Market Insight

Do you know what your clients really want? Here at the BDLN we provide direct insight to your clients way of thinking. Business owners discuss how they buy professional services and how they choose between the multitude of advisors. And successful professionals share their experiences of how to win, and keep, new clients.

CLIC celebrates the inspirational leaders of the business world...

Green & Black's Founder, Jo Fairley, explaining why your business needs to have soul

Knights Plc boss, David Beech, on why he has banned secretaries

Alice Stephenson discusses why the UK law industry needs to stop covering its a**e

Sharon Thorne, Deloitte's Global Chair, talk about how to combat imposter syndrome

Martin Frost CBE discusses how he created Cambridge based unicorn CMR surgical

All articles

Why businesses with ‘soul’ are magnetic

Josephine Fairley - Co-founder , Co-founder - Green & Black’s

The story of Green & Black’s shows that the courage to be different, together with a compelling adventure story, are key ingredients for commercial success…

Black swans & flying pigs: The story of one of Britain's fastest-growing start-ups...

Steve King & Hugo Amos - Founders , Black Swan

When you win Disney as your first client, you know you’re on the right track. The only question mark left is whether you can drive forward without crashing and burning…

“But who drives the tractor?” – Why sexism is alive and well in professional services

Jane Keir - Senior Partner , Kingsley Napley

Sexism is still alive within some of us. Maybe hidden more than it once was, but still hardwired into our habits, assumptions and behaviours. And the legal industry is no exception. We’re not making the progress that, by now, we should be…

Stop ignoring emails!

Tony Goodwin - Founder & CEO , Antal International

Brushing emails under the carpet is bad for business, and lack of time is no excuse, says Tony Goodwin…

“I took the worst job I could find and then everything fell into place”

Ed Hollands - Founder , DrivenMedia

Aged 21, Ed Hollands deliberately accepted a job from hell to fire his brain into coming up with a great business idea. A year later he’d built DrivenMedia from scratch, then he stepped into the Dragon’s Den…

Five reasons why the phone is still your most powerful tool

Tony Goodwin - Founder & CEO , Antal International

Your most effective sales tool was invented 150 years ago, so talk, don’t email, says Tony Goodwin…

“It feels like we cheated the system – entrepreneurship is meant to be risky”

Charlie Green - The Office Group , Co-founder

Charlie Green doesn’t believe he ever took a risk while co-creating his £500m business, The Office Group. “We just did what made sense,” he says. And he has some simple advice for anyone thinking of following in his footsteps…

CLIC talks to Jordan Daykin, the youngest success story from Dragons’ Den

Jordan Daykin - Founder , GripIt

How Jordan Daykin, the youngest success story from Dragons’ Den, overcame bullying as a teenager to build a £20m business…

“Being a mum has made me a better businesswoman”

Alice Hall - Founder , Pink Boutique

Pink Boutique sprang from a mother-daughter relationship. Now a new experience of motherhood is leading to even greater success for this Sunday Times Fast Track 100 business…

“I was working from my dining room table. My competitor had 68,000 employees. But I won the pitch.”

Paul Sachs - Founder , CaseLines

How Paul Sachs’ start-up was awarded a multimillion-pound contract and masterminded a step change in our justice system…

“What I’ve learned from building two multimillion-pound consultancies”

Pip Peel - Founder , P2 Consulting

Pip Peel built a £40m business from his bedroom. Now he’s using his experience to do it all over again – but on a whole new level…

The Pact Coffee Story: A Team On A Mission

Paul Turton - MD , Pact Coffee

Pact Coffee’s obsession with quality is the driving force behind every inch of its business. It’s a great example of how a powerful sense of mission gives organisations an immediate competitive advantage…

“When you keep banging your head and it bleeds, stop banging and move on”

Sally Preston - Founder , Kiddylicious

How Sally Preston successfully bounced back from a decade of disappointment and frustration to build an extraordinary global brand worth £27m…

“I remember thinking: ‘I’ve hit rock bottom; things can’t get any worse’”

Andrew Tomlinson - Founder , Andrew James

Andrew Tomlinson suffered many years of abject poverty before building his £25m turnover company. His story demonstrates that businesses often mean so much more to entrepreneurs than mere commercial enterprises. They frequently come with part of the founder’s soul attached…

The amazing story of Britain’s most entrepreneurial accountant

Keith Bradshaw - Founder , Listers

He was a school dropout who became a trainee chartered accountant, before building several multi-million-pound companies, all while battling the effects of a life-threatening stroke. Keith Bradshaw has one hell of a story to tell…

“Forget about today. Ask yourself ‘Will your business still be relevant in three years?’”

Edwin Bessant - Founder & CEO , Ceuta Group

Do you remember Hannibal from the A-Team? Well, Edwin Bessant, CEO of Ceuta Group, is the Hannibal of the business world. And, just like George, his plan is coming together and he’s loving it…

The recipe that’s fired PureGym's founder to success…

Peter Roberts - Founder , PureGym

PureGym is the UK’s leading budget gym with more than 170 sites and a turnover of £160 million. As a start-up that beat its original business plan budget by 200%, we had to speak to founder, Peter Roberts to understand just how he’s done it…

Just because a client is a friend doesn’t mean they won’t leave you

Tony Goodwin - Founder & CEO , Antal International

The idea of a ‘great client relationship’ is nothing more than a dangerous illusion, says Tony Goodwin…

Why I argued with Lord Sugar about Serena Williams

Tony Goodwin - Founder & CEO , Antal International

In the first in our ‘Tony Talks’ series, entrepreneur Tony Goodwin explains why nurture trumps nature when it comes to business…

“Don’t just advise. Tell me exactly what to do”

Andrew Lavery - Former CFO , Monarch & BA

Former Monarch Group CFO Andrew Lavery explains what it takes to win his repeat business…

The four ways professionals can win my business

Lyndsey Simpson - Co-owner , The Curve Group

Lyndsey Simpson, co-owner of The Curve Group, explains her very specific process for selecting expert partners…

Five insightful ways to build your personal brand

Tony Waller - Partner , Olswang

Tony Waller, head of technology at Olswang, offers advice on how to strengthen your reputation…

How to lose clients without even trying

Guy Rigby - Partner , Smith & Williamson

Guy Rigby, partner at Smith & Williamson, reveals the seven deadly sins of a professional adviser…

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