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As coronavirus (COVID 19) has torn through countries’ economies around the globe, you’d be forgiven for thinking that no sector was safe. And while there have been major casualties, it’s also true to say that certain sectors are doing well during the pandemic. Some are even thriving.

So, let’s look at these sectors in detail and how they’ve managed to do so well in such turbulent times.

What type of businesses have done well?

Perhaps the most important sector that’s thriving is that of pharmaceutical and healthcare provision, particularly anyone involved in developing a vaccine or reliable coronavirus test. Apps and other tech is also being created to improve track and trace, help with physical mental health and wellbeing, and also enable NHS staff to access online training ready for a possible second wave this winter.

Some other types of tech companies have seen a boom too, with the huge increase in the numbers of people working from home. 

Obviously, the supermarkets have also done well. In fact, sales hit an all-time high in March as consumers bulk-bought necessities to get through lockdown. Many of the supermarkets saw large upturns in online shopping as well, with shoppers preferring the safety of their sofas to setting foot in actual stores.

We’ve mentioned online shopping. This is another sector that’s done well during the pandemic. Ecommerce sellers have played a vital part in providing things like clothing, exercise equipment and electronics, as well as essentials since the start of the outbreak.

Finally, we need to mention online streaming service providers. With cinemas closed and people staying at home, boxset-binging has become more popular than ever.

What do these sectors have in common?

The most important thing they do well is to give customers what they need in as simple way as possible. Supermarkets were able to keep the shelves (almost) fully stocked, ecommerce companies managed to deliver to households safely and quickly, while entertainment platforms made sure their offerings were what people wanted to watch.

For the thousands of new homeworkers, having reliable and affordable video and phone conferencing software is a must. Apps like Zoom have seen users plump for their tech because it’s easy to use and free, in its basic form.

Adaptability and speed are important too

Equally important to these sectors’ success is how quickly they’ve improved things to cope with coronavirus. Supermarket supply chains were improved by being simplified, and they were able to recruit thousands of new workers quickly. They also reduced their opening hours to keep stock levels high.

Ecommerce businesses also took on lots more delivery drivers, and changed how they delivered packages to keep drivers and customers safe.

For those involved with pharmaceuticals, the race is on to find a vaccine to combat the virus, as this is the only way we can truly start to get back to normal. Companies are working faster than ever in the hope a breakthrough can be found quickly.

It’s also important to think about what your users might benefit from in uncertain times. Netflix did this by developing Netflix Party, so people could watch a film or programme anywhere in the world at the same time as their friends. They also temporarily reduced the quality of their video streaming as more and more users signed up to help keep it as good as can be for everyone.

Zoom also had to address possible security issues when it started to become popular, which it did quickly, to stop consumers’ fears about its safety.

Digital technology equals sustainability

It’s impossible to predict how the future will look, but it seems likely that these sectors will continue to thrive. The change in behaviour of both consumers and businesses looks like it’s here to stay, so as people adjust to a new way of doing things, it’s vital businesses know how to implement digital technology to help them adapt quickly and effectively whatever sector they’re in.

If you’d like help and advice with digital tech for your company, please get in touch. Here at The Base, we have many tenants and partners who are involved in this sector. We also run regular online networking and learning events you might find useful.

 

If you are looking for office space or co-working space in Warrington, with social distancing measures in place, contact us today. 

Although social media has been around for a decade or more, many businesses – particularly smaller ones – have yet to start using it seriously. Often, it’s because they’re not sure how to do it, don’t know if it’s cost-effective or feel they simply don’t have the time. If this sounds like you, or you’re just undecided if it’s for you, this blog might help make your mind up.

Social media is how people communicate nowadays

The chances are your customers will be on at least one of the big social media platforms, so it makes sense to join them. You can feed them regular information about your business, talk to them about things they’re interested in and even use it for customer service. And it can be quicker (and cheaper) than emailing or calling.

There’s lots of platforms to choose from

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram are probably the platforms that spring to mind when you think about social media. They’re the most popular for sure, but other platforms like YouTube, Pinterest and Snapchat are worth considering too. You can tailor your content for each one and the different audiences they bring. Facebook and YouTube, for example, are good for online ads and visual content, while LinkedIn is perfect for something more in-depth and long form.

Just about any type of business can do it

Whatever line of work you’re in, social media can work as a way of marketing. As we mentioned earlier, it’s where lots of your customers will be and they’ll expect you to be there too in some shape or form. They’ll more than likely follow you if they like what you do, so don’t disappoint them even if you think your particular niche doesn’t seem to be an obvious fit for social media.

Its reach is amazingly wide

The online world is a lot smaller than the actual one, so it’s much easier to get your message across to a wider audience than ever before. Create engaging content people want to see and they’ll share it, no matter where they are in the world. Time zones and physical distances mean nothing on social media.

It’s inexpensive too

Most social media platforms are free to set up and use. Some charge for business use and add-ons might cost a little extra, but they’re usually cheaper than other forms of marketing. And with little or no set-up costs, the return on investment will clearly be high too.

It does take time and effort to do properly though

As with most things in business, social media marketing needs hard work and organisation to be effective. The biggest challenge for a busy small business owner is finding the time to post regularly. It’s important to do this though, even if it’s just setting aside some time in the evening to do it. Another option could be to hand this responsibility over to someone else in your business to look after, or even contract an agency or freelancer to do it.

So, now you’ve seen the benefits social media can bring to your business, maybe it’s time to dip your toe in the water and take advantage of them for yourself.

Business planning is often one of those things that gets put to the bottom of the ever growing ‘To do’ list. Something that will get done eventually, when ‘I get round to it’. It’s just another of those time-consuming things a busy business owner has to think about.

However, making time to put together a business plan can be a really good move for your business. It can help you stay focussed on where you’re going and keep you on track in more ways than you’d think, especially if you’re a small business owner.

Here are some of the benefits of having a proper business plan in place:

Clarity

A business plan spells out your goals, vision and values. Map out what you want to achieve by when and clearly write down your hopes and aims, so they’re easier to stick to.

Communication

This leads on neatly from clarity. If you’re looking to hire people or find new investors or funding, for example, getting your business message across in the simplest way possible will make it clearer for them to understand exactly what you stand for and how you do things.

Control

Think of your business plan as being like the foundation to whatever you’re building. If you lay the foundations properly, you can control the construction process from start to finish.

Organised

Writing a business plan helps you work out how much time, money and other things, like people, you’ll need, so you can get everything in place in plenty of time.

Prepare

No-one knows what the future holds, so being as prepared as you can helps you deal with whatever surprises come your way. The more prepared you are, the better decisions you’ll make in times of trouble.

Strategy

Who are your competitors? What do you need to do to get ahead of them? Putting your business strategy down on paper helps you get to grips with what it really takes to achieve it.

Strengths

This is where you need to be honest with yourself. What do you – and your business – do best? Knowing this can come in handy when you’re looking for investors or partners in the future, or to differentiate yourself from other similar businesses.

Testing

This is particularly useful if your business is brand-new or in the very early stages. Writing down your business idea comprehensively means you can test it out before investing too much time, effort and money on it.

Weaknesses

Understanding these are just as important as knowing what you’re good at. Again, be truthful. Once you properly realise where your areas of weakness lie, you can start working to improve them.

Once you’ve written your business plan (you’re going to start one now you’ve read this, aren’t you?), it’s important to realise your plan won’t be static. You’ll have to change it as your business evolves. What was appropriate for a start-up might not fit your business a few years later, so be prepared to review your plan periodically.

Whether you’re just starting out in business or are well into your growth phase, going digital could be the key to your future sustainability. Of course, digitalisation has been around for years, but it’s something you might not have done yet because you might not be sure where to start or think it could be too difficult or expensive.

What’s the difference between digitalisation and automation?

These are very similar, but the one difference between them is that digitalisation is where you convert material or information into digital form.  One example is paper documents, like accounts and receipts. Instead of keeping these in cardboard boxes, they’re stored safely on a hard drive or in the cloud.

The benefits are almost endless

As well as taking up less physical room (as described above), digitalisation makes just about everything quicker, more efficient and can actually be safer than a lot of more traditional processes. Something like Microsoft 365 or Azure, for example, are great tools for collaborating online. Others to consider include Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud and Oracle Cloud.

Super secure

Having sensitive information stored on a computer system means you can control who has access to it. Anyone who views the documents you have stored will leave a digital trail too (this is like a paper trail, but online).  Installing a proper anti-virus and malware protector will keep your information safe from prying eyes. This isn’t always the case with paperwork lying around in boxes that could potentially be seen by anyone.

See you later, innovator

Just changing to a digital mindset can spark a more innovative mindset for everyone in the business. Everyone will naturally look out for the latest way of doing things and how it can be incorporated into your business.

Improved teamwork

Digitalisation makes it much easier for you to get everyone to pull together. Think about the collaborative element we spoke about earlier – documents can be password protected, and you can keep track of versions and who was the last person to make any changes.

Digitalisation also often affects different departments at once, so they’ll have to work as a team to make it work. To help this process, something as simple in place that means you can talk to everyone at once, by email or intranet for example, will work wonders.

Get flexible

Without digitalisation, flexible working is much more difficult. With it, employees can work from home or hours that fit their lifestyle and circumstances. These are things people expect in their workplace nowadays, so being able to provide them means they’ll be much more likely to stay loyal to you.

It’s the future and your future

Digital is here to stay, so whatever your reasons are for not introducing it into to your business, you’re risking getting left behind if you don’t start it soon. Technology moves lightning-fast in the digital world, and it can be hard to catch up.

Can you really afford not to introduce digitalisation into your business?

 

 

 

Tech hub now generating £27m a year for local economy as collaboration takes off

For entrepreneurs it is the Holy Grail: unlocking the secret to making their fortune.  Many spend their careers in search of it, devouring self-help books and the sage words of business gurus.

And yet the answer is remarkably simple, says the team behind thriving technology incubator The Base in Warrington: get on with your neighbours.

Specifically, it is a willingness to collaborate with them on shared opportunities that can propel mutual business growth and success.

And, says Sylvie Morton, the Business Development Manager at the Dallam Lane hub, it’s as easy as bumping into people in the corridor.  The challenge lies in carefully curating the culture and environment of a workspace to encourage it – and she can point to £27m economic impact at The Base last year to prove it works.

“We put huge effort into a programme of events, workshops, guest speakers and advisory sessions to help our tenants get to know one another and unlock their collective potential by working together,” says Mrs Morton of Langtree, which manages the 50,000 sq ft development for Warrington & Co.

“It’s part of The Base’s DNA now and new tenants join us fully expecting to plug into it.  We have developed a thriving eco-system and more than fifty per cent of our tenants collaborate on shared projects.  Last year the economic impact of our tenants’ work was £27m when their supply chain spending was factored in.”

It’s not a one-way street either, says Morton.  “Our tenants are inquisitive by nature so they seek out people who they can work with on problems and opportunities.  We also have a Partners programme, with leading business advisors on hand to help.”

Tenant Pixel Tree is working with neighbour Ixis on a collaborative project to support major digital campaigns for clients and boss James Hamilton says the collaboration has extended both their commercial reach and the scope and scale of work they can deliver for clients.

“Being in a place with people around us that can add breadth and depth to our service offer has proven hugely useful,” says James. “We’re adding great value to our clients and the extra work means we’re recruiting more staff.”

Steve Park, the head of Warrington’s private sector-led economic development agency, Warrington & Co, says The Base is one of a number of sector-specific clusters in the town that have helped it ride out various economic storms.

“Encouraging clusters, as we have in the nuclear sector, technology and advanced manufacturing is key to strengthening Warrington’s economy and infusing it with a dynamism that will ensure it remains adaptable and competitive.

“We have more than 4,500 staff in the nuclear sector, a further 8,500 in advanced manufacturing and around 2,500 in technology and IT, to which The Base is making a significant contribution.  Across all three we see examples of collaboration under-pinning their growth.  We aim to sustain that long into the future.”

If you’re looking at recruiting tech talents, the chances are you’ll engage the services of a recruitment agency, advertise on well-known job sites, take a slot with specialist publications and maybe post something on LinkedIn. There’s nothing wrong with doing any of these. They can often get you brilliant results, but they’re not the only way of finding fresh talent. In fact, they might not even be the most effective, or give you the best value-for-money.

So, let’s look at some of the other options out there you might want to consider.

Code Nation

If you’ve never thought about using Code Nation to look for new recruits, we’d suggest checking it out as soon as possible. What’s great about it is that it teaches students coding and IT skills they’ll use in the world of work, like software development, cyber security, and data and analytical skills, as well as business and personal skills.

There are no entry requirements for courses on offer, so you’ll find people of all ages and experience looking to start out in work or retrain in something new. Everyone who’s been on one of the courses leaves armed with digital skills they’ll be able to use somewhere in your business.

The Base is also a Code Nation Pledger, which means we can help shape the course curriculum and get early access to candidates. And, unlike with recruitment agency, there are no fees to pay for finding successful candidates – please get in touch if you’d like to know more about this.

Try before you buy

Universities can be a good place to look for new blood too. They’re actively pushing students towards internships while they’re doing their degree, as it makes them more attractive to people thinking about studying at certain institutions and provides them with valuable work experience.

Internships are also seen as an important stepping-stone to work by students, so anyone on one will be keen to impress, especially if they think there could be a full-time position available afterwards. Think about creating graduate positions too. People in this role will also want to make their mark and will usually be happy to undergo a trial period to prove they’re worth employing.

If they do a great job and fit in, you can offer them something more permanent. And if they’re not so great, you can say goodbye after the trial. This ‘try before you buy’ approach could be cheaper than using a recruitment agency.

Play the long game

The approaches above are all about finding someone quickly, but sometimes you might want to develop and build your workforce for the future. A way to do this is through an apprenticeship. Lasting anywhere from 18 months to four years, you can offer apprentices valuable experience and help them learn key skills while they study.

One benefit is that you can get involved in tailoring the content of the course any apprentices will do, which can help you plug any skills gaps you need. Apprenticeships can also be cost effective if you are an SME, as you’ll only have to pay 5% of the training and assessment costs (the government picks up the rest).

There are lots of avenues to go down when you’re looking to find tech talent. Make sure you explore them all.

Want to know more about The Base?

The Base is a Grade-A office and co-working space in the centre of Warrington that’s home to many market leading digital technology and advanced engineering companies. Whilst calling The Base your home, you will have access to free business support, including marketing, tax, legal advice, as well as help with innovation, research and development.

Contact us for more information.

Or follow us on LinkedIn, facebook & Twitter to stay up to date with all our latest news.

If you’re designing and/or building a website or app, the most important thing to consider are the people who’ll be using it. Yet, this is often the thing that gets forgotten about or is seen an afterthought by many companies. But user experience, or UX, as it’s commonly referred to, needs to be right at the front of your thoughts when dealing with anything digital.

So, how do you do this? Start with your own experiences. Have you used an app you really liked because it does what you expect it to? Or have you visited a company website that was easy to navigate and clearly laid out? These are examples of good UX.  Conversely, sites and apps where you have to click lots of times to do things or the journey around them feels unnatural are examples of bad UX.

You’ll probably use the apps and sites with the good UX rather than the bad ones. This is because good UX fulfils its customers’ needs and lets people do what they want to. They’ll stay loyal to these brands and keep using their products rather than look elsewhere.

So, what do customers look for in good UX? This will obviously depend on the product, but simplicity and ease of use are on everybody’s wish list, as is clear navigation. Accessibility for as many people as possible is important too (it’s actually a legal requirement in most instances), so take this into account.

Banking is one area where UX has become really important. Challenger brands, like Monzo and Starling, have developed apps that give users everything they need to manage accounts from their mobile phones. Their apps are packed with useful, convenient features people want and the more traditional players have been forced to catch up or risk losing customers.

That’s not to say design and content aren’t valuable though. Good UX actually depends on them. The key is how it’s organised and positioned, and how meaningful and important it is. Sites that are too complex or cluttered don’t work from a UX perspective.

Keeping things human helps create a connection with users, particularly when they’re doing something not very interesting. Personalisation plays a part as well, where the technology can recommend things for users or help them do something based on what they’ve done before.

Now, onto another crucial point. Today’s consumers want to do things quickly when it suits them, so having a site that loads rapidly is essential. There can be other factors, like an internet connection, that influence this, but making sure your site has a fast load-speed is another vital part of UX.

So, why is UX important for your digital tools? Well, it can help you stand out from your competitors, and help show you understand your customers and appreciate their needs. They want journeys to be frictionless and to be able to do what they need to do and then get on with their lives. Think about this before you start, and you won’t go far wrong.

Well-being is one of those words that’s everywhere right now, particularly in the world of work. You can see it splashed across job adverts and company websites, and it takes up lots of newspaper column inches and airspace on radio talk-shows.

But is it simply the latest buzzword or something all businesses should consider doing?

So, what is well-being?

Let’s start with looking at what well-being actually is. Put simply, it’s an all-encompassing term for the quality of a workplace and how workers feel about being employed somewhere. It covers everything from the physical environment to how well people are looked after and their engagement levels within the business. And it’s fair to say lots of businesses now see well-being as their most important key performance indicator.

It’s about the people, people

Ask most business owners what their most valuable asset is, and they’d probably say it’s their workforce. And if you’ve got a precious resource, it makes sense to look after it. When you apply this to people, it means keeping them healthy – physically and mentally – so they’ll be always be able to do their best when they’re at work.

And encouraging the right behaviours

A workforce that does things like eating the right foods and exercising regularly is less likely to take time off through illness and stress, as they’ll be more resilient and able to deal with challenges more effectively.

Retention will go up

Happy, engaged employees are much more likely to stay loyal to a business than those that aren’t. People who feel valued will work harder and want to progress. Showing that you care about employees’ well-being will help make them a life-long cheerleader for your business. Recruitment will be easier, too, for the same reasons.

Productivity will too

With improved well-being comes improved productivity. As we said above, people who feel valued at work will naturally try harder. You’ll also see a reduction in presenteeism (being physically at work but not actually working) and absenteeism with a healthy, satisfied workforce.

What about the negatives?

While there isn’t really a downside to well-being, it can be a challenge to get every employee to take advantage of well-being initiatives in an organisation. It could mean a culture change is needed. Well-being doesn’t work if it’s pushed onto people either – they need to feel it’s something their employer genuinely cares about rather than just ticking a box.

Well-being is about making sure people are happy and healthy, so they can always work to the best of their ability. Both mental health and physical sickness cost employers dearly and having a strong well-being programme in place can help keep a workforce strong in mind and body. Providing a flexible benefits package that suits their individual lifestyle and circumstances is one way of doing this.

So, well-being – is it a must or not worth bothering with? That’s up to you – let us know what you decide.

In business, it doesn’t usually pay to have your head in the clouds. However, there is one time when you really should do it – when you’re storing your data.

Cloud computing isn’t new. It’s been around for a good few years and has shown itself to be more than a simple passing fad. Companies in every industry of all sizes are flocking to embrace cloud-based technology to store their data because of the benefits it offers.

Flexible convenience

One of the handy things about cloud storage is that it can flex to your needs. So, if you hammer your usage one month then take it a bit easier the next, you’ll only pay for what you use. If you prefer paying upfront, so you always know where you stand, like with a broadband or mobile phone contract, you can do that too. It’s up to you.

Maintenance free

If you hold all your data on a regular server, it’s usually up to you to keep it maintained. With a cloud system, it’s the provider that does it all for you. There’ll be no extra costs or interruption to your service, so you can keep your business running smoothly.

Improved connectivity

All you need to access a cloud-based network is an internet connection, the right software (in some cases) and the right security clearance (passwords etc.). That means anyone you want can work from anywhere. All documents, files and secure sites will be available to employees once they’ve logged in to the network no matter where they are.

Greater collaboration

It’s not just your employees who can log in from anywhere, your partners and clients can too. Working together on projects can be done across numerous sites, so collaboration and teamwork becomes much simpler.

Less chance of data loss

Once a traditional server or other device is damaged, it can be impossible to extract data from it. Could your business cope if you lost important data because something broke? It’d probably be very costly. Situations like this are impossible with cloud technology as it’s automatically stored in several places and is regularly backed-up.

More secure

This is the big issue for all business owners. And the one that sometimes puts them off moving data to the cloud. There’s no evidence to support cloud computing is any less safe than any other kind, as long as you stay vigilant. Some experts believe having information stored on the cloud could actually be more secure as you can access it from other devices, and everything can be encrypted as another layer of security.

Is it affordable?

Obviously, this depends on your budget and exactly what you need. As mentioned earlier you can opt for a pay-as-you-go model, which can keep costs down. Less hardware’s needed too, so there’s further savings there, along with the reduced maintenance costs. Productivity often increases as cloud technology is easier to use and more flexible for your employees.

So, if a system that’s adaptable, easy to look after, keeps you connected, safe and reasonably priced sounds like your kind of thing, maybe it’s time to put your head (and your data) in the cloud.

Tenants at The Base, Warrington’s hi-technology hub on Dallam Lane, reported another strong year of trading – with expectations high for 2020.

The building’s annual tenant survey, completed at the end of each calendar year, paints a positive picture and ‘points to a bright future for the Warrington economy,’ says operator Langtree.

Highlights include:

• A 10% uplift in jobs amongst existing tenants
• 100% of surveyed tenants expect to grow in 2020, delivering 15% organic jobs growth by numbers employed
• Half of all tenants developing new products
• Half of all tenants exporting products and services, up from a third the year before

“The survey paints a very positive picture,” says Sylvie Morton of property company Langtree, which manages the 50,000 sq ft Grade A building on behalf of Warrington & Co.

“What’s particularly interesting is the scale of collaboration among tenants and the level of exporting.”

There were a total of 14 different collaborative engagements between companies, including working together to develop new technologies and joint-working to win new clients.

“Not everything is uniform, of course,” explains Mrs Morton. “New product development, whilst impressive, dropped slightly from the previous year, which probably reflects the fact that companies were bedding in the previous year’s innovations.

“What we can see is that The Base is fulfilling its promise of being a place where Warrington SMEs can innovate and grow.  Three quarters of our occupiers grew last year, up from 41 per cent the previous year.”

The hub now has 22 occupiers employing 245 staff, with a number of new tenant lettings under negotiation.

Commenting on the findings Stephen Fitzsimons, responsible for business growth and investment at Warrington’s private sector-led economic development arm, Warrington & Co, said:

“Warrington continues to be a in a strong position and is cementing its reputation as a home of thriving start-ups and SMEs.

“The Base was established to help us future-proof Warrington’s economy, support local businesses and create jobs. These growth figures, alongside the impressive export levels, tell us we’re heading firmly in the right direction.