Latest news with #UnitedKingdom
Entrepreneur
an hour ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
No Perfect Time
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur United Kingdom, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. At just 23, Emily Jeffrey-Barrett landed a role as Radley Yeldar's first-ever copywriter, quickly managing campaigns for giants like NIVEA and IKEA. By 25, she was leading a team of 12, pushing through large-scale sustainability projects despite resistance from more senior colleagues. Then came the pandemic - no investors, no backup plan, and zero external funding - and Emily launched Among Equals, a creative agency with a blunt mantra: "No one cares about your brand, and it's on you to change that." Starting a business during Covid-19 wasn't just a practical challenge, Jeffrey-Barrett explains, it was psychological too. "I always assumed I would hit a point where I felt 'ready'. That never came. But there's nothing like a global pandemic to show you there's never a perfect time to start. The world isn't waiting, you just need to go for it." The pandemic also brought unexpected perks. "We didn't need to pay for an office – if working from a spare room was good enough for, say, the CEO of Unilever, it was good enough for me. And people had more free time - they had, quite literally, nowhere to go - so grabbing people for a chat became easier." Jeffrey-Barrett's approach to seizing opportunities was equally fearless. "I was shameless. I asked anybody I possibly could for help, advice, connections - and people really showed up. I was blown away by people's generosity." Persistence, she adds, has been key. "I pitched for something two years ago. Lost. Then kept checking in. Today, they're one of our biggest clients." For her, every interaction counts: "I saw everything - every email, every call, every micro-interaction - as an opportunity. I still have that mindset today. You never know where an introduction will lead." Having spent two years working closely with UK founders before launching her agency, Jeffrey-Barrett understood the ecosystem was small — and ripe with potential. But what surprised her most was "how resilient you need to be. I don't just mean staying positive when you lose a pitch; I mean the sheer amount of energy you need to bring to the table every single day. Yes, you need ideas. And yes, you need a hell of a lot of luck. But really, energy beats everything." Her advice to founders? "Go for it. Seriously. You don't need to wait until you're 'ready' - you'll never be 'ready'. The best time to start your business? Yesterday. So as long as you have the ability to give it a go, do it. Commit. Throw all your energy at it. Try. You'll need some things along the way – people who share your vision and are equally committed to it, the ability to prioritise ruthlessly, the discipline to look after yourself not just your team or business. But there's never a perfect time. So stop waiting, start working." Now a trusted advisor to CMOs across industries, Jeffrey-Barrett's story is a testament to tenacity, boldness, and the power of community - all driving forces behind the fresh, unapologetic voice of Among Equals.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- General
- ABC News
Brilliant bogong's maps of Australian Alps
19h ago 19 hours ago Thu 19 Jun 2025 at 5:30am Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Play Duration: 10 minutes 58 seconds 10 m
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Interview: James Neville CEO of Yaspa
With over 10 years of experience as a founder, as well as holding previous roles as CTO at Worldpay and Just Eat, James Neville, CEO of Yaspa, is perfectly qualified to discuss all things related to open banking and payments. He is also one of the payments sector's leading experts in identity verification. It is rather stating the obvious to note that open banking has the potential to revolutionise payments. It offers faster, more secure, and cost-effective transactions. But Yaspa's research highlights a key challenge: naming conventions matter. Pay-by-Bank, Pay by bank account, Account-to-account payments, A2A, Open banking. Instant payments are all terms used to refer to the same, simple method of a payment made from one bank account to another. That is a payment initiated through open banking providers, meaning consumers avoid the chore of typing in, checking and verifying the transfer details. 'Pay by Bank' is gaining traction, but its meaning remains ambiguous to many consumers. This is one key takeaway from the Yaspa Index 2025, launched to act as a benchmark for industry awareness and to provide valuable insights for businesses looking to optimise their payment offerings. 55% of UK adults report familiarity with the term 'Pay by Bank', but 45% remain unaware of the phrase despite its growing presence in online checkouts; Security (72%) and ease of use (66%) are the top priorities for consumers choosing a payment method; QR code payments are on the rise, yet only 27% of respondents used them for transactions in the past year, and Consumer education remains critical to driving open banking adoption, particularly in high-growth sectors such as gaming and retail. Neville tells EPI that there is still an element of consumer education that needs to happen and that it is very demographic dependent. That is a polite way of saying that towards the older range of the demographic spectrum that there is work to do, 'A lot of people are using the new tools without knowing the actual banking terms for the tools they're using. We don't expect consumers to really understand the mechanics of it. Pay by bank, knowing that you're using your banking app or the bank services to make a payment and the need to differentiate from cards - that is important.' If open banking is ever to realise its full potential, issues such as data transparency, improvements in payment execution and enhanced fraud prevention are essential. Yaspa is committed to driving these changes, working with industry partners to help shape a more seamless and secure future for open banking payments. Neville is also championing the standardisation of language related to open banking across the industry to help boost consumer understanding and adoption. The challenge then is to ensure that consumers understand the benefits to them of using instant bank payments. For example, speed, security, control and fewer input errors. And then, once consumers have used it in one place, recognising it's available as an option in another place, even if it's from a different provider. Looking ahead, Neville is optimistic that open banking can deliver a frictionless experience for businesses and consumers alike. With the right enhancements, it could soon rival - and even surpass - traditional card payments in convenience, security, and efficiency. 'We're pretty unique in the space in that we connect identity and money. So we do lots of clever things, like providing bank identity on the transaction itself, and we provide financial health of that individual at the point of payment.' Yaspa already operates across 19 European markets and is now plotting expansion in the Americas. Neville has good reason to look ahead with optimism. "Interview: James Neville CEO of Yaspa" was originally created and published by Retail Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Interview: James Neville CEO of Yaspa
With over 10 years of experience as a founder, as well as holding previous roles as CTO at Worldpay and Just Eat, James Neville, CEO of Yaspa, is perfectly qualified to discuss all things related to open banking and payments. He is also one of the payments sector's leading experts in identity verification. It is rather stating the obvious to note that open banking has the potential to revolutionise payments. It offers faster, more secure, and cost-effective transactions. But Yaspa's research highlights a key challenge: naming conventions matter. Pay-by-Bank, Pay by bank account, Account-to-account payments, A2A, Open banking. Instant payments are all terms used to refer to the same, simple method of a payment made from one bank account to another. That is a payment initiated through open banking providers, meaning consumers avoid the chore of typing in, checking and verifying the transfer details. 'Pay by Bank' is gaining traction, but its meaning remains ambiguous to many consumers. This is one key takeaway from the Yaspa Index 2025, launched to act as a benchmark for industry awareness and to provide valuable insights for businesses looking to optimise their payment offerings. 55% of UK adults report familiarity with the term 'Pay by Bank', but 45% remain unaware of the phrase despite its growing presence in online checkouts; Security (72%) and ease of use (66%) are the top priorities for consumers choosing a payment method; QR code payments are on the rise, yet only 27% of respondents used them for transactions in the past year, and Consumer education remains critical to driving open banking adoption, particularly in high-growth sectors such as gaming and retail. Neville tells EPI that there is still an element of consumer education that needs to happen and that it is very demographic dependent. That is a polite way of saying that towards the older range of the demographic spectrum that there is work to do, 'A lot of people are using the new tools without knowing the actual banking terms for the tools they're using. We don't expect consumers to really understand the mechanics of it. Pay by bank, knowing that you're using your banking app or the bank services to make a payment and the need to differentiate from cards - that is important.' If open banking is ever to realise its full potential, issues such as data transparency, improvements in payment execution and enhanced fraud prevention are essential. Yaspa is committed to driving these changes, working with industry partners to help shape a more seamless and secure future for open banking payments. Neville is also championing the standardisation of language related to open banking across the industry to help boost consumer understanding and adoption. The challenge then is to ensure that consumers understand the benefits to them of using instant bank payments. For example, speed, security, control and fewer input errors. And then, once consumers have used it in one place, recognising it's available as an option in another place, even if it's from a different provider. Looking ahead, Neville is optimistic that open banking can deliver a frictionless experience for businesses and consumers alike. With the right enhancements, it could soon rival - and even surpass - traditional card payments in convenience, security, and efficiency. 'We're pretty unique in the space in that we connect identity and money. So we do lots of clever things, like providing bank identity on the transaction itself, and we provide financial health of that individual at the point of payment.' Yaspa already operates across 19 European markets and is now plotting expansion in the Americas. Neville has good reason to look ahead with optimism. "Interview: James Neville CEO of Yaspa" was originally created and published by Retail Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Times
3 hours ago
- Business
- Times
Consumer confidence edges up despite ‘dark shadow' of inflation
Confidence among British consumers grew a little this month, but a combination of tensions in the Middle East, inflationary pressures and tariff uncertainties has the potential to sour sentiment, a closely watched survey found. GfK's long-running consumer confidence index has edged up by two points in June, despite recent data showing the UK economy contracted by an unexpected 0.3 per cent in April. Still, the index remains firmly in negative territory at minus 18, and four points lower than this time last year. Sentiment about the performance of the UK economy over the past year and its potential to gather momentum in the coming year improved, while the forecast for personal finances over the next year remained unchanged at 2, two points down on this time last year. The major purchase index, an indicator of confidence in buying big ticket items, also remained the same, at minus 16, which was seven points better than last June. However, the survey was carried out before the release of Office for National Statistics figures that showed that the rate of growth in UK inflation dipped to 3.4 per cent in May, down from 3.5 per cent in April but well above the Bank of England's 2 per cent target. Although the GfK index, which started in the 1970s, has gradually improved in recent months and is above the record lows registered at the height of the cost of living crisis in late 2022, it remained below the long-run run average of minus 10. The survey included 2,001 responses and was carried out between May 30 and June 13. Neil Bellamy, consumer insights director at NIQ GfK, said that the rise in confidence tracked the improvements in how consumers see the general economy. However, he flagged that confidence remains fragile due to 'the dark shadow of inflation' being a 'day-to-day challenge for so many of us'. 'With petrol prices set to rise in the coming weeks following the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, and with ongoing uncertainty as to the full impact of tariffs, there is still much that could negatively impact consumers,' he added. 'With so much volatility, now is certainly not the time to hope for the proverbial 'light at the end of the tunnel'.' This week the CBI downgraded its forecast for annual growth this year from 1.6 per cent to 1.2 per cent, as businesses face higher employment costs, rising inflation and headwinds from the global trading environment. Surveys from the business lobby group have suggested that companies will cut back on investment over the next 12 months at the fastest pace in five years.
