The Elite Business Podcast

How can businesses bounce back after lockdown while keeping employee morale high?

Can SMEs spearhead growth and success while putting the needs of their staff first in a post-lockdown world? 

Chieu Cao, Co-founder of Perkbox and Founder of Mintago, joined us on the second day of Elite Business on 12 March as the keynote speaker for the Digital Transformation panel, speaking about how businesses can expand and grow during this challenging time – and at the same time, putting the needs and wants of their staff at the forefront.

How do you stay true to your business core values while growing your customer base?

Is it possible to stay true to your vision while meeting your ever-changing customer demands?

Lara Morgan, Founder of Pacific, Abbie Morris, Co-Founder & CEO of Compare Ethics, Eric Partaker, Co-founder of Chilango, James Davidson, Founder of Tails.com and Jas Bagniewski Founder of Eve Sleep, joined us for the second day of Elite Business on 12th March in the Commercial Growth panel, speaking about why it is important to listen to your customer and meeting their rising demands, while at the same time staying true to the core of your business without straying too far from your vision.

Commercial business growth: How can business owners adopt a growth mindset and the right attitude to spear forward during this difficult time?

Lara Morgan, the founder of Pacific, joined us on the second day of Elite Business on 12 March as the keynote speaker for the Commercial Business Growth talk, speaking about how business owners can develop a forward-thinking mindset during this challenging time – and why it is important to hire people with the right attitude for business.

Lara revealed her top tips for businesses owners to grow their customer base - and it even starts from the moment you wake up in the morning. By adopting positive habits daily long-term, you will be able to achieve your goals one step at a time and make progress with your business. “The first rule is to find a new customer every day,” Lara said. Every single day it is the first thing you do in the morning, you look for a new prospect and by doing that you build a pipeline and now you start getting back in business and then you have momentum. And from that one customer grows. From little acorns grow might oaks.

Overseas Expansion: Is it important to have boots on the ground when bringing your business across the border?

Remote presence vs. Physical presence – does it matter? What are the pros and cons of both approaches? 

Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter OBE, Chairman of Coltraco Ultrasonics, Anna Morsa, Group Commercial Director of Genuine Solutions Group, Natanel Bigger, CEO of Monpure and Rashida Abdulai, CEO of Strand Sahara, joined us for the first day of Elite Business on 11 March in the overseas expansion panel, discussing the importance of a physical presence in an international market and also addressed certain factors to take into consideration before bringing your firm abroad. 

Overseas expansion: How can businesses bring their firms overseas during this challenging time?

Is it necessary to have physical presence in the region you’re expanding to?

Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter OBE, Chairman at Coltraco Ultrasonics, joined us on the first day of Elite Business on 11 March as the keynote speaker for the Overseas Expansion talk, speaking about how businesses can expand to international markets during this challenging time – and why implementing the strategy is crucial before execution.

Financial management: To keep it in the business or outsource?

Business leaders speak about long-term financial solutions for business growth

With all the resources available right now, how can you ensure you’re making the right financial decisions for your business?

 

With all the resources available right now, how can you ensure you’re making the right financial decisions for your business? 

Catherine Young, Founder of Thinkroom, Gary Turner, Co-Founder of Xero, Lucy Mullins, Co-Founder of Stepladder and Richard Bearman, Managing Director for the British Business Bank, joined us for the first day of Elite Business on 11 March in the financial management panel, advising businesses on how to find the right source of finance to fit their financial needs and how to rise above the challenge when it comes to long-term financial health.

Financial management: How can businesses manage their finances during the pandemic for long-term growth?

How can businesses make sure they are making the right financial decisions for long-term financial health? 

Symmie Swil, Head of SME Banking at Starling Bank, joined us on the first day of Elite Business on 11 March as the keynote speaker for the Financial Management talk, speaking about how businesses can manage their finances and why this is all the more important during the global pandemic. 

Remote working or return to the office? EBL2021

Business leaders weigh out the pros and cons on how to maintain a productive workforce

The pandemic has brought a rise in flexible working – has the use of technology benefited staff productivity and morale, or will returning to the office be better in the long run?

Sunny Dhami, Senior Director of EMEA Product Marketing & GTM for Ring Central, Rachel Carrel, CEO & Founder of Koru Kids, Joanna Dai, Founder and CE of Dai, Lucy Chamberlain, Founder of C&C Search and Matthew Phelan, co-founder of The Happiness Index joined us for the first day of Elite Business on 11 March in the talent and regulations panel, speaking about how to manage employees with a rise in flexible working, employee wellbeing as well as the pros and cons of working from home versus returning to the office. 

 

How can businesses support their employees during the pandemic while ensuring a productive workforce?

The pandemic has brought about a massive shift with remote working now the new norm – how can businesses support their employees and prevent burn out? 

Sunny Dhami, Senior Director of EMEA Product Marketing & GTM for Ring Central, joined us on the first day of Elite Business on 11 March as the keynote speaker for the Talent and Regulations talk, speaking about how businesses can manage their talent and support employees during the pandemic amid a digital shift as workforce expectations are now changing at a rapid rate.

Sunny spoke about the five different generations in the workforce and the different ways they operate, and this includes Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millenials, and Gen Z. Sunny explained how the pandemic has shifted the way businesses operate and how firms have adapted to working with their employees with several challenges involved with different generational gaps. “In the last 12 months we’ve really had a strong shift in leveraging technology a lot more,” Sunny said. “We’ve all been on video calls all day every day, we’re spending a lot more time on the phone, email has potentially declined a little bit. So having to support and manage many of these different generations with different types of technology, supporting them through learning that technology, but also their uptake. I know messaging platforms and social messaging has seen a huge boom over the last few months and it’s interesting to see how different businesses have adopted to that.” 

Digital transformation: Business leaders discuss why it is important to pick the right technology for your business – rather than jump on the next hype

With a rise in emerging technologies, what is the best way SMEs can utilise these newer platforms to help them reach their goals?

Founder of Small Business Britain Michelle Ovens CBE, Biplab Rakshi, Managing Director of Atomic Acquisitions, Kim Antoniou, co-founder of Kafoodle, Melissa Snover, Founder of Get Nourished and Pete Oliver, Managing Director of BT & EE joined us for the first day of Elite Business on 11 March as in the digital transformation panel, speaking about the ways businesses can discover real opportunities in digitisation and how they can take the right steps to explore emerging technologies.. Read more...