by Audrey L.

30 Apps And Platforms That Hospitality Professionals Should Know In 2022

Hotel Tech Awards presented excellent and cutting-edge tools that are pioneering the future of hotel tech. Hospitality professionals need to get the relevant resources to support them every day. Here are the tools people use the most at work, whether it’s related to operations, food and beverages, booking, HR, and other hospitality areas and departments. Apps, platforms, APIs, hotel management, DMCs, airlines, accounting… here’s a list of some powerful tech platforms that will make your life easier at work, if you work in hospitality!  

At a glance: 

Hotel and Property Management

Guest experience and intelligence

Meetings and Events 

Marketing 

Travel and Booking 

Accounting, Revenue Management and Tipping 

Food and Beverages 

Cool picks

Hotel and Property Management 

Designed to make communication flow, hotelkit is the ultimate solution for hotels. Originally developed by Marius Donhauser, Founder & CEO to improve communications in his 4-star boutique hotel in Salzburg, hotelkit helps hotel teams manage, supervise, delegate and communicate efficiently, anywhere, any time, on any device. The platform is currently used by 60,000 hotel employees across more than 1,200 hotels worldwide. It aims for hoteliers to deliver outstanding service easily and smoothly, save time with automated work (repairs, tasks, guest complaints) and give them time to make their guests happy.

d2o provides hospitality businesses with live forecasting and productivity management solutions, such as their Performance Management Intelligence (PMI), an integrated suite to guide hoteliers to discover untapped profit throughout their enterprise. PMI is a cloud-based planning and productivity management tool used by hotels, resorts, catering services, cruise lines to keep their team productivity under control, even from a mobile device.

Thought to ease internal communication and task management, ALICE helps hospitality staff act as a team to provide excellent service. The platform brings together front office, concierge, housekeeping, and maintenance teams, and connects guests to the hotel with an app and text messaging tools aiming to deliver impactful work throughout departments.

Aiming to make the world a more connected place, Cloudbeds helps lodging providers, luxury hotels or campgrounds build and run their business efficiently without worrying about technology. The platform helps businesses reach travellers worldwide and empower them to spend more time with their guests.

End-to-end contactless guest journey platform EasyWay aims to humanize digital experiences by personalising the entire guest journey. With EasyWay, guests enjoy an innovative and safe experience at the hotel while benefitting from new revenue streams, increased operational efficiency, and improved engagement with guests.

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Created in 2017 by the founder of FlipKey (acquired by TripAdvisor), Breezeway is building the future of property care and service. The team developed a property operations platform that helps coordinate, communicate, and verify detailed work at properties, and deliver the best service experience to guests and homeowners. Breezeway has helped hundreds of short-term rental operators and hospitality professionals meet specific service standards and increase their guest experience.

Guest experience and intelligence 

How to better run your hotel? Born in Los Angeles, Whistle founders imagined a more efficient, contact-free way where guests are engaged throughout the entire process, from booking through departure. The company helps hotels create a contactless guest experience, streamline operations, drive upsell revenue, and reduce costs via its proprietary software that bridges the gap between hotel guests and teams. 

With two offices in Paris and Tel Aviv, the intuitive Duve app helps hospitality professionals increase performance, profitability, and enhance their brand via a single platform. The app aims for hotels and properties to create a deeper, friendlier, and enhanced experience for their guests. Hoteliers who currently use it in 60 countries can achieve an elevated contactless guest experience, provide upsell services and personalise their communication with guests, without compromising on quality.

Founded in Barcelona in 2008 as part of the Shiji Group, ReviewPro is great for controlling the hotel social media channels’ online reputation and enables the automation of clunky processes thanks to its chatbot solution. Leader in guest intelligence, ReviewPro is used by groups like Radisson Hotel Group, Kempinski, Mèlia Hotels International which rely on the tool to automate their guest experience and increase guest satisfaction with the power of AI and into one powerful platform.

Founded in London in 2014, GuestRevu helps hotels, groups, tour operators across the world get a better understanding of their guests through the data and insights gained from feedback and online reviews. It aims to improve guest satisfaction and drive direct bookings. The company believes that feedback from guests should be at the heart of any hospitality business for marketing success, as hospitality is not a product but an experience.

Meetings and Events 

Born in 2014 in Finland, MeetingPackage helps venues increase revenue and reduce costs in Meetings & Events sales. The company developed a venue management SaaS solution that enables hoteliers to sell meeting rooms & event spaces online. The dynamic pricing feature offers a choice amongst hundreds of distribution channels and makes it easy for customers to book meeting rooms. 

Created in Canada, Event Temple aims to streamline hotels and venues operations and increase their sales seamlessly. The all-in-one events and hospitality platform delivers powerful features that assist special event venues with prospecting, client retention, event calendar management, etc. and can integrate with plenty of event management tools and apps.

Marketing  

Backed by Lakestar, Kima Ventures, Stride.VC and Latitude (who also backed Airbnb, Spotify, Trivago, Travelperk, Zoopla, Monzo, and Deliveroo), Impala is reshaping the tech behind travel, often experienced as complex and clunky. The company has built a travel API that connects hotels with customers who want to sell hotel rooms. Hotels can join instantly, and customers can access the booking platform to sell hotel rooms in minutes. 

Founded by Charlie Osmond and Alasdair Snow with offices in London, New York, Barcelona and Singapore, Triptease is a smart SaaS that was built to help hotels take back control of their distribution and increase their direct revenue. The platform identifies the most valuable guests then works across the entire customer journey, from acquisition to conversion, to make sure they book directly at the hotel. 

Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Brasil, Asksuite is the leader in omnichannel intelligent communication for hotels, chains and resorts. The company developed the first 24-hour chatbot focused on increasing direct bookings and can control all of the hotel channels using powerful automation and features: direct bookings, integration with booking engines to deliver instant real-time quotes within chat, Facebook Messenger, Gmail, and other channels. 

Travel and Booking 

Backed by key VCs like Benchmark, Blossom, Index Ventures, Kima Ventures, and Y Combinator, Duffel aims to redesign the travel infrastructure to make it effortless with the most powerful and intuitive tool for starting a travel business. Duffel helps businesses provide smooth flight booking experiences to their customers. And today, travel companies do need powerful technology to stay competitive and meet their customers’ expectations.  

Now valued at over $5 billion, Hopper is on a mission to build the world’s most customer-centric and fastest-growing mobile-first travel marketplace to help customers save money and travel better. The new travel booking pioneer aims to reduce traveller anxiety throughout all stages of the trip, by creating a transparent travel marketplace and data-driven fintech products focused on providing peace of mind. 

Created in 2015 in Barcelona, TravelPerk is reinventing business travel with a solution that works. Having the world’s largest travel inventory, the company is pioneering the future of business travel by giving travellers the freedom they want while providing companies with the control they need. It has powerful features and tech, 24/7 customer support, and customer-centric design, to enable companies worldwide to get the most out of their travel. 

Accounting, Revenue Management and Tipping 

Headquartered in the US, M3 provides accounting solutions for the hospitality industry since 1998. M3 has played a part in innovating hotel tech and its software offers different features: accounting, business intelligence, and payroll solutions for a variety of brands and independent hotels in the U.S. and Canada. With this solution, companies can reduce complex work and remain competitive in the industry. 

Founded by Mike McDerment in 2003, FreshBooks is the idea that came on a busy afternoon while Mike, self-employed at the time, accidentally saved over an invoice and lost his work. Freshbooks is an accounting app to make anyone’s life in the hospitality industry easier – businesses can create invoices, track expenses, take payments and report on their activity seamlessly. 

If you’re looking to be proactive on your revenue management, Oaky may be the right fit, as it works as a hyper-personalised and automated upselling engine that helps hotels drive more profit from their existing customers by delivering a superior guest experience. With Oaky, hoteliers save time with automated welcome offers, increase their revenue by selling room upgrades, reselling available rooms, while making their guests happier!

Based in Mountain View, California, and founded by Elle Rustique, TipBrightly is 100% made for the hotel, travel, and hospitality industries. It’s the first integrated mobile payment system that enables cashless tipping, real-time feedback and data analytics. Tipbrightly aims to design educational products to enable seamless consumer experiences and encourage data-driven decisions and transparent digital systems for employees who rely on tip-based income. 

Food and Beverages 

RoomOrders is a room service ordering application, very easy to use for both guests and employees. Essentially it allows hotel guests to order their room service using a mobile device and by downloading an app while providing better access for restaurants to receive an order, without the hassle of answering phones. With this app, restaurants can streamline the ordering process and eliminate missed orders, create a better client experience and increase guest satisfaction. 

Looking for an easy and innovative solution to create digital menus? Menumodo enables you to upload and update your menu via an app and synchronises it online on your website and social media channels. You can also add any dietary requirements or specify allergies on your menu, and the app will enable the guests to filter the menu according to their needs.  

My Digital Office is a hotel performance management platform for sourcing, processing and storing hospitality data in the cloud. It helps hotel owners, operators, franchisees and hospitality REITs automate the hotel back office and manage their property portfolio performance. The SaaS aims to deliver visibility, connectivity, and control via cloud-based dashboards, document management software and integrated data feeds. 

Founded in 2017, Bbot helps restaurants increase revenue and reduce staffing costs without compromising on hospitality. The web contactless order and pay solution allows guests to order food and drinks hassle-free from their phone to their location: hotel room, hotel lobby or a table at a restaurant. Guests save time as they can order and pay without swiping a card, signing a receipt, or spending a moment waiting in line. There is no signup required or app to download, and operators can still capture guest data.

Cool picks 

Since 1994, JourneyWoman is a women’s solo travel publication, inspiring generations of adventurous, courageous women to travel safely and well. The company finds its essence in seeking authenticity in every experience, sharing stories to influence positive change. Through award-winning editorial, JourneyWoman empowers women to travel safely and provide practical advice from real women who understand that travel is a privilege, not a right.

Founded in 2015, Eightydays.me is the smart and effortless (AI-powered) way to design your travel itineraries. The platform suggests all-in-one trip plan search results, from commercial flights, trains, buses and ferries to hotels and vacation rentals through Airbnb and Booking.com. The algorithms, website, mobile app, and AI-powered backend help save time, money and energy by comparing top travel opportunities to show the perfect trip at the cheapest price. And the nice design makes it easy to choose! 

Do you know DoNotPay? It’s all about Frequently Asked Questions, for financially resourceful customers and for anything! If you wonder how to claim compensation for poor airlines Wi-Fi, get free hotel room upgrades, or want to know how much lottery winnings are taxed or sign up for travel sweepstakes effortlessly, you may find your answer on the DoNotPay community.  

Founded in 2019 by Mark Philips, formerly of KPMG, Microsoft, Apple and Linda McCall, formerly from Qantas & Australian Air Force, Nomad Stays aims to make it easier for everyone to grow their careers and business while exploring the world. Because both aren’t incompatible as would best explain the company founders, who explored more than 100 countries. To date, Nomad Stays helped thousands of entrepreneurs combine their passions, networks and experience to make it easier to create an amazing travel based lifestyle. 

And you, what other tools, apps, software, platform or website do you use to run your hospitality business? Which ones do you prefer and recommend, and why?

This article was initially written and published on Otolo, the global hospitality platform.

by Audrey L.

How To Successfully Build and Manage a Team of Remote Employees

© Annie Spratt – Unsplash

Running a business from home has its pros and cons, and it takes time and effort to really make it work well. It might not get any better than working in your pajamas, but trying to do everything on your own to get your business off the ground can be stressful. A little help can often go a long way towards alleviating stress and boosting efficiency.

If you’ve been trying to get by alone, it may be time to put together a team to push your company to the next level. Here’s how to choose the right workers and how to effectively manage them so that the situation is good for everyone involved.

Find the Right People

Depending on the type of business you’re running, you’ll need to pin down exactly what you need help with and who you’ll need to provide that help. For example, most small business owners must have a quality website, and unless you have the skills yourself, you’ll likely need to hire a web designer to create and run a site. If you’re using a website builder, someone to spiff up your images can be a boon, and if your site is already wrapped up, consider adding someone to tackle social media outreach.

Finding freelancers to do the work is easy these days, thanks to online job platforms. You can read through reviews and choose a team member who fits into your budget and has good feedback from previous employers.

Get To Know Your Team Members

In a traditional office setting, coworkers often talk about more than just the job. They typically know a little bit about each other’s lives, giving them the opportunity to bond and create appropriate friendships. This can be a challenge when working remotely, but it can be done. CERIC recommends that you set aside time during meetings or even one-on-one calls to ask your team members about their lives outside of work. They’ll appreciate that you care, and you’ll build a better connection with each individual.

Rely on Good Communication

Consistent, quality communication is the key to successfully managing a remote team. Without proper communication channels in place, it’s nearly impossible to keep everyone in the loop. You can decide how you’d like to engage regularly with your team, but make sure that everyone is on the same page. You don’t want anyone to be using different methods to get in touch.

Luckily, most of the world is digital these days, making it easier than ever to communicate. If possible, set up an internal messaging service that you and your team members use to reach one another. Email is best for employees connecting with clients, but a project-management system can help keep questions and concerns from clients in the right place.

Set Up a Reliable Time Tracking System

When it comes to tracking the time your employees work, the simpler the system, the better. Fortunately, there are many time tracking solutions available that pair an easy-to-use clock-in system for both freelancers and employees with the ability to pull up important reports whenever you need them. Additionally, time tracking software allows you to build out schedules and send alerts to workers whenever something changes. These time tracking systems are also available as mobile apps, allowing everyone to access things from wherever they are.

Create Your Own Oasis

While the perks of working from home are many, setting up at the kitchen table is less than ideal. In order to be the best manager possible, you need to have a workspace in an optimal working environment. PRNewswire notes ample natural light, for instance, can greatly enhance productivity. You also need enough elbow room for all your furniture and gadgetry, and a few houseplants can even be a boon.

A successful company is more than just the person who started it. The employees behind the scenes can make a huge impact in boosting productivity and efficiency. As a manager, choose a remote team of professionals to help you delegate those tasks you’re not as adept at so you can focus on your strengths, and work with experts to handle some of your other must-dos.

Article written by Julia Mitchell, Career and Finance Specialist at Outspiration.net

by Audrey L.

Why testing and learning quickly is vital for companies in times of crisis

I’ve been working as a Content Marketer at Growth Tribe for four months and I must say since the beginning my mindset in digital marketing has completely changed. I’m still in the process of integrating it entirely, but getting there and it is very stimulating!

In this piece I’d like to talk about something I recently learned thanks to a comprehensive 12-week course I received from our skilled trainers: the “Test & Learn” approach as part of a growth strategy. In other words, the approach to generating continuous business growth!

Of course, we know that the pandemic has put unprecedented pressure on businesses around the world. However, opportunities can always rise amid times of crisis and uncertainty. Several sources (McKinsey, HBR, etc.) even rightly cite the need to take risks, invest and experiment.

Indeed, companies must take advantage of these times to bounce back quickly, even more with a “Test & Learn” approach. Not only do they need it to survive, but also to come out stronger from the crisis.

But how can you get your teams to learn faster so they adapt and keep your organisation growing – even in the most challenging times?

First of all, your company needs to test and learn quickly more than to pivot – here’s why.

The importance of rapid experimentation for any business

According to McKinsey, the weakest point of companies is their slow and costly testing techniques.

Yet, it is essential to implement a method of experimentation and rapid learning in order to resist the frantic currents of change.

In times of crisis, not only does your company need to renew itself as quickly as possible and on a large scale, but it must also invest in a number of resources to create added value.

This is the case of Uber: the pandemic forced the company’s transition to add home grocery delivery via its “Uber Eats” platform which will have allowed small, essential merchants to maintain their activity.

That’s why, in times of significant change, you need to renew yourself regularly and effectively to make the right decisions.

Jeff Bezos said:

“Amazon’s success is very much dependent on how quickly and how many experiments per year, per month, per week and per day.”

He also said it’s okay to be wrong:

“In terms of growth marketing, it’s critical to have a quick decision process. Being wrong is entirely part of rapid experimentation, on the other hand, being too slow may kill your business.”

It doesn’t matter how many rapid experiments you conduct: the more you test, the better you learn and improve your product or your solution.

What matters is whether your concept or idea is viable, hence the importance to reinvent your processes – for instance, via rapid digitisation – to enable an optimal customer experience, maximise the capacity of your teams and available skills.

You could, for example, choose to expand your product or service offering, enhance your portfolio or strengthen your data security.

An approach to extend to all your departments

Often, when companies talk about experimentation, they think of products or technology.

The recent co-branding partnership between Shopify and TikTok illustrates this point well.

The two tech companies tested a number of initiatives before launching the “TikTok channel” integrated with Shopify to allow merchants to promote their products on the social network.

The key to optimal results is to extend the “Test & Learn” approach beyond the product and apply it to your other departments: marketing, growth or even HR.

It is therefore essential to train your executives, marketers, product managers or anyone in contact with your customers in the rapid experimentation process.

Remember that most of these tests will be inconclusive, especially in a startup.

So you’ll have to test, test, and test a LOT before you get satisfactory results.

Be patient.

Generally, during the first 10 tests, you will learn… to master experimentation.

But as time goes on, your efforts will pay off and you’ll start to add value to your business.

According to McKinsey, this year, the issues for most companies are dealing with challenges in terms of procurement, security of their data – especially for Zoom, which has been quick to manage its volume of usage but has encountered security breaches that require immediate attention – or automation of technology to facilitate remote work as the exponential use of Slack has shown.

Pivoting in times of crisis to renew your business

Naturally, the coronavirus crisis has forced hundreds of thousands of startups, companies and associations to review their strategy, whether in France or elsewhere. To renew themselves, they had to act much faster than they would ever imagine.

At the beginning of the pandemic, companies such as Netflix or BrewDog reinvented their business model in the short term to compensate for the shortcomings caused by COVID. The British beer champion has transformed its distillery to make antibacterial gel while the streaming pioneer has created its easy-to-use Netflix Party platform to allow confined people to watch programs remotely and in real time.

Of course, before entering the race to pivoting, certain criteria must be analysed and agreed. Experimenting at scale is a very good way to test the waters and consider an angle of attack to pivot your business.

Business model change, urgent digital adoption, rewriting your short and long term strategies… the list is long.

Whatever happens, your ability to adapt is crucial to your company’s survival, your agility and your propensity to create value – criteria as part of the “growth hacking” strategy.

Here’s a checklist for you to follow when implementing such a strategy:

Set clear objectives and invite your teams to brainstorm

This is a prerequisite. After asking yourself what you want to achieve by setting clear objectives, plan a brainstorming to encourage your teams to exchange as many ideas as possible.

Prioritise the ideas

Once the ideation is complete, select the ideas by importance accordingly to your objectives and communicate them during a so-called “growth sprint”. A meeting dedicated to the implementation of your growth hacking strategy, or before a potential pivot.

Test

Set your experiments into practice using the least amount of resources and time possible and collect enough data to be able to analyse it and come to a conclusion.

Ask yourself: “Is my idea viable?

Analyse

The results of your testing will help you determine whether or not to implement your idea.

Remember that an inconclusive experiment is always positive and that all the data collected is important and can always be activated later.

Once the idea has been vetted, you can decide whether or not to go ahead with it. Otherwise, go back to the beginning (step number 1) for new experiments. After all, that’s what a growth hacking strategy is all about.

Many successful companies have been created through notable crises, whether financial, social or health-related. Launched in 2001, iPod is the product that justified Apple’s comeback just after the Internet bubble burst. In the midst of the 2008 financial crisis, Dropbox, which had already launched its cloud storage platform, quickly bounced back with a viral referral program.

Ultimately, what these companies have in common with yours is solving a problem, whatever it may be – from simply wanting to help, to providing a big solution, to modernising – especially when times are tough.

That’s what innovation and pivot are all about.

* * *

Thank you for reading all the way here!

Have you had to pivot this last year?

Do you practice a “Test & Learn” approach in your business?

How many times have you tested new methods before succeeding?

Comment below.

by Audrey L.

A tool-list to help entrepreneurs optimise their productivity in their startup adventure

Entrepreneurship means to encounter plenty of tools and apps that should increase staff productivity and streamline the development of your business. But how do you improve your time management? What marketing solutions are the most efficient when creating a startup? How do you optimize relationships with your customers?

Today many software and solutions exist to tackle the challenges of startup journeys across multiple departments. It can be tough to choose! HR, Accounting, Communication… Here are some of the most popular and useful productivity tools and apps that might just change your life at work.

Accounting

The Tide platform not only offers business accounts and related banking services, but also a comprehensive set of highly connected admin tools for businesses, notably offering full integration with accounting systems. Using advanced technology, all solutions are designed with SMEs in mind.

Xero is an easy-to-use platform for small businesses that connects entrepreneurs to all things business. The app provides its 2M subscribers with connections to a thriving ecosystem of 800 third-party apps and 200 connections to banks and financial service providers.

Part of the Intuit software suite for accounting and tax professionals, QuickBooks Online is a solution that provides business owners with reliable accounting services giving founders more time to focus on their core business activities.

FreshBooks is designed for entrepreneurs who wish to apply their time and expertise to other people’s problems. The software provides extraordinary customer service and helps companies save time to fully dedicate themselves to their passion and entrepreneurial adventure.

Expensify is a receipt tracking and expense management app that helps you manage company expenses. Whether you’re working for yourself, managing a team, or closing the books for your clients, Expensify helps you ditch the spreadsheet so you have more time to focus on what really matters.

Human Resources

Founded in 2005, Workday delivers financial management, human capital management, and analytics apps for the world’s largest companies, educational institutions, and government agencies.

BambooHR is an intuitive, affordable and cloud-based way for growing companies to manage essential employee information in a personalised Human Resources Information System (HRIS). Its software sets the HR department free to do better work outside of admin and data-protection allowing them and the entire organisation to be more strategic and productive.

Communication and collaboration

Slack is an increasingly ubiquitous hub that brings people, data, and apps together in one place. It is a single platform where people can communicate, collaborate, find and share important information, as well as accessing endless critical apps and services to be able to work at their very best.

Stride helps people who work for themselves to save both time and money. The app provides software and services to help entrepreneurs deal with things like health insurance and tax so they can focus on moving their business forward, faster.

Skype for Business is available anytime and anywhere and provides teams with instant messaging, video and conference calls.

The GoToMeeting app enables users to instantly join, host or manage a video, audio or web meeting from anywhere and any device. It also helps create a meeting space quickly and easily, and to turn online events into engaging experiences.

Fuze is a global cloud communications and collaboration software platform designed for business. With an innovative and consumer-inspired unified experience, Fuze enables a seamless transition between voice, video, messaging, and content sharing.

Zoom helps businesses bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. This easy, reliable cloud platform enables video, phone, content sharing, and chat and works across mobile devices, desktops, telephones, and room systems.

Qwil Messenger makes chat safer and compliant between staff, clients and partners. The app is a cloud-native chat platform that connects clients and employees of multiple firms and their brands globally. Their mobile and web app powers confidential conversations ensuring each user’s identity is verified & trusted, and their privacy is maintained. The business data generated is protected and hosted in the required GDPR & MiFID II jurisdictions.

Productivity and project management

Created by Microsoft, Office365 is a productivity cloud that combines best-in-class productivity apps with intelligent cloud services and helps you to transform the way you and your teams work.

Generated by Google Cloud, G Suite includes everything you need to be productive, do your best work, and comes together in one package that works seamlessly from any computer, phone or tablet.

Basecamp solves the critical problems that every growing business deals with. It’s the logical, calm and organised way to manage projects and communicate across your company.

Trello is a visual collaboration tool that helps create a shared dashboard for all projects. Trello’s boards, lists and cards enable entrepreneurs and team members to organize and prioritize work and personal lives in a fun, flexible and rewarding way.

Asana helps teams organize and manage all of their work, from small projects to strategic initiatives. Teams and managers rely on Asana to manage everything from company objectives and digital transformation to product launches and marketing campaigns.

monday.com is a cloud-based Work OS, where teams can quickly create workflow apps in to run their processes, projects, and day to day work. Teams shape their workflows and projects with a platform that adapts to shifting needs quickly, liberating workers from laborious manual work, and connecting staff in a collaborative workspace.

Microsoft To Do helps generate lists, tasks & reminders whether you want to increase your productivity, decrease your stress levels, or just free up some headspace. Microsoft To Do makes it easy to plan your day, manage your life and stay on top of the tasks at hand.

ProofHub enables users to stay in control of their projects, remote teams and clients even on the go. It is a SaaS based project management software that fits perfectly in every work culture as it solves four major challenges: planning, collaboration, organization and delivering them on time.

Milanote is an easy tool to organize ideas and projects into visual boards, simplified by a flexible drag and drop interface that let team members arrange things in whatever way makes sense for their project.

Payments and banking

Square believes the economy is better when everyone has access and room to grow, they also believe that no one should be left out because the cost is prohibitive or the technology too complex. Square empowers businesses of all sizes and entrepreneurs to send invoices and grow their business.

The PayPal Here contactless reader and app allow clients to accept Visa, MasterCard and Maestro debit and credit card payments and receive payment via PayPal. The app helps track cash, cheque payments and issue invoices from a smartphone. With no contract, no monthly fees or hidden costs, you can get paid anywhere you do business.

Revolut for Business is on a mission to help their customers (personal and business) improve their financial health, empower them to have more control, and promote financial cohesion across the communities in which the company operates.

Neat offers a stable and secure experience and is built for today’s global economy, where borders are disappearing and it’s easier than ever to start a business. Starting from concept to making the first sale and moving to international expansion, businesses need a financial experience that evolves with them.

Customer Relationship Management

Streak is the only CRM built entirely within your Gmail to help you get things done in the most organised way possible. Whether you want to close more deals, manage partnerships, or track support issues, Streak helps entrepreneurs focus on what matters most to their business without having to leave their inbox.

Insightly helps modern businesses of all sizes build lifelong customer relationships and grow faster than ever before. Insightly’s out of the box capabilities allows companies to tailor their user experience in customer-facing roles. Insightly is easy to onboard and use and can be customised to any industry.

Salesforce is a, or rather the, customer success management platform. Their social and mobile cloud technologies including their flagship sales and CRM applications help companies connect with customers, partners, and employees in entirely new ways.

Was this list useful?

Tell me – What tools do you use in your company? What are your favourite productivity tools?

Comment below 🙂

by Audrey L.

This businesswoman encourages the use of XR in fashion

It’s no news that our current sanitary crisis seriously impacts the fashion sector which as a result is facing tough challenges in sharing groundbreaking ideas.

Following a piece that I had written for Maddyness to shed some light on some of the most disruptive fashion tech companies to watch in the UK, I thought I’d share this brilliant update, especially because we’re talking about cutting-edge immersive experiences adapted to the fashion world. And even more so since it’s a woman who encourages it.

Chinese women entrepreneur Lisa Pan and co-founder of VR experts PhotonLens, has recently partnered with fashion designer Ralph and Russo. The idea? To create a full VR experience for their Ready-To-Wear Spring-Summer 2021 collection.

“With the pandemic disrupting our personal and professional lives, we have to use the tools we have to create interesting ways for brands and people to connect with each other. PhotonLens is pleased to support Ralph & Russo in creating unforgettable virtual experiences so the world can see everything that Ralph & Russo has to offer. PhotonLens brings exceptional quality to the AR/VR space and connects the world with some of the world’s best artists, game designers, entertainers, or fashion designers.” – Lisa Pan, co-founder of PhotonLens

Ahead of the experience, 30 influencers were sent PhotonLens VR headsets, including Camila Coelho, Chiara Ferragni, Aimee Song and many more.

Witnessing a rewarding and successful launch, Lisa Pan emphasized her love and passion for fashion and tech: “I have started to invest in XR in 2014 when the sector had just taken off. Very luckily, I have two of the best XR companies in my personal portfolio, Shadow Creator and ANTVR.”

The technology used in the Photonlens headsets was created by Shadow Creator, that, after securing a milestone fundraising, became a unicorn in China and in which Lisa Pan invested: “The last fundraising valuation of $1.8B generated a tremendous return on my original investment.”

Considering this, Lisa was eager to export the local Chinese company internationally, she co-founded PhotonLens and got introduced to Be-hookd founder George James to take care of her social media partnership with Ralph and Russo: “With their expertise on social media management, I am very pleased the collaboration with such a leading fashion brand worked so impressively and it’s just the beginning of our venture with Be-hookd and fashion, music, lifestyle industry.”

Fundamentally, before cracking on, Lisa Pan wondered how she could make life easier for customers and businesses in high-end fashion:“In luxury fashion and lifestyle, retail stores are pivoting into immersive centres and e-commerce platforms into customer service front ends rather than standalone verticals.”

With the worldwide context and the soaring of immersive technologies, Lisa highlights how AR and VR are redefining the 360-degree fashionista’s experience: “New retail concepts now allow people to blend traditional retail shopping with mobile experiences. AR is allowing users to “try on” products, while VR allows users to experience fashion shows and unique brand activation events.”

With 5G around the corner, Lisa explains that much more can be done in the fashion world in terms of mobile-friendly experiences: “Not only will VR and XR impact the fashion business in the long term by offering consumers impressive immersive virtual fashion shows but also by enhancing their shopping experience.”

©PhotonLens
by Audrey L.

6 essential tips for finding a new role

If you’re looking for a job, then it is important to maximise your chances of finding a new role as soon as needed. Here’s a selection of tips that should help you towards achieving this.

1. Network and build relationships with your current contacts

Assess your existing network: whether it’s your LinkedIn connections, former colleagues, your family, friends, acquaintances, etc. and drop them an email or message to let them know about your plans, your job target and value to employers. Try also to meet people who could hire or refer you, via an introduction or by giving them a call. It’s also time to ask for letters of reference if you haven’t done so previously. To build a real relationship with your new contacts, keep in touch so they’ll want to help you, and be empathetic due to the current context.

2. Don’t forget to keep yourself organised

Anyone could possibly help you in your search at some point, and to keep track of your exchanges, an efficient way is to keep track of your interactions and meetings in a spreadsheet, or even paper if you’re more of a notetaker. By doing so, you make sure that you don’t miss or lose any opportunities.

3. Schedule meetings of introduction

Now it’s time to schedule meetings with the people who could potentially hire or refer you. Here’s a to-do-list to follow carefully prior to conducting these meetings:

  • Thank them for taking the time to meet you, introduce yourself again and remind them why you’re meeting
  • Give your 30-second pitch, which should explain your value to an employer and show what makes you different
  • Ask questions to understand their business and how you might be able to help them or their team
  • If they’re not ready to hire any time soon, use the opportunity to ask for feedback on your CV, your pitch or anything else that could help you further in your job search. You can also use the meeting to grow your network by asking if there are other people you should be talking to.

4. Do your research and watch growing sectors

To prepare for any career change, learn from people in your sector or expertise areas by taking online classes, getting involved with charities, or freelancing to gain experience. Additionally, keep an eye on companies or sectors that are recruiting, especially in times of post-COVID, i.e. the healthcare sector.

5. Flexibility is the key

Full-time, freelance, contract… be open to how you want to be paid so you’re not shutting doors to yourself and show that you’re willing to quickly adapt to any potential employer.

6. Are you about to leave your current role?

Don’t forget to:

  • Collect email addresses and information of key people you want to keep in touch with at your current company and ensure that any personal files you have at work are backed up
  • Start building your professional network, internally and externally to your company
  • Update your CV, cover letter, portfolio and your profiles on as many professional networks as possible to maximise your visibility and exposure
  • Anticipate any potential negotiations you can make if you were to be made redundant.
by Audrey L.

Social media: 7 of my favourite tools to create engaging designs

Here’s a series of easy apps, software and tools which I tried and that I hope will help you create all the designs you need for running your social media strategy across channels efficiently.

Since its launch in 2013, Canva has truly changed the way people design. To date, its design tool has attracted over 15M happy users across 190 countries, who have collectively created more than 1B designs. How does it work? Its integrated marketplace provides both free and paid stock photography, fonts, illustrations, and thousands of templates.

Since 2016, Adobe Spark has been an alternative, mobile-friendly solution to using its powerful editing and creation software for free and solve piracy. While Spark remains free to use, Adobe is adding a new paid feature to help SMEs create branded media content. The feature, called Branded Stories, lets users design graphics, web pages, and video stories and can set one consistent template or theme to be present across every piece of media.

Founded in 2012, PicMonkey helps people create standout visuals that make a point, express a view, and leave a lasting impression. Whether you’re making Insta posts, Facebook covers, YouTube thumbnails, web pages, holiday cards, posters or just about anything with a visual, PicMonkey can help. With thousands of graphics and templates, unlimited stock photos and cool features, users can make their creative process enjoyable, inspiring and productive.

Developed by Kaleido, an Austrian-based AI startup, remove.bg was built to make workflows simpler and faster, to foster creativity, rethink photography and design, and to enable others to build the products of the AI Century. By making complicated tech simple the experts aimed to enable everyone to benefit from the recent advances in Visual AI, from individuals to businesses of all sizes.

Headquartered in Vancouver, Lumen5 uses machine learning and AI to help create impactful, engaging videos from existing content so users can make video a regular part of their marketing strategy. The Lumen5 media library gives easy access to millions of photos, video clips, and audio files, to always have the elements needed to create the perfect video.

Multi-awarded design expert Piktochart is an easy-to-use visual communication tool that helps you tell your story whether it’s in the format of a presentation, a report, a banner, or an infographic with the visual impact it deserves. The company aims to pioneer the future of visual storytelling so that anyone can do it and is passionate in delivering stories that are more powerful, more engaging, and more enjoyable when told visually.

Born in San Francisco, Figma is the first professional-grade online tool created specifically for interface design. The design expert helps the entire product team create, test, and ship better designs, faster.

by Audrey L.

Wealthiest women in the world: top 3 star signs making the most money

There have been a number of magazines analysing the most common star signs among the world’s wealthiest billionaires. From the top 250 richest people featured on Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List among women and men, Libra seems to be ahead of the game in business.

However, we wanted to confirm if that was also the case among the wealthiest woman billionaires, and see which zodiac signs appear to make the most money. Here’s the chart.

Wealthiest business women in the world - which star signs make the most money - infographic

Here’s the top 3 money-making star signs in billionaire businesswoman.

#1: Cancer – $110.1B

L’Oreal’s founder’s granddaughter, Francoise Bettencourt Meyers is the richest businesswoman (also the twelfth wealthiest person in the world with a fortune of $66.7B) as she and her family own 33% of L’Oreal stock. Then, real estate Country Garden Holdings leader, Cancer native Yang Huiyan has a wealth estimated at $28.5B followed by Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken who’s holding $14.9B in the world’s second-largest brewer – Heineken International.

#2: Libra – $109.4B

Talented Alice Walton, Walmart’s founder’s daughter is the 14th wealthiest billionaire in the world, with a net worth of $63.7B. Still in the food sector is Jacqueline Mars, a pioneer in the wonderful world of candy and pet food with a wealth totalling $28.9B. Followed by British billionaire Denise Coates, founder and CEO of the online gambling empire Bet365 who owns a total net worth of $9.6B. Hustling Libra natives also include Rahel Blocher who owes her $7.2B fortune to EMS-Chemie, the Swiss polymer and chemical giant that her family has run for decades.

#3: Capricorn – $76.1B

Julia Koch – from US-based chemical pioneers Koch Industries – inherited a 42% stake from her husband and businessman David Koch who died in August 2019, which sets her net worth to $44.9B. Followed by Chilean mining owner Iris Fontbona (also a trader on London Stock Exchange) who holds $16.6B from her husband Andrónico Luksic – who built a fortune in mining and beverages before dying of cancer in 2005. Still in the successful Capricorn money makers is Wu Yajun, co-founder and chairperson of Hong Kong-listed real estate developer Longfor Properties who owns $14.6B with her family.

It is essential to celebrate all successes and achievements made by all women entrepreneurs. However, we know there is still a long way to go before we’ll reach the point of equality. And to fight gender discrimination and underrepresentation by investors, more and more organisations choose to encourage and support female founders so they can be encouraged to hustle as much as men do.

by Audrey L.

Tech for thought: 8 shows to watch right now on Netflix UK

To further your knowledge around technology, business and innovation, Netflix has added a gripping selection of programs to its platform which you may be interested in, and here are a few to not be missed.

Just released on Netflix this month, The Social Dilemma is an American docudrama directed by Jeff Orlowski. In this dystopian documentary, key leaders and former managers detail the rise of social media and the damage it has directly caused to our society. They highlight to what extend people (the users), who ignore it, represent a gold mine for big tech firms using sneaky practices such as surveillance capitalism and data mining and how the design of social media apps is meant to nurture addiction, its use in politics, its impact on mental health, and its role in spreading conspiracy theories. Watch now

Challenger: The Final Flight is a limited docuseries in four episodes, created by Steven Leckart and Glen Zipper where officials, engineers, members from crew families piece together the tragic 1986 incident involving NASA’s Space Shuttle Challenger, forming an indelible moment for a generation of Americans. Watch now

French comic TV show Family Business season 2 is now available, and business continues for Joseph, a failed entrepreneur, who, after learning that weed is about to be legalised in France, decides to transform, with the help of his family and friends, his father’s kosher butchers into the first marijuana coffeeshop in the Hexagone. Watch now

The Business of Drugs is an excellent docuseries in six episodes that helps understand the origins and impact of the business of drugs on our society, with a former CIA analyst investigating and commenting on the economics of six illicit substances. Watch now

Maddman, The Steve Madden Story is about the incredible rise, fall, and resurrection of Steve Madden, the man who launched a billion-dollar fashion empire and whose shoes are in the closet of practically every woman under 30 in America. The film highlights how Madden rebuilt his life following imprisonment because of his entanglement with the infamous Wolf of Wall Street. Watch now

Something to watch when you need to rejoice is Love, Guaranteed, a refreshing romantic comedy about Susan, a lawyer who takes a high-paying case from Nick, a charming new client who wants to sue a dating website that guarantees love. As the case heats up, so do Susan and Nick’s feelings for each other. Watch now

For your kids… because they are their own bosses, too! As part of The Boss Baby: Back in Business hit, the interactive special The Boss Baby: Get That Baby! will enchant your children. Existing fans of the series will recognise Boss Baby, Jimbo, and Staci who immerse your children within the happy life of business departments which should keep the kids busy for a while. Watch now

Made by filmmaker John Hyatt, Screened Out talks to kids, parents and experts about the impact and chilling consequences of constant smartphone screen time in today’s world. This documentary explores how social media, smartphones, tablets and a range of platforms and devices have changed the way we communicate and operate in the world. Watch now

by Audrey L.

Star signs: are you successful in business?

If you already know your star sign you are probably aware of the personality traits associated with your zodiac. But what about the characteristics relevant to business and entrepreneurship?

Would your qualities make you a good leader, a successful and a self-driven person able to achieve great things in your career? Here are highlights and qualities for each star sign to see which one seems to be the most efficient and successful at work, accordingly to the horoscope chart.

Aries

(March 21 – April 19)

Natural leaders, Aries entrepreneurs are dynamic and their high energy is infectious, they are ambitious, driven and possess a strong work ethic. Many Aries find themselves in managerial roles, they are competitive and enthusiastic and a commission-based model is usually the most suitable for them. Aries can excel in businesses related to project management, advertising, and broadcasting.

Notable Aries: Larry Page, Mukesh Ambani, Amancio Ortega, Steve Madden, MacKenzie Scott, Marie-Hélène Habert Dassault

Taurus

(April 20 – May 21)

Taurean professionals are determined, patient, good and fair managers and don’t act impulsively. They do things right from the very start. They are good at business because they usually surround themselves with mentors that they can get advice from. They are also always open to learning and improving their skills. Hard workers, Taureans are successful through proper planning and strategies. Suitable business can be in jewellery, flowers, luxury, public service, design, catering, and hospitality.

Notable Taureans: Mark Zuckerberg, Suzanne Klatten, Nancy Walton, Agnete Kirk, David Koch

Gemini

(May 22 – June 20)

Good in business, Geminis know how to talk to people and say the things that people need to hear without lying. Geminis are not afraid to go outside their comfort zones and adapt well to change. They work best under pressure and deadlines and adore intellectually rewarding businesses. Geminis fit well in share markets, technology manufacturing, hardware, travel, and social networking.

Notable Geminis: Kirsten Rausing, David Thompson, Jim Walton, Lem Blavatnik

Cancer

(June 21 – July 22)

Cancers are known for their flexibility, they are great with money and seek out financial stability and security. They possess excellent organisational and interpersonal skills as well as being highly intuitive. They are also caring and sensitive. Even if it implies to sacrifice some comfort or time to be able to do so, Cancers will always follow through with projects and are loyal to their employers. Their personalities will fit well in businesses related to social work, human resources, law, child care, online business, teaching, nursing, real estate and politics.

Notable Cancereans: Elon Musk, Richard Branson, Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken, Françoise Bettencourt

Leo

(July 23 – August 22)

In business, Leos are personable, trustworthy, and they are good at being able to turn their failures around. Leos are also able to bring out the best in other people. Generally, people like dealing with Leos and that makes for successful business relationships. Leo entrepreneurs are honest, enjoy taking risks and like to be the centre of attention. They usually work well independently. Leos will be at their best in careers related to tourism, real estate, fashion, interior design, government and sales.

Notable Leos: Martha Stewart, Victoria Mars, Sergey Brin, François Pinault, Larry Ellison

Virgo

(August 23 – September 22)

Virgos are perfectionists, practical, analytical, detail-oriented and can keep track of the small details that other people tend to overlook. Virgos are open to honest feedback and criticism, especially from people that they admire. In return, when they are given feedback, they take the criticism seriously and try to incorporate it into their actions. Virgos will work best in editing, writing, teaching, tech, statistics, and translation.

Notable Leos: Warren Buffett, Jack Ma, Jorge Polo Lemann, Antonia Ax:son Johnson

Libra

(September 23 – October 22)

Libras are optimistic and usually focus on the positives, so when things don’t go to plan they try to find areas of improvement to do it better the next time. Libras are more effective when they don’t get stuck in a toxic place as they are good socially, with a balance between entertainment and professionalism. They are usually great leaders and ambassadors. People born under the Libra star sign will work perfectly in businesses that involve socialising, for example, music, arts, travel, diplomatic services, and marketing.

Notable Libras: Alice Walton, Jacqueline Mars, Denise Coates, Stefan Persson

Scorpio

(October 23 – November 21)

Although they are curious and love learning, Scorpios are still very focused on their targets. Excellent leaders, Scorpios can make a huge difference in their life by choosing business as their source of earning. They are good at giving directions and orders and can be discreet and secretive when it comes to money. As they like to think logically and apply their analytical mindset, they achieve great things in professions that involve intuitive thinking. In general, they thrive in businesses related to education, hospitality, medicine, or as lawyers.

Notable Scorpios: Bill Gates, Laurene Powell Jobs, Wang Jianlin

Sagittarius

(November 22 – December 21)

Sagittarian professionals are ethical and full of energy. They are also are good at making decisions and have a good range of businesses to thrive in. Skilled in both creative and technical work, Sagittarians will thrive in business development and will succeed by staying true to what is important to them. Natural extroverts, they will feel accomplished in areas that enable them to interact with people and express their creativity. Their business mindset is a great fit in travel, outdoor entertainment, public relations, coaching, animal training and consultancy.

Notable Sagittarians: Abigail Johnson, David and Simon Reuben, Ann Walton Kroenke, Diane Hendricks

Capricorn

(December 22 – January 19)

Besides being hard-workers, Capricorns get things done in a timely manner, they don’t procrastinate preferring to take action right away. When Capricorns act, they already have a plan in mind, having weighed up all eventualities. Their determination makes them a great fit for careers in business, finance or medicine or any career that enables them to show their patience, let them reorganise things and produce tangible results.

Notable Capricorns: Jeff Bezos, Julia Koch, Iris Fontbona, Vladimir Potanin, Wu Yajun, Joseph Safra

Aquarius

(January 20 – February 18)

Aquarian entrepreneurs have great social skills, are humanitarian by nature and are naturally adventurous. Independent and intelligent, Aquarians also tend to have an enigmatic and analytical nature as well as a deep commitment to social justice. They love to explore new ideas, will usually value freedom of speech and often choose to work in fields that mirror their idealism with a social aspect to them. They will work best in businesses related to service or in food, navigation, design, music, and consultancy.

Notable Aquarians: Michael Bloomberg, Tadashi Yanai, Carlos Slim Helu, Gina Rinehart, Christy Walton

Pisces

(February 19 – March 20)

Pisceans are creative, passionate and show lots of compassion towards others. Piscean entrepreneurs find success and satisfaction in working closely with others and sharing their talents. They usually have excellent communication skills and generally end up putting others before themselves. They will do well in the fields related to service, in businesses like physical therapy, art, veterinary hospital, psychological healing, nursing, music, photography and dance.

Notable Pisceans: Steve Jobs, Bernard Arnault, Rupert Murdoch, Michael Dell, Savitri Jindal

[Do you recognise yourself in these personality traits? Comment below. ]