Today saw the publication of a report by Lord Young entitled ‘Growing Your Business’- one of a series of pieces by ‘The Dude’ (still don’t know why he has that nickname) to help Small Businesses in the UK. I have a lot of time for Lord Young, I’ve met him, and discussed a few ideas…
Well, if you are Richard Branson then the answer is just a couple of hundred dollars. Yes, one of the most important entrepreneurs of our time started his first business with just a few hundred dollars received from the sale of a lost necklace that was never claimed. Branson was still at school and his…
I heard on the radio recently something about the number of Young Entrepreneurs rocketing since the recession started. This triggered off a few little things in my head that were bugging me. For one, the phrase ‘Young Entrepreneurs’. Now, I am no stranger to this phrase as for many years I ran one of the…
Recently I was looking to open a business bank account for a new venture I’m looking to start- so I thought I would do the rounds with the banks to see what was on offer. I’m not going to name names here, but I was actually quite shocked at what I found. I went in…
Marketing, telling the story, decking out your online shop window for Christmas or any season, is essential and can be a real buzz for your business and your feelgood factor. Be sure to do it, to keep it alive and interesting, but keep your feet on the ground. With all the techno wizardry at our…
It’s Global Entrepreneurship Week and I’ve been busy speaking in all the major cities and on television. Not that I’m an Entrepreneur, hardly anyone that speaks on entrepreneurship is. I know as much as the next speaker, dress better, have been on television and I’ve written a best selling, funny book on enterprise. I also…
Everyone’s a foodie. People smile when a laden plate is put in front of them. Our optimism levels lift when we are well fed and watered. While there are many things people think they can’t live without, food and drink are two body and soul imperatives, making that industry one of the most complex, competitive,…
Keep up won’t you – most websites that promote ‘how to successfully start and run your own business’ are sponsored by big companies and government bodies and written by people that are in jobs and have never started their own business. The advice is so yesterday. It is stuff from antiquity that belongs in a…
Last night I watched a movie with my wife, and the actress in the movie kept on saying, “Life is in session”. What was the movie? No, seriously – it got me thinking about the whole life journey thing, what makes it interesting and what gives it meaning? It being Easter (obviously not enough work…
Question Time Just before I flew home to Canada I was asked by my inept agent, Tony Robinson OBE, to chair a ‘Question Time’ type debate at a large micro business conference in his home town of Scarborough. Micro businesses (0-9 employees) are, apparently, quite important to the UK. There are 4.5 million of them…
