Helen Lindsey

Storytelling is a powerful tool for creating an emotional connection with your audience—and that emotional connection can be crucial to securing funding for your startup. A well-crafted investor pitch needs to hook your audience from the very beginning—and hold their interest until the very end—with a compelling and authentic narrative that generates enthusiasm for your product, your company and your brand. "Facts tell but stories sell," says David Bailey, who shares here the storytelling techni...

Angel investment in Spanish startups is up 44 per cent on last year, with Barcelona taking the lion's share. While there have been fewer deals, they've increased in value bringing the total amount to EUR 1.217 billion as of October 2018, writes Tim Hinchcliffe. The top investment rounds range from the EUR 11.8 million raised by Travelperk in one of their two funding rounds this year, to the EUR 430 million raised by Letgo. And the top city is Barcelona with EUR 731.4 million,...

Consumers are swayed by the content they consume on social media and as a result influencer marketing has become one of the most effective ways for brands to connect with their audience, acquire new customers and drive sales. The social media landscape is continuing to evolve however and consumers are becoming more discerning. So to continue reaping the benefits of influencer marketing, brands need to ensure they deliver high-quality campaigns that focus on authenticity and genuine engagement. H...

Fear of failure is one of the biggest obstacles to success and to overcome your fear, you need to change how you perceive failure. What one person considers a crushing defeat, another sees as a minor setback and a learning opportunity. "The chips aren't always going to fall where you want them to — but if you understand that reality going in, you can be prepared to wring the most value out of the experience, no matter the outcome," writes executive career transition coach Susan Peppercorn. ...

Managed properly, flexible working can be as good for employers as it is for employees and companies that aren't embracing the trend toward remote working may find it increasingly difficult to attract and retain top talent. That's not to say that remote working is always plain sailing however—especially for digital nomads who travel the world, living and working remotely in different locations for several weeks or months at a time. In this article, Mark Frary explores how inflexibility can make ...

The small businesses most likely to thrive post-Brexit are the ones that already one step ahead of their competitors in planning how to minimize their exposure to risk and maximize their opportunities. As it currently stands the UK is due to leave the EU on 29 March 2019, with a transition period that's due to end on 31 December 2020. While the nature of the UK and EU's future relationship remains uncertain, "very few businesses are going to be immune from the fall-out," says Matthew Cushen. Her...

It's never too early to start thinking about your startup's exit strategy. And while it may seem counterintuitive, the best time to plan your future exit is at the very start of a new venture. Planning your exit in advance allows you structure the business with the end goal in mind. In this article, Bill Clark discusses how proactive planning can help you "increase and optimize your exit options," the questions you need to ask yourself as you begin planning your exit, and the key things to consi...

For any business, the main social media goals are to increase brand awareness, generate leads, build customer loyalty, and boost sales. While larger businesses may be seeking to drive more traffic to their website, the top priority for small local retailers is to connect with their local community to increase footfall. And social media networks lend themselves very well to starting conversations with local consumers. To help you get started, marketing professional Marisa Sanfilippo shares h...

While intense political wrangling continues over the British government's plans for leaving the European Union, with the terms of the withdrawal agreement currently hanging in the balance, the impact of Brexit on U.K. businesses remains largely unknown. Although it undoubtedly presents significant challenges, it also creates new opportunities. And, whatever shape the post-Brexit landscape takes, "how Britain is perceived by the global community will be more important than ever," says brand marke...

With research showing the majority of employees in the U.S. are either actively looking for a new job or thinking about it, business leaders need to consider how to increase job satisfaction if they want to retain their best employees. Marcel Schwantes shares here "some of the more glaring findings" from research into what's causing such high levels of job dissatisfaction. He also reveals the "one overarching issue organizations need to address" and the steps organisations can take to improve th...

While there's a wealth of information and guidance available to help you develop all the practical skills you need to achieve success as an entrepreneur, developing the right mindset can be more of a challenge. In these seven lessons for mastering your mindset, Jesse Nieminen shares some top tips on stepping out of your comfort zone, managing your ego, being honest and realistic, putting the company first, setting a good example, keeping your values and expectations aligned, and maintaining a po...

Although public speaking doesn't come naturally to everyone, it doesn't have to be the nerve-wracking experience many people consider it to be. With practise you can learn to become a confident public speaker with an engaging presentation style. And the more speeches or presentations you deliver, the more opportunities you'll have to hone your public speaking skills. Whether it's a keynote speech at a conference, or a presentation at your next team meeting, Lisa Evans shares here some top t...

While some groups are campaigning for Britain's exit from the European Union to be halted altogether, the current political focus is on the terms of the split. After months of negotiation the UK and EU have agreed the draft text of a Brexit deal and, despite continuing controversy, the countdown to Brexit continues. While the implications for small businesses remain uncertain, there are some precautions you can take to soften the impact. In this article, Usman Raza discusses "9 areas your startu...

Cold email campaigns can be very successful in generating leads, boosting conversions and driving sales. Among the billions of emails sent every day, the challenge is for your outreach emails to be the ones people want to open, read and act on. Here, Sujan Patel shares some top tips for boosting your click through rates by carefully tailoring your email campaigns, personalizing your cold emails, and making your emails sound like real conversations to help customers connect emotionally with your ...

With online sales set to continue growing, there's never been a better time to start your own online business—and there are plenty of ecommerce solutions available to help you get started. As with any other software, each ecommerce platform has its pros and cons and it's important to pick one that's a good fit for your business, enhances the customer experience, and offers a range of features to match your level of experience while allowing room for growth. Here, Manish Dudharejia discusses...

The biggest cause of startup failure is running out of money before achieving product-market fit. "Entrepreneurs often get so excited about what they have built that they overlook the market demand/need and they build a solution in search of a problem," writes Pourya Moradi. To help you achieve repeatable, scalable and profitable growth, he shares here a seven-step guide to achieving product market fit—from accurately identifying the pain point to maintaininga healthy customer lifetime value to ...

Becoming an entrepreneur is less of a risk than women might think. Our commitment to meeting our responsibilities at home and at work—and a tendency to put the needs of others first—may account, at least in part, for why there are fewer female than male entrepreneurs. Yet our strong sense of values and commitment to honoring "any promise we make or goal we set" are also the "marks of the best entrepreneurs." And rather than letting them hold us back, we should embrace these traits and make them ...

Despite considerable research showing the human brain can't fully focus on more than one task at a time, employers continue seeking job candidates who excel at multitasking. Although becoming proficient at certain tasks makes it easier for us to quickly switch between them, we usually take longer to complete them—and we're more prone to making mistakes when our brain has to constantly refocus. According to some research however, there are times when juggling multiple tasks can be productive...

The digital marketing landscape is constantly evolving with new technologies and multiple channels available, yet email continues to be one of the most reliable and cost-effective ways to connect directly with consumers, increase brand awareness and build authentic relationships with your customers. With so many marketing emails vying for their attention however, the challenge is to stand out in an overcrowded inbox. To help you achieve your marketing goals, Chrisitina Perricone shares here some...

Understanding how well your business is performing, identifying weak spots in your strategies and taking appropriate steps to improve them can be challenging and there are several important business metrics involved. When it comes to improving profit margins, being able to measure the cost of convincing a potential customer to buy a product or service is crucial. Taking Google Drive, Salesforce as a B2B example and Facebook as B2C, Andrey Brych shares here some top tips for carrying out an accur...

While there are many benefits to being your own boss, entrepreneurship can be demanding and stressful and the pressures of business ownership can leave entrepreneurs vulnerable to mental health problems. And when you're immersed in the day-to-day challenges of building a successful business, it can be easy to miss the initial symptoms. Anyone can find they're struggling with the challenges they face and it's important to "occasionally step back and consider how these are impacting their mental o...

The transition from startup to scaleup can be challenging and it's important to have an effective strategy in place to prepare your business for successful growth. The key is to lay a solid foundation that will help you achieve a healthy growth rate. If you scale too rapidly you risk making mistakes that may be difficult to remedy later and if you scale too slowly you could miss out on valuable opportunities, says Bill Clark. Here, he shares a few things to keep in mind when planning your scalin...

​Having a strong brand is essential for success in today's competitive business environment; it's what differentiates you from your competitors and accelerates your company's growth. Creating an effective brand strategy will help you define your brand's unique identity, build better relationships with your customers and develop a strong company culture. In this blog post, Katy French guides you through the process of creating the core structure of a strong brand strategy all the way "from aspira...

Although waiting tables at college may not seem an obvious training ground for an entrepreneur, some of the most valuable lessons you can learn about running a business are the ones you learn outside of the classroom. For David Steckel, this was the job that helped him develop the skills he needed to succeed as cofounder of a company that matches customers with home maintenance vendors and contractors. Here Mark Abadi shares some of the most important lessons Steckel learned about nego...

Despite the high potential for failure, you don't have to be fearless to be an entrepreneur. Most entrepreneurs experience the same fear of failure as anyone else. The crucial factor that determines whether they continue with their venture is the source of their fear. While some sources of fear may create obstacles others can fuel your drive to succeed, say researchers James Hayton and Gabriella Cacciotti. Here, they identify seven sources of fear and how they can either help or hinder your succ...

Startups with high growth potential spend money faster than they can make it, which means early stage founders have to put a lot of time and effort into seeking finance. Every year thousands of entrepreneurs turn to venture capital (VC) firms, yet raising money from VCs is a challenging process and the odds of success are very low. "But if it provides any consolation, it's often as hard for VCs to say "no" as it is for founders to hear it," says Kjartan Rist. Here, he shares the reasons a VC may...

Choosing a business partner may be one of the most difficult business decisions you'll ever make. Launching a new business can be daunting and while there are numerous benefits to forming a partnership rather than going it alone, choosing the right partner is crucial to the success of the business. There's a lot to consider before jumping into a partnership. Here, Rose Leadam shares an infographic to guide you through the process—from how to decide what you're looking for in a partner to the ess...

Instead of accepting conventional wisdom at face value, you need to make sure it's the right advice for your business. When it comes to being profitable, the usual advice to startups is to focus on increasing revenue and not worry about reducing costs. While that's often good advice, you need to make sure it's right for your current situation. "It's natural to want to do what other people are doing. But what everyone else is doing might be bad for you," says Justin Jackson. In thi...

A strong business network helps you thrive as an entrepreneur and helps your company prosper. And given how easy it is to connect with people through online networking, it's more important than ever to focus on establishing genuine connections and nurturing mutually beneficial relationships. As the leading platform for professional and business networking, LinkedIn not only helps you create and nurture online relationships it can also help you build better face-to-face relationships. Here, Lizab...

Rather than choosing one digital marketing strategy over another, you can maximise your chances of a successful campaign by using a creative combination of strategies. Despite their different approaches, search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), and social media marketing share the same goals of improving your search engine rankings, increasing website traffic and maximising conversions, writes Lauren Wiseman. Here, she shares how to integrate these different approaches—wh...