For many of us, office culture can be a little overwhelming. Being asked to do urgent tasks by impatient colleagues, having to work amid a sea of noise and having your precious time eaten into by emergencies – all those problems and more make the world of work seem anything but attractive. Working from home, on the other hand, can be calming, but productivity can be an issue.
While you’re in a quieter setting where it’s easier to think clearly, if you’re at home, the temptation to slacken can be all too hard to resist, even if there’s something urgent to do.…
Not a day goes by when we don’t hear about some new innovation in the world of technology – increasingly, the kind of tech upgrades you can expect are all about making life easier for us. We don’t need to walk into town to buy food anymore – we can order it online. We don’t need to go out and buy a recipe book – we can just download an app to help us out with the cooking.
Because eCommerce continues to grow, it’s no surprise that businesses are increasingly turning to internet innovations to sell their products.…
According to a recent study from the Fox Small Business Center, Houston, Tampa-St. Petersburg, Denver, Seattle and Dallas-Fort Worth are the top five metro areas for business growth. While having a growing business in one of those areas or any other area around the world is an impressive accomplishment, that doesn’t mean growth is free of challenges. On the contrary, rapid growth can mean that a business has to tackle challenges that it never anticipated.
If you read the previous sentence and thought “I wish my business had to deal with those types of challenges,” chances are it’s because your business isn’t growing as quickly as you’d like.…
In recent times, getting ahead in business has been a challenge for every firm from the largest multinational to the smallest hyper-local company run out of a spare room. To try and ensure they get a head start, many newcomers to the business world are trying to sell innovative and niche products and services, and it is firms like those who are among the most likely to succeed.
In the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in the US, there were a number of quirky businesses which featured in the list.…
Any start-up business with even vague aspirations of becoming at least a fairly well-known name within its industry will face a myriad of dilemmas when it comes to publicising themselves. Should they begin in a low key way or do something flashy? Should they spend a lot or try and market their products without dipping into their bank accounts?
One of the biggest decisions any company will face when it comes to advertising their product is choosing the most effective media.…
Just a few years ago, small businesses were known for resisting new technologies and changes to the traditional business model. Today, small businesses are leading in innovation and embracing new technologies as quickly as they appear.
One of the most popular trends among small business owners is the adoption of cloud computing technologies. Gartner predicts that cloud computing will be a $150 billion industry by the end of 2013. From large-scale data storage and order processing to ERP suites and online accounting, the selection of cloud-based services and platforms is vast.…
Forbes reports that the number of women CEOs is on the rise, adding six more to the ranks of the Fortune 500 companies for a grand total of 18 in 2012. When you’re a woman fresh out of college and ready to pursue a professional career, you dream of climbing up the ladder and making your way into that coveted position. While it’s still dominated by men, more women every year are inspired by the ladies at the top spots into pursuing their business dreams.…
Businesses from around the United Kingdom attended a prestigious event held by Her Royal Majesty the Queen on 23rd July in honour of their success in the previous years. This year’s event saw one of the most highly coveted awards granted to those businesses which started small and blossomed into hugely successful enterprises.
Some of the businesses honoured at the event were so humble in their beginnings, they attribute their success to work at the kitchen table!
Filling a hole
Thea Green, founder of Nails Inc.,…
Whether you’re a new e-commerce business or have been operating for several years, it’s time to re-evaluate your website. Internet Retailer reports that e-commerce sales in 2012 reached $225.5 billion, a 15.8 percent increase from 2011. Get your share of this revenue stream by making your website a place where consumers want to spend their money.
Start by Selling Socks (Figuratively Speaking)
If you are a new business, Venture Beat suggests you specialize in a few items and build a reputation before you expand.…
There are seven basic plots used in storytelling. Here we look at how they are used in the world of advertising.
Overcoming the Monster
One of the all time classic story telling genres, dating as far back as Ancient Greece (if not even further). The premise is simple. Companies use their all-conquering brands to overcome something, either literally or metaphorically, monstrous. You will often see cleaning companies using this storyline – this Domestos advert being a great example – where pesky germs are vanquished once and for all by the all powerful, all dominating antibacterial cleaner.…
