Great news, Dublin-based Company Bureau Formations has been named a ‘National Winner’ in the 2019 European Business Awards, one of the world’s largest business competitions. They'll now go onto compete at the finals of the Awards in November 2019.

Customer reviews provide an invaluable trust signal to potential customers. By leveraging user reviews, you’re telling the world that you care what customers think, that you welcome their feedback, and that you’ve nothing to hide. You’re also doing your bottom line a big favour. Using online reviews could see your conversion rates climb up to 58%. But customer reviews can provide a raft of benefits to a business operation even closer to home: your employees. Here's how to use customer reviews to boost and benchmark employee morale and motivation:

You’ve got a great business idea, you’re motivated, customers are waiting and the supply chain is in place. But you can’t make progress because you really need money to progress. Aside from your bank, here are six other ways to finance your small business.

Understanding the basic psychology of your customers will make your marketing initiatives far more successful. By practising innovative applied business psychology tactics, you can start to persuade your target audience to take action and deliver results for your marketing. Here are 4 innovative marketing tactics to use for your business:

While you may have heard or read a lot lately about crypto-currency or blockchain and other new fintech advances, you may be wondering how your business could use this. Businesses outside the financial services industry, such as retailers, automakers and telecommunication firms, can benefit from financial technology (fintech) by embracing cryptocurrency the right way. Here are 3 top tips on adopting crypto-tokens for non-financial companies.

Is there such a thing as a successful business from the start? Having a successful business is much more than having good luck or putting in a lot of hard work. A new business requires a lot of things to function in perfect sync. If you plan on everything going smoothly, then be prepared for a few bumps on the way. But there are some things you can put in place to ensure your chances of success: Here are 4 things you need to have a successful business:

As we approach a new planning season for the many businesses already looking at 2020, we speak to Nick Ashmore, chief executive of the SBCI, about the financial support it provides to Irish SMEs.

Many entrepreneurs begin their journey by growing their young business from home. There are numerous reasons why this may be the case: they may have no requirement for a dedicated office or they may be looking to minimise costs in any way possible. However, the vast majority of businesses will reach the inevitable stage when their home office is no longer suitable for their needs. It can be difficult to decide when the right time is for making the leap and moving into an office. So when should you move out of your home office?

When you start your own business, besides the comparative freedom of life outside the cubicle also comes the added responsibility of being a business owner. Part and parcel of this is a responsibility to understand the numbers. Few business owners actively enjoy accounting, but all successful ones recognise its importance. Accounting is a key part of running a functioning business, and bookkeeping creates the records which make accounting possible. Here's a quick guide to your balance sheet: assets, liabilities and equity:

If you have a business blog but it hasn't quite been delivering the results you were expecting then here are 5 blogging mistakes that are mostly made by small businesses. Avoiding them will help you get better results from your blogging efforts.

This month our featured business book is All Marketers are Liars, Tell Stories by best selling author Seth Godin. And you could win a copy!

A smart use of technology can make all the difference in keeping up with corporate competitors and even other small businesses. Considering that technology can either be devastatingly expensive or completely free, smart use of tech strategies is definitely the key phrase here. It’s not about how much money you do or don’t spend, but the types and ways in which your tech strategies can help promote your business and maybe even expand it. Here are 5 simple but effective tech hacks for small businesses:

We like to think that we’re well past the point of having to tell people to take health & safety seriously. Every business is obliged to carry out a health & safety risk assessment, and most do so happily, with both the employer and employees benefitting from a clear set of rules and protections. Here are 5 health and safety issues your business should be aware of:

Employee loyalty might seem difficult to obtain these days. Rather than sticking with a single career until retirement, the modern day workforce often jumps from one job to the next every few years. There are many reasons for this erratic career progression: employees are learning how to keep an eye out for higher paying opportunities, companies with more benefits, and roles that allow them to use their skill sets. It is becoming increasingly difficult to hang onto your talent. Here are a few ways your organisation can set itself apart from competitors and hang on to employees.

If you are looking for business supports, then one of the largest business support organisation in Ireland are the the LEOs or Local Enterprise Offices, formerly known as Enterprise Boards. Here's what LEOs can offer in terms of business supports:

When it comes to email marketing, we all know that it has a higher conversion rate as compared to all other inbound channels but in order to get the maximum benefit out of it, it is important to test your email marketing campaigns from time to time and see which one works the best for you. Here's a quick guide to A/B testing for email marketing campaigns:

Whether you’re currently building your startup or have yet to create one, your business model, products and services are likely at the forefront of your mind. While startups fail all the time, it’s often for a few common reasons—many of which have little to do with the aspects of your business you’ve spent the most time developing. The following are four problems your startup will face, along with how to avoid and resolve them.

Are you an SME business owner looking for new opportunities to become a supplier to the public sector? The upcoming Local Government Supplier Engagement Event takes place 1st October. We asked the organisers to tell us a bit about this event:

So it’s time to move your company on, but be warned: moving an office is not the same as moving a home. Moving house usually only affects a few people. There are usually only a few rooms to empty and move. You can usually inform everyone who needs to be told, such as banks and councils, within a day or so. Offices are tougher – there will be heavier and probably more expensive equipment, that can only be disconnected by experts. There are many more companies and parties that need to be informed. If the move is not slick, orders and money can be lost. And of course, there are two other sets of people to think of: employees and customers. Here are tips to make the move a smooth one.

Expanding your business abroad is a big commitment, but it can be an attractive as new markets offer new opportunities for growth, greater stability and an opportunity to learn and grow on a business (and personal) level. But careful consideration is needed before you take this big step. Here are 4 key things to consider before expanding your business abroad.