Communication skills and knowledge of technology are keys to success, report shows

Date: 21st July 2010

Small businesses operating in the UK could be among those to benefit from the publication of a new report which highlights the key to success.

A recent YouGov poll, carried out on behalf of Orange, has revealed what some of the UK's most successful smaller businesses believe to be the driving force behind their operation.

The report revealed that 50 per cent of the businesses asked said that having good communication skills was an important part of their success.

Keeping up to date with the latest technological advancements (38 per cent) and being "well connected" (29 per cent) were also seen as key factors, with a high online presence and being environmentally aware making up the top five.

The report follows the recent merger between Orange and T-Mobile, which has seen the creation of a new firm called Everything Everywhere.

Martin Lyne, a marketing director at Everything Everywhere, said: "Whether based in a rural hamlet or a major city, it's clear that high flying [firms] and more importantly, the entrepreneur who established them, share key characteristics.

"Presence on social networking sites for example now provides start-ups with access to new contacts, new ways of thinking and new customers, which formally would have been difficult to attain."

Posted by Thomas Fletcher