Mary Queen of Shops hits the nail on the head: local businesses need to specialise to survive

For years now we’ve been hearing plenty about how our high streets are suffering at the hands of the supermarket giants and how their ‘evil plan’ to take over Britain’s streets is forcing local businesses to shut shop.

I am currently working with Mary Portas’ shop designer, Callum Lumsden, on a refit of one of our studios so I have been watching her brilliant latest series, Mary Queen of Shops.

She talks about how businesses need to improve in order to compete with supermarkets and I couldn’t agree more.

Make the most of your business this summer

With summer having finally arrived – the flowers are in bloom, the BBQs are stoked up and the flip flops are out. However, while most of us look forward to balmier days, many business owners find the summer months a challenge. Not only does business tend to slow down, but employees and owners alike can find it difficult to focus and be productive when warm weather and the beach is beckoning.

Top tips on staying in control of business debt

Jamie Waller is the UK’s best known debt recovery and enforcement specialist. His company, JBW Group, work with businesses and local councils across the UK in debt management and enforcement. Jamie regularly appears on BBC Television and various others stations offering expert advice.

Here he provides his tops tips for businesses to ensure credit and debts are kept under control:

Enterprise under the mango trees

Where did you last have a great business conversation? Louise Third has just returned from a working visit to Uganda where she found herself teahcing enterprise skills to students in a remote rural region of the north east. The experience confirmed for her that we really are one big enterprising global community, so tell us about your business conversations in far-flung places.