Blog
The Rise of Automation after Covid-19
Posted 10th June 2020 at 10:30 am
The business world has been preparing for increasing use of automation for decades now. As technology advances at a rate unseen in any other century, the potential to automate processes and even entire roles, offers an opportunity for businesses to cut costs and save time. While the Covid-19 crisis has stopped many businesses present and future plans in their tracks, the one thing that hasn’t been negatively affected is automation planning. In fact, with the need for social distancing and hygiene, and the prospect of a recession on the horizon, many businesses are bringing their automation plans forward. Pre-pandemic, the... Read more
Package Holidays after Covid-19
Posted 1st June 2020 at 3:29 pm
For many of us, a cheap and cheerful getaway to sunnier climes is a major highlight of our year. Unfortunately with non-essential travel currently banned, a week or two of all-inclusive fun with no worries except nabbing the best positioned sun lounger doesn’t seem to be on the cards any time soon. Travel operators are currently planning towards restarting operations in July, but even then a holiday would be followed by a 14 day quarantine period when arriving back in the UK. Some countries such as Spain have also introduced quarantine for overseas visitors, meaning that you could need 6... Read more
E R Grove & Co named Mayor’s Community Champions
Posted 30th May 2020 at 1:40 pm
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Mayor’s Community Champions initiative recognises individuals and organisations who have acted as ‘community heroes’ during the Covid-19 crisis. We at E R Grove & Co are delighted to have been recognised for our work keeping the business community informed about government support systems for businesses and individuals feeling the impact of coronavirus. You can read more about why we were chosen as Mayor’s Community Champions here.
Creating a marketing strategy for your business
Posted 26th May 2020 at 8:52 am
Marketing is much more than the shiny, branding side of your business. When done right, it can help to drive you forwards towards your business goals, becoming money well spent. That’s why it’s so important to have a long-term strategy for your marketing, rather than creating campaigns and adverts on the fly. Below we look at the key processes for creating an effective marketing strategy. The main thing to remember is that your marketing strategy should not be created in isolation. It should be firmly rooted in your overall company goals for the year, so that it is effective, strategic,... Read more
Drive your business forward with Market Research
Posted 19th May 2020 at 8:36 am
As business leaders, we often think we know our market really well. Sometimes that is true, but things change and it’s always good to spend some time now and again researching our market. This prevents us from making assumptions that unintentionally undermine our business. It also helps us to identify new opportunities to grow and expand our business. Competitor Research You may think you know everything about your competitors. However, the real information you need is how your customers view your competitors! Once you’ve identified all your competitors, and their competitive edge (USP) then it is really worthwhile spending... Read more
Creating a Risk & Contingency Strategy
Posted 11th May 2020 at 8:29 am
If recent times have taught us anything, it’s how quickly our normal way of life can change! For businesses, the need to have spent some serious thought on risk analysis and contingency planning has never been more important. While it’s never possible to completely risk-proof your business, as navigating the extreme measures of the COVID-19 global lockdown have shown us, it is always worthwhile coming up with a plan to mitigate for risks that might derail our businesses in the future. Risk Analysis Risk analysis is the process of identifying and analyzing potential issues that could negatively impact businesses,... Read more
Pivoting & Repurposing a Business
Posted 6th May 2020 at 5:49 pm
It is no secret that Covid-19 has had a big impact on many SMEs in the UK. A recent study by the Office for National Statistics showed that nearly 40% of businesses in the UK had a substantially lower turnover. With the current level of disruption likely to remain for some time, many businesses are adapting their practices to continue trading in some form. For businesses which have been negatively impacted by Covid-19 and are considering how to adapt, they have two main choices: Continue trading – providing the same product / service in broadly the same way to the... Read more
How will coronavirus change working practices?
Posted 27th April 2020 at 3:43 pm
After almost 6 weeks of lockdown, companies and employees are used to the ‘new normal’ of remote working. But what will the lasting impact of coronavirus be on the way businesses are run? Business Travel With travel restrictions likely to remain in place long after lockdown has eased, companies are facing a long period of using video conferencing technology to keep in touch with clients, suppliers, and colleagues across the world. While these technologies are no substitute for building relationships face-to-face, businesses are likely to see that they can save money and time by taking at least some of... Read more
Be a Homeschool Hero!
Posted 21st April 2020 at 7:58 am
Many of us are now in the position of supervising our children’s home learning whilst also trying to do our own jobs. This is no easy task, but fortunately Liz from our Marketing Department used to be a Primary School Teacher, and is on hand with some advice for those of you who are taking on the challenge to become homeschool heroes! Stick to a structure It can be tempting to try and be flexible about when and how your children learn at home, however children actually find routines helpful to their learning. Having a routine that in some... Read more
For your viewing pleasure: films about accountants!
Posted 14th April 2020 at 8:53 am
As we enter our fourth week of lockdown, you might be struggling for entertainment. Luckily for you we have compiled a definitive list of the best films about accountants for your viewing pleasure! 1. The Shawshank Redemption Undoubtedly the greatest film ever to feature an accountant in a lead role, The Shawshank Redemption is a sweeping, dramatic tour-de-force which everyone should watch at least once in their lifetime. And given that we’re all in lockdown, we’re in the perfect state of mind to empathise with a prison drama… 2. The Producers If you’re more into comedy films then... Read more