend elsewhere. This post…
Life can be difficult for recent college graduates wanting to find employment in the current economic climate but on the bright side, technology has made it so that it has never been easier for them to start their own business. Here are our Top 5 Tips for starting your first business as a recent college…
This excellent infographic from GetApp has some great ideas for any business wanting to improve their customer service. According to their figures, poor customer service costs $338.5 Billion annually. Providing great customer service is really important because it leads to repeat business and satisfied clients, whereas poor customer service will do just the opposite and…
