Read the first issue of the new Business Magazine

People and pride of place are themes that are threaded through the pages of this edition of The Business Magazine which is fitting as we as a publisher return to a tangible printed product and celebrate the achievements of individuals and companies across the rich economic fabric of the South East.

This edition is deeply rooted in the business communities of the Thames Valley, Solent alongside Surrey, Kent and Sussex and our teams have spent months researching company backgrounds and speaking to those who are driving forward the economy and creating opportunity in industries where they live and further afield.

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The result is a magazine which explores key economic topics in depth and features a broad breadth of voices while exploring the opportunities and challenges that they face.

We took the decision to pause the printed product in November last year to take time to listen to our readers and advertisers, invest in our content, digital products and people and have seen triple digit website traffic growth year-on-year across our websites which reach an audience of over 45,000 people a month.

We have carefully built an audience of business leaders who own their own businesses or hold senior positions while our LinkedIn pages sit close to 15,000 followers which is unparalleled for a regional business news publication in the UK.

Black Ox, the owners of The Business Magazine, has also been on a journey since acquiring the business in February last year with 2022 seeing the acquisition of Surrey video production company Sightline in March and Gloucester-based Business & Innovation Magazine joining the group in May.

Both acquisitions mean Black Ox now has a sizeable footprint on the South East and South West with journalists, video specialists and sales people embedded in the communities they serve and striving to be the 'Face of Regional Business' news.

A constant thread of feedback from our readers and advertisers was to see a return of a printed product which they could use as a valuable reference point and barometer for economic activity in the South East. Our design and content reflect these needs while also including articles which inspire and promote new ideas and thinking.

Highlights of this edition include a conversation around leadership principles with security specialist Peter Faulding who has worked on some of the UK’s highest profile criminal cases while we also speak to IRIS Software Group's Chief People Officer, Stephanie Kelly, on her experience of developing an HR strategy in a highly acquisitive company.

The South East film industry is booming with international streaming firms settling in for the long haul which has triggered a studio construction boom.

We look at how tax incentives, a skilled workforce, location options and a weak pound have created a big bang which has seen inward investment surge while also looking at the challenges that could impede growth.

Get a group of people in a room and a rich topic and it is a recipe for some great content.

Last month we held a roundtable, in partnership with Redwood Technologies Group, on developing an ESG strategy which featured some of the biggest names in sustainability with the result being an article which discusses how it is now business critical with investment, contracts and recruitment becoming increasingly linked to a firm’s sustainability score.

With the economic climate uncertain, companies have to be using every lever at their disposal to leverage additional revenue. Exporting offers many opportunities for businesses to grow and in this edition, we look at the top 100 exporting companies in the South East and profile those who are breaking into new markets.

It sounds like part of a science fiction plot, but by the end of this year work will have started on a UK space energy system that will continually harvest solar power from the sun and beam it back to earth to be used to power our homes and businesses.

We spoke to Martin Soltau, co-chair at the Space Energy Initiative (SEI), about how the SEI could provide the UK with much-needed energy security and open up a new economic frontier in space.

Reading-based property start-up Jarvo, described as the Airbnb of homeworking, made headlines when it raised over £300,000 in its Seedrs crowdfunder in 42 seconds.

Founder Dan Hillman plans to transform remote work and we spoke to him about his vision and how we could soon be working from home in a number of different environments.

Skills shortage are rife in all parts of the economy but not many conversations are being had about the chronic shortage of people that can sell in the modern tech-enabled world.

The Curious Lounge's Louize Clarke tells us about her sales bootcamp and its bid to equip the next generation of salespeople with the skills needed to gain a top-class job and a route to a better life.

What makes a building cool? That is a question we address in this issue where we look at ten commercial buildings across the South East that inspire and encourage collaboration.

This is your magazine and we want you to help us build it into a publication that business communities across the South East can feel part of and be proud of.

We are to inform, promote and connect so please get in touch with any news or just to say hello.