Mercato Metropolitano’s founder is a man on a mission October 21, 2019 The words Elephant & Castle and trendy food market don’t normally go together. It’s an area that’s unfortunately more associated with crime and poverty than gourmet dining. But since 2016, a patch of unassuming land around the corner from the Ministry of Sound has played home to Mercato Metropolitano. This upscale hotspot has around 50 vendors [...]
If you want to change the conversation about mental health, lead by example October 18, 2019 There is no universal formula for being a leader, but every good leader should be a role model. This couldn’t be truer in the conversation about mental health. The facts don’t lie: one in four people suffer from poor mental health each year. Looking to the world of business, if you’re leading a team of [...]
Yawning in the office after another sleepless night? Here’s some advice October 17, 2019 The days are getting shorter, the nights darker, and we’re all now full-pelt into work mode. But with many workers dealing with stress on a daily basis, few seem to realise how this can affect our sleep, mood, and overall performance. It is high-time that we valued our need for good restorative, sleep particularly in [...]
You’re fired: Why the Apprentice is bad for business October 16, 2019 If you have been meaning to catch up on the latest instalment of the BBC’s long-running reality series The Apprentice, allow me to save you the time. Last week saw one set of brash egomaniacs with largely questionable entrepreneurial instincts facing off against another, with both teams struggling to demonstrate even the most basic set [...]
Sorry not sorry: End the apology culture in business October 15, 2019 When David Neeleman, the founder of American airline JetBlue, published a YouTube video entitled “Our Promise to You” in 2007, it was the first corporate social media apology. The video set the standard for modern crisis management. Snow storms and bad planning had forced the airline to cancel more than a thousand flights, affecting over [...]
From Bloom & Wild to Moneybox, we meet the man who co-founded both October 14, 2019 What do a flower shop and an investment app have in common? More than you might think, says the co-founder of two flourishing British businesses, Moneybox and Bloom & Wild. The latter was featured in City A.M. in 2017 and remains one of the fastest growing tech companies in the country, according to Deloitte. “I [...]
In defence of my friend Dominic Cummings October 14, 2019 Everyone of a certain age who worked in New York or Washington has a 9/11 story; mine concerns Dominic Cummings. It was sometime early in the afternoon of the unforgettable, nightmarish day. Three planes had already slammed into the World Trade Centre Buildings and the Pentagon, inflicting their awful havoc. A fourth plane had been [...]
Employers, it’s time to add some freelancers to your armoury October 12, 2019 Talk to graduates, new mothers, or young creatives about work today, and the one word you’re likely to hear more than any other is freelance. The term itself certainly isn’t new. In Walter Scott’s 1819 novel Ivanhoe, paid mercenaries described as “free lances” are offered from one feudal lord to another. Fast-forward 200 years, and [...]
Businesses can do more to tackle disabilities like blindness October 11, 2019 Lately it has become fashionable to talk about the contribution of companies to society. However, in the daily routine of spreadsheets, email, and video-conferences, the “why we do this” message can get lost. It is humbling therefore to confront that most vivid of human needs – the need for eyesight – and witness the potential [...]
Kim Kardashian and Sheryl Sandberg aren’t the only models of female business success October 10, 2019 Today is the 116th anniversary of the Women’s Social and Political Union in the UK – the organisation that secured universal suffrage in the UK. It is an inspiring date. Today, women do experience greater parity with men than ever before. However, all over the world, patriarchal cultures still restrict women’s ability to be successful [...]