By Daniel Whytock, Down Your High Street
Despite advances in digital technology Amazon is investing in high street brick and mortar stores. This sounds positive for the future of the high street. Consumers want the best of both online and offline shopping which means they are looking for convenience, choice, a varied, interesting range of shops and businesses.
The future is with omni-channel retail that seamlessly integrates digital technology. This is a key ingredient for high street survival.
However, retail tech is moving very quickly so high street retailers need to move fast …

For the first time in history we are seeing a 5-generation workplace. We are all living longer and healthier lives and many people are choosing to stay on longer delaying retirement. By 2024, about 25% of the workforce is projected to be over the age of 55. That compares to only about 12 percent of the workforce in 1994. In fact, in some workplaces, 55 doesn’t even begin to signify that it’s time to retire. Those in their 60s, 70s, and even 80s also are deciding to stay in place either full …

By Anthony Main, The Distance
 
With updates to mobile operating systems landing yearly, businesses can be forgiven for not keeping up with the full roster of features available. For many, the announcement of a new OS is generally met with indifference, and the release is greeted by the irritation of a 15 minute download.
 
Android Pie was initially released on the 6th of August, and has since been making the rounds of all major Android mobile manufacturers. iOS 12 is a newer addition, having a launch date of the 17th September. But …

By Karen O’Donnell, Toastmasters International
Business presentations can have many pitfalls but a well-crafted presentation put together with the audience in mind can have a massive impact on your sales success.
Here are my top tips to help you avoid the pitfall and make more sales at the end of your presentation:
Get prepared
All too often speakers put a lot of preparation into securing the pitch and little thought into the actual presentation.
Top Tip:  Once your presentation is written, put time into practising it with a colleague or coach.  Don’t practise with …

By Mike Ianiri, Equinox
 When working away from your normal office, a hotel stay is often inevitable – and like most business travellers you could be tempted to use the hotel WiFi.
The problem you face is that the hotel industry is one of the top sectors to suffer data breaches.  Given the amount of information hotels potentially hold about you: your name, address, passport details, car registration plates and credit card details to name but a few, it is a cyber criminal’s dream.
Once checked in, you connect to the WiFi network …

Life for working mums is go, go, go. Juggling the responsibilities of being a mother while maintaining a place in the workplace as an engaged, enthusiastic and organised employee can, without a doubt, be a struggle. Working mothers who are also required to travel for their work can find themselves in a situation that is even more challenging.
Preparing for a business trip can be stressful in any circumstances, but throw in having to find childcare, organising transport for your child while you’re gone and alleviating your child’s fears about you …

If you count yourself among the millions who has started up your own business over the past year or two, it is almost certain that the business plan you so carefully crafted included some fairly impressive growth plans. What many startups fail to fully appreciate, however, is that growth is not a simple, linear process of more sales leading to an increase in turnover and a more healthy bottom line.
Setting up the infrastructure
A large proportion of businesses are web-based and operate perfectly successfully from the business owner’s home. As the …

Getting an acceptable yield from any investment has been an enormous challenge over the past decade or so, since interest rates ground almost to a halt, both in the UK and across the wider western world.
This has caused investors to think hard about their investment strategies in two very particular ways. One it to look at innovative investment types that would have seemed beyond the purview of the casual or private investor 20 years ago. The other is to ensure that when they do invest, they do so in the …

By André Roque, Homeit
Whether you want to rent out a room or a whole flat or house on Airbnb the idea of earning some extra cash is appealing. However it can be surprising time consuming.  It’s not just cleaning and washing but responding to enquiries, checking guests in and out and handling other administration.
And, in some countries, you have to register your property as a short-term rental business, issue invoices and/or report guests’ identities to comply with local regulations.
So here are my tips to help you make money from you …

Working in the winter time is a little different to the summer months because, as an employee, you’re dealing with different elements. It’s likely to rain more, and rapidly falling temperatures often turn rain water to ice when it doesn’t disperse down the drain system fast enough. Roads, entryways and goods in delivery depots all present an increased risk of accidents on the job. It’s also easier to get sick in the wintertime too.
Here are some tips on how to avoid getting sick or injured at this time of year.
Avoid …