Simon Wadsworth is a global reputation management expert . He is the Founder of Igniyte , a reputation management company , and has recently been asked to contribute to a book called Scale for Success , which is aimed at entrepreneurs as a comprehensive guide to growing their business . He explains how an online reputation is fundamental to business success .

For business leaders , the two are inextricably intertwined . Online reputation is fundamental to the survival and the success of your business . Even the biggest names can pay the price for a poor online reputation

We ’ ve all seen the online viral response to a highlevel individual ’ s error . And we all know just how fast these things spread . The results vary from forced resignations to attempts to ignore the reputation damage .

In the 21st century business arena , there is no room for reputational damage . The biggest names have fallen foul of this , with some reputation disasters causing serious long-term damage to brands . COVID-19 threw us all into a new world with the moves of big businesses under scrutiny more than ever .

How businesses are perceived to treat their employees and their customers matters . It matters a lot . And in times of crisis , it ’ s easy for business leaders and big names to make catastrophic errors of judgement . Social media gives the public a platform to call out individuals and brands that they disapprove of and ‘ cancel them ’.

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