Starting up or running a business in the cloud at WorkWell provides you with options to collaborate, communicate and grow, which will help you to compete for business on a UK-wide basis.
As a technology service provider, Appamondo help choose the right applications to set your business up in the cloud. We take responsibility for deployment, training and education, and then providing ongoing support to you and your team. In this way, you can combine a bricks and mortar presence with remote tools that mean you are ‘always on’.
We always get asked why people should change to the cloud…
Here are five tips and reasons to work this way.
1. Avoid capital expenditure on computers, servers, software licenses and installation or maintenance costs.
Build a business with low-cost, subscription-based applications to reduce budget spend on software. Similarly, budget can be reduced by operating on a ‘bring your own device’ basis. Avoid buying devices and hardware you don’t need (servers, desktop PCs, etc)
2. Collaborate & communicate wherever you are.
Use business software that can be accessed remotely, such as Google Apps for Business™ for email, calendar, office package and storage. This will allow you to access your work from any location, making flexible working complication-free. Make use of online storage and collaboration tools to interact regularly and remotely with colleagues and customers.
Use video calling to increase frequency of face-to-face time, which in turn can help save money and time spent of commuting.
3. Automate administrative processes.
Automation means less time on admin, more time to grow the business!Use applications which integrate and streamline processes to bring efficiency to your workflow.
Mission-critical tasks like accounting can be automated using Xero, thus improving cash flow.
4. Go paperless.
Cut your costs and wastage by adopting sustainable practices like going paperless. Online storage tools allow creation, storage, sharing and collaboration in the cloud, removing the need for multiple copies and paper revisions.
Make sure applications match your business needs – there is a paperless solution for most processes.
5. Buy your technology as a service – lowest cost to operate
Technology can be purchased on a subscription basis without capital costs. Beware! Support from setup through to ongoing support is relatively non-existent (important if you are migrating data!)
Look for a technology provider who can meet all your business requirements – deployment (including migration of existing data), education in the form of training and ongoing support on a per-user (not company basis) should be mandatory for you!
Don’t just stop at these tips. If you want to ask more questions, contact the Appamondo team on 0843 224 9088 or social@appamondo.com. We are happy to help!
Michael Smith
Appamondo
WorkWell runs a professional office space that works around your business. We produce the highest quality space with complete monthly flexibility so that you can have a fluid workflow with minimal hassle. We are happy to work with Appomondo. They have a great service that will benefit a wide range of companies looking for easier management tools.
Once upon a time not too long ago anyone who had their own home office, or even merely a desk, was an author, professor or company director. With the advent of the internet, email and mobile technology, dynamic working is now attainable to the masses. Fusing working from home with going into the office.
Hybrid working
A study carried out by the Confederation of British Industry showed that teleworking rose from 14% in 2006 to 46% in 2008. This figure has continued to rise and according to data from the Trade Union Centre (TUC), approximately four million people in the UK now work from home permanently, with millions more occasionally working from home.
With the obvious advantages of telecommuting, namely avoiding commutes to work and increased productivity, more and more employers are opting to give their workforce the homeworking option.
British Telecom was one of the homeworking pioneers. As far back as 1986, British Telecom began a telework scheme. Today 15,000 of the company’s 92,000 employees work from home. At HSBC, 15,000 out of 35,000 members of staff also have the option of working remotely. The company argues homeworkers save on average, £6,000 a year, take fewer sick days and are 20% more productive.
The shift toward remote and hybrid working has also contributed to the rise of co-working spaces, where independent professionals, freelancers, and employees working remotely can benefit from a structured yet flexible office environment. This change is not just altering traditional work patterns—it’s redefining our understanding of workplace efficiency.
Technology’s role in the workplace
Just as technology has revolutionised remote work, it has also reshaped how we operate within an office environment. Technology is encroaching into most areas of our lives, including how we run meetings. Thankfully, these technological advances are improving the dynamics of how business meetings and conferences work, making them ever more efficient and effective.
Technology has streamlined workplace communication, ensuring that interactions are permanently recorded via email and collaboration platforms rather than relying on word-of-mouth exchanges. This shift has improved accessibility, efficiency, and the ability to communicate seamlessly across teams and time zones.
The benefits of technology for the workplace
How technology breaks down workplace barriers
Whether it is routing calls effectively, having access to internal systems or being able to monitor productivity amongst employees, it is all made possible with the use of cloud-based technologies.
Increased collaboration
Cloud computing enables companies to deploy communication tools, apps, and shared databases, making collaboration effortless. Businesses can now integrate new tools while phasing out outdated systems more seamlessly than ever before. What once took months to implement can now be introduced in weeks or even days, significantly boosting efficiency and agility.
Small businesses gaining a competitive edge
Whilst using cloud-based systems was once a privilege for larger organisations with bigger budgets, now smaller companies with smaller budgets have access to these technologies. This gives smaller businesses a competitive edge against larger competitors, by being able to access the same technology-assisted tools.
For example, video conferencing—once an expensive, enterprise-level tool—is now available to businesses of all sizes. This has made remote meetings, international collaboration, and virtual networking as accessible to startups as they are to multinational corporations.
What are your thoughts about the homeworking revolution? Are you, like HSBC and British Telecom, in favour of giving employees the flexibility of virtual offices? Or are you more on Yahoo’s wavelength, who’s CEO recently banned remote working as part of a new “era of collaboration?”
We interviewed one of our longstanding customers, Derek Baker, to get an insight into the service we provide here at WorkWell:
With “quality coffee on-tap, polite staff and a quiet working environment,” Derek Baker, Technical Director at Claritas Solutions, describes Carrwood Park’s Brookfield offices as “superb.”
Claritas Solutions, an independent IT services and solutions company for all industry sectors, recently moved into WorkWell’s Brookfield Court. Being on the outskirts of Leeds and easily accessible to motorway links, the offices are ideally located for Claritas Solutions’ business needs.
Derek Baker is thoroughly impressed with this modern and managed office space.
“All the staff have a positive, friendly approach. The office was designed impeccably to meet our business’s requirements, and the customer service has been superb,” said Mr Baker.
Other great features of the Brookfield Offices described by Claritas Solutions’ technical director include the working space always being clean and well-maintained and, of course, access to, not just coffee on tap, but quality coffee on tap!
“I would recommend WorkWell’s serviced offices in Leeds and Harrogate to any company looking for office space. They really are first class.”
Crafting an ‘eggtastic’ working environment at Easter
…I can hear the egg puns coming.
The evenings are light, the daffodils are out in abundance and there’s a warm, spring-like feel to the air. There are also rows upon rows of Easter eggs in the shops. Yes we can’t deny Easter has arrived.
Some employees may have booked holidays off work over Easter to spend time with their families. Others might be continuing work as normal after enjoying the long Easter weekend. Whether you choose to celebrate the Easter holiday or not, your employees will gratefully receive some festive celebration.
I have already seen the mini egg cakes emerge and have been involuntarily entered into one of Carrwood Parks largest companies ‘decorate an egg’ competition.
So how can we create a cheerful, festal and of course practical working environment during Easter week?
Put some spring flowers in the office
It has been said before and we’ll say it again, flowers can influence mood, creativity and empathy in the workplace. Arranging flowers can improve workplace productivity. Not only can looking at fresh flowers help wake employees up and promote creative thinking but they can also encourage innovation.
Apart from the productivity-enhancing assets of fresh flowers being present, arranging bunches of spring flowers will craft a pleasant Eastertime environment. Positing colourful bunches of traditional spring-time flowers, such as daffodils, poppies and primroses around the office will help lift staff morale and get them in the mood for Easter.
Give employees an Easter egg
It’s not just children who should be given an Easter egg at school. On the contrary, chocolate-loving grown-ups enjoy an Easter egg or two as well! Show your staff your appreciation and craft an Easter environment at work by handing out Easter eggs!
Set the air conditioning in the office at 19c
One of those boring things that is something very important! This time of the year can be pretty erratic weather wise. The sky can be blue and cloudless and the office doused in sunshine one minute followed by rain and a considerable drop in temperature the next. Generally speaking offices can get pretty stuffy at this time of the year. A sticky, hot working environment is not conducive to productivity!
To help maintain a good combination of festive yet productive workforce at Easter it is important that the temperature is set accordingly.
Quality office space such as those offered at Carrwood Park and Brookfield Courtbusiness centres Leeds will have air conditioning. Setting the air conditioning at 19c is typically the optimum temperature at this time of year.
Make sure email signatures are on
One I always forget. With the long Easter weekend looming and many members of staff taking holidays it is important to remind employees to ensure their email ‘out of the office’ signatures are on. This will ensure clients, colleagues and potential customers will know members of staff are away on annual leave and when they will be back.
Easter is a particularly colourful and vibrant time of the year. Making the effort to ensure your working environment acknowledges and celebrates this jubilant time of year will help maintain staff morale. Not neglecting some of the practical requirements when we leave for the festive break will ensure your company will be prepared for business as usual following the Easter weekend holiday.
Is it the cup or the goal that makes your employers work hard?
I recently read the ‘wikihow’ post for how to get your team motivated. I loved it, it’s how I would like to think I work with my staff.
The players have to pull together, work as a team, and surprise opponents with collective vivaciousness, dexterity and solidarity.
As World Cup fervour mounts across the globe, it highlights the need for teamwork in all walks of life, and none more than the workplace.
Should employers aim for the goal or aim for the cup?
While football inevitably creates individual star players who create stunning solo moments from time to time in a match – hence the sought-after title ‘Man of the Match’ – a team triumphs with greater ease when its players are collectively on form.
The same model of mutual talent, hard work and teamwork can be applied in a working environment.
A bit like on the World Cup football pitch, there will be employees who are more highly skilled, experienced, qualified and hardworking than others. An employer naturally wants to hold onto these ‘star’ employees, develop and nurture them the same way Alex Ferguson did to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo. Unfortunately for England, Ronaldo is not on their squad, but what England does have is a team of more than proficient players.
Encouraging employees to work together, collaborate, and spark ideas off each other helps breed innovation within the company. Creating a culture that encourages teamwork and collective productivity in the workplace will help your company effectively ‘score goals’.
But we all know scoring goals isn’t enough. What we all really want is to hold the cup.
This is when trusting employees by providing them with a flexible working pattern and environment could prove an invaluable step in the right direction to surpassing rival companies and moving into a leading position in your trade, effectively lifting the ultimate prize – the World Cup.
Setting goals is an inherent way to steer a business towards growth. Similar to Roy Hodgson’s squad, the only way to lift the trophy is by scoring goals. Setting short-term goals is vital if a business is going to compete with competitors and evolve from the limitations of being a start-up into becoming an established, larger company.
Take a look at the following top five reasons for setting short-term goals.
1- Service goals
Setting goals related to improving customer service might be primarily short-term term but they will ultimately contribute to long-term growth. Goals related to improving customer satisfaction will help your business maintain client respect, attract more potential clients and create strong customer retention.
2- Social goals
As the small business ideas publication Inc advises, short-term goals should also focus on social aspects. For example, providing goals that focus on giving back to the community will help increase a company’s PR, how they are seen within the local community and inevitably ensure the business is deemed with greater respect.
3- Set cashflow goals
One short-term goal that ultimately affects long-term outcomes is to maintain cash flow control. Effective cash flow management enables a business to keep a tighter leash on costs and ultimately promote company growth. Cashflow problems waste time and money and ultimately threaten a business’s survival.
4- Strategic thinking
Setting short-term goals helps businesses think within more strategic terms. Strategic planning is a “systematic way of planning for the future” and helps create a sustainable means to long-term survival. As Bacal and Associates, experts in helping businesses create workplace success, state, strategic thinking is a vital component in the success of any business.
5- Building a better brand to create growth goals
Creating a more defined company brand through logos, business stationery, a slogan, and decisive company colours will help craft a more defined business which is consistent. Projecting your company’s personality and what it stands for through its logo, website, and other marketing avenues will help create effective branding, ultimately driving long-term success
Top reasons for setting long-term goals
According to Forbes, 8 out of 10 entrepreneurs who start a business fail within the first 18 months. Setting long-term goals gives businesses direction, a greater sense of purpose and a better understanding of possible roadblocks, which all help drive long-term success.
Take a look at the top five reasons for setting long-term goals.
1- The bigger picture
Having long-term goals in place enables CEOs, directors and business owners to see beyond the challenges of ‘today’ and have a clearer understanding of the working landscape in 12 months’, two years’ or even five years’ time.
2- Maintaining motivation
Being bogged down with arduous and difficult tasks week in week out can lead to low company morale and the feeling of constantly treading in deep water. Having long-term goals in place helps us to see beyond the challenges of today. Knowing there is ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ helps boost company morale, ultimately creating a more contented, proactive and inspired workforce.
3- Creating a compelling vision
As the Goal Setting Guide states, short-term goals are invaluable in helping companies create momentum; they are merely stepping stones to greater, sustainable success. Working out where you want your company to be in five years’ time, how many employees you will have, and what volume of clients will be on your books, will create a compelling vision. Sticking to this compelling vision could ultimately mean the difference between boom and bust.
4- Helps you become more realistic
Having lost 1 – 2 to Italy, Roy Hodgson’s squad realistically knows that if they are going to make it out of the group stages in the World Cup, they need to defend better and score more goals. Short-term goals are great for nurturing immediate success and profit, but setting long-term goals provides businesses with a realistic vision of what is either possible or impossible to achieve.
5- Be better prepared for potential obstructions
Having a long-term strategy in place provides businesses of all sizes and industries with clearer direction. Having a solid direction in place will help your business be in a better position to anticipate setbacks. Being able to anticipate potential problems ensures companies are better prepared for potential roadblocks that inevitably stand in all businesses.
If you want your company to retain ownership of the cup, setting solid short-term goals that act as stepping stones to long-term goals will put your company in a much better position to not only still be in existence in five years’ time, but to be thriving.
The England manager Roy Hodgson believes there are goals in his World Cup squad and the team has the necessary ammunition to buck statistics in Brazil. Whether England has what it takes to lift the cup, we’ll have to wait for the World Cup drama to unravel in the next few weeks.
Meanwhile, if you require a modern, communal, well-facilitated and inspiring location for your business, come for a viewing of WorkWells co-working space in Leeds and Harrogate.
Being such an exciting, vibrant and ambitious urban metropolis, Leeds is a city that’s geared up for business.
Leeds is now recognised as the largest legal and financial centre within the UK, that is outside of London, ranking as the third largest. Its insurance and financial sector has an estimated value of around £13 billion. This sector dominates, with a staggering 38% contribution to the city’s economic output.
If you are thinking about starting a business in Leeds, you are in the right place. Business opportunities in this Yorkshire city are immense, and there is plenty of help in Leeds for a startup business.
If you are about to embark on a business venture in Leeds, have a read of our two-part series of blogs aimed to help your venture into the entrepreneurial world of commerce run smoothly.
In part one, we explore some of the key networking events, groups, services and advice that may prove vital in getting your Leeds-based business off the ground and up and running.
Forum and sign up for Auditel’s monthly newsletter for networking events in Leeds.
Key occupations that can help your Leeds start-up
This networking event in Leeds is particularly useful as it introduces and connects start-ups and SMEs to key occupations that can help a business grow.
Key industries to help new businesses include:
. Accountants:
The strategic methods of a qualified accountant can help examine your business ideas, manage growth and evaluate profit potential. Accountants can prove instrumental in preparing businesses for growth. Being the biggest financial district outside London, there are hundreds of chartered accountants in Leeds.
Business advisors provide start-ups and SMEs with crucial business advice, business plans and strategies to help you reduce operational expenditure, reduce risks and improve profit margins.
. Marketing consultants
A marketing consultant can be a cost-effective way to give your small business the leverage it requires. An experienced and talented marketing consultant will bring their marketing expertise to help market your brand and improve the condition of your business.
Being a breeding ground for businesses, there are hundreds of marketing consultants in Leeds who will create a strategic marketing plan and take your business to the next level.
Services for business
There are numerous services available in Leeds to help people get their business ventures off the ground.
Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber
The Chamber’s Enterprising Leeds project provides intensive business support and coaching to individuals thinking about starting a business in Leeds.
Hosting money-saving services, mentoring and support and events and training, the Chamber can be just what you need to give your business a push in the right direction.
For more information on how the Chamber’s Enterprising Leeds project can help your Leeds-based start-up, visit the official website.
Business & IP Centre Leeds
The libraries of Leeds are home to Business & IP Centre Leeds (BIPC Leeds). BICP Leeds offers one-stop information to support all your start-up ventures.
The organisation also offers regular evening Enterprise Clubs designed to help anyone thinking about starting a business in Leeds. For more information, click here.
Office options for start-ups
Spending money on hefty office overheads is quite simply a non-starter for many start-ups and small businesses. Whilst working in isolation from home isn’t exactly ideal for networking and meeting potential clients and employees.
Communal working spaces provide a cost-effective solution for small businesses to thrive in a communal working environment without having to fork out on expensive office rent. Co-working space in Leeds, like WorkWell, is the perfect office space for start-up businesses in Leeds.
Possessing a vibrant office scene, Leeds is home to a number of co-working centres providing well-facilitated and creative environments for start-ups, entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes.
Situated on the outskirts of Leeds with easy motorway access, WorkWell provides the pulsating co-working space many start-ups and smaller companies yearn for.
If you want to gauge an understanding of how our communal working centre can help evolve your Leeds business from a start-up to an established brand, try co-working in Leeds and come for a viewing of WorkWell co-working space.
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