Leadership

So, I have finally decided to do it. After more than a decade of working for other people in a number of roles, I’ve actually taken the leap and launched my own business. It’s been barely three months and things are going great – we have clients already on board and more soon, hopefully. Really, the only disappointment has been the amount of rubbish that people are trying to flog me on LinkedIn. Apparently, changing your LinkedIn title to founder or director is the digital equivalent of painting a target on your forehead and donning an “I’m with stupid” t-shirt with the arrow pointing up. The number of baloney messages that I have received is mind-blowing. Yes, I’ve started a new business, but I wasn’t born yesterday, and no, I don’t want your nonsense. In response, and because it’s cathartic, here are the five worst spam emails from companies hoping to prey on new businesses. Hello, is it [insert name here] you’re … [Read more...] about Startup entrepreneurs, watch out for these classic spam emails from rubbish sales people

Generation Z are the most entrepreneurial age group, according to recent research. While we all thought that millennials were the trailblazers in terms of entrepreneurship, today’s 16-24-year-olds knock them out of the park. And they are 20 per cent more likely to want to start a business than their parents. What’s even more interesting is the barriers they are pushing aside. While millennials will tell you that they want to start a business because they want a change or more freedom, Generation Z haven’t had a job yet. They don’t need to escape the grind. They want to do it because they’ve seen successful and positive role models – and they think it’s normal. This is the week that Kylie Jenner was named the youngest self-made billionaire at the age of 21, after all. At Enterprise Nation, we may not have many reality TV influencers, but we are well aware of what Generation Z superstars can do. Tilly Nelson gave up a solid job in photography to … [Read more...] about If Kylie Jenner can be an entrepreneurial superstar, so can the rest of Generation Z

Whitehall’s attempts to overhaul the apprenticeships system have so far lowered the number of apprentices starting schemes in the UK by one-quarter, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). The number of starts in the academic year 2017/18 was 375,800, 26 per cent lower than the 509,400 starts in 2015/16 before the introduction of the so-called apprenticeship levy in April 2017, according to a report by the watchdog. Read more: Fresh data reveals the folly of Britain’s apprentice levy The apprenticeship levy charges all employers with an annual pay bill of more than £3m at a rate of 0.5 per cent of their total pay bill. The proceeds then go towards paying for more people to start apprenticeships at those companies. The rate of starts would need to double for the government to meet its target of 3m new starts by March 2020, which is “very unlikely”, according to the NAO. The take-up of levy funds is below what the Department for Education expected, the … [Read more...] about Government ‘very unlikely’ to hit apprenticeship targets, warns NAO

With Brexit on the horizon, businesses face looming concerns about skills and talent shortages – something we at Lendlease, like many others, are planning for. The national employment level is at an all-time peak with more than 32m in work, but our labour market is only tightening and getting more competitive. Within construction, our current shortage stems from both an ageing workforce and potential curbs to EU migration. Pair this decline in manpower with the ambitious housing and infrastructure targets that we need to hit, and it’s a worrying outlook. But there is a vast and untapped pool of talent in this increasingly tough hiring climate: the 11m UK citizens with a criminal record. And the business case for supporting this under-represented group – accounting for one sixth of the population – into work is growing. It’s true that hiring ex-offenders comes with increased responsibility, paperwork, training, and support. It can seem like a huge challenge … [Read more...] about Ex-offenders deserve to work – here’s why you should recruit them

The Academy Awards and drama go hand in hand, but this year’s choice of host dominated the news for all the wrong reasons. In December, homophobic tweets made by the chosen host, American comedian Kevin Hart, resurfaced from the late 2000s. The Academy offered him an ultimatum: apologise or step down. He went for the latter. Hart may have chosen to give the Oscars a miss, but he’s not the only star whose been left grovelling by resurfaced old tweets containing problematic content. With Twitter now more than a decade old, its archives have also caught out the likes of YouTube bloggers Zoella and Jack Maynard, former Gay Times editor Josh Rivers, and rapper Azealia Banks. With so much of our lives lived online, it’s a given that people – including bosses, colleagues, and recruiters – are checking out your social media profiles. You might not be a famous celebrity, but that doesn’t excuse any bad behaviour. For instance, a job offer can be exciting, but … [Read more...] about Kevin Hart, the Oscars, and social media – don’t leave any skeletons in your online closet