Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.
This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.
Robert Clegg: Raising Startup Capital
Welcome to the Robert Clegg blog. Raising investment for your startup is a lengthy, time-consuming, complicated and yet indispensable and exciting process. It can also be confusing about the order of events in obtaining funding, so we have put together a step-by-step account of what to expect on your journey to investment.
You will need to prepare a pitch deck which you can provide to potential investors. The pitch deck will need to set out the key details about the business including what the problem is addressing, how it will solve that problem, the market opportunity, competitors in the market and how you are different, details of your business model, financials, details of the team and your expertise and how much money you want to raise, for how much equity and what you are going to spend the investment on. If the business has had any good press, or you have had any good scientific peer reviews, or the like, it is good to mention this here too.
Next is due diligence. It is the term given to the investigatory work done around a transaction such as investment where the investor conducts detailed research into the financial, corporate and contractual status of your company. Your investors will usually make a preliminary request for you to provide documents which will include your corporate information, budgets, forecasts, key supplier/ customer contracts in place, employees and employment contracts, schedule of intellectual property, a schedule of property or leases, a list of equipment owned by the company, details of other investors, shareholders, and bank loans, any existing or future litigation, tax and VAT filings and insurance documentation, and, if applicable, your data protection policies.
Once the headline terms have been agreed and the due diligence has been completed, your (or the investor’s) solicitor will start to prepare the long form documentation which will implement the funding arrangement. This will set out the agreed terms in the term sheet in more detail. Future investors may want to see this agreement to know how much control other investors have in your company.
Once all the specific conditions of investment have been met, the documents have been prepared and terms agreed, a closing date will be scheduled for the signing of the agreements and the transfer of the shares and funds. Congratulations – you have successfully secured your first round of funding.
Let us help you get the business advice you need. Visit the Rob Clegg website here. Learn more about Robert Clegg here. Read the latest Rob Clegg news here.
Robert Clegg: The Value of Influencer Marketing
Welcome to the Robert Clegg blog. Ready to supercharge your sales? One of the most effective ways to boost your business is to implement an influencer marketing campaign. A good place to begin your search is on your social media accounts. They may be already following you or interacting with your posts. If you don’t have an established social media presence yet, you can check your competitors’ followers to find micro-influencers with an audience that matches yours.
What makes micro-influencers so popular is that they are just like their fans. When you interact with a micro-influencer who has the same interests as you, you can understand them, feel their bliss and empathise with their problems. In turn, you think that they can understand you and your problems. That’s why when micro-influencers promote your product or service, their followers will begin relating themselves to your brand.
Catering to your target audience is something micro-influencers are already doing. That’s why when you partner with them, you’ll get a great opportunity to come close to their followers and promote your products or services. Even if you’re reaching fewer people, what matters is you’re reaching the right people. There’s a high chance that they’ll take action and convert into your customers.
When micro-influencers become advocates of your brand, they can drive high engagement with your campaigns. Influencer marketing is significantly effective for growing your business, but it’s up to you to use it to your best advantage.
Robert Clegg is a business consultant and a marketing specialist and can help you amplify your business results. Visit the Rob Clegg website here for more information. Learn more about Rob Clegg online here. Read the latest Robert Clegg news here.
Robert Clegg: Business Process Automation
Welcome to the Robert Clegg blog. The success of business process automation depends on how well business processes are aligned with business goals. BPA can be a standalone solution but it can also be part of a bigger initiative, like business process improvement, reengineering and management. Look for processes that are repeatable, need to be error-free, and must be consistent across the whole organization.
Remember that automating a bad process won’t help you at all. Meet with key stakeholders to ask them what they would like to see in an automated process. What benefits are they looking for? Do you need to be able to connect with other software platforms? Do you need to be able to create conditional steps? Do you need to be able to hide some data from certain task owners? At this point, you don’t need to use any software, just map it and out on pen and paper.
After you’ve figured out what you need, it’s time to go shopping. Know exactly what you are looking for first, and then go find workflow automation software that fits. Most options today have a risk-free trial option which would allow you to play around to explore whether this might suit your requirements or not.
If you choose the right software, this should be a fairly quick and easy step. You should be able to configure all of your settings like email notifications, assigning deadlines, and configuring accessibility.
Once your automated process is up and running, you will likely have a few wrinkles to iron out. Having a good game plan can help you achieve success in your digital transformation journey through business process automation (BPA). Be sure to choose your process wisely!
Robert Clegg is fascinated by technology, and how it makes our lives easier. Over the past decade, Rob Clegg helped businesses improve their processes and quality of service. Visit the Rob Clegg website here and learn how you can improve your business with digital technology. Follow Rob Clegg on Medium here. Read more about Robert Clegg online here.
Robert Clegg: Effective Teamwork Tips
Welcome to the Robert Clegg blog. Being part of a great team at work is a phenomenal feeling. When your team is ‘in the zone’ it’s a sweet cocktail of emotions – excited, challenged, safe, successful. You’re pumped to get out of bed in the morning and energized throughout the day. The fact of the matter is, a lot of workforces suffer from lack of trust and low engagement – all of which erode the chances of teamwork in the workplace. But, people still want teamwork. The key is to give your team the right conditions to develop and grow.
According to a recent survey, satisfied employees do better at work if you recognize and reward. If you want a happier, stronger team, recognition is key. Think about this: if you were trying to create a thriving vegetable patch, you wouldn’t just throw some seeds around and command them to grow.
You would read the instructions, look at what they need and provide them with that environment. It’s the same with teamwork; you need to give your team the right conditions to develop and grow. If nurturing a healthy team culture is important to your workplace, it starts at the top. If you don’t already have good teamwork at the grassroots level, then it’s time for the leadership team to, well, lead.
If a team doesn’t understand the purpose of their work, their attention and enthusiasm can dwindle. Be clear about why you’re doing what you’re doing – it’s the key to motivation. Everyone is different – we have different strengths, passions, and weaknesses says Rob Clegg. One of the cornerstones of a good team leader is focusing on individuals’ strengths, and bringing together a team of people that has a combined skillset to get the job done. As long as everyone contributes by bringing a strong skill to the team, their weakness should not be dwelt on.
Gratitude is also a proven steps to lead and increased sense of self-worth and trust within the workplace. So how much gratitude do you show? So, next steps? Start saying those magical words! Be thankful for the big and the small things that your colleagues bring to the table each day. (Don’t go overboard though. It’s important that your thanks are genuine and timely. Think quality, not quantity.)
If you think you can add some points on creating team exercises at the workplace, then we would love to hear them from you in the comments below.
Robert Clegg offers a unique combination of business experience and expertise that you simply won’t find elsewhere. Learn more about Rob Clegg on his website here. Preview the latest work of Rob Clegg on Behance here. Read the latest Rob Clegg news here.
Rob Clegg: Fintech and Payments
We have seen that speed and ease of use are driving technological advancements across many industries, and the payment industry is no different. Contactless payments in the UK have been the main reason that cards have overtaken cash for the first time.
Some places are even prioritising card over cash now, like in the Netherlands where in some towns if you want to use cash to buy your groceries you have to wait in long cash-only lines, while you watch those with a debit card or an NFC device pay quickly and move on.
Fintech as a whole industry is already a one-stop shop for all your payment needs, so mergers and acquisitions in the future will see a few big players becoming full service, and providing customers with everything they need in one place, says finance industry veteran Rob Clegg.
In China, convenience is going even further with payments becoming invisible–the first ‘autopay’ gas station by WeChat means that drivers don’t even need to get out of their car when filling up. The station recognises their license plate, an assistant fills up the car, then they drive away, and their card is charged without them having to do a thing. They are also leading the way when it comes to mobile payments with 68% of internet users opting for a mobile payment method, compared to just 15% in the US.
As convenience continues to drive companies and industries, we believe that we will see more and more fintech companies trying to become a one-stop shop for all things payment.
This is why Facebook integrated payments into Messenger; to keep people on their platform they need to increase its usefulness, reducing the likelihood that people will go somewhere else to do what they need to do.
TransferWise started as a way to send money abroad and to different accounts, but is growing its services for the benefit of the users. The introduction of their debit card creates a borderless bank, meaning that people who travel a lot or need money in more than one country, no longer need to deal with multiple accounts anymore.
Some of the larger and older players are looking to stay modern and add more services through acquisitions.
So that’s a few thoughts on the fintech and payment landscape. Visit Rob Clegg website here. Follow Rob Clegg on Instagram. Read the latest Rob Clegg news
Rob Clegg: Building a Successful Startup
Welcome to the Rob Clegg blog. Stories about the founding of any company begin with motivation. Whatever it was – an idea, an epiphany or the aftermath of a mistake. The question of how to ensure the success of a new company is one that we deal with daily in the tech world, and it is that knowledge that we try to glean from founders’ stories.
For the best chances of successfully building a company, entrepreneurs and founders should consider building a product. It sounds obvious. Product is 30 percent of the total work required long term. Once the product is solid, companies can shift their focus to the other 70 percent, which is sales, marketing, service and support.
New companies need to hire salespeople and we’ve been saying this in the previous items: building the best development team is a key component of your company’s success. Focusing on the most fundamental trio in business organizations—marketing, accounting, and operations—really helps.
To avoid failure, market your company or product. This starts by understanding your industry and then marketing strategically. Rob Clegg recommends that you interact with people within the community not only to learn but also to get potential clients or business partners.
Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” Make sure that you always have a plan to execute whenever needed. Therefore, you have to make sure that you always have something to fall back on.
You’ll be in this for the long run. It takes as much work to get your startup off the ground as it does to keep your company going year after year. Brace yourself, Rob Clegg advice.
You need to be able to stick to your business efforts when money starts running out, and things get really dark and rough. You will face challenges and business do fail, mostly due to common startup mistakes. So prepare for that.
Another part of what to know before starting a tech startup is that you’ll definitely need to find the money you need to scale. And raising funds might just be one of the hardest stages of any startup.
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Rob Clegg has a vast amount of experience in building a successful startup. Visit the the Rob Clegg website here. Follow Rob Clegg on Pinterest for more business growth strategy tips. You can also read the latest Rob Clegg news here.
A Holistic Approach to Customer Experience
“The customer is king!”
How many times have you heard that statement before and actually believed it?
My guess… not that often. In today’s blog, Rob Clegg talks about a holistic approach to customer experience and it all starts with the customer journey.
What is a customer journey?
A customer journey is the complete experience a customer has with an organization. It encompasses all customer interactions across all channels, devices and touchpoints throughout every stage of the customer lifecycle – from awareness to loyalty.
Rob Clegg shares the difference between the customer journey and customer experience:
• The customer journey is what they do at each stage of the customer lifecycle
• The customer experience is how they feel about the entire customer lifecycle
So, how do you make sure that the customer’s experience with your company is a positive experience?
“You start by mapping the customer journey,” according to Rob Clegg.
Mapping the customer journey is the number one strategy. Mapping out customer journey can be split into 3 distinct stages:
- Drawing out the customer journey lifecycle
- Identifying company and customer touchpoints
- Analyzing gaps between existing strategies and expectations
“This means that you put yourself in their shoes and think like a customer,” Rob Clegg added.
Here’s some sample questions Rob Clegg used during a customer journey process:
• What happened inside your company that caused you to search for a new product?
• What is your research process for finding a new product?
• How did you find [your company name]?
• How important is a free trial during your buying process?
• Specifically, what made you choose [your company] versus [a competitor]?
Imagine being able to predict the next step of your target customer…that’s the “super” power of the customer journey. In fact, this is the exact reason why businesses list the customer journey as a top investment priority. The business benefits of optimizing the customer journey are clear. Can you afford to say no that kind of business strategy?
Rob Clegg has a sincere interest in customers, and the challenges they meet in their everyday work life. Rob Clegg strongly believes that customer relationships matter and if they are cared for, developed and respected, these great relationships will lead to business success and growth. Learn more about other things Rob care about on the Rob Clegg website. Find out more tips how to accelerate the quality of daily customer conversations on the Rob Clegg page here. Alternatively, you can read the latest Rob Clegg here.
Banking trends
Welcome to the Robert Clegg blog. Rob Clegg is passionate about empowering peopleto acquire the digital skills they need to take advantage of the digital economy is a business founder and consultant. In today’s blog, Rob shares about banking trends to watch. Let’s get started!
The recent trend toward digital first banking represents a major shift in thinking. Traditionally, institutions have operated in silos, creating complexities and additional expense in the back office and inconsistent, frustrating customer experiences. Legacy technology impedes institutions ability to quickly innovate, making it difficult to keep up with new competitors. Now, technology has the power to “de-channel” disparate systems within an institution. As the race for deposits and new account relationships intensifies, the customer or member experience will supersede channel supremacy.
Next year, more institutions will simplify and streamline channels by leveraging tools such as API layers to connect customer and member profiles, ultimately reducing costs and enabling a more comprehensive, consistent banking experience. Such an approach allows banks and credit unions to seamlessly unify the digital and physical experiences, providing a personalized, intuitive experience regardless of touchpoint.
In 2020 and beyond, it will be critical for banks and credit unions to reevaluate their digital strategies, including their approach to channels. They’ll need to prioritize, modernize and enhance the customer and member experience if they want to maintain relevance. Such efforts will help institutions vie for deposits and compete against not only the bank or credit union down the street, but emerging disruptors as well.
Watch Rob Clegg’s video below about biometrics as the next frontier of mobile payments.
About Rob Clegg
Rob Clegg brings a real life experience and look for the right business approach for you. Rob works with you, using tried and tested methods developed from years of hands-on experience to deliver efficient and consistent results. Learn more about Rob Clegg here. Check out Rob Clegg‘s full range of work including financial and working capital, technology, operations and leadership, people and culture on his page here.
The Impact of Coronavirus on Businesses
Welcome to the Rob Clegg blog. The coronavirus (also known as COVID-19) has now been documented in more than 100 countries and territories. As the coronavirus outbreak continues to wreak havoc on markets and industries around the world, businesses are now confronting significant and unique challenges.
China’s economy is much more deeply intertwined with the world’s economy—a 17% share of global GDP with trade accounting for 34% of domestic GDP—than it was during the 2003 SARS outbreak. More immediately though, I’m concerned about the economic health of countries in Asia—Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines and Vietnam, among them—that are closely tied to China through trade and tourism.
I’ll add Japan, the world’s third largest economy, to this list. Japan’s fragile economy is unlikely to be helped by the reduced supply of critical manufacturing parts from China. If the coronavirus outbreak widens and persists, I reckon Japan could slide into a recession and be forced to call off the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Another country that is particularly vulnerable is Germany. Should the coronavirus outbreak deteriorate further, I foresee a potentially near-zero growth situation in 2020, with falling vehicle sales causing more heartburn for the German automotive industry. Check out Robert Clegg‘s latest business post and analysis of the global pandemic on his website here.
As for the world’s largest economy, the U.S. is likely to see a significant drop in retail imports. Given the circumstances, I believe that trade hostilities will ease up rather than intensify. Africa, a region with deep ties to China, appears to have escaped the brunt of the outbreak. However, its incidence here could be problematic from multiple perspectives. It could overwhelm the weak healthcare infrastructure in the region, depress both commodity prices and export revenues due to the closure of Chinese ports, and diminish overall growth prospects.
As the effects of the coronavirus outbreak continue to spool out, let’s be warned, be prepared and, most importantly, be hopeful.
About Rob Clegg
Rob Clegg is a consultant, entrepreneur, and business founder. He has experience in raising funding, building business specializing in Tech. Read more about Rob Clegg on his wikipedia page here. Alternatively, you can also read top technology news on the Rob Clegg Medium page here. Watch the Rob Clegg video below
Rob Clegg 