As a business owner or CEO, the weight of responsibility often rests squarely on your shoulders. Key decisions, company direction, strategic clarity, and personal growth—it's a monumental task, and the burden can feel isolating.

In the dynamic world of business leadership, there exists a shadowy reality that often lurks beneath the surface: the internal challenges faced by CEOs and business owners. While the spotlight may shine on their achievements and successes, behind closed doors, many leaders grapple with a host of internal enemies that threaten their well-being and effectiveness. 

In the world of business, motivating employees and driving performance are critical to success. Traditionally, many CEOs and business owners have turned to rewards such as bonuses, incentives, and praise to incentivise their teams. However, Alfie Kohn's groundbreaking book, "Punished by Rewards," challenges this conventional approach.

Each and every day, CEOs and business owners often find themselves navigating complex decisions, ethical dilemmas, and personal challenges.

In the fast-paced world of business, where decisions are made in the blink of an eye and strategies evolve at the speed of technology, the importance of taking an intentional pause is often underestimated.

Why Joining the ALCHEMISTS FORUM > Your Personal Board will Transform Your Leadership Journey.

All members of the Alchemists Forum identify as ‘Business Alchemists’, but what does this mean? Let’s start by outlining exactly what our chair Alan Branagh, defines as a business alchemist:

"A business alchemist is an individual who possesses a transformative growth mindset and exhibits characteristics of adaptability, creativity, innovation, and resourcefulness within the business world.

Small group coaching can be an incredibly effective tool for both business and personal growth and development. At the Alchemists Forum, our coaching enables members to build meaningful connections, resulting in clarity and confidence. However, coaching is not without its challenges.

Gaining insight into your own growth and development can be a daunting task. It's often hard to see yourself objectively and find solutions to your own issues.

Belfast and Dublin-based health technology company Hospital Services Limited (HSL), led by Alchemists Forum member, CEO Dominic Walsh, announces expansion into England with a new £1.7m East Midlands HQ.

This month the Alchemists Forum had the pleasure of welcoming Neil Laughton to our in-person speaker session. Neil Laughton is a successful business entrepreneur, multiple Guinness World Record breaking adventurer and a former Royal Marine Commando, helicopter pilot and Special Forces Officer.  

“Work-life balance may become an antiquated term soon. Framing our work, life, interests, family, friends, and everything else we do in ‘My Lifestyle’ is a far more realistic way to view it.” Jim Collins (2020) 

When an acquisition offer turns up out of the blue, knowing what to do is a huge call – and business owners need to get organised fast. The Alchemists Forum are collaborating with international specialists CapEQ to give a quick guide to understanding the opportunities and pitfalls of discussing your business exit with others.

Business leaders are becoming more aware that they need to see their enterprises as separate entities rather than an extension of themselves. Whether that’s because there’s just been a lot more written about “Building an enduring business”, I’m not sure. But reading about what you should do and putting it into practice, are two very different things.

Business exit strategies: five ways to sell your company

The decision to sell your business is a big call – and can seem drastic and final. Outlining a vision of how and when to exit will help you with later decisions like choosing the right advisor and pre-sale preparations. The Alchemists Forum are collaborating with international specialists CapEQ to give a few pointers to help you through the process.

The challenge of securing capital to grow a company can be both exhilarating and daunting. Get it right and those scale-up dreams are likely to come to fruition. Get it wrong and your plans can be seriously derailed. Entrepreneurs cannot escape these challenges but, by knowing what they are, can at least prepare for them. The Alchemists Forum are collaborating with international specialists CapEQ to give a few pointers to help you through the process.

Datactics, a fast-growing Belfast-based tech company, providing data quality and matching software to a growing number of international banks and Government departments, has seen its team double in size over the last 18 months, creating many new teams and leaders.

Stress is dominating the workplace, costing employers huge sums in absenteeism and reduced productivity, never mind the longer-term mental health implications on management teams and their staff. A 2020 ONS survey reported that mental health issues represented the fourth largest contributor to work absences at 11.6% with 57% of total employee absence due to stress, anxiety and depression.

But what can already struggling organisations do to help resolve the situation quickly and cost-effectively and get their businesses back on track in these challenging times?

M&A is notoriously difficult to get right, but increasingly is still the best option for seizing opportunities by scaling up. It’s not just why and where to acquire, but how that matters. The Alchemists Forum is collaborating with international specialists CapEQ to give a few pointers to help you get your acquisition approach right.

While change is essential to the growth and success of any organisation, it often creates fear and anxiety among a workforce.  Employees who feel they have no control over the process or the impact it will have upon them can become uncooperative, demotivated, and unproductive. So how can you, as a leader, overcome these obstacles and sustain employee engagement to achieve meaningful and productive transformational change?