The best read SmartCompany Plus articles from 2021

It’s been a big year for all and, here at SmartCompany, we’ve been no exception. This year brought a swath of changes, including the launch of our subscription product, SmartCompany Plus — a must-have resource for business owners looking to improve their operations.

If you’re yet to subscribe and aren’t quite sure what it’s all about, well, here’s your chance. I’ve put together a list of our best read articles across the year, to help you to grow, learn and be inspired as we pivot into the new year.

P.S. Until midnight tonight, you can use this link to get 50% off an annual subscription. It’s our biggest sale yet, so don’t miss out!

Best read recruitment articles

When rumours started swelling of The Great Resignation in recent months, recruitment became a very, very hot topic, with business owners willing to try anything and everything to keep their staff on board. Here are some tips:

1. The Great Resignation: Nine ways to make sure your staff don’t leave
2. Lessons on hiring, firing and company renewal: The secrets behind Blackmagic Design’s success
3. Expert opinion: Why a lack of climate action will hinder your talent recruitment
4. The talent war has turned to drought: Three steps to ensure your business survives
5. Why you should stop screening job candidates’ social media profiles

Best read growth articles

With change often comes growth, and looking through our best read SmartCompany Plus articles, that has certainly rang true for our subscribers. Here are our top five picks:

1. Rise with Reels: How to utilise the power of Instagram for your business
2. Behavioural science hacks: How to frame your ads to increase clicks
3. How upskilling helped The Oodie founder David Fogarty build a business making $180 million in revenue
4. Almost 90% of teams are ‘unhealthy’. Here’s how to nurse yours back to peak condition
5. Hypergrowth playbook: 11 tactics shared by the world’s fastest growing companies

Best read inspiration articles

The end of the year marks the beginning of yet another; 12 months to learn, grow, change and transform. These are the best pieces of inspiration from 2021, with lessons that still ring true as we enter 2022:

1. Set up for success: The morning routines of 14 Australian entrepreneurs
2. Fighting (and winning) against Amazon: The Booktopia model
3. How Mustard Made’s founders created a multimillion-dollar business while working on opposite sides of the world
4. Ambition articulated in vivid colour: Behind the scenes at Blackbird Ventures
5. Seven growth secrets: How hyper-growth startup Linktree attracted 12 million users in just five years

Take a look through the SmartCompany Plus archive to discover more great reads.