Steve Barnes, one of the founding partners of Collective, which is radically changing the old-fashioned ways of the advertising industry through using new tech to supercharge their creatives, sits down and talkes to SMEToday. How did you get started in the industry? I got really lucky. I had a job before I left uni – a friend of mine was leaving his job and he put me forward, it was a German company and they had an office in London, but on arrival, the job wasn’t what I expected at all, just making letterheads. So I spoke to the boss…
Author: Greg Robinson
A SHOPPING centre in Scotland– the Centre Livingston – has been judged to have the best public ‘loos’ in the UK as winners of the Loo of the Year Awards are announced (Weds Jan 15). Eighteen companies and individuals are flush with success today after receiving trophies at the annual awards ceremony that took place at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull. More than 1,500 businesses from across the UK entered the annual awards last year to have their washrooms and toilet facilities judged by a team of independent inspectors. Run by businesswoman Becky Wall BEM, the scheme is now…
Aaron Lee, founder of Alchem Trading Ltd, is launching a podcast, CLEAN Chemicals with Aaron Lee, in January 2025 to spotlight innovation and changemakers in the chemical industry. A long-time advocate for transparency, sustainability, and innovation in the sector, Aaron’s Oxfordshire-based podcast aims to showcase transformative advancements and the inspiring individuals driving them forward. “The chemical sector is often overlooked for its innovation, but it’s home to some of the most impactful breakthroughs,” says Aaron. “Through this podcast, I want to highlight these stories and spark meaningful conversations about our industry’s future.” Early episodes will feature guests like Christina French,…
SMEToday talks to Vee Bharkhada, the inspiration and driving force behind Navigate Business Recovery How and when did you start in this line of work? Actually, I fell into it accidently. I had moved from Leicester to London and was looking for a training contract in a solicitors office which was taking too long to arrange. I was registered with Brook Street the recruitment company in those days and they said that this temporary contract had come up with a firm which specialised in insolvency work for nine months covering for someone who was going on Maternity leave and I…
Small firms fear the new Employment Rights Bill will harm recruitment and lead to a spiralling benefits bill, a survey by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) shows. The research shows that 92 per cent of small employers have concerns about measures in the Bill. One of the main concerns cited in the Bill is changes to unfair dismissal legislation, which would expand the grounds for employees to take their new employer to a tribunal from their first day in the job. FSB says that the Prime Minister must now show he “gets” the importance of creating and sustaining jobs…
Allergy campaigner and entrepreneur Julianne Ponan MBE has taken part in a private documentary by a fellow campaigner to expose the hypocrisy around allergies within the airline industry. Julianne is one of three people affected by severe allergies and anaphylaxis interviewed by fellow sufferer Libby Evans, producer of the seven-minute film ‘Airborne Allergies: Life On the Line’. Libby, who lives in Devon and is studying for a BA in Multimedia Journalism at the University of Bournemouth, made the documentary to show the challenges that many people with serious allergies face when flying around the world – she’s one of them.…
Nick Gazzard, the founder of the Hollie Gazzard Trust, has been awarded OBE in His Majesty The King’s New Year’s Honours List for services to tackling violence against women. This prestigious recognition celebrates Nick’s tireless work in raising awareness and tackling violence against women since the tragic loss of his daughter, Hollie, in Gloucestershire in 2014. Under Nick’s leadership, the Trust has become a beacon of hope and support for individuals affected by domestic abuse and stalking. Since its inception 10 years ago the Trust has focused on prevention, education, and safeguarding, working tirelessly to help build a society where…
Emma Male, data cleansing expert at Hopewiser, shares insights on preparing your business for Q5, the high-value sales period between Christmas and New Year. The festive season is a key time for retailers, but the shopping frenzy doesn’t end on Christmas Day. The post-Christmas period, often referred to as ‘Q5,’ presents a golden opportunity for businesses. According to a recent survey, 41% of shoppers plan to spend during this time, making it an essential window for e-commerce marketers to focus their efforts. However most businesses don’t take advantage of this period and actually pull back on their advertising spend, or…
As attention turns to the new year and with it, new resolutions and ambitions for growth, many SME business owners are also turning their attention to how best to manage costs to achieve those resolutions and ambitions, particularly if a growth strategy requires travel. Reassuringly, there are a number of ways to effectively manage corporate accommodation and travel costs so that SMEs have more scope for investment elsewhere, in order to seek growth in new markets either with new clients or suppliers. Here James Buckley, CFO from SilverDoor, the leading provider of serviced apartment and corporate accommodation for business travellers,…
An events business and a speakers’ platform have teamed up to bring added value to corporate events at venues across the UK. Glasgow-based Glasgow-based Eventsplus, which supports independent venues to promote and develop their corporate bookings, is collaborating with Scott Media Speakers, which supports independent venues to promote and develop their corporate bookings, is collaborating with Scott Media Speakers, part of the PR company Scott Media. Under the arrangement, Glasgow-based Eventsplus will promote the speakers alongside its portfolio of venues and clients allowing them to book high quality speakers for their own clients. “Eventsplus was founded to support independent venues…