Got an idea for a brilliant product or new business? Wonderful. But how do you test it? It’s easy to get positive feedback from folk who believe in you but aren’t your future customers. Or to be dissuaded by others projecting their fears at you. Who are the right people to speak with? How do […]
Women hit their crowdfunding targets more than men – across sectors and the world
July 13, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Yesterday The Crowdfunding Center and PwC published the new joint report, Women Unbound: Unleashing female entrepreneurial potential, which explores the experience of women in achieving finance raising success through seed crowdfunding compared with more traditional finance raising routes. I was one of the two lead authors of the report.
£25k investment for Research Retold
February 10, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Through Keep Your Fork Ltd, I’ve been supporting Research Retold, a business which turns complicated research documents into easily-digestible summaries – helping researchers to more effectively communicate their findings. So I’m delighted that Mihaela Gruia, Research Retold’s founder, was the winner in a competition to receive a £25k equity investment from UK Steel Enterprise through […]
Growth Vouchers – apply for up to £2000 for strategic business advice
August 7, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Do you run or work in a small business or social enterprise? Would you benefit from research, social media, marketing strategy, customer retention or communications advice to help to grow the business? The Government’s Growth Voucher Programme might be able to help you. I’ve just become accredited as a Growth Voucher Adviser – I’m thrilled, […]
Consumers still loyal to high street
March 18, 2014 by Leave a Comment
A study into consumer behaviour, led by Cathy Hart, senior lecturer in Loughborough University’s School of Business and Economics (SBE), has revealed that despite increasing competition, town centres are still the preferred shopping destination, accounting for almost a third of all retail visits. However, competition from online retail, supermarkets and out-of-town stores is likely to […]
Research project: new technology for business and social enterprise
February 27, 2014 by Leave a Comment
New Strategies for Digital Inclusion – A participatory action research study New and innovative digital tools and strategies are available to businesses (including social enterprises), communities and individuals. Can these emerging and developing technologies and services promote entrepreneurship? How can mobile technologies be used to develop existing businesses and social enterprises and to support new […]
Many shops alienating disabled customers
January 15, 2014 by Leave a Comment
A new report has found that many high street shops are alienating their disabled customers due to poor physical access, inadequate information, a lack of or misuse of disabled toilets and changing rooms, and even staff attitudes. And it spells out that an accessible high street is not just a (legal) right – but makes […]
Research shows power of small businesses in local economies
August 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment
New research, published in July from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), shows that 58 per cent more of the money spent by local authorities with small firms is re-spent in the local economy compared to that spent with large businesses in the same area. The FSB and the Centre for Local Economic Strategies surveyed […]
Essentials within 10-minute walk a key driver of happiness
December 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment
A new report, Local Services:Happy Places explores the links between how happy people are with where they live and the shops and services in their area. The report, commissioned by the Association of Convenience Stores and conducted by research consultancy BritainThinks, proposes measures intended to make communities better places to live. One of the report’s […]
