EDITOR’S COMMENT & CONTENTS


CONTENTS


4 THE BUSINESS ZONE News, views and case studies from SMEs around the country


14 A WORD IN YOUR EAR Good communications should be implemented from the boardroom to the shop floor, says Nicole Posner


16 UNDERSTAND YOUR MARKET Vaughan Evans sets out three plain and simple steps in building a winning strategy


18 COVER STORY Former international footballer turned TV pundit Gary Neville reveals his business secrets


24 SPOT THE ENTREPRENEUR John Mullins highlights six signs which show if you’ve got what it takes to reach the top


26 THE BUSINESS OF GLAMOUR Claudia Lambeth, founder & CEO of Luna Mae London, on championing British craftsmanship


28 FLYING HIGH Good time management is essential for business success, says ex-RAF man Ed Molyneux


30 THE BIG INTERVIEW Sustainable fashion champion – and would-be rock star – Tom Cridland on how to build a creative company


36 THE SILVER SURFERS Robert Gordon on the growing impact the over-50s are having on the UK economy


40 NATURAL CHAMPION Julianne Ponan tells us how she turned a serious health issue into a thriving business


42 TAKE IT ON THE CHIN Gavin Mullins on why you should see the positive side of negative customer reviews


45 THE SOLUTIONS LAB The best advice from experts in the business world


ROCK ON!


FINDS A GREEN CHAMPION


Spring 2018 • £4.99 www.smeweb.com


WORLD OF FASHION


THE ONE WHERE ROSS GETS IT RIGHT G


o to a business conference for SMEs this year – as I have on several occasions


– and I wager three of the phrases you will hear most often will be artificial intelligence, innovation and GDPR. Five years ago, those phrases would have been something like employee engagement, customer experience and leadership. Without getting too technical, what do


you think connects the first group of phrases and what is the link for the second? I’ll give you time to re-read the first paragraph before going on. Ready? Now, you might not agree with me but, in general terms, artificial intelligence, innovation and GDPR depend more on computers while employee engagement, customer experience and leadership are far more people- related subjects. It’s obviously important to have good people in your business but now, more than ever, you need to be able to leverage technology – work the data – to build your company. Sasan Goodarzi, executive vice president


at online accounting firm QuickBooks who was speaking at a recent conference his company was hosting in London, has an interesting take on the subject. He reckons there have been two platforms which have enabled mass innovation – and a third one is heading our way soon. “The first was electricity,” he says. “It was a platform which drove massive innovation around the globe. The second was the internet – how to engage with customers, how you sold across borders and socially engage


with folks you may have lost touch with.” I have no argument with Sasan on either


of those but what about the third platform? “It’s artificial intelligence,” he says firmly. “Artificial intelligence is like the human brain. You write software so it learns every day. It gets smarter and smarter. Artificial intelligence will drive the largest innovation we have ever seen around the globe.” Strong stuff indeed, but there is certainly


no doubt that the power and influence of technologically-led businesses has often been seriously underestimated. One of the most well-known “Doh!” business moments of the 21st century was the decision by Blockbuster CEO John Antioco not to buy an up-and-coming company called Netflix for $50m back in 2000. He passed because it was a "very small


niche business". Not that I imagine Antioco needs telling but this year Netflix passed the $100 billion mark for its market cap. In fact, I could not help seeing the irony in


something Ross – Rachel’s on-off boyfriend in that brilliant comedy series Friends now available on Netflix – says at the end of one episode. “It’s said that, by the year 2030, there will be computers that can carry out the same number of functions as an actual human brain. Theoretically you could download your thoughts and your memories into a computer.” Maybe Ross sparked Sasan’s thinking but,


when you consider that 25% of the globe is 14 years of age and younger, there is little doubt that new technologies will continue to be the game changers they always have been.


Editor SME daniel.evans@publicationsuk.co.uk


Ex-England footballer


Gary Neville on the lessons he learned from sport - and Sir Alex


BUSINESS + GDPR MYTHBUSTERS


How you can turn your compliance responsibilities into an opportunity to reap greater business value from your data


SPOT THE ENTERPRENEUR


John Mullins from the London Business School highlights six signs which show if you’ve got what it takes to succeed


THE SOLUTIONS LAB


Specialist advice from the experts on artificial intelligence, live streaming, recycling, staff bonuses and a healthy work/life balance


FIT FOR


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While every care has been taken in compiling this publication, and the statements contained herein are believed to be correct, the publishers and the promoters will not accept responsibility for any inaccuracies. Reproduction of any part of this publication without permission is strictly forbidden. ©Publications UK Limited 2018. The publishers make no recommendation in respect of any of the advertisers, and no recommendation may be implied by way of the presence of their advertisements.


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