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Leadership & Strategy
Article
We encouraged staff to innovate by giving them the freedom to fail
When growth started to stifle innovation, Beer Hawk created a system that celebrated failure.
Empower employees to take ownership
Sales & Growth
Article
We used customer feedback to prioritise our marketing spend
With so many marketing channels available, it’s hard to know where to invest. Bury-based security firm Expert Security let customer feedback guide them.
Set a customer feedback strategy
Digital Readiness
Article
We beat bigger budgets by focusing on our independent niche
How do you compete with some of the biggest brands in the world? Best of British Beer started by embracing its independence.
Identify potential areas for growth
People & Team
Article
We stopped trying to shoehorn people into a role needing filled
Rattan Direct had been guilty of shoehorning someone into an in-house role they don’t really want or settling for a new hire who lacked the right skills.
Recruit to succeed
Sales & Growth
Article
A blow to supermarket sales made us reevaluate our growth strategy
Relying too heavily on one revenue stream can be fatal for a business. Pieminister changed direction when its supermarket sales took a hit.
Diversify your income stream
People & Team
Article
Giving junior staff a voice helped us win in a competitive market
Softwire fell into the trap of assuming the culture of open communication wouldn’t change as it grew, but junior staff stopped approaching the senior team.
Listen to employees
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Our company values meant something different to everyone
Fordway learned that its company values meant something different to each employee. Here's how they got staff involved in updating and designing new ones.
Create meaningful vision and values
Leadership & Strategy
Article
We codified our culture to successfully expand to new locations
To expand your business, try to get your cultural values out of your head and into a format you can share with everyone else. See how Chance & Counters did it.
Keep values across different locations
Digital Readiness
Article
We used collaborative tools to make remote working a success
When SmarterQueue scaled up, the company invested in collaborative tools to build a remote workforce.
Establish processes for remote working
Sales & Growth
Article
Global competitors with deep pockets? Do the simple things brilliantly
If you’re going up against global companies with bigger budgets, make sure your basics are spot on. OTTY Sleep did exactly this to compete.
Respond to competition
Leadership & Strategy
Article
We were first in our market, but struggled to define our service
As an early player in the social advertising niche, Mighty Social struggled with how to frame and communicate a relatively unfamiliar offering.
Seek external advice
Digital Readiness
Article
We couldn’t build any further without developing our business data
Users of the ShopAppy website were dropping off as changes were based on one or two opinions, rather than prioritising based on user business data.
Develop the use of business data
Digital Readiness
Article
Using a spreadsheet to manage stock was not working anymore
Cheeky Chompers relied on Excel to manage stock, manufacturing and customer orders. This made for a complex supply chain and was hard to keep on top of.
Digitise your supply chain
Sales & Growth
Article
We had to hire local talent to expand successfully
When Vuealta started global growth planning the amount of information available was overwhelming. It's solution was to invest in local support and talent.
Prepare for expansion
Sales & Growth
Article
A new marketing campaign helped us better communicate our family values
With a strong family heritage at the heart of the company, Wyke Farms changed up its marketing to communicate its values more effectively.
Build a strategy around your USP
Leadership & Strategy
Article
As the company grew, we stopped talking about our business values
Accountancy firm The Wow Company found that as the company grew, the visibility of company values suffered and it began hiring what looked good on paper.
Communicate vision and values
Digital Readiness
Article
The best decision we ever made? Taking a risk and embracing the unknown
Plastic Card Services took a leap of faith and invested in new technology to build a sustainable advantage.
Find opportunities outside your skillset
Sales & Growth
Article
A focus on brand consistency guided us through a risky expansion
The ideal growth rate is steady and manageable, but how would you cope with an unexpected opportunity for expansion? Restaurant chain The Coconut Tree tackled it with a brand-first focus.
Keep your brand consistent
Digital Readiness
Article
We found a digital solution to reduce our drivers’ fuel wastage
Reducing fuel wastage across a large fleet of drivers comes down to changing driver behaviour. First Mile turned to technology to help.
Digitise your internal systems
Digital Readiness
Article
We used external agencies to build a luxury ecommerce giant
Leather retailer Maxwell Scott found it challenging to transition its door-to-door business into a digital success, turning to external agencies for help.
Collaborate externally
Planning
Article
We improved our efficiency to stick to our growth targets
When you grow your business, how do you keep up with customer expectations around speed of service? Anchor Vans developed a visual T-cards system for staff.
Improve internal systems
Sales & Growth
Article
We pivoted our restaurant business when sales steered us in a new direction
Quay St Diner launched with a big dream of California-style food, but responded when customers opted for a different direction.
Learn from your sales
Digital Readiness
Article
Digitising sales processes improved customer retention and created time to innovate
Digitising processes isn’t just about efficiency - it can improve customer retention and leave you with more time to innovate. YES Glazing Solutions found some surprising benefits of adopting CRM software.
Streamline your processes
Sales & Growth
Article
We beat a failing market by talking our customers’ language
Starting a business when your competitors are failing can be daunting, but Forbes Burton beat the odds by adopting a customer-first approach.
Shape your language to fit customers