Small Business Insight
Using expert research and data, we take a look at what’s impacting small businesses in the UK currently and in the future.
Boosting productivity in small business
After surveying 1,500 small business owners in the UK, we discovered some interesting findings when it came to the subject of productivity and how to make sure you are getting the most out of a working day. Results cover everything from the debate over cluttered desks to the most productive time of day to work.
Can’t see the web for the trees?
The last year has been full of surprises and challenges for businesses of all sizes. The COVID-19 pandemic began to show its impact quickly in March 2020 and has created unexpected difficulties for people and their working environment throughout the following 12 months and beyond. Even at the time of writing in June 2021, businesses are still working out what the new normal will look like for them.
Challenging gender norms
We’ve chosen gender as an initial topic to explore – both how this impacts our way of life, and the career choices we make. We’ve worked with futurist, trend forecaster, and author James Wallman to produce a report looking to the future and what the next 100 years hold for gender equality, family life, technology, and businesses. We also look at the ‘here & now’, showcasing some small businesses that are challenging gender norms to be successful in sectors traditionally dominated by the other sex.
Future Gazers: the next 30 years in business
A lot has changed in the world of business in a relatively short space of time. With Yell’s move from the printed Yellow Pages to a fully digital business today, we’ve collaborated with futurist James Wallman to gaze into what the next 30 years hold for the business world, and how small businesses can prepare. From a four-hour working day to a ‘Cobot Revolution’, find out what you need to prepare for!
How much could you earn around the world?
Alongside job satisfaction, financial security is arguably the main consideration for most of us when it comes to planning our careers or looking to start up a business. With this in mind, we’ve looked into the equivalent earnings for popular career choices and detailed how they stack up not only in the UK but across the rest of the world too. Whether you’re at the start of your journey, or feel you should be earning more for your skillset, find out how you compare with our easy-to-use tool!
Standing out in a crowded marketplace
We’re debunking the myth that bigger is better. If you can understand your customers, nurture relationships, and go the extra mile, size is irrelevant. It sounds simple but these are the fundamentals of setting yourself apart as a small business and packing a punch in your industry. We profiled 1,500 consumers in the UK for some insights into what drives them to use a small business instead of a big name. Read on to find out how you can win over and retain a loyal customer base.
Small and medium-sized businesses in the UK
We want to help UK SMEs be as successful as they can be by working with them to create a powerful online presence for their business and delivering strong digital marketing strategies both through our solutions, and the additional advice we provide on this website.
Because of the ever-changing nature of the digital landscape, we’re also looking to the future to see how it will impact the lives of customers, entrepreneurs, and SME owners.
Young entrepreneurs
Sparking ideas and encouraging a new generation of small businesses in the UK is of great importance for the economy. From a recent Yell survey of 1,500 business owners, we found that entrepreneurial spirit is on the increase, with 78% of 16-24 year-olds wanting to run their own business as a child. Here, find out how nurturing young enthusiasm and talent can help create a new generation of exciting start-ups.
Seeking inspiration
At times inspiration can be hard to come by, so we spoke to 1,500 business owners about how they find inspiration. From embracing the great outdoors to making the most of the morning – find out what gets Britain’s brightest entrepreneurs inspired.
Slim savings
The current economic climate is making saving money increasingly difficult. Inflation has sent costs for utility bills and household goods rocketing sky-high, with interest rates at a 14-year high. We’ve researched what the financial landscape currently looks like for UK businesses, and how it’s affecting their ability to futureproof themselves.
Small business insights
There’s no standing still in business; making correct insights into the future and acting on them is a constant challenge. We shared our Future Gazers report with a collection of entrepreneurs in very different industries to get their predictions on how these key trends will affect their business.
Small business pioneers
We’ve interviewed a select number of UK entrepreneurs who have chosen to go against the grain and challenged traditional gender norms with their small businesses. We asked these pioneers how this has impacted their business and how they feel about the future of gender equality.
Helping SMEs connect with customers
Here at Yell, we’ve been connecting customers and small businesses in the UK for over 50 years. These days we’re focused on helping businesses increase their customers through customised websites, advertising their services, and increasing their customer base through paid listings on the UK’s leading online business directory Yell.com, pay-per-click advertising, display advertising, and ensuring their business details are listed correctly on hundreds of relevant websites.
If you would like help and advice in setting up your online presence and promoting your business to new customers, call us on 0800 777 445 or fill in our contact form and we’ll call you back.
Take the leap
As a result of Yell surveying 1,500 entrepreneurs and small business owners in the UK, we have found that ‘going it alone’ in business is easier than many people think, identifying some very positive results regarding setup costs and speed of making a profit. A separate survey of 1,500 consumers has also obtained people’s thoughts on starting up their own business, and what the most common barriers are. Find out more about the research results here.
The artificial intelligence report
We’ve conducted a wide-ranging piece of research into AI; how businesses are adopting AI technologies such as voice search and machine learning, what it means for them now and in the future and, crucially, how consumers are adapting their lives to these changing technologies.
The entrepreneurial spirit of the UK
Since the Covid-19 pandemic arrived in the UK in early 2019, it’s fair to say it’s been a challenging time for businesses of all sizes. Whether you’re an established SME or a budding entrepreneur the issues involved with running a business, caused by the pandemic and the UK’s separation from the EU, have been all too apparent.
Which industry jargon is most confusing?
Every industry has its jargon – the shorthand language used by people within the profession to communicate with others ‘in the know’. From ‘low hanging fruit’ in business to ‘adjourn’ in the legal world, or ‘snagging’ in the context of construction and property, there are hundreds and thousands of buzzwords and acronyms that we’re likely to run into throughout our lives, not all of which will be easy to decipher.
Who’s getting the message?
The way businesses engage with customers has changed dramatically since the start of 2020 and, for most, it’s been a worrying and unsettling time. As a result of the global pandemic, change has happened so quickly that businesses have had to adapt at a speed not seen before to survive and thrive. Find out more about the severe impact Covid-19 has had on SMEs in terms of their services and tools used, and how this has changed how they communicate with their customers.
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