Month: September 2024

The rapid growth of e-commerce offers exciting opportunities but also presents significant challenges, particularly when it comes to managing inventory. Many Guernsey-based entrepreneurs start by storing their products at home, using spare rooms, basements, or garages.
While this may be sufficient in the early stages, it often becomes impractical as the business expands. As your inventory grows, space becomes limited, leading to clutter, disorganisation, and even potential damage to products.
Without adequate storage, it becomes difficult to keep track of inventory, increasing the risk of misplacing items, sending incorrect products to customers, or running out of stock unexpectedly. Moreover, storing items in cramped or unsuitable conditions can lead to damage, particularly for sensitive products like electronics, fabrics, or perishables.
This disorganisation not only slows down the order fulfilment process but can also result in delayed shipping and dissatisfied customers. These challenges highlight the need for a dedicated, well-organised self-storage solution in Guernsey to support the efficient management of your inventory.
Benefits of self-storage for e-commerce
Self-storage units offer a scalable and cost-effective solution for e-commerce businesses struggling with inventory management. One of the most significant advantages of self-storage is its scalability. As your business grows and your inventory expands, you can easily upgrade to a larger storage unit without the hassle of moving to a new location. Conversely, downsizing your storage space is just as simple if your inventory needs decrease. This flexibility is particularly beneficial for businesses that experience seasonal fluctuations in inventory, allowing you to adjust your storage space according to demand.
In addition to scalability, self-storage is often more affordable than leasing commercial warehouse space, especially for small to medium-sized e-commerce businesses. Most self-storage facilities offer flexible rental terms, allowing you to rent a unit on a month-to-month basis without a long-term commitment. This not only helps manage cash flow but also reduces the financial risk associated with long-term leases.
Self-storage units also offer enhanced organisation. With a dedicated storage space, you can systematically organise your inventory, improving efficiency and reducing the risk of errors. Many facilities provide customisable shelving and storage solutions, enabling you to create an optimal layout for your products. By categorising and labelling your inventory, you can quickly locate items, streamline the order fulfilment process, and ultimately deliver faster shipping times and a better customer experience.
Security is another key benefit of using self-storage for your e-commerce business. Most facilities offer robust security features, including 24/7 video surveillance, gated access, and individual unit alarms, ensuring that your inventory is well-protected. Additionally, many self-storage units are climate-controlled, providing a stable environment for sensitive items that require protection from extreme temperatures and humidity.
Supporting business growth
As your e-commerce business grows, so do your storage needs. Self-storage provides the flexibility to scale your storage space in line with your business’s changing requirements, supporting long-term growth.
By moving your inventory to a self-storage unit, you can free up valuable space in your home or office, creating a more productive work environment. This separation of work and storage spaces not only helps improve workflow but can also enhance your work-life balance, especially if you run your business from home.
Another advantage of self-storage is the convenience, with many facilities offering extended hours of access or even 24-hour access. This allows you to retrieve or store inventory at your convenience, which is particularly useful during busy periods when you may need to process orders outside of regular business hours. Having easy access to your inventory ensures that you can respond quickly to customer orders, keeping your business running smoothly.
In conclusion, self-storage offers a practical and cost-effective solution for e-commerce businesses facing the challenges of inventory management. By providing scalable, secure, and organised storage space, self-storage units can help you overcome these challenges, improve your order fulfilment process, and ultimately support the growth of your business.
Whether you’re a small home-based business or an expanding online retailer, utilising self-storage can be a key factor in your success, allowing you to focus on what you do best—running your business.
Read more:
Storing retail inventory: How self-storage can support your e-commerce business

Your opinion and insights matter for the brands, and you can make a difference in shaping product or service decisions by answering paid online surveys.
The online survey sites offer an excellent opportunity to earn extra cash and broaden your knowledge about various brands and their products or services. Learn how to get started with online surveys, identify their benefits and ensure your security.
What are paid online surveys?
Paid surveys online are a legit, easy and straightforward way to gain monetary rewards or gift cards by answering survey questions about different products and services. You can turn internet browsing into a passive income stream, which can be exchanged for redeeming vouchers from online shops, getting promo codes, or getting appealing deals.
Why do businesses care about surveys? Various brands and companies learn about targeting the right audience and valuable opinions of users to cut their advertising spend and increase sales. Your answers help the brands to improve, develop and avoid expensive and crucial mistakes.
A well-developed online survey for the right audience provides critical information for product development, marketing optimization and brand development. Accessing paid surveys would be difficult for respondents and companies without specific platforms.
Respondents can get short surveys or 30-minutes or even one-hour poll questionnaires on different topics. The earnings from online surveys depend on survey type, length and the platform.
Online survey platforms typically pay 50 cents to approximately $5 for each completed questionnaire. Certain paid online survey websites offer higher pay, but those usually take more time and require in-depth knowledge of specific topics.
How to get started?
Choose the trustworthy online survey platform, sign in, or download their app to your device. After registration, you will get surveys to answer on various topics – from the fashion industry to health and beauty and many more. Complete them and choose the payment method you prefer.
Online survey platforms partner with many brands and organizations worldwide, offering the respondents monetary incentives, gift cards and other rewards. It is a unique opportunity to get promo codes, earn points, and learn about the brand’s products or services before they enter the market.
What type of paid online surveys should you expect to get? The most common types of surveys are consumer opinion, product, market research, advertising and brand surveys and political or social surveys.
The benefits of online surveys
Online surveys are a convenient way to gather data from a target audience because they are cost-effective, easy for respondents to understand and fast to implement for companies. Also, businesses often allow participants to answer anonymously when conducting online surveys, and this anonymity encourages respondents to be more honest and open, as they feel less pressure and can provide genuine feedback.
However, these surveys have some disadvantages, such as data reliability and limited access to specific sections of a population. Some surveys require respondents from a particular population or region, creating limited opportunities for other respondents. This means some respondents can not participate in surveys as frequently as they want.
Are online surveys safe?
Before taking part in an online survey, you should be sure that the platform you will use is reputable, safe and legit. We suggest researching the survey websites to check feedback and ratings so you do not fall for scams.
The red flags for scammer platforms might be a high payout guarantee, payment or personal information required, misspellings or, strange language and non-transparency.
Watch out if the platform promises to pay a lot of money, especially if it does not take much of your effort or requires specialized skills. Another red flag is the payment requirement because legitimate survey sites are free to use. Also, if the survey company requests your confidential information, such as a bank account, be careful and do not provide it.
Avoid these sites if the platform’s grammar and communication are odd. Besides, legitimate platforms are transparent about privacy policies and payment methods.
In addition, be patient with the earnings withdrawal process because it can take a while. Unfortunately, some survey companies have unreasonably high payout minimums, making it difficult to reach them. The best survey platforms always offer a small minimum payout threshold and reasonable average payment per survey.
Wrapping up
You can spend your free time answering paid online surveys on shopping, technology, public services, music, health and beauty and much more. Earning extra income and knowing more about brands and their products or services can be an attractive side hustle. The online survey platforms do not pay a fortune, but they can be an excellent source of passive income.
However, before answering paid online surveys on platforms, ensure they are legit, safe, secure, and worth your time. You and companies can benefit by cautiously approaching online surveys, leading to improved products and services.
Read more:
Online surveys: get paid for your opinion

Flight Centre Travel Group has reported a 10% year-over-year increase in total transaction value for its global corporate business in the 2024 fiscal year, ending June 30, driven significantly by wins among SMEs.
The company’s corporate business, which includes SME-focused Corporate Traveler and large-market-focused FCM, reported a total transaction value of approximately $8.2 billion, marking a 35% growth compared to pre-Covid levels in 2019, despite corporate travel recovery lagging at around 80% of pre-pandemic levels according to Amadeus market data.
The group noted that during the fiscal year, Corporate Traveler and FCM added clients with a combined annual spend of $1.4 billion, with a notable increase in SME wins for Corporate Traveler compared to previous years. In the U.S., SME client acquisitions nearly doubled in the second half of the year, bolstered by a new regional structure featuring key centres in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
“This regional structure has enabled us to better identify new opportunities nationwide and accelerate growth in our best-performing sectors,” said Charlene Leiss, President of Flight Centre Americas. “We are seeing exciting potential across the SME market in various industries, including pharmaceuticals, life sciences, finance and banking, technology, sports and entertainment, and more.”
Globally, Flight Centre’s corporate business transactions rose 11% year over year, with corporate revenue increasing 13.7% to $750 million. FCM reported a 10% increase in transaction volumes, while Corporate Traveler achieved record global profits, according to Flight Centre Global Corporate CEO Chris Galanty.
Despite a “flat trading climate” in corporate travel during the latter part of the fiscal year and minimal growth in airfare sales, corporate travel transaction volumes globally saw an 11% year-over-year increase in July. Flight Centre’s managing director, Graham Turner, told Business Matters the company’s leaner operations, with a 5% reduction in staff numbers for corporate businesses as of June 30, thanks to “strong productivity gains and the mass adoption” of FCM Platform and Corporate Traveler’s Melon. Turner also noted improved staff retention amid these changes.
Flight Centre’s corporate businesses reported a pre-tax profit of $143 million for the fiscal year, up from $99 million in the previous year, reflecting the group’s strategic focus on capturing SME market share and optimising operations through technology-driven efficiencies.
Read more:
Flight Centre makes gains with SMEs, boosting corporate growth

Billionaire entrepreneur and Shark Tank star Mark Cuban recently sparked a debate on X (formerly Twitter) by asking his followers whether they would prefer Donald Trump or Kamala Harris as a role model for their children.
Despite Cuban’s longstanding criticism of Trump, the results of the informal poll were unexpected, with the former president emerging as the clear favourite.
In a post to his 8.8 million followers, Cuban posed the question: “Whose persona and character would you like to see young children grow up to have?” The options were the two leading figures for the 2024 U.S. presidential election—Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris. Out of over 800,000 votes cast, an overwhelming 68.9% chose Trump, while only 31.1% preferred Harris.
The poll quickly gained traction, attracting a host of comments and reactions. Collin Rugg, co-owner of Trending Politics, responded with a video featuring Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana. In the video, Kennedy highlights the idea that voters need not personally like a candidate to support them for president, urging people to focus on policies and records instead.
The discussion also reignited controversial claims about Harris, with some users repeating baseless accusations about her rise in California politics, which were used as a rationale for their preference for Trump.
Mark Cuban, who had previously shown some support for Trump during his 2016 campaign, admitted that he initially saw Trump as a refreshing alternative to traditional candidates. However, Cuban has since shifted his stance and this summer expressed support for Harris when she became the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Read more:
Mark Cuban’s poll reveals surprising preference for Trump over Harris as parents role model for children

The UK Government has launched nine new artificial intelligence (AI) training courses for Civil Servants, aimed at enhancing digital skills and improving efficiency across the public sector.
Led by the Cabinet Office and Government Skills, the courses are designed to prepare civil servants for the growing impact of AI in government operations.
The training covers key areas including AI ethics, generative AI tools, large language models, machine learning, and natural language processing, equipping staff with the skills needed to effectively use AI technologies within government departments. One of the practical applications highlighted is the use of Redbox Copilot, an AI-powered chatbot that assists civil servants by summarising the contents of letters, briefings, and speech transcripts, helping them manage their daily tasks more efficiently.
Michael Thornton, Senior Director of Public Sector at Investigo, praised the initiative, stating, “Artificial intelligence can be a huge driver of efficiency across the public sector, saving civil servants upwards of tens of hours a week each. It’s therefore encouraging to see the Government launching new AI courses for Civil Servants, covering key areas such as ethics and generative AI tools that can greatly boost productivity.”
Thornton also emphasised the importance of bridging skills gaps, noting that the public sector should adopt a strategic approach to managing interim and consultancy staff to support AI integration. “By bringing in specialised talent alongside AI skills training, the public sector can ensure the smooth rollout of AI technologies while transferring crucial knowledge to civil servants to maintain these systems.”
The new AI courses replace seven outdated modules in the Government’s Generative AI suite and offer a mix of video, interactive, and written content to provide a comprehensive learning experience. Tristan Wilkinson, Chief for Public Sector at AND Digital, underscored the significance of including data management in the curriculum. “Boosting public sector efficiency should be a top priority to improve the delivery of key public services. Equipping Civil Servants with AI skills to improve productivity is a welcome sight,” he said.
Wilkinson highlighted the importance of a robust focus on data within the AI training, covering areas such as data quality, governance, and ethics. “Data is at the heart of any AI model, so it’s important that training covers these topics, especially in the wake of the EU AI Act. By embracing a data AND ethics approach, staff will be able to operate systems in a safe and trustworthy manner and truly maximise the benefits that AI has to offer.”
The nine courses available to Civil Servants include:
– AI: Fundamentals
– AI: Understanding AI Ethics
– AI: The Business Value of AI
– AI: Gen AI Tools and Applications
– AI: Working with Large Language Models
– AI: Machine Learning and Deep Learning
– AI: Natural Language Processing and Speech Recognition
– AI: Computer Vision
– AI: Technical Curriculum
These courses aim to not only boost the AI literacy of Civil Servants but also support the UK Government’s broader strategy of enhancing public sector productivity and delivering improved services to the public through the strategic use of artificial intelligence.
Read more:
UK government introduces AI training courses for civil servants to boost public sector efficiency

My business and work combine a variety of disciplines, including professional organising and decluttering, the psychology of people’s relationship to their home, and interior and spatial design. As a result, the range of people who have influenced and inspired me are also quite a diverse bunch.
One of the first people to inspire me in the early stages of my business development was Steve Jobs. A hard hitter, his commitment to excellence and high standards, along with his sincere conviction that great design can empower us all and transform people’s lives deeply resonated and motivated me.  He was not known to have particularly good social skills, but his vision for creating products that were innovative, beautifully functional and had the highest of design values struck a powerful chord with me. His persistence and belief in the face of setbacks, buying back Apple after being forced out and turning it around into a titan of industry was extraordinary. I love how his determination and vision that all Apple products seamlessly marry sophisticated design and user-focused function became so embedded in the corporate culture, that it continues since his death. In my own way, this is what I aspire to do when redesigning and organising people’s homes.
Another inspiration was designer and creator of Habitat, Terence Conran. His vision to revolutionise the way we live and use our domestic spaces, and to make modern design accessible to more than just the few, had such far-reaching impact. This matched my aspiration to make living spaces simpler and more functional. As part of his interior design process, he famously advised people to take everything out of the room and put it in the garden in order to properly assess the space: something that is routinely done today on TV programmes. I share his belief that clearing a space is essential part of gaining clarity about how it can be. I know from experience, working with hundreds of people, that under their piles of clutter are rooms and homes that have endless possibilities. It is my passion and calling to liberate my clients and their spaces from clutter and to help them to re-vision and redesign them. I love transforming homes from places that drain people’s energy, to ones that empower and inspire them each time they walk in through the front door.
In my early days of business development, I had the opportunity of working with Daniel Priestley of Dent Global. His masterful way of explaining business concepts in a very accessible way helped me grasp the steps I needed to take to build a solid business. His work and teaching were instrumental to setting up a company that was ultimately to grow into something I never imagined possible. Daniel talked about the importance of developing the 5 P’s! Pitch, Profile, Partnerships, Product and Publish. This inspired me to create my Home Declutter Kit, a product that people can use to help themselves, or a friend to declutter. And to publish my book ‘The Secret Life of Clutter’, a way to connect with people about how deep the need is to understand personal stories around the significance and meaning of our home and our possessions. I would add another P: purpose. I found through the process of writing my book that my purpose was to break down the wall of shame that surrounds clutter, and to educate and empower people to have more compassion for themselves and others, as there is always a reason why we get stuck.
Oprah Winfrey has continued to inspire me as a powerful and successful woman. She demonstrates that it is possible to be both strong and vulnerable, and to lead with ambition and passion. I love how throughout her working life she has delved deep into the peoples struggles and consistently shown such compassion and care for the human experience. In her later years, interviewing great writers and bringing revolutionary ideas and concepts to everyday awareness has been a continual inspiration to me. I Iove this quote, because it reminds me to value my own unique mix of skills and interests: “Nobody does it like you, and understanding that what you have to offer, what you’ve come to give to the planet is your gift, your offering in a way that nobody else can, and how much that matters.”
Lastly, as a working psychotherapist, whose practice feeds so much into my other work, I have to mention the depth psychologist Carl Jung whose life’s work was based on his fascination with the archetypes of the psyche. His exploration into his own dreams and how he bridged those concepts into reality, was a profound influence on my approach to understanding how people relate to their home and what deeper factor are at play when they struggle to create spaces that truly nurture and support them. I feel so often that when I am working in someone’s home and with their possessions in some profound way, I also enter into their inner world, their psychological space. I am constantly amazed as the story of their life unfolds before me. I attribute this depth of understanding to my studies and work as a therapist. I have been particularly influenced by Jung’s own profound inner journey constructing his home, Bollingen Tower, at Lake Zurich. One his many insights that spoke most powerfully to me, was the concept that our home is an expression of our deep self. The main living areas being the face we present to the world; the lower ground floors or basement, revealing our cultural influences, history and unconscious; and the loft and attic space, or in his case the tower, reflecting our spiritual life and aspirations.
I believe it is the diversity of these influences that have led organically to the development of my unique business, the way I work with both people and their homes and dance between the sacred and the everyday. I truly love my work, each day is an adventure and every client a privilege to work with.
Read more:
5 people who inspired you during the early stages of business development

Clean energy funds, once a favourite in the investment trust landscape, are poised for a resurgence as lower interest rates reignite investor interest.
After years of high premiums and booming demand driven by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns, the sector has faced headwinds from rising rates and easing power prices. However, with the Bank of England recently lowering interest rates for the first time in over four years, and further cuts anticipated in 2024, optimism is returning.
According to data from the Association of Investment Trusts, clean energy funds traded at significant premiums to their net asset values (NAV) as recently as 2020. For example, Greencoat UK Wind, the largest clean power investment trust, raised over £1 billion in equity during 2020 and 2021, almost a third of its stock market value. But today, the fund and its peers are trading at discounts, reflecting the broader market’s retreat from the £15.5 billion sector amid higher interest rates and softer energy prices.
James Wallace, an analyst at Winterflood, believes the recent rate cuts could help narrow these discounts, though the impact might take time to materialise fully. “We think that these interest rate cuts will narrow this gap, at least somewhat in terms of discounts, because of the lower required returns demanded by these investors,” he said. However, Wallace cautioned that substantial cuts—potentially up to 75 basis points—may be needed to see a meaningful impact on valuations.
Still, questions remain about whether green energy funds can reclaim the high premiums of the past without a return to the ultra-low interest rates seen pre-2020. Ben Newell, an analyst at Investec, noted, “It’s feasible that these companies trade at or around NAV, but unless you’ve got the rates we saw pre-2020, they’re not going to trade on 10 to 20 per cent premiums to book value.”
The challenges are not confined to interest rates. London’s emerging battery storage sector, including funds like Gresham House Energy Storage and Gore Street Energy Storage Fund, faces scrutiny over volatile cashflows, with share prices trading between 45 and 55 per cent below their NAVs. Unlike wind or solar assets, battery storage revenues depend on fluctuating wholesale power prices, adding a layer of risk that investors have been hesitant to embrace.
Paul Mason, Chief Investment Officer at Harmony Energy, highlighted the unpredictability of revenues from battery assets as a key factor in the current market discount. Recent declines in energy prices have further pressured these funds, leading some, such as Harmony and Gresham, to scrap dividends for the year. Max Slade of Harmony Energy reflected on the lesson learned, stating, “The lesson we’ve learnt has been that taking an asset class that has [an unpredictable] merchant revenue profile and trying to pledge a fixed level of dividend is not always deliverable.”
Additionally, the waning enthusiasm for ESG strategies during economic downturns has affected green infrastructure funds. Last year, ESG funds saw significant withdrawals from British investors, although flows have improved this year. “During a cost of living crisis and when things are a bit slower in the economy, the focus can be a bit more on the economics and making returns,” Wallace noted.
The recent dip in share prices below NAV has hindered renewables investment trusts from raising new equity, constricting a vital funding source for future projects. The Renewables Infrastructure Group (Trig), one of the largest trusts in the sector, has responded by managing its balance sheet carefully, including selling £210 million in assets to reduce debt and fund new developments.
With the UK government setting ambitious targets to expand wind and solar capacity by the end of the decade, the role of private capital remains crucial. However, as Alex O’Cinneide, CEO of Gore Street Capital, pointed out, the constriction of capital access poses a significant challenge: “There’s a very big issue there about what it means in terms of a new government, in terms of the build-out of our renewables infrastructure, that a main avenue for private capital to go into renewables in the UK is intrinsically shut.”
As the sector looks to recover, all eyes will be on further interest rate adjustments and their potential to revitalise investor confidence in the green energy space.
Read more:
Interest rate cuts could spark renewed interest in green energy investment trusts