Does your bank play a major role in your business? How can businesses get the financial advice they need?

Businesses are now spoilt for choice when it comes to accessing funding options to fit their long-term financial needs. With a wide array of options available, how can SMEs choose the right bank for them? And how can businesses access financial advice to help them along the way? Speaking on the second day Elite Business’ live event on March 10, Phil Hobden, Head of Education at Capitalise, Adrian Blair, CEO of Receipt Bank, Lucy Mullins, Co-founder of Stepladder and Randy McFarlane, Head of Strategic Partnerships and Alliances at Bottomline, spoke about how business can access financial solutions for continued growth and how to build important relationships and gain knowledge during their funding journey.

Phil Hobden, Head of Education at Capitalise discusses flexible options for fast growth in a banking “revolution”

How can SMEs choose the right bank for them?

Banks and lenders are now finding new ways to create innovative products and provide flexible financial solutions for businesses as bank and building branches disappear from high streets. With a rise in technology and newly emerging digital platforms, how can SMEs adapt to these new ways of baking? What are the options available out there? Speaking on the second day Elite Business’ live event on March 10, Phil Hobden, Head of Education at Capitalise spoke about how banking has changed over the past decade and how businesses can choose the right bank for them in a banking “revolution”.

CEOs and founders discuss how to engage your employees and cultivate talent for years to come.

How can employers nurture unique talent and keep workers happy?

Recruiting great talent to your company is one of the key factors in driving business growth. Attracting talent is one thing, but how can employers nurture and cultivate an engaged and productive workforce so that good talent doesn’t fly out the window? Speaking on the second day Elite Business’ live event on March 10, Ally Maughhan, founder of People Puzzles, Matthew Phelan, Head of Global Happiness at The Happiness Index and Scott Mullins, CEO at Pimlico Plumbers revealed how important it is to create a happy and dynamic work culture where employees feel fulfilled. They discussed various ways to increase worker satisfaction in the office and how to make staff feel valued so companies can retain great talent.

Founder of People Puzzles, Ally Maughan, speaks about how to select talent wisely.

How do you hire and integrate key talent into your company? Having the right team can help propel your business and take it to greater heights. But how do you find the right person to fit for your business? Interviewing potential employees can often be a daunting task as good talent can be hard to find – and even more so if you don’t particularly know the exact type of candidate you are looking. Speaking on the second day Elite Business’ live Ally Maughan, founder of People Puzzles, spoke about how to recruit talent into your company, create a detailed job specification to attract the right candidate and effectively integrate new employees into your team.

How do you implement technology to grow your business? CEOs and founders discuss how to choose the right tech to benefit your company and attract customers

How do you strategically implement the right technology into your business?

With a wide array of technology available on the market, businesses are often spoilt for choice when it comes to picking the latest innovate trends. However, this could leave business owners scratching their heads a few months down the line when they realise their chosen technology doesn’t truly serve their business or is too difficult to operate. Speaking on the second day Elite Business’ live event on March 10, Carl Reader, Founder of #BeYourOwnBoss and Chairman of d&t chartered accountants, Sam Goss, Co-founder and CMO of Comma Group, Melissa Snover, Founder of Nourished, Dan Maudhub, Managing Director of The Wonderful Creative Agency and Drew Ellis, Founder of We Are Like Minds, revealed the importance of understanding the “why” behind technology before jumping on the bandwagon. They discussed various pitfalls that come with implementing technology and why businesses must strategically use tech to fill in the gaps rather than seeing it as a quick fix solution.

What are the benefits of implementing technology in your business?

Carl Reader, founder of #BeYourOwnBoss and Chairman of d&t, speaks about the benefits of tech in franchising

How can technology benefit the UK’s franchising industry? Technology comes in all shapes and forms, but how can innovative tech be used to help the UK’s franchising industry? Speaking on the second day Elite Business’ live Carl Reader, founder of #BeYourOwnBoss and Chairman of Dennis and Turnbull Chartered Accountants (d&t), revealed how his innovate software Franchise Dashboard has helped improve the relationship between franchisee and franchisor by providing visibility in their network’s performance.

How do you overcome obstacles and unlock growth? CEOs and founders reveal why plans never really go to plan – and what to do about it

How do you stay committed to your goals despite the challenges faced?

With any business, there will come a time when you will face obstacles and bumps on the road to achieving commercial success. What happens when your plans fall through? How do you overcome roadblocks and stay committed towards your goals? Speaking on the second day Elite Business’ live event on March 10, Eric Partaker, co-founder of Chilango, Alana Spencer, founder of Ridiculously Rich, Jenny Knight, founder of Nutcracker and Scott English, brand director at CEMG, revealed how important it is to stay adaptable and to your goals despite challenges you face along the way. They also discussed why it is important for businesses to shift away from the numbers and focus on building a solid brand, attract a wider audience and build a loyal customer base.

How to create a success-oriented mindset and scale your business to greater heights? Co-founder of Chilango, Eric Partaker spoke about strategies to achieve greatness in all areas of your life

How can business owners rise from setbacks and achieve success while still maintaining a good work-life balance?

Growing a start-up during challenging times comes with various obstacles and hurdles, and it is no question businesses will face several setbacks during their journey in scaling up. How can business owners stay motivated and productive in a changing political and economic landscape without burning out? Eric Partaker, co-founder of Chilango, spoke about how to stay productive, balanced and driven during the commercial business growth talk on the second day of Elite Business’ live event on March 10. Eric revealed several “high-performance” strategies to achieve success whether it be in business, work or family without the need to compromise certain areas of your life.

“Successful people don’t go around succeeding all day, they fail” Founder of YO! Sushi, Simon Woodroffe, revealed the ups and downs of starting a business out of nothing.

Founder of YO! Sushi, Simon Woodroffe, started his Japanese conveyor belt restaurant out in 1997 at one of the lowest points in his life, saying his drive came out of pure“desperation ”

“I didn’t have a great deal of money, I got divorced so I had even less... Successful people don’t go around succeeding all day. Successful people fail, they’re willing to step out of the comfort zone and do something and fail,” Simon Woodroffe, founder of YO! Sushi said, speaking to a crowd of attendees at Day 1 of the Elite Business Live event on March 9. Mr Woodroffe spoke about the ups and downs of what he faced when opening Japanese conveyor belt restaurant, YO! Sushi, before it became an astounding international success.

What are the key factors to consider when expanding your business overseas? Successful CEOs reveal why it’s vital to understand the market and hire the right people to take it global

What is the best way to excel your business in overseas markets despite culture and legal barriers? 

Taking your business overseas is one thing but prospering in a global market is another. Speaking on the first day Elite Business’ live event on March 9, Arne Mielken, Vice President of the Institute of Export & International Trade, James Hyde, CEO and Co-founder of James & James Fulfilment, Greg Sutch, CEO of Intralink, Sean Blakely, CEO of the British Chambers of Commerce and Marko Ilincic, Group Chairman of Vistage, revealed how important it is for business to be open-minded and adaptable when expanding their company across borders. They discussed how it is vital to understand the markets before preparing for and overseas expansion, and why businesses must place a stronger focus on building relationships with customers and clients abroad.