Gifts to help your business bloom in 2024
Whilst everyone steps into Christmas, you could be adding a little spring into your step for a successful 2024 and beyond.
December is upon us and as we fast approach the season to be jolly, as a business leader you’d be wise to look ahead and consider what you want 2024 to look like for your organisation.
Whether that involves sharpening and refining your offer to improve efficiency and profitability or scaling up to take world domination; success looks different to all organisations. So here’s a thought – as well as investing in yourself this Christmas, have you considered what gifts might benefit your business?
The Blue Llama team have compiled a Christmas Business Gift Guide for 2024 – gifts which could help your business boom in the new year, or simply make your work-life more enjoyable!
Our Llama List Covers:
Business Tools
Let’s kick things off with some handy tools that can help businesses improve efficiency and productivity. Here are some of our top picks, many already integrated into our own business processes:
ChatGPT Plus
Most people have dabbled with the ChatGPT platform in some capacity, but this advanced subscription is well worth the monthly investment, with faster response times, priority access to new features and game-changing apps being created every day. For businesses, this means quicker access to AI-driven insights and information, improving decision-making and overall efficiency. We love this.
Price: circa £16.30 per month
Link: ChatGPT Plus
Fathom
Fathom is a tool that records and transcribes video calls, making it a valuable asset for businesses that rely on virtual meetings. It basically ensures that important details aren’t missed as it provides an accessible transcript for future reference, enhancing communication and record-keeping efficiency. Pricing is based on the number of businesses you connect.
Price: From circa £39pm per company (free 14 day trial)
Link: Fathom
AI Automation
This innovative new service offers businesses the opportunity to effectively integrate AI assistants into their operations. These clever little AI assistants can handle a range of tasks from customer service to data analysis, enabling businesses to streamline workflows, reduce the workload on human employees, and improve overall operational efficiency… and we’re the team do bring this to you!
Price: Not as much as you might think
Link: AI Automation
QuickBooks or XERO
If you’re an SME and you don’t have these set up, you’ll appreciate having them in place. Accounting software like QuickBooks & XERO can automate many accounting tasks, improve financial reporting accuracy, and provide valuable insights into business finances. They both offer on-premises and cloud-based versions, making financial management more accessible and efficient.
Price: From circa £14 per month
Link: Quickbooks
Price: From £15 per month
Link: Xero
Slack
With a team based around the world, we love Slack at Blue Llama! A secure, messaging app designed to support teams that work remotely – it connects our people with necessary apps, services, and resources, facilitating smooth communication and collaboration. This platform can significantly improve internal communication efficiency, streamline workflow, and integrate with various business tools to centralise operations.
Price: From Free
Link: Slack
Training Courses & Workshops
There will be countless industry specific courses available for your business, but we found the following particularly great for business growth:
Jersey Business Leading Growth Programme
The ‘Leading Growth’ programme is a great course run by Jersey Business, designed for business owners and senior leaders who want to rise above the day-to-day and focus on accelerating their business through the next phase of growth. This has made a huge impact on the way we operate and look to the future, so if you’re business is at a real turning point that could do with informed guidance, this would be a great gift for yourself!
Price: £412.50 per delegate thanks to Government of Jersey subsidy (previously £1500)
Link: Jersey Business Leading Growth Programme
Any Digital Jersey Course
From Excel formulas to video editing, coding to AI tools. There is a continuous flow of training and skill development being added to the Digital Jersey Courses that could add multiple strings to your business bow!
Price: From free.
Link: Digital Jersey Courses
LinkedIn Learning
You’ve seen the change in momentum on this platform over the last few years, 2024 is going to see further growth and if you want your business to be leading the way, or even keeping up with the pace, having a bit of official LinkedIn intel would be a good idea.
Price: £29.99per month (monthly payment plan).
Link: Linkedin Learning
Books
Reflect, challenge, learn, grow. We’ve found the following books to be great insights into business strategy and practices.
Scary Smart: The Future of Artificial Intelligence and How You Can Save Our World
By 2049, AI will be a billion times more intelligent than humans. Scary Smart explains how to fix the current trajectory now, to make sure that the AI of the future can preserve our species. This book offers a blueprint, pointing the way to what we can do to safeguard ourselves, those we love and the planet itself.
Price: From £4.99
Link: Scary Smart: The Future of Artificial Intelligence and How You Can Save Our World
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action
Why are some people and organisations more inventive, pioneering and successful than others? And why are they able to repeat their success again and again?
Because in business it doesn’t matter what you do, it matters why you do it. Steve Jobs, the Wright brothers and Martin Luther King have one thing in common: they started with why.
This book is for anyone who wants to inspire others or to be inspired.
Price: From £5.99
Link: Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action
The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses
Offers a new approach being adopted across the globe, changing the way companies are built and new products are launched. Most startups fail. But many of those failures are preventable. The Lean Startup is a new approach being adopted across the globe, changing the way companies are built and new products are launched.
Price: From £8.99
Dare to Lead – Brené Brown
How do you cultivate braver, more daring leaders? And how do you embed the value of courage in your culture?
When we dare to lead, we don’t pretend to have the right answers; we stay curious and ask the right questions. We don’t see power as finite and hoard it; we know that power becomes infinite when we share it and work to align authority and accountability. We don’t avoid difficult conversations and situations; we lean into the vulnerability that’s necessary to do good work.
Price: From £8.99
Link: Dare to Lead – Brené Brown
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
There’s never been a better time to make a few tiny changes that will revolutionise your life.
A revolutionary system to get one per cent better every day.
People think when you want to change your life, you need to think big. But world-renowned habits expert James Clear has discovered another way. He knows that real change comes from the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions – doing two push-ups a day, waking up five minutes early, or holding a single short phone call.
He calls them atomic habits.
Price: From £4.99
Link: Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
StoryTelling
Does your business have a story to tell in 2024? There are some incredible locals who can help your tell it…
Slingshot Films
Whether you wish to share your story through your website, social media or in face-to-face presentations; having a quality video to bring your message to life is infinitely powerful. We work with a number of local creatives and can highly vouch for the services of Slingshot Films. They could make a big impact for your 2024 campaign.
Price: Custom
Link: Slingshot Films
Photography
As per our recent blog post ‘Ultimate guide to local photography’. There is a host of local talent available when it comes to stunning photography. But as our regular partner for client projects, we’re going to shout out to Andy Le Gresley for this Gift Guide. You know you’re investing in quality when it comes to Andy, so if your business is wanting to present itself at that premium level, he’s a fantastic choice. You can also purchase his stock images to give your office a bit of a refresh!
Price: Custom:
Link: Andy Le Gresley
Podcasts
Who doesn’t love a free gift? Here are our favourite podcasts, packed full of frank, challenging insights that could radically change your approach to business:
The Diary of a CEO
Hosted by our youngest dragon, Stephen Bartlett. Refreshing, Insightful, amazing guest speakers, powerful insight into business.
Price: Free!
Link: The Diary of a CEO
Honest Business
The Honest Business podcast is here to give you advanced business strategy and the inside know-how for business owners who are scaling rapidly with strong, value-driven businesses.
Price: Free!
Link: Honest Business
A 16oz
Tech and culture trends, news, and the future – especially as ‘software eats the world’. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, tech enthusiast, or someone interested in the future, this show has something for you.
Price: Free!
Link: A 16z
Masters of Scale
The show has two formats, classic and rapid response. In classic format episodes, host Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn cofounder, talks to guests about how businesses scale, stories of entrepreneurship, leadership, strategy, management, fundraising, and even failures, setbacks, learnings. In the Rapid Response format, host Bob Safian, past editor- in-chief of Fast Company, talks to business leaders about real-time and fast-changing situations in the world of business, and how to tackle crisis and change.
Price: Free!
Link: Masters of Scale
Gadgets & Gizmos
There are endless possibilities when it comes to this category, so we aren’t going to go down the route of the obvious and latest releases. Our brief is “What would a Blue Llama like” – and here you go:
Moleskin Digital Notebook
A complete system for bringing paper and digital together! This clever little notepad is the prefect pal when out at meetings. Assisting you as you write as normal, whilst (if you want it to) it converts your notes into type written text, ready for digital use when you return to your desk!
Price: £229
Link: Moleskin
Llama Life!
Arguably an upgrade to the “Pomodoro Timer Technique” – in both in features and name! The “LlamaLife” website and app helps you plan your day with timed tasks, reminders and step-by-step guides, keeping you accountable and focussed. Who needs an egg timer gadget when you can gave this on your phone or running in the background of your laptop? #Win.
Price: £4.75 per month / £30 per year
Link: Llama Life
Outdoor Work Station
Loved by one of our marketing partners Summer Holley, the BASE12 laptop shade is a versatile and portable outdoor workstation let enables you to soak up the sunshine whilst working from home – or the park – or wherever. Featuring high-quality umbrella fabric for sun glare reduction and light rain protection, it reduces eye strain for a more comfortable experience.
Price: £49.99
Link: Base 12 Laptop Shade
Evie Subscriptions
We all want to do our bit for the planet, so why not do things a bit differently? Evie offer a subscription or on-demand service that provides you (and your team) with flexible transportation options including bikes and cars. It’s a convenient solution for businesses looking to reduce the logistical challenges and costs associated with employee travel, thus improving efficiency and employee satisfaction. Food for thought…
Price: Subscriptions from £10 per month
Link: Evie on Demand
So there you have it. Our Blue Llama Gift Guide 2023 – Gifts for a Booming Business!
Wishing you the very best for the year ahead and of course, if you’d like to talk digital and how Blue Llama could help your business thrive in 2024, let’s talk!
