Moving forward, in-store shopping will have to compete with the convenience of online retail, making the market more competitive than ever before.
Retail businesses that want to retain a physical base while they move online need to work even harder to ensure that their store is profitable and meets the needs of modern consumers.
To help, we’ve put together some practical tips to help you boost your retail business’s in-store profits and keep it financially viable throughout 2022 and beyond.
Offer Click-And-Collect Services
Click-and-collect services offer consumers the best of both online and in-store shopping. They can easily purchase an item online then pick it up from your store at a convenient time. As such, they can shop online without having to worry about waiting at home for a delivery. By offering click-and-collect options to your customers, you can improve foot traffic to your store and potentially encourage them to shop for smaller items when they arrive. While large stores have embraced click-and-collect services for many years, smaller organisations can incorporate them to save effort and give your customers the shopping experience they expect.
Take Out Public Liability Insurance
A major incident, such as a customer hurting themselves in your store, can significantly affect your business’s profit margins as well as its reputation. While your business needs to ensure it does everything in its power to reduce accidents in your retail store by creating robust health and safety policies, accidents are impossible to prevent entirely. If you take out public liability insurance, then you can reduce the impact that any accident involving a customer can have on your company. Check out the cheapest public liability insurance policies on the market using CompareNI.com so that you can take out affordable coverage for your retail store.
Advertise Your Store Online
Just because you manage a physical store doesn’t mean that you can’t make the most of online advertising. As a retail business, you can’t afford not to have an e-commerce website in addition to your physical space, so consider advertising the store online. Share details of your store’s location, opening times and contact details on your site, both on your contact page and using banner adverts to improve brand recognition and show online customers that you have a physical shop. This approach can help you to drive internet shoppers to your store and encourage mobile users to find you when they’re out and about.
Choose Cutting-Edge In-Store Technology
Even in-store retail shoppers expect the convenience that technology has to offer, which is why many stores offer innovative ways to shop, such as self-service tills and interactive product locators. Check out the latest must-have in-store tech for retail businesses this year so that you can see what’s trending and find the perfect solution to suit your store and engage your target customers. Using tech in your store can also help your business to save money on staffing fees and other costs, which can help you to optimise your business and drive it towards even greater success.
If you are considering getting into content or media, the first thing you’re bound to consider is how you make a living from it. It’s a valid question. We all have to pay rent and streaming is a new industry that seems to have only just established the ins and outs.
So, what are those ins and outs? What are your monetary options when it comes to streaming? We break it down here.
Creator funds
If your aim is to make content, the first step you will make is to head to TikTok or YouTube to create your channel/account, which means the first bit of income you are likely to get is going to come from the respective Creator Funds directly from the platforms.
This isn’t the most ideal option. Users have a long history of problems with the Creator Fund and YouTube’s managing of guidelines. Just look up the term “adpocalypse” for a starter. TikTok is a new app, with less income, and therefore a smaller creator fund that is spread amongst more people due to the ease of creating short-form video content.
Although it’s the first option, it’s not the best, and many creators very quickly realize they’ll have to look elsewhere for sustainable income.
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view has its benefits and drawbacks when you get into it. It is most popular with UFC boxing, where users can pay to see the fight live. Users can pay for a ticket to see the event, and see it only once, unlike a subscription service where typically you can play as much as you want as many times as you want.
This offers a powerful feeling of exclusivity, where users feel like they’ll miss out if they don’t tune into the live event and it can lead to a pseudo subscription service where users pay each time that they watch something on your platform.
However, the other side of this “exclusivity” coin is that it is considered a one-off. Something that they will pay for only if they are 100% sure they want to see it and will enjoy it. For this reason, leaked recordings of the event are often posted to the internet for casual viewer to watch for free.
Pay-per-view is lucrative, but it’s important you use the right tools to pull it off. Red Bee offers a range of features that will better allow you to stream around the world, into any device, with high quality content.
Subscription services
Subscription services are the natural next step above pay-per-view. When put side by side, users would probably rather go with a subscription service. PPV ticket prices can range all over the place, rarely lower than the expected $10 or less from streaming services like Netflix and Disney+. It is a lot easier to justify one $10 bill a month for access to a catalogue of content that you can watch as much as possible, than a $20 “ticket” to a one-off event.
The perk for creators and media managers is that you will gain a steady stream of income that way. You aren’t putting all your fruits in the one basket of the one event. Entertainment is subjective, so even if someone isn’t watching your True Crime content, they might subscribe for the comedy stand-ups.
Affiliate marketing
All the above are ways of taking money from your viewers directly, whereas a few creators don’t love that idea. There has been talk of people conscientiously objecting to opening a Patreon account for example, and instead going down the route of commissioned advertisements.
Affiliate marketing is the industry of embedding products and brands into your content for a commission, the most obvious example being YouTubers and podcasters who interrupt their content to talk about Raid: Shadow Legends, or Instagram influencers who tell you to swipe up to see these make-up brushes.
Technology is a critical part of any business’s processes. There is a lot that goes into creating a suitable and secure system that can help your business thrive. It can be challenging to know where to start, but fortunately, there are internationally recognised systems that can be invaluable to business owners. One of the most popular and effective systems is ISO 27001. This article will discuss the benefits of ISO 27001, how you can get certified in it and how it works.
What Is ISO 27001?
ISO 27001 is an internationally recognised standard for information security processes. It was created by the International Organization for Standardization to give businesses a framework that ensures they adhere to the best practices for keeping information secure.
It offers guidance on the entire process of keeping information secure, from establishing the framework to monitoring its operations. Many organisations use this framework and require it as standard when partnering with other businesses. It can be a fantastic way to assess and improve your business’s current processes.
How To Get Your Business Certified
You become certified by creating an information security management system (ISMS) that adheres to the guidelines of ISO 27001. Your ISMS will then be audited in three stages. The first stage is an informal review of the process and allows the auditor to get to know your business better. The next stage is more detailed and will test your ISMS against the ISO 27001 requirements. Finally, the last stage is a follow-up audit or audits that ensure your business remains compliant with ISO 27001 requirements.
You can find help in getting certified from businesses that specialise in getting businesses ISO 27001 certified. These businesses can offer ISO 27001 templates to help you start building a suitable framework. High Table is a fantastic option for any business owner that wants to ensure they get certified quickly and effectively.
How ISO 27001 Works
ISO 27001 works by ensuring businesses have a comprehensive review of their processes, adhering to the standards set down within the framework. This includes identifying and mitigating potential threats or weaknesses. A set of extensive controls will need to be created to address any issues identified, and these controls are what will be tested when your ISMS is audited.
Benefits Of ISO 27001
There are a range of benefits your business can enjoy when you become ISO 27001 certified. A lot of companies require ISO 27001 certification from other companies they are considering partnering with. You will also show customers and other businesses that you take cyber security seriously. This can then help boost your business’s reputation. You will also get the peace of mind that comes with a secure and efficient ISMS.
Conclusion
ISO 27001 can have incredible benefits for your business. It is important to understand how to get certified and remain compliant with the ISO 27001 requirements. You should regularly review your ISMS to ensure it is the best it can be. If in doubt, consult an expert to ensure you get the best possible results.
A fundraiser for Ukrainian refugees launched on LinkedIn has raised more than £20,000 and helped hundreds of stricken families in four days.
The international bid to raise cash for Hope4, https://www.hope4.love/ is helping families fleeing across the Moldova border in the south of Ukraine at various sites, including near to the Black Sea port of Odessa.
It’s the brainchild of LinkedIn expert Lea Turner and involves a collaboration of LinkedIn experts from around the globe.
Lea has enlisted the help of UK-based John Espirian, Ariel Lee and Andy Foote in the US, Netherlands-based Richard van der Blom, and Michelle J Raymond in Sydney.
Hope4, founded by London management consultant Chris Lomas, who has been based in Moldova for a year, has already benefited from a £20,000 cash injection with more funds still to be raised ahead.
Mum-of-one Lea, 36, of Northampton, was compelled to act after she had nightmares on Friday night about the fate of Ukrainian families.
Together, the LinkedIn influencers have around 300,000 followers and are set to share their top tips in a paid-for online masterclass next Monday at 1pm. (NOTE March 7)
She said: “I had a goal in mind of £5,000 by the end of the week, but the LinkedIn community came out in force to support my efforts, achieving over £20,000 in less than four days. I am absolutely mind blown by the response.
“I was pointed towards a post by Chris Lomas of Hope4, who are on the ground in Moldova.
“As money started pouring into my Stripe account which holds it for a week, I immediately started transferring it from my own business account to avoid any delay.
“We sent £1,650 within the first few hours, and another £1,650 later that day, followed by £4,000 on Sunday, and £5,000 Monday, and the money keeps coming in.
“It’s been put to immediate use to buy a tumble dryer, microwaves, food, blankets, and pay for heating at the refugee camps which are fast filling with mostly women and children.
“Chris and his small team have been travelling up and down the border of Moldova to camps buying food and provisions for hundreds of refugees.”
Chris Lomas added: “The need on the ground is massive. Moldova is Europe’s poorest country, but has allowed more than 100,000 refugees through its borders, without the infrastructure to cope.
“That means the system is breaking, placing greater pressures on people and institutions. The support we’ve received means that we can get emergency support to thousands of refugees and those supporting them. We are incredibly grateful to Lea Turner, and her LinkedIn colleagues who are making real, tangible and life-changing impact on the ground for Ukrainian refugees.”
Tickets for the special LinkedIn mastermind webinar can be bought here and it will be made available for anyone who can’t make it, or misses it:
The achievements of a leading businessman from the North-East prominent in the renewable energy sector have been recognised at a prestigious national event.
Bryan Glendinning, the Chief Executive Officer of renewable energy company Engenera Renewables Group, has been awarded the much-coveted Energy Efficiency Champion of the Year title at the respected National Energy Efficiency Awards 2020/2021.
Engenera’s achievements were also recognised in a further three categories. Jamie Morrison claimed third place in the Business Development Director category; the company’s Nissan/Hylton Plantation project secured third place in the Solar PV Project of the Year category; and Engenera placed second in the Multi-Measure Project of the Year category.
Nominations for the National Energy Efficiency Awards are made up of the winners of each regional Energy Efficiency Awards competition – making the national final a truly UK-wide competition. The awards are open to anyone involved in the energy saving and efficiency sector within the UK.
The purpose of the awards is to recognise best practice within the industry. The judges look to identify demonstrable skills, expertise and quality of service from nominees.
Winning the National Energy Efficiency Champion of the Year award recognises Glendinning as an exceptional individual that has shown a true commitment to promoting energy efficiency within the UK, the organisers said.
The judges for this award assessed the impact Glendinning’s work has had within the local community, what his customers and community had to say about him, as well as his level of expertise in the renewables and energy efficiency fields.
Engenera Renewables Group works as a decarbonisation partner for businesses seeking a holistic solution to better manage all their energy needs and help them align with government targets.
The business works closely with its clients on a range of renewable technologies including commercial solar PV and battery storage; air and ground source heat pumps; combined heat and power; electric vehicle charging points; and LED lighting.
Engenera is also one of the few renewable energy companies in the UK able to offer renewable energy installations at no capital outlay to customers able to sign power purchase agreements (PPAs). This is because it can access a £100 million green bond programme that is financed by multiple PPAs arranged by Engenera Renewables Group.
Bryan Glendinning, Chief Executive Officer at Engenera Renewables Group, said:
“It’s a wonderful celebration for us all, here at Engenera, to have been successful in so many categories at this year’s prestigious National Energy Efficiency Awards. It is also a great personal honour to be named the winner of the National Energy Efficiency Champion of the Year award. I believe passionately in our company ethos that energy efficiency should be for everyone, and in winning this award I should also pay tribute to the dedication the whole Engenera team share with me in every project we undertake.
“We all share a firm belief that through implementing decarbonisation strategies for businesses, we can help them realise the benefits of renewable technology as a way of saving on energy costs, meeting targets and, most importantly, helping to tackle the climate emergency issue.”
Written by Nick Watson, SVP Experiences at Cheetah Digital
The metaverse, which will merge physical reality with the digital world by way of virtual reality, augmented reality and the Internet, is coming. But the question is — are we ready?
According to Chris Wylie, the Cambridge Analytica whistleblower that spurred a massive overhaul of privacy practices and legislation across the globe, the answer to the above question is a resounding no.
In fact, it might be best to start pumping the breaks on the metaverse now before it infiltrates our day-to-day lives, he warns.
Recently speaking with Cheetah Digital’s CMO Richard Jones. about the metaverse, marketing and the future of privacy, Chris likened the metaverse to a physical entity like a skyscraper or an airplane. He paints a picture of how digital worlds should be architected with so-called ‘fire exits’ or other protections.
“It should have a building code of sorts, protecting its users, their privacy, and, importantly, their mental health,” he says.
New frontiers
Technology is growing more and more sophisticated with each passing year. The ways of collecting data that technology can power our lives are near infinite. Who would have ever thought that one day, we would be able to walk into a grocery store, skip the checkout and still pay for our goods? Yet here we are, this day has arrived thanks to sophisticated camera technology that can trace our every move.
While this is mind-blowing stuff, Chris believes that we’re only scratching the surface. “In the current sort of direction we’re headed, I imagine 10 years from now, you’ll come home and sit down to watch TV while your TV watches you,” Chris says.
“The TV will be having a conversation with the appliances in the kitchen. What could the TV present to you, to convince you to buy something? And in another room, Facebook will be watching your kids play. And your self-driving car is deciding on the time you get to work.”
While the future, indeed, sounds ‘creepy’; with today’s capabilities, it’s entirely possible. “In that situation, there are a lot of things that, in isolation, seem mundane. A smart fridge, a smart TV or a smart car on its own doesn’t seem insidious,” he adds..
“It’s when you network these things and put them into a system that is capable of watching you, thinking about you and creating plans and intentions for you that results in something really profound in terms of human agency. For the first time in human history, we are constructing environments around us that think.”
Nature versus technology
The modern landscape has us living in a world that’s full of natural delights as well as potentially threatening forces of technology, Chris points out. “We evolved as a species where nature might affect us. There might be a lion in the Savannah that will chase us or an antelope that we want to eat; but nature, itself, doesn’t have intentions for us.”
“As the metaverse continues to unfold, what does it mean to be a person who’s in an environment where everything around them suddenly has intentions — and we can’t see what those intentions are?”
Beyond intentions, Chris shares that it’s important to consider what kind of effect the metaverse will have on human development. What will it mean for people who have grown up in an environment where everything consumed has been working diligently to turn them into a consumer?
People have largely become who they are by navigating freely through their world. “It’s through your experience in life, dabbling and random happenstance, that allows you to grow and develop as a person. But what happens when, all of a sudden, the environment decides to get involved – classifying you, influencing your every move, and ultimately grooming you into the ideal consumer?”
A shocking realisation of it all, Chris says, is that privacy is only one small piece of the puzzle. The matter at hand is much larger and much more complex than the data that’s collected and the manner in which it was collected.
“When we are looking at some of the consequences of algorithmic harm, whether that’s mental health and mental wellbeing — particularly in young, developing men and women — to social cohesion across the globe where actual harm is stemming from these systems, it’s critical that we address these consequences prior to the metaverse becoming mainstream,” Chris says.
Constructing a new paradigm
When there are more safety regulations for a toaster in a kitchen than there are for a platform that touches a billion people, Chris says, it’s time for change. The best way to realise that change, he says, is to start at the source.
“A big part of the issue is that we are not framing the conversation around those who are responsible — the engineers and architects. The things that are causing harm are the products of architecture and engineering,” he says.
“When you look at how we relate other products of technology and other products of engineering whether that’s in aerospace, civil engineering, pharmaceuticals, etc.; there are safety standards. There are inspections. We need to start scrutinising the technological constructions on the internet to ensure that there are regulatory frameworks in place to create a safer environment.”
Desired reality
While today, many use smart devices periodically for tracking health statistics, communicating with loved ones and entertainment, Chris says that in the coming decades, these smart devices might have a stronger hold on their users. Smart devices may become the only way that they can interact with modern society.
“Imagine 10 or 20 years from now where the internet evolves into the metaverse, where you can’t participate in society without entering this augmented reality. And then imagine an institution like Fox News taking over people’s reality — not just what they watch on TV, but literally, what they see,” he says.
Even more, Chris questions what happens when people begin personalising their experiences to suit their preferences. For example, racists could eliminate people of colour from their view. Or people could create a society where they walk down the street and no longer see homeless people; they no longer see larger societal problems.
“What happens to a society when we no longer fully understand what’s happening around us, and the only people who do are those in charge of augmenting it,” he asks. “That’s a really important question, and it’s not farfetched.”
At Face(book) value
Despite Facebook’s, now called Meta, attention-grabbing algorithms that encourage one-sided views and fuel disinformation, marketers continue to pump large sums of money into its platform every year. But is it worth it? Are marketers correct to believe that Facebook’s data is truly as valuable as they think it is?
According to Chris, absolutely. “From a purely functional standpoint, yes. It’s incredibly valuable data,” he admits.
However, marketers using that data to create personalised adverts isn’t the problem. The problem, he says, is a bit more involved than that. “There’s a difference between personalised advertising and creating an entire ecosystem using that logic,” Chris points out.
“When you look at the news feed that Facebook and other social media platforms provide to users, it extends this logic that originated for advertising, showing content that is relevant to you.
“It’s not just the basic things that make your ads more efficient, and also less annoying for the people receiving them. It extends to, ‘You should only see things that engage you the most, full stop, in all information that you consume,’ to the point where the only information that you consume is the thing that usually makes you really angry because that’s what’s going to make you click on stuff. And that’s different from marketing.”
Doing the right thing
To support marketers and advertisers in their role within this modern, tech-enabled society, Chris offers a word of advice: Don’t trust a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
“The tool that you’re using, that you love so much, is probably one of your biggest threats. While advertisers cringe at the idea of regulations that limit what they’re allowed to do, in the long run, regulations might be beneficial for the viability of the industry,” he says.
“Don’t get dragged down by bad practices within an industry that is behaving badly. There is a substantial loss of trust in platforms like Facebook because it continuously doesn’t listen to consumers. It doesn’t respect consumers. Siding yourself with that industry could backfire in the long run.”
Chris advises asking yourself these two questions as a simple rule of thumb when considering privacy and the misuse of data in advertising:
If you’re using personal data, would you be comfortable asking a random person on the street the questions to create that database?
Would somebody reasonably expect to have their data used in that way?
If the answer is yes to both, then it’s probably OK.
In summary, metaverse or not, it really doesn’t matter where you engage your customers. The reality is zero-party data, loyalty, and thinking through the ‘value exchange’ of how you engage with a customer are all vital components. They are all going to be important as the metaverse rolls out, and we move into this ‘brave new era’ of privacy.
The Metaverse, Marketing and Future of Privacy special talk track is available to view here.
About the Author
Nick Watson, VP Client Success – EMEA, Cheetah Digital
Nick Watson is VP of Customer Success at Cheetah Digital and has supported brands like Coca-Cola, Shell, Manchester City FC, Bauer Media and Reckitt Benckiser collect over 1.3 billion preference insights, purchase intentions and opt-ins from consumers to power truly personalised marketing. After many years at BBC Magazines and Tag: Worldwide, Nick joined Cheetah Digital to help create technology that made it easier for marketers to collect ‘zero party-data’ across all owned, earned and paid channels. Nick is now leading the Customer Success team in EMEA.
About Cheetah Digital
Cheetah Digital is a cross-channel customer engagement solution provider for the modern marketer. The Cheetah Digital Customer Engagement Suite enables marketers to create personalized experiences, cross-channel messaging, and loyalty strategies, underpinned by an engagement data platform that can scale to meet the changing demands of today’s consumer. Many of the world’s best brands, including Starbucks, Hilton, Neiman Marcus, Levi’s, and Williams-Sonoma trust Cheetah Digital to help them drive revenue, build lasting customer relationships, and deliver a unique value exchange throughout the customer lifecycle. To learn more, visit www.cheetahdigital.com.
Worcestershire technology accelerator BetaDen has announced the new cohort of companies to join the programme in March, along with a new Entrepreneur in Residence.
The diverse group of founders joining Cohort 5 are developing technologies ranging from software designed to help people manage their mental health, indoor purification systems, a virtual careers thinking and planning space, and artificial-intelligence driven laser surface processing to low-carbon 3D construction printing, low-latency remote broadcasting technology and smart locker systems. They are:
A-M8 – software designed to empower mobile users to better understand and manage their won mental health, recognising when changes may indicate a mental-health decline
Bright Beams – fully-integrated, digitised and Artificial Intelligence-enabled laser surface processing system for metallic and ceramic-metallic composite materials
Change Maker 3D – low-carbon 3D printing for the construction industry
Equal Vision – web-based, playful virtual careers thinking and planning space for young people
Malvern Air Ltd – indoor air purification, enabling pathogen removal to levels previously thought impossible
Remote Controllers – low-latency remote control of broadcast technology
Secure Socialising – crime-reducing keyless smart locker system for spaces where people meet and socialise
Linda Smith, founder and CEO of BetaDen, said: “We are excited by the range of companies joining Cohort 5 and the potential their innovations offer to improve the ways certain industries work and also to change people’s lives for the better.
L-R Pratik Shukla, Manda Graham, Michele Fitzpatrick, Brandon Chieffo, Simon Davis, Tania Wall, Natalie Wadley and Chris Hollier join founder and CEO of BetaDen Linda Smith
“Since the programme launched almost four years ago, our cohort members have enjoyed some remarkable achievements, securing contracts with industry-leaders such as HS2, the NHS and Network Rail and delivering a series of world firsts, including the first self-powered floating 5G buoy, which provided sea-state safety monitoring off the Dorset coast, and the first medical airbridge from the British mainland.
“These successes are now translating into strong investable entities and demonstrate how game-changing technologies can be developed right here in Worcestershire, with the right advice, peer support and access to industry and venture capital networks.”
As well as welcoming seven new members to the accelerator, BetaDen has also confirmed that Cohort 4 graduate Prizsm Technologies, which has developed a quantum-resistant, hyper-secure data storage and communications solution, will join DronePrep as BetaDen’s Entrepreneurs in Residence in Malvern.
Ian Drury, co-founder of Prizsm, said: “BetaDen has played a formative role in the development of our technology, supporting us to crystallise our commercial offer and helping us develop the contacts and partnerships we needed to test and prove our solution. We’re excited to continue our relationship with BetaDen and play our own part supporting the next cohort of technology entrepreneurs in the county, drawing on our own experiences of the programme and commercialising our own technology to help them achieve their goals.”
BetaDen provides early-stage technology businesses with a nine-month programme of support worth around £50,000, enabling them to build connections, collaborate with cohort members, plan their route to market and prepare for investment. The programme includes access to Worcestershire’s 5G test bed, a proof-of-concept grant, mentoring from a handpicked team of commercial and technology experts and office space in Malvern Hills Science Park. Applications to join Cohort 6 will open in Autumn 2022. For further details visit www.beta-den.com
TIBCO has been recognised as a 2021 Technology Innovation Awards winner by Dresner Advisory Services for Self-Service BI and Guided Analytics.
“The power of data is limitless if you provide your data scientists, citizen data scientists, and development teams the capabilities needed to infuse analytics throughout your applications and data sources. We achieve this by adding AI/ML and real-time analytics capabilities throughout our solutions,” said Mark Palmer, senior vice president, engineering, TIBCO. “We are honoured to be recognised by Dresner in these two categories, affirming that the solutions we provide help simplify how users collect, engage with, and explore their data to make faster, smarter decisions.”
TIBCO’s Predict analytics offerings put data-driven insights at the fingertips of its customers with low/no-code access to AI/ML models, historical data, and real-time data. This hyperconverged style of analytics brings business analysts, data scientists, and operational users together as one team without the constant reliance on IT. Through continuous innovation, like the new Mods framework that allows developers to extend and modify TIBCO Spotfire, TIBCO helps organizations augment decision-making across an entire business, focusing on putting the algorithm behind the button, democratising data, and offering domain-specific solutions on-premises and in the cloud.
TIBCO’s analytics solutions meld perfectly with Dresner’s criteria for Guided Analytics, which required the offerings in this market segment to “improve time-to-insight and action by supporting the creation of connections between related and relevant information, and directing and suggesting analytical story flow.” In addition, within its Self-Service BI category, Dresner identified solutions that “build upon collaborative business intelligence and user governance to create an environment where users can easily create and share insights in a managed and consistent fashion.” TIBCO assists and enables thousands of customers on their daily data journeys in these areas.
A charity is inviting people to travel round the world in 18 days to raise funds for a groundbreaking cancer treatment.
The Stan Bowley Trust, based in Staffordshire, wants supporters to travel 27,588 miles by any human-powered means possible.
Teams, clubs and individuals are invited to sign up for the Best Foot Forward event, the second organised by the trust.
Organiser Stuart Bravington said: “Last year the charity set out to travel the distance Washington DC and back. Due to the huge success of the event, we are now aiming to travel the distance of around the world in 18 days. The distance of 27,588 miles, which includes a detour to Washington DC must be covered by walking, running, cycling, swimming, walking your dog, playing team sports, at the gym – in fact any way a person can travel that is human-powered.”
The Stan Bowley Trust raises funds for CyberKnife, robotic radiotherapy treatment for cancer patients. It is able to deliver high doses of radiation with sub-millimetre accuracy, enabling previously untreatable tumours to be accessed.
The trust, based in Lichfield, was founded by friends and family of Alan ‘Stan’ Bowley a former Staffordshire police officer. He underwent CyberKnife treatment in the US – at the time it was not available in the UK – after family, friends and colleagues raised £40,000 for him to travel to Washington DC.
The treatment was a success, but sadly Stan was diagnosed with further tumours and died two years later.
The trust now works to fund CyberKnife treatment in the UK. It has already helped raise funds for the treatment to be available at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham where 3,000 patients have been treated.
The Best Foot Forward fundraiser starts on March 31 and runs through until April 17, the anniversary of Stan’s death.
Stuart said the 18 days was significant because that was the length of time Alan spent in Washington DC.
He added: “We are fully committed to supporting the CyberKnife at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham who are at the forefront worldwide in treating cancer patients with CyberKnife and to date have treated 3,000 patients.”
The trust will also be staging mini-events as part of the fundraiser. There will be two exercise bikes running at Tesco in Lichfield on April 2 and 3 and volunteers are being sought to pedal in half-hour slots.
Ahead of International Women’s Day (8th March)[i] business coach Melitta Campbell is sharing 10 top tips for what it takes for women to be successful in business.
Research last year by Starling Bank[ii] found more than 1.5 million women had started their own business in the last 12 months and nearly three times more (17%) had ambitions to start one very soon.
Another study by YouGov and The Telegraph[iii] with women sole traders who started a business during the pandemic painted a picture of resilience and innovation, with 77% feeling confident about their chances of success in the coming year.
Melitta Campbell says, “One of the positives to emerge from the pandemic is the number of women who decided to go it alone and start up their own business. The realities of starting, running and scaling your own business though can come as a shock especially for those new to it.
“I’ve interviewed close to 100 entrepreneurial women for my podcast about what they believe it takes to be successful in business. I’ve been blown away by just how candid they have been in sharing the good, the bad and the unexpected when it comes to running their business.
“But perhaps what has struck me most, is just how closely my guests, from all backgrounds, agree on what it really takes for women to succeed on their chosen path – lessons that echo my own experience. To celebrate International Women’s Day, I’ve collated the most common success factors from successful female business owners, including myself.”
Believe in your vision – Don’t focus on your current skills or resources, instead, think about how you love to use your skills, talents and experiences to create a better world. It doesn’t matter if your vision feels like an impossible dream. In fact, this could even be a good thing. Your vision isn’t necessarily a goal to be achieved, but an impact to aspire to. A big impossible dream will cause you to grow, connect and achieve more than a target you already know you can attain.
Understand your values – Our values drive our motivation and actions, and determine the way we interpret our experiences. Understanding your values, and aligning your activities and offers to these will improve your results, as well as how you feel about your work, which gives you the foundation for further success in the future.
Trust your instincts – Years of being ‘good girls’ and following the advice, guidance and structures given to us by schools, associations and workplaces have led many of us to disconnect from, or even distrust our natural instincts. Remember that our gut instinct isn’t some random feeling. It’s the culmination of all our learning and experience to date. It’s a powerful asset that can guide to us to meaningful success.
Build your network – Few successful people would deny the power of having a network filled with people who know, like and trust you. A strong network can help you develop professional goals, a solid pipeline of leads and referrals for your business, recommendations for speaker engagements, as well as greater inspiration and insights to help you achieve more success than you thought possible.
Surround yourself with inspiring women – In addition to your network, it’s worthwhile curating an ‘inner circle’ of women who inspire you and who believe in your vision and can support you every step of the way, encouraging you to dream bigger and achieve more of your goals in the process. Most of my podcast guests believe that this ‘inner circle’, mentors or business besties have played a pivotal role in their success.
Ask for help – This can be hard for many women. And most of my guests admit to having learned to ask for help the hard way. But it’s important to recognise that there is only so much we can achieve on our own. Learning to delegate, investing in a small team and asking those around us for support are essential to our success.
Embrace your skills and successes – We often discount the tasks and activities we enjoy and that come naturally to us, thinking that if they are easy for us, they are easy for everyone. The truth is, when you feel this way about your work, it’s a sign that you are operating in your zone of genius. The work you do in this area is likely to be highly valuable and sought after by others. Embrace your natural talents and own your successes.
Embrace your failures – Failure is often considered the opposite of success, but it’s not! It’s the process of testing and learning what works that makes it invaluable information that can help us grow in the direction of our big vision. So instead of being the opposite, failure is an important part of every success.
Invest in yourself – While you’ve no doubt gained a wealth of valuable experience during your life and career to date, when you come to level up and start something new, like a business, you can shortcut your route to success by investing in upgrading your skills and mindset with the help of a business coach.
Define what success means to YOU – Success is only meaningful when it has the impact on your life, and the world that you want it to have. Advertising often leads us to believe that success means having a big house, new car and wardrobe full of designer clothes, but these are only outer indicators of success. True wealth comes from feeling fulfilled and achieving the life we want. Spend time defining what success means to you personally, and then use this to determine your goals, plans and actions.
Listen to The Driven Female Entrepreneur podcast hosted by Melitta Campbell by clicking here. Recent guests include Karen Cureton, an award-winning sales and social media consultant, Dr Charlotte Huntley, host of the Public Health Epidemiology Conversations podcast and Teresa Health-Waring, speaker and marketing and mindset expert.
