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Planning
Article
We took a risk and changed business direction
To succeed in a new market, Natterbox needed to create fresh goals and ensure staff were invested enough to buy into them across the different departments.
Ensure employees buy in to targets
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
Sales & Growth
Article
We identified a target audience and found a global market to tackle seasonality
Cocofina found it challenging to maintain consistent sales throughout the year because of its issues with seasonality – sales suffered in the winter.
Identify target markets
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
Planning
Article
We chose stories over advice to get the most out of our business mentors
HR firm CharlieHR recognised it would need outside help to continue growing the business, in particular growth strategy insight from business mentors.
Develop external contacts
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
Digital Readiness
Article
To attract customers to our online brand, we added trust-building features
How do you get customers to leave a lifelong brand and try something new? Subscription brand Waldo found the answer.
Encourage trust online
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
People & Team
Article
A flexible working policy helped us attract top talent
When you’re competing for top talent, a flexible working policy can set you apart from the rest. Here’s how inniAccounts made it work for them.
Embrace workplace flexibility
Sales & Growth
Article
We invested in customer experience to beat the competition
Using customer experience to set your business apart can help you compete with much bigger, more established brands. Here’s how one jewellery company took on Tiffany’s.
Invest in your customer experience
People & Team
Article
We built a training culture to survive rapid change
Shopblocks staff needed more time to explore new development areas, but it was hard to find capacity for a training culture without damaging existing work.
Create a training culture
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Sharing our vision with staff gave us the momentum to move forward
When you’re tasked with juggling history and modernity, small steps can make a big difference. Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses is leading the way.
Check staff understand your vision
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Engaging our customer service team has kept staff turnover low
Faced with a tough market and limited hiring options, Joseph Turner opted for a system of total transparency with staff.
Encourage staff to share opinions
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Beating a divided culture helped us improve as leaders
Pork scratchings brand Snaffling Pig faced the challenge of reconciling a divided culture among staff – one solved through uniting on the same vision.
Improve your own leadership capabilities
Sales & Growth
Article
Building business relationships helped us conquer the education market
When it came to identifying growth channels, Show My Homework turned to building business relationships as a way of knowing when and where to sell.
Build external relationships
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
Working with overseas distributors helped us tailor our marketing
If you want to increase export sales, your network of distributors is a crucial source of insight into global audiences. Read how manufacturers Heald made the most of theirs.
Learn from distributors
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
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
Leadership & Strategy
Article
I broke with tradition to keep our family business alive
How do you make changes to a 300-year old family business? Carefully. This is how cider company Aspall brought in a fresh perspective.
Challenge the status quo
Digital Readiness
Article
Digital apathy stopped our business moving forward
HR firm Jaluch found it challenging to increase digital skills into the business. Digital apathy meant efforts were efforts were greeted with groans.
Build digital skills
People & Team
Article
Upskilling our workforce revived staff motivation
It can be tough to prevent stagnation with long-term staff, but LAC Conveyors & Automation found a strategy to breathe new life into the business.
Challenge your employees
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Our business is global, but managing a team working remotely is tough
As Formula Botanica has grown it has struggled to find people who won’t “wither” working remotely across England, Belgium, Slovakia and Brazil.
Support your employees
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Working with a mentor transformed my approach to staff management
How do you turn things around when your staff lack motivation? For Tutor House founder Alex Dyer, a mentor was crucial to getting his business back on track.
Seek neutral advice