Real business stories | Be The Business

Find out how a wide variety of UK businesses are tackling the issues, problems and challenges central to business improvement.

We've spoken to leaders who have taken the steps to improve their businesses and, in each case, provided three key takeaways to shape your own efforts.

We encourage you to use them as the inspiration to kickstart your own improvement efforts, taking their experience and shaping the right change for your business

Avoid common pitfalls by learning from the experience of others who have been there before
Find out how your peers worked through similar problems – each story has three key takeaways
Read stories from businesses in the same sector or size as you

Keeping loyal customers is the key to long-term success

A focus on retaining customers has improved customer retention at Birmingham-based Time etc and London-based Disciple Media.

Learn from competitors to avoid mistakes and spot opportunities

Learning from competitors is vital to avoiding mistakes and identifying gaps in the market for Freda, an ethical sanitary product business.

Customer feedback is essential for product development

Customer feedback should be an essential part of product development — before and after launch. Hearing what customers think offered Trunki valuable insight into whether products were meeting expectations.

How ethical values helped this Cornish surf brand make waves

For Finisterre, a Cornish surf brand, ethical values aren't just a moral question – its values helped shape its unique selling point (USP).

Identify the right people to manage your growing business by hiring for culture, not skills

Identifying people to manage a growing business is a make-or-break moment. Get it right and, like Patient Choice has found, the positive impact will be exponential.

Your story, not your timing, is key to securing funding

Young companies will often need to have a compelling story if investment to scale and grow is to be secured, as Huboo has demonstrated.

Comprehensive research is the key to creating a hyper-relevant offering

Talking to clients and looking at products offered by competitors and companies in related sectors helped PracticeWeb’s lead generation grow exponentially.

Understanding what customers think you do can improve your messaging

Finding out what customers think they do best has been the key to making cleaning product manufacturer Fabulosa’s marketing work.

Use new product innovation as a marketing tool to engage customers

Handcrafted cookware company Netherton Foundry gets ideas from customers and turns experiments into marketing opportunities.

Conducting market research led to new export opportunities

Discovering new customers to target requires research, but Ask Mummy & Daddy quickly realised the importance of being realistic about the time and money you can afford to invest.

Getting the most out of your best people

You utilise hours and numerous resources to track down the best people for your vacancies, but once you’ve found them, how do you ensure that you get the most out …

Radical candour stops challenging situations becoming bigger issues

Managing challenging employees is one of the most daunting parts of being a leader. Employee engagement is easier when things are going swimmingly, but what do you do when there’s …

Developing good lines of communication throughout your business

Communication, communication, communication. It’s a buzz word that many of us might disregard, but in actual fact, communication is key to the success of many businesses.

Extending performance management to contractors

For performance management to be effective, everybody needs to be working within that framework. Managers should have the same goal setting processes – and there’s an opportunity to involve team …

Double-down on employee engagement during difficult times

Employee engagement is rooted in culture and communication. How leaders engage with staff on a daily basis can have a huge impact on performance and productivity across the business.

Remote working attracts better talent – and diversity of thought

Distributed workforces reduce costs, increase the pool of candidates and create a higher level of job satisfaction, but education and communication are key.

Brand advocacy is built on a personal connection with the business

Successful companies know that an effective brand puts you head and shoulders above the competition. And, there’s no better advocates for your brand than those who live and breathe it …

Treat every new employee as a potential leader from day one

Nurturing junior employees to become future leaders not only helps to increase engagement and build solid teams, but it supports business growth in a stable, sustainable way.