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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
People & Team
Article
We beat the competition by tackling our industry’s diversity problem
When it came to hiring a team demonstrating diversity Claromentis found it difficult to attract women for certain roles, giving it a restricted perspective.
Determine what talent is needed
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Hiring for culture over experience helped us stand out from the crowd
If you can’t say what makes your business stand out from the competition, you’re on shaky ground. Here’s what Prezzybox did.
Hire to fit your vision and values
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 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
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
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
People & Team
Article
We proved culture beats budget to hold on to our staff
Futrli found it challenging to retain staff as a young SME in the tech market. It had to compete with larger budgets for wages and training at bigger firms.
Provide development opportunities
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Bringing in an external specialist gave us cutting-edge product development
CoreRFID discovered that finding a partner with complementary high-tech expertise created a huge opportunity to expand.
Build partnerships with other experts
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
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
Understanding our value was the key to successful collaboration
When it comes to collaboration, there’s plenty of risk for a small business. Recognising its worth helped Interactive Scientific to even the playing field.
Know your company's value
Leadership & Strategy
Article
We invested in marketing technology to drive business growth
With greater insights needed to make informed decisions, Blue Bay Travel realised its basic digital approach needed help from marketing technology.
Master the digital basics
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
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
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
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
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
Planning
Article
We maintain investor confidence in our goals with frequent milestones
When your business is set up to deliver something several years down the line, it can be hard to maintain enthusiasm among your investors. It's a challenge that rocket company Skyrora had to overcome.
Justify long-term plans to investors
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
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
Our cross-training programme has upskilled the team and boosted retention
Encouraging staff to mentor each other helped The Stag Company cope with staff absences and boost team morale.
Develop an internal training programme
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
Sales & Growth
Article
We invested in after sales support to create a sustainable business
Car repair marketplace whocanfixmycar.com faced the challenge of building a sustainable business in an industry with a high customer churn rate.
Maximise effectiveness of your salesforce