Blog & News

The public sector offers huge opportunities to businesses of all sizes, spending over £200bn annually on goods and services from third parties. But how does your business stand out from the crowd and win a piece of this pie?

In September 2019 Goal 17 were invited by The Institute of Directors and Warwick Business School to present at the Shard to a select group of business leaders; all wanting to learn how they too can tender and win. Presented alongside clients who had successfully won multi-million pound contracts, Goal 17’s founder, Fran Boorman, shared insights into how others can achieve similar success.

“Winning bids is like entering any other form of competitive environment - you have to find ways to stand out from the crowd, whilst also giving the procurement teams complete confidence that you have the ability to successful deliver the contract.” explains Fran, “Supporting our clients in demonstrating that they invest in the best human capital...

Network Marketing, it's a global industry generating $180bn of revenues every year and engaging 130 million people, yet most don't even understand what it is, including many of those who are involved in it. Perhaps it's because Network Marketing was ahead of its time, and perhaps because it's now playing catch up!

All across the world, every day, millions of Network Marketers are talking to people they know about wealth creation. Like over excited puppies they are sharing with their friends and acquaintances how they have found a vehicle that enables them to make money – but something doesn’t add up. Why are they so excited? You don’t see ‘normal people’ jumping up and down with the same enthusiasm when their employer announces a new vacant position at their firm.

No, this excitement is because Network Marketing is not about wealth creation, it is about social mobility and understanding this important shift changes they way we all perceive...

As my ribs twanged with pain, drawing hard, my lungs desperately search for just a tiny bit more of the oxygen that was so finely laced in the air. With the wind piercing at the smallest bit of my cheek exposed and my toes stinging with numbness I tried with all my might to take just one more step. Just one more. It is in these extreme moments that you learn everything you need to know about yourself. 

 

A week earlier I had been sitting in a lovely warm English pub enjoying a long Friday work lunch, handing over responsibilities to my business partner. He looked at me like I was deranged. “I just don’t get it? How is this going to be a holiday? And why on earth would anyone want to put themselves through that to climb a mountain!?”  Oddly, I had never asked myself that question. In fact, it was a really good question. Why on earth was I going to take my first week off for years, from being a busy mum building a business, to put myself...

 I was very honored to be invited to represent the 4.7 million UK small businesses at a government round table discussion about the Civil Society Strategy. Whilst it was an incredibly empowering day, it was also a stark reminder of attitudes towards small businesses and how we have a long road to travel together.

What was it all about?

Many organisation, the government included, are awakening to the importance of different stakeholders make a positive impact on society. In a world where technology has broadened but not deepened relationships the need to proactively engage in local communities has never been greater.  The Department for Culture, Media and Sport want to facilitate a strategy to create an environment where businesses, charities, youth organisations, social enterprises and citizens come together for the greater good of our society. At the meeting there were a range of these different stakeholders. We discussed the responsibility of...

As we watch the Winter Olympics in awe this week let us not forget what we are really celebrating… we are celebrating ‘overnight successes’ that took lifetimes to build!

It is easy to feel that what creates success is an athlete crossing the finish line first, but this is just symbolic. What we are actually celebrating is thousands of little things that we never see. Success is not created in front of stadiums full of people, it is created when no one is watching.

I was incredibly lucky to experience this first-hand as a teenager when I found myself in a secondary school class with a bubbly, energetic girl called Chemmy Alcott. Chemmy went on to compete in four Winter Olympics and get some of the best results Great Britain has ever seen in skiing.

On our first day at school, Chemmy wasn’t hopelessly rearranging her new stationery like the rest of us, she was focused on doing some of those ‘little things’ that would...