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 …

Janet is one of my clients. She ran her own online gift business from home which she only started as a hobby a year ago, but it quickly took off. Whilst it was time intensive and meant working long hours, it also paid a lot of the family bills. She had been married to Tom for six years and they had two young children, aged two and four years old. When I met Janet she was reeling from shock as, following a recent work trip abroad, Tom had announced he …

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 …

The UK’s largest platform for childcarers and parents has revealed which UK regions are the most expensive for childcare services, with London unsurprisingly topping the list across every service.
Over the last year Childcare.co.uk has analysed the prices its childminders, babysitters, nannies and day nurseries charge per hour across the UK to find the average cost of childcare in each area.
Members of the public can find out what the average childcare cost is in their area here: https://www.childcare.co.uk/costs
Childcare.co.uk has used its data to create a nationwide league table of the most expensive …

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 …

…with more than a third of mums in debt because their ex-partner hasn’t paid child maintenance, study shows.
New research has revealed that when parents split up, mums often find themselves struggling to cover their basic living costs, with 39 per cent taking out loans or relying on their overdrafts to make ends meet.
A staggering quarter of mums said they don’t receive any regular financial help from their child’s father, leaving them to cover the cost of raising their child by themselves.
Half of mums said that their ex’s contribution isn’t enough …

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 …