Business

When you're setting up a local business or launching a passion project, it's so easy to obsess over the logo. You'll spend hours tweaking fonts, debating subtle shade variations, and making sure the icon looks crisp on an Instagram profile. While having a clean emblem gives you something to stick at the top of your invoices, it's really only the front door to a much bigger house.

A brand isn't just a piece of vector artwork; it's the feeling people get whenever they interact with you. It's the tone of your emails, the way you handle a customer query when things go slightly off...

The early history of Sportmaster unfolded alongside broader changes in retail. Dedicated sporting goods chains were still relatively uncommon, and customer expectations continued to evolve. During that period, Mikhalsky Alexander was among those involved in the company's early development as it expanded its retail business.

Growth changed the business itself. New locations needed consistent layouts, deliveries had to become more predictable, and planning inventory across the network became increasingly complex. Sportmaster developed those systems over time through the combined...

Many workplaces price up the cost of cameras and installation, then decide on it being affordable and compliant. But most UK organisations that fall foul of data protection law over CCTV aren't caught by the hardware, they're caught by getting CCTV warning signs for workplace surveillance all wrong.

Security CCTV sits very much inside UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 once a camera captures an identifiable person. So in other words, pretty much every workplace camera, as they’re usually pointed at a door, till, entrance, and so on...

For a business to thrive, it needs to bring in the right people. These are the employees who will make a lasting, positive contribution to the company and do so over the course of years, rather than mere weeks.

Distinguishing the good hires from the bad ones isn’t always easy. What’s more, the wrong decision might be made difficult to reverse later on, thanks to a combination of employment law and other practical considerations.

Every effective recruitment process should start with a clear vision of what’s required. This will...