Remote presence vs. Physical presence – does it matter? What are the pros and cons of both approaches? 

Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter OBE, Chairman of Coltraco Ultrasonics, Anna Morsa, Group Commercial Director of Genuine Solutions Group, Natanel Bigger, CEO of Monpure and Rashida Abdulai, CEO of Strand Sahara, joined us for the first day of Elite Business on 11 March in the overseas expansion panel, discussing the importance of a physical presence in an international market and also addressed certain factors to take into consideration before bringing your firm abroad. 

Is it necessary to have physical presence in the region you’re expanding to?

Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter OBE, Chairman at Coltraco Ultrasonics, joined us on the first day of Elite Business on 11 March as the keynote speaker for the Overseas Expansion talk, speaking about how businesses can expand to international markets during this challenging time – and why implementing the strategy is crucial before execution.

With all the resources available right now, how can you ensure you’re making the right financial decisions for your business?

With all the resources available right now, how can you ensure you’re making the right financial decisions for your business? 

Catherine Young, Founder of Thinkroom, Gary Turner, Co-Founder of Xero, Lucy Mullins, Co-Founder of Stepladder and Richard Bearman, Managing Director for the British Business Bank, joined us for the first day of Elite Business on 11 March in the financial management panel, advising businesses on how to find the right source of finance to fit their financial needs and how to rise above the challenge when it comes to long-term financial health.

How can businesses make sure they are making the right financial decisions for long-term financial health? 

Symmie Swil, Head of SME Banking at Starling Bank, joined us on the first day of Elite Business on 11 March as the keynote speaker for the Financial Management talk, speaking about how businesses can manage their finances and why this is all the more important during the global pandemic. 

Business leaders weigh out the pros and cons on how to maintain a productive workforce

The pandemic has brought a rise in flexible working – has the use of technology benefited staff productivity and morale, or will returning to the office be better in the long run?

Sunny Dhami, Senior Director of EMEA Product Marketing & GTM for Ring Central, Rachel Carrel, CEO & Founder of Koru Kids, Joanna Dai, Founder and CE of Dai, Lucy Chamberlain, Founder of C&C Search and Matthew Phelan, co-founder of The Happiness Index joined us for the first day of Elite Business on 11 March in the talent and regulations panel, speaking about how to manage employees with a rise in flexible working, employee wellbeing as well as the pros and cons of working from home versus returning to the office. 

The pandemic has brought about a massive shift with remote working now the new norm – how can businesses support their employees and prevent burn out? 

Sunny Dhami, Senior Director of EMEA Product Marketing & GTM for Ring Central, joined us on the first day of Elite Business on 11 March as the keynote speaker for the Talent and Regulations talk, speaking about how businesses can manage their talent and support employees during the pandemic amid a digital shift as workforce expectations are now changing at a rapid rate.

Sunny spoke about the five different generations in the workforce and the different ways they operate, and this includes Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millenials, and Gen Z. Sunny explained how the pandemic has shifted the way businesses operate and how firms have adapted to working with their employees with several challenges involved with different generational gaps. “In the last 12 months we’ve really had a strong shift in leveraging technology a lot more,” Sunny said. “We’ve all been on video calls all day every day, we’re spending a lot more time on the phone, email has potentially declined a little bit. So having to support and manage many of these different generations with different types of technology, supporting them through learning that technology, but also their uptake. I know messaging platforms and social messaging has seen a huge boom over the last few months and it’s interesting to see how different businesses have adopted to that.” 

With a rise in emerging technologies, what is the best way SMEs can utilise these newer platforms to help them reach their goals?

Founder of Small Business Britain Michelle Ovens CBE, Biplab Rakshi, Managing Director of Atomic Acquisitions, Kim Antoniou, co-founder of Kafoodle, Melissa Snover, Founder of Get Nourished and Pete Oliver, Managing Director of BT & EE joined us for the first day of Elite Business on 11 March as in the digital transformation panel, speaking about the ways businesses can discover real opportunities in digitisation and how they can take the right steps to explore emerging technologies.. Read more...

With a rise in emerging technologies, how can SMEs can take the necessary steps to expand using these new platforms?

Founder of Small Business Britain Michelle Ovens CBE joined in virtually for the first day of Elite Business on 11 March as the digital transformation keynote speaker, speaking about how businesses can take steps to equip themselves with new emerging technologies to meet the rising demand for change..

What is the best mindset for growth? 

On the first day of Elite Business Live, Josh Wintersgill, Founder of Able Move, Nick Dormon, Managing Director of Echo, Marko Ilnicic, Group Chairman of Vistage and Saasha Celestial-One, Co-founder of Olio sat down with our host Oli Barrett in the commercial business growth panel. The group spoke about the challenges of expanding a business during the pandemic, the right mindset of growth, and the unexpected opportunities present amid this mass uncertainty. 

Former Dragon Den investor Piers Linney gives five tips to maximise growth and expand your company.

What is the secret to building the ultimate growth strategy for your business during the pandemic?

Former BBC Dragon Den’s investor and serial entrepreneur Piers Linney took to the stage for Day 1 at Elite Business Live on 11 March, as the first keynote speaker to kickstart the incredible two-day event. He led the day with the commercial business talk and spoke about how business owners can grow and expand their firms in the current climate. He kicked off his presentation speaking about the five areas businesses must focus on to grow - planning, operations, people, technology and finance.