Productivity is like Fitness: It’s a Mind-Set, Not a Life-Hack.

14th June 2016

What is the secret to productivity? That is the question. Looking at Google search results it seems like everyone has the answer. Thousands of magazines, blog posts, and articles claim to have ‘the productivity tip that will change your life’ or ‘the secret to success’. Productivity even has its own category on the app store. It seems obvious to say, but none of these posts or apps have life-changing secrets, or definitive formulas to productivity, despite what they might claim. They are tips, hints, aids. Nothing more. Productivity hacks can be useful, indeed we at Kingsford use a range of different things to help get the most out of our time, and have actually shared a few of them in […]

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SMEs: £5000 For Your Business with Scottish Enterprise’s By Design Grant

25th May 2016

At Kingsford Office we’re always on the lookout for tips and tricks that can help our clients grow their businesses. So, we thought we’d share with you details of a Scottish Enterprise grant that could give you upto £5000 worth of funding. The Scottish Enterprise “By Design” grant is to help SMEs in Scotland design new products, processes or services or to improve the design of existing products, processes or services. This could be an excellent opportunity if you’re currently looking to diversify your business or revamp your current model with a more design led approach. Is there a catch? Well, firstly you have to meet Scottish Enterprise’s criteria. Namely: You must be VAT registered in Scotland You must be […]

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5 Free Web Apps That Will Make You More Productive!

11th May 2016

The one thing that isn’t productive about productivity apps is time spent finding them. There are tens of thousands of productivity apps available online each with their own bewildering assortment of features, integrations and pricing. To save you time we’ve shortlisted our top five of the moment. Each one fits our selective criteria – namely, it makes you more productive. Organise your ideas with Mindmaps! Mindmeister – https://www.mindmeister.com Creating Mindmaps using desktop publishing software is cumbersome and time-consuming. Mindmeister is a fully featured, browser based alternative. Using Mindmeister you can quickly create informative Mindmaps to help you organise your projects, tasks and ideas. We particularly love the collaboration feature of Mindmeister which allows you to share your ideas in one […]

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The Secret to the Most Tax Efficient Coffee You’ll Ever Drink

28th April 2016

It’s a familiar story for many commuters: You’re on your way to work when you suddenly find yourself lured in to your closest Starbucks, Costa, Café Nero etc. The smell of freshly brewed coffee hooks you in. Your eyes glaze at the sight of a triple chocolate muffin. You stroll cheerily into the office, grande-ventissimo-roca-origin-espresso-quadruple-caramel-machiatto-with-whipped-cream-and-hazelnut-glaze in hand. Once the sugar and caffeine rush settles, all is well. That is until, you realise how much this daily little treat has really cost you… Let’s run through a fairly plausible example. Five days a week on your way to the office you buy a medium latte from Starbucks (£2.60). Two of those days you splash out and grab a Blueberry Muffin (£1.85). […]

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Five Minutes With: Rachel Manclark, our Business & Property Manager

24th March 2016

If you’re already a customer, chances are you’re on first name terms. If you’re not yet, then it’s likely she’ll be leading your viewing. We know she’s an expert in property management, but what else makes her tick?   How long have you been working for Kingsford and what do you like most about your job? I started in February 2015. What I like most is that every day is different. By that I mean I don’t come in every day to do a typical 9-5 job. It’s never boring and also I really like the team. What is your number one productivity tip? I use my productivity planner. Designed by Alex Ikonn. It’s a simple sheet that lets me […]

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Productivity, Practical Tips To Get The Most Out Of Your Time

10th March 2016

Most entrepreneurs will tell you their most precious asset is time. As after after all – time is money. Running your own business is far different from the 9-5 grind. Tight schedules, working across different time-zones and that one client who thinks its alright to call you at 2am can mean being an entrepreneur is often a round-the-clock job. While it can be daunting and stressful, with a few tips you can realise, as Nathan W. Morris puts it: “It’s not always that we need to do more but rather that we need to focus on less.” From the office, here’s our top eight: 1. One task at a time. While we’d all like to consider ourselves competent multi-taskers, trying […]

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The World’s Three Most Unusual Co-Working Spaces

11th February 2016

While a day spent co-working at Kingsford Business Club is never dull, there have admittedly been times where we’ve wondered what might happen if we had a boat, or monkeys, or a climbing wall? Well, here’s three rather unusual co-working spaces that do… Co-Boat – Co-working on a 30-metre-long boat. The very first co-working space on the water. Coboat is a new co-working concept combining co-working with a round-the-world sailing trip. Adventurous co-workers can signup for 7, 28 or 365 day trips, with the latter coming in at an eye-watering €45,990. It’s founders believe the intimacy of the boat is what makes it the ideal collaborative environment. “With Coboat, we realize our own dream to experience the world by boat, […]

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Table Tennis in the office. Can it mean (better) business?

1st February 2016

Amazon, Google, Alibaba, Cisco, Facebook… Kingsford. These big names pioneered table tennis in the office but The Kingsford Group is getting in on the act. Why? Well, quite simply, it makes perfect business sense. Amit Kleinberger, CEO of Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, an international chain with 475 locations, said in a Business Insider interview, “You have to know where your own weaknesses lie and cover those bases. On the flip side, you have to evaluate where your opponents’ weaknesses are and target them. For example, if your opponent tends to be slower at reacting on their left side, that’s where you want to aim. Employing this same strategy in business can be extremely helpful.” Some advocates argue it is one of […]

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Welcome to the New Home of the Kingsford Office Blog

10th January 2015

Welcome to the new home of the Kingsford Office blog – the place where we’ll aim to inform and entertain on a range of topics we hope will add value to your Kingsford experience. We’ll be trying hard to make our blog relevant to you and your organisation. Expect to find posts tackling ways of maximising productivity, generating leads and creating efficiencies right beside those focusing on the newest, tastiest sandwiches in town, the latest fitness trends and the fund raising efforts of our clients and our team. We see the blog as more than just a place to get the latest information on what we’re up to. We see it as a thriving hub of activity that we hope […]

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