Cats. Enigmatic, aloof, contrary - affectionate, loving, loyal. There are so many adjectives that can be applied to our feline friends.  And with a little under half of U.S. households (43%) owning one or more cats (totaling almost 86 million)1, it’s clear they’ve got a place in our hearts. But what can entrepreneurs learn from the cat’s attitude to life? Well, quite a lot actually.

Fiction loves a good business. Whether it’s in books, TV or movies, companies of every size frequently form the backdrop of compelling and captivating storylines. Sometimes, we wistfully long to be in the same fun place as the characters. Other times, we’re rooting for the evil, corporate demon to fail and fall.

It’s very easy to get overwhelmed when you first start using social media as a business tool. I definitely struggled to get to grips with the sheer volume of platforms, terminology, best-practice advice and, of course, apps that all promise to help streamline and make the best use of your time.

Recently I’ve been feeling a little too self-satisfied with my efforts at social media marketing. My Twitter page has been going from strength-to-strength, I’m starting to get a handle on scaling content and scheduling across all the social platforms I run, and I’ve got big plans for Facebook. Truth be told I was starting to think I’d really cracked it.

We all know the importance of happy and engaged employees. They’re the lifeblood of my business and have propelled me from a struggling start-up to a growing, profitable company. But motivating employees can be hard – especially when you don’t have the capital to compete with large businesses on salary.

Stress can play a big role in a workplace’s productivity. When your employees are stressed, it impacts their health, possibly resulting in their needing to take time off. And while they’re at work, it’s likely on their minds – have you tried concentrating when your stress levels are high? I know I can’t. A stressed workforce can be an unproductive workforce.

In an age where time is precious and the average attention span is less than a goldfish’s (yes, really), consumers want their content fed to them in a fast and easily digestible way. I’ve found that video has proven to be extremely beneficial for my business – especially when it comes to promoting the products and services I can offer in a short, succinct and consistent way.

Much has changed in business over the last thirty years; most noticeably the rise in technology and the new job roles this has created. Not only has technology now become an important, if not essential, part of businesses both big and small, but it has also become a massive sector in its own right and as such, it has given rise to a multitude of jobs.

Everyone who uses Twitter wants more followers. It’s almost an eternal quest, especially if you use it for your business. More followers equals more engagement and more engagement equals more business, right? Well, not necessarily, especially if your followers aren’t really interested in you or your product. There are tons of fake and ‘follow me and I’ll follow back’ accounts, neither of which provide any value, even if they do make it appear to the outside world that you’ve got loads of followers.

There’s one thing pretty much every business needs now – a website. It doesn’t have to be anything special, but if customers can’t find you online, you can bet they’ll be able to find one of your competitors.