Culture: The Line of Defence Nobody Can Buy
Culture: The Line of Defence Nobody Can Buy: Here is a question worth sitting with for a moment. If someone on your team clicked a suspicious link today, would they tell you? Not eventually. Not after trying to quietly fix it themselves. Immediately – would they pick up the phone or walk to your desk […]
The Plan You Hope You Never Need
Here is a number that should be on the agenda at your next leadership meeting. 72% of senior managers say cyber security is a top priority for their organisation. Only 29% have a formal incident response plan in place. The two figures come from the UK government’s latest cyber security breach survey. They were mentioned […]
Phishing: The Attack Hidden in Plain Sight
You get an email from HMRC. There is a tax refund waiting – over £700. There is a reference number, a paragraph lifted directly from the HMRC website, and a helpful link to start your claim. You are busy. It looks exactly right. You click. Gordy McDonald demonstrated this scenario in Aviemore. He walked through […]
It Can Happen to You: Ken Ross’s Story
Ken Ross does not have to be here. He is a well-respected business leader in the built environment sector, holds an OBE and a Deputy Lieutenancy, and runs a company with 30 years of client relationships. He could have stayed quiet about what happened in 2022. Most people in his position do. As he said […]
Ransomware: When Your Business Simply Stops
Christmas Eve 2020. Six in the morning. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency discovered its entire system had been encrypted overnight. Every file. Every database. Every communication channel. Gone. SEPA is a Category 1 responder. They issue flood warnings. They protect communities. And they could not access anything. Mark Gallagher was in the Gold Group response […]
The Threat Already Inside Your Organisation
Not every cyber threat comes from outside. Gordy McDonald was careful about how he framed this in Aviemore, because it is a subject that can create the wrong kind of anxiety in a team. The point is not that your people cannot be trusted. The point is that some of your most significant vulnerabilities involve […]
From Classroom to Community Impact: Karen Simpson on Education, Enterprise, and Raising Standards in Tutoring
Karen Simpson, founder of My Primary and Secondary Tutor in Inverness, shares her journey from classroom teacher to education entrepreneur on the Growth for Good podcast. Discover how she built a team of 30-plus qualified tutors, co-founded Tutors Alliance Scotland, and is raising standards in private tutoring across the Scottish Highlands and beyond.
From Surviving to Thriving: Libby McDonald on Building People-First Businesses in the Highlands
For many founders, the journey into entrepreneurship is rarely neat or linear. Libby McDonald, founder of We Are Thryve, has been shaped by resilience and lived experience. She understands what it takes to lead people through complexity and change. Speaking on the Growth for Good podcast, Libby reflects on a path that began far from […]
Busy to Profitable – Why Looking Productive Isn’t the Same as Progress. Insight 9
From Busy to Profitable: In the Highlands, commitment and community spirit run deep. Here, being busy is almost a badge of honour. But busy doesn’t always mean profitable. Activity without return is risk disguised as effort. Too many SMEs wear exhaustion like proof of growth. If your time, team, or tools aren’t delivering margin, you’re […]
Leading for Capital Efficiency: a Growth for Good Insight
Growth for Good Insight: Leading for Capital Efficiency In the Highlands and Islands, small teams often get great results. Still, securing funding can be challenging. Business growth doesn’t come from doing more; it comes from leading better. This isn’t about borrowing money. It’s about unlocking the capital, time, and capacity already in your business. From […]