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Cobweb 'Unplugged' - With comments
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Professionals question the thinking behind 'Business In You' (30
Jan
2012)
The Government's latest web-based initiative to support and encourage start ups was launched by David Cameron last week. The Business In You website has been set up by the Department for Business (BIS) to highlight support for start-ups and growing businesses and encourage entrepreneurial spirit in 2012... read more
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Nightmares and sugar-coated enterprise (26
Jan
2012)
Currently large numbers of business owners are finding trading conditions very tough with many looking to get out of business and return to employment, while many others are scaling down their enterprise and seeking part-time work to supplement their income. At the same time Government are encouraging more people to start up in business with the launch of a new campaign... read more
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Enterprise in disguise and reluctant entrepreneurship (19
Jan
2012)
According to official figures there are 4.14 million people in self-employment (about 14% of total employment) and latest statistics available show that self employment was 300,000 higher in spring 2010 than at the start of the recession in 2008 - a rise of about 8%. However a report by the CIPD suggests that these figures don't tell the whole story... read more
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The enterprise graveyard - Part 2 (12
Jan
2012)
Our lead article last week presented a rather controversial argument which raised questions about 2012 being held up by Government and others as the 'year for enterprise', and whether it makes sense to encourage more start ups, especially now there is so little genuine local business support available... read more
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2012 and the enterprise graveyard (05
Jan
2012)
Is it right to encourage the start up of more hairdressers, shops and freelancers to add to the struggling hairdressers, shops and freelancers who are already scraping the barrel in terms of finding demand from customers with spare disposable income for their already widely available products and services - especially following the near wipeout of practical, face-to-face support?... read more
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The Business Plan Valley of Death (15
Dec
2011)
Depending on whom you are talking to or dealing with, there will be many different factors to consider when preparing your business plan. However, whatever the reason, situation or purpose for your plan here are seven real-world principles you should stick to in order to avoid entering the business plan 'valley of death'... read more
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Three small business success factors (08
Dec
2011)
There are three particular aspects of running a business which, when approached properly, are frequently acknowledged as being important factors that contribute to success. Those three factors are prioritisation, accountability and planning... read more
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Minister rejects call for new 'micro business' category (28
Nov
2011)
A cross-party group of MPs has called on the Government to create a new official category for firms with up to five employees, arguing that current definitions leave many of the UK's smallest firms burdened with policies designed for larger organisations... read more
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Why people won't buy from you (24
Nov
2011)
A useful way for you to look at your levels of sales - or lack of them - is identifying and understanding the reasons why people are not buying from you. In other words if you can understand what your prospects claim to be the barriers or objections which result in them not buying from you then you can work on those objections and do something to fix them... read more
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Questions about small business lending (17
Nov
2011)
If you need to prepare a business plan in order to secure a loan, grant or equity investment, there are some important questions which your prospective funder will certainly ask to help them make a decision. And there are some important questions which you will need to ask the funder and also ask yourself... read more
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The Department for Business, a GP and a Butcher Shop (10
Nov
2011)
Offering free giveaways to prospects and customers can be a powerful business building tactic which, when used sensibly, can help to generate valuable long-term goodwill towards your business, and may eventually lead to an increase of new and repeat customers in your store, or other line of trade... read more
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How to encourage small business failure (03
Nov
2011)
If you listen to the raft of Government announcements and enterprise promotion initiatives in the UK at the moment, we should all be getting off our redundant or soon-to-be-laid-off backsides and starting a business or going self employed. Or more accurately, 'starting an SME', to quote ministers, civil servants and the gurus who mingle with them... read more
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Some myths about starting a business (20
Oct
2011)
We've either read or heard just about every bit of advice there is about what will or won't make a small business either fail or succeed. And some of it makes us positively cringe. What's even worse is that much of what gets said has become widely believed or accepted... read more
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Concerns raised over start up advice from accountants (17
Oct
2011)
A free consultation with a chartered accountant is being offered to start ups and small business owners under a scheme launched by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). But professionals from the business support sector have questioned whether accountants will be able to advise on the full range of issues facing a new business... read more
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Business support in 2012 (13
Oct
2011)
As we move closer to 25 November, the official execution date for England's regional Business Link services it is perhaps worth taking a pause and looking at what is or appears to be happening after the closure of the much-criticised (and not infrequently praised) national face-to-face business advice service next month... read more
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How to be enterprising enough (06
Oct
2011)
How enterprising should business owners be, what are good examples of enterprising business behaviour and activity and what should business owners be striving to do more of to ensure they stay in business for longer?... read more
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The current state of business support: has BIS got it right or wrong? (03
Oct
2011)
New research has been released by the Department for Business (BIS) into the way that businesses use formal external support. The 79-page report reveals the extent to which Business Link is likely to be missed by smaller firms seeking face-to-face support, and raises questions over whether extended online provision and the voluntary mentoring scheme will be able to fill the gap... read more
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Your strengths or weaknesses - what's the priority? (15
Sep
2011)
It has often been argued that a small business will eventually fail, or cease trading quickly, due to the fact that the business owner had too many weaknesses and failed to address them. But does this describe the complete picture, and are business owners' weaknesses the critical factor at play?... read more
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How to avoid boring your customers (01
Sep
2011)
It's a sad fact that most small businesses, and especially new start ups, make the mistake, innocently enough, of having a bland, boring and in some cases completely baffling business proposition and marketing message. The chances are that by following some easy steps you can make sure that your messages and overall business proposition aren't boring... read more
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Six common sales mistakes and how to avoid them (25
Aug
2011)
Selling and prospecting for sales is something that every small business owner has to do - sometimes, it's the majority of what they do. But even when it's not, this is still one of the most important activities a business owner will get involved in. Unfortunately selling doesn't come naturally to many people running their own business... read more
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Tips for recruiting your first (or any) new employee (04
Aug
2011)
So, you've started your own business or have been running one single-handedly for several months or maybe longer. You might even consider yourself quite a success by your own modest little standards. But when was the last time you didn't work a weekend, or took a proper holiday... read more
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Making money means making sales (28
July
2011)
As a small business owner, it would probably be difficult to argue that you don't want to be successful, with a desire to create financial independence for yourself, your employees and anyone else with a share or a stakeholding in your enterprise. But you're only going to make money if you have a product or service that is selling enough... read more
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The NFEA rebrand: CEO Dawn Whiteley speaks to BAD News (25
July
2011)
In our recent coverage of the National Federation of Enterprise Agencies' (NFEA) decision to rebrand itself as the National Enterprise Network, BAD News readers expressed mixed opinions, with some raising concerns about the potential confusion that it could cause among the business support community... read more
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RIP face-to-face business advice (07
July
2011)
Business minister Mark Prisk has announced that Government's role is explicitly not to 'prop up' or provide business with 'support', but that the purpose of Government business intervention is 'to show business how to improve'... read more
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NFEA rebrand receives mixed reception (04
July
2011)
Last week the National Federation of Enterprise Agencies (NFEA) announced that it had undertaken a rebranding exercise and renamed itself as the National Enterprise Network... read more
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Small business survival strategy checklist (30
Jun
2011)
Running your business can be made less complicated, or at least be simplified, if you follow a few guiding principles that apply to everyone that survives their first year and continues to trade successfully... read more
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More ways to beat your biggest rivals (23
Jun
2011)
In business big isn't always beautiful, or even desirable, for that matter. And high growth isn't what the vast majority of small businesses will ever achieve. Nor is it necessarily what they want to achieve. But that doesn't mean you can't succeed as a small business... read more
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The gamesmanship of business (16
Jun
2011)
One way that new business owners should look at being in business, is that it is like taking part in a game. Or more precisely taking part in a number of different games, not for the purpose of participation, but for the purpose of trying to win every game that you play... read more
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More lessons about salesmanship (09
Jun
2011)
Being effective at selling isn't just a matter of putting a product under a prospect's nose and hoping they'll automatically open up their wallet or purse and buy it. Well, of course, there is an element of doing that, but more importantly than just getting your product in front of them, you also need to be conveying to your prospect some facts that will tempt or compel them to buy from you... read more
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Business Start Up observations (26
May
2011)
Last week, EnterQuest publisher Cobweb exhibited at the Business Start Up Show at the Excel Centre in London. It had been four years since we last took a stand at the event, and in many respects not much had changed in terms of the aspiring start up visitors, their profile, needs and questions. But what was noticeably different was the mix of exhibitors and keynote speakers in attendance... read more
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New LEP Start Up Fund and RGF round two announced (16
May
2011)
Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are being invited to bid for a share of a new £5 million Start Up Fund to help establish themselves. The money is apparently available to finance the LEPs' office equipment, training needed to get the new organisations up and running, and their engagement with the wider business community... read more
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Marketing failure and how to avoid it (13
May
2011)
Most small business owners start their new venture, or plan to start it, with a business idea or more likely a product idea. Often, but not always, this can be a very good idea. But even these good ideas are worth little or nothing if there isn't a market, or the potential to find a market, for that particular product or service... read more
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Business fear, failure and stupidity (06
May
2011)
There are many different reasons to explain why some people succeed with their small business venture, and the degree to which it happens for them. A combination of hard work, luck, plenty of planning, good timing and getting decent advice all play their part, but don't tell the whole story. When it comes to the crunch, there is one factor that stands in the way of almost all small business owners at some point... read more
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Business priorities that are often ignored (28
Apr
2011)
This week we're going to focus your attention on six genuine priorities which every new business owner in any sector simply can't ignore. Of course you will have other priorities, depending on the nature of your business and the stage you're at in your business' life cycle, but these ones are common to just about every business sector... read more
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What's your business 'back end'? (21
Apr
2011)
Do you know the difference between front-end and back-end sales in business? Have you heard of these terms but were unsure about what they really mean, or have you even heard of them at all? A lot of new and existing small business owners haven't come across these terms or just don't recognise the importance of the distinction between the two... read more
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Stop calling us entrepreneurs and 'SMEs' (14
Apr
2011)
Many sections of the business media, along with government ministers, business celebrities and academics now generically refer to us all as 'entrepreneurs' or even worse as 'SMEs'. But in a technical sense are we all really entrepreneurs... read more
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More causes of business failure - and how to make sure you don't (07
Apr
2011)
Despite the dismal statistics about the number of new businesses that fail within their first months and weeks of starting up, almost half a million people still give setting up a small business a go every year. This figure is likely to steadily increase as more people lose their jobs in both the public and private sector in the next couple of years... read more
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StartUp Britain - version 2? (31
Mar
2011)
This week's launch of the self-proclaimed 'unique' StartUp Britain initiative by David Cameron and a group of business individuals has created a considerable amount of debate across all sections of the business community, both online and offline, the majority of it negative... read more
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Small business 'moments of truth' (24
Mar
2011)
The quality and standard of your customer service, no matter what type of small business you run, is critical to your success. But the standard of that service as experienced or perceived by your customers is also the cornerstone on which you will build a valuable, ongoing stream... read more
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Where to find good business advice and support (18
Mar
2011)
Since the coalition Government announced its decision to cut back funding for face-to-face business advice it has been very difficult to find anything positive or constructive to say about business support policy or the initiatives which are designed to encourage local enterprise and business start ups... read more
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The business owners' 'to-do' list (10
Mar
2011)
Most small business owners will have a 'to-do' list in one form or another, and for a select few it is all they need as they instinctively trade their way through their current business day, week or month. But for some owner-managers the to-do list has the wrong things on it and others haven't got a clue about what they should be doing in the first place... read more
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The mysterious art of selling (25
Feb
2011)
One of the biggest ailments afflicting small business owners which we've encountered over the years is the lack of importance given to selling. And apart from a lack of financial acumen, an aversion and avoidance of selling is possibly the biggest problem of all facing owner managers... read more
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Business Link: friend or foe to local enterprise agencies? (21
Feb
2011)
This week minister for small business Mark Prisk invited readers of guardian.co.uk to a live question and answer session regarding the Government's strategy to help more people to grow their own enterprise whilst also diversifying the demographic of business owners across the country... read more
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New LEPs launched for Yorkshire and Enterprise M3 (15
Feb
2011)
Two new Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) have been approved, bringing the total number of LEPs across England up to 30 in preparation for the closure of the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) planned for March 2012... read more
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More reasons not to start up in business (10
Feb
2011)
The fact that so many small businesses and self-employed individuals fail so quickly after starting up isn't a genuine reason on its own for someone not to start their own venture. But it's a very good argument as to why they should be absolutely sure they're starting up for the right reasons and with the right outlook and approach... read more
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The number one small business obstacle (04
Feb
2011)
Over a period of several years of working directly with new business start ups and micro-business owners it became evident to us that there is one single factor more than any other which is the main obstacle standing in the way of both prospective start ups or existing small business owners... read more
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Enterprise UK to close in April (01
Feb
2011)
Charities are being invited to apply for a slice of the £0.5 million in cash assets expected to remain after Enterprise UK's activities are wound up in April... read more
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Four consistent failure factors (13
Jan
2011)
It's a grim fact that 80% of new ventures will fail within a few short years, with many of those failures happening inside the first 12 months. According to research from banks and other business support agencies, these failures can consistently be pinned down to four major causes... read more
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New Enterprise Allowance and business support changes announced (10
Jan
2011)
The Government has announced details of the New Enterprise Allowance (NEA), which it claims will create up to 40,000 new businesses, alongside a Mentoring Gateway. There are also plans to close regional Business Links by November 2011 and proposals to overhaul the existing Business Link website... read more
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What UK small businesses don't need in 2011 (22
Dec
2010)
2010 has been a frustrating and peculiar year for anyone with a personal or professional interest in small business matters. A new government, the scrapping of Business Link and the blame and confusion which has followed... read more
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The 'fun' of running your own business (16
Dec
2010)
It certainly is great fun being a small business owner. Great fun dealing with inspectors from HMRC, your local environmental health department, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the local fire officer, the trading standards office, the local valuation office and so on... read more
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More surprises your business adviser forgot to tell you (09
Dec
2010)
For most people, once they've got their new enterprise up and running they start to encounter some of the practical realities which every business owner has to deal with. Many of these realities will come as something of a surprise and may also be issues which some business advisers and other start up advocates had failed to point out to their clients... read more
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Cash flow tips you cannot ignore (03
Dec
2010)
If there's one thing that's inevitable in business it's that every year, too many small firms will fail. In fact, more businesses fail within three years of starting up than survive. And most failures occur within a matter of months, and in some cases within weeks of starting up... read more
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A great place to start up your business (24
Nov
2010)
What about having a place to locate your enterprise before you even start trading, while you're still doing all the planning, preparation and research, and when your only business assets are those in your head and in your iPhone or BlackBerry?... read more
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How to avoid inappropriate business advice (04
Nov
2010)
Inappropriate information and advice for small business owners can be difficult to avoid. One particular reason why so many new business start ups and small business owners experience problems is that their starting point when seeking help or support is led by the attraction of getting a grant - often misleadingly dangled in front of them as 'free money'... read more
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The enterprise frenzy and the Spending Review (21
Oct
2010)
When it comes to starting a business and encouraging enterprise in the UK, this has become something of a national obsession. An enterprise 'frenzy' and a mistaken belief that this is the solution to some of the problems caused by the economic slowdown and the imminent spending cutbacks. It has become the ministers' dream as much as it has for those individuals who dream of starting their own business... read more
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Business owners question usefulness of social media (18
Oct
2010)
A survey by the Forum of Private Business (FPB) has revealed that although business owners are increasingly using social media, many question its usefulness. The FPB survey found that 52% of business owners surveyed use websites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter but 21% described these sites as 'not useful'. read more
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Are you a chicken entrepreneur? (14
Oct
2010)
There are masses of reports, articles, proposals and predictions in the media at the moment about enterprise and entrepreneurship, and the number of people who would like to, will need to, or are about to start a business. And there's one aspect of this business start up phenomenon that's worthy of special attention. Chicken entrepreneurship... read more
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How to run a business that won't fail (30
Sep
2010)
In previous issues of EnterQuest, our bulletins have been noted for a recurring tendency to rant on about business failure, often with a sprinkling of tactics we've suggested which will encourage the early downfall of new business start ups. So this week we have decided to put the failure theme to one side and focus on a few tips and tactics which are generally followed by business owners who manage to avoid failure... read more
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More tips to guarantee business failure (23
Sep
2010)
In this week's bulletin we thought it would be helpful to encourage our readers to take some more positive action and prepare themselves for business failure. We've identified some practical tips you can start using straight away which, if followed, will put you out of business and on the enterprise scrapheap in double quick time... read more
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Why do people really go into business? (16
Sep
2010)
Most people, when they go into business, do so because they believe they will be successful at doing something that they are already good at, where they have loads of experience or which is related to their existing profession... read more
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Assessment of LEP proposals begins (13
Sep
2010)
The Government will now begin the task of considering the 56 proposals for Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), following the closing date for bids on 6 September... read more
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Why you shouldn't start a business (09
Sep
2010)
Here is a reality check - what happens to new business start ups when the country is bust, consumer spending is in the doldrums, and credit-for-all is a thing of the past? What will happen if demand continues to fall, household spending remains static and industry withdraws even further into safe mode?... read more
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How to make your business more interesting (26
Aug
2010)
Here's some good news for you this week. The majority of small business owners are generally inept when it comes to marketing and promoting themselves. So why exactly is that good news, you might ask?... read more
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Small business owners are not very green or charitable - but they enjoy meeting people (05
Aug
2010)
EnterQuest's most recent survey looked into small business owners' attitudes and opinions about using business plans both at start up and at other key times in the business life cycle. The survey also sought our readers opinions about their management style, how they measure success, and what excites and frustrates them the most about running a small firm in the UK... read more
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Your idea's stupid, you're an idiot and you'll fail (29
July
2010)
People will tell you that your idea is daft, but if you do your research, stick to what you believe in, think outside of the boundaries that are set by others, and take calculated, measured risks, then you can put yourself on the right path towards making your idea happen... read more
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Business secrets your adviser forgot to tell you (22
July
2010)
There's an expression you may have heard that's quite often applied to small business start ups (of American origin we believe) that goes something like this: 'Every successful enterprise requires three types of people - a dreamer, a businessman and a son-of-a-b*tch.'
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What you need first before starting up (15
July
2010)
When you started your business, or if you're in the process of starting one now, what do you think is (or was) the first and most important thing you needed to have before you made the decision to start? And if you've had some 'expert' advice, what did they say you needed first?... read more
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What's an entrepreneur? (08
July
2010)
Many entrepreneurial people start up in business - often several times - and end up failing every time. Not because they aren't entrepreneurial enough, but because they don't know how to run a business... read more
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'Must haves' for small business support (01
July
2010)
In the last few days Business and Enterprise Minister, Mark Prisk, has been reported as saying that the regional Business Links will be closed and their contracts wound down... read more
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The unique 'small business feeling' (27
May
2010)
Many people who run their own enterprise fail to appreciate that running a small business can give them several advantages over the bigger players in their sector or industry... read more
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The 'proper' way to run your business (13
May
2010)
You will almost certainly have heard the expression, or seen it first hand, that 'all's fair in love and war', and for a lot of people that applies to running their business as well... read more
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Eight tips to help you fail in business (07
May
2010)
Every year about 400,000 people start up in business, and some of them even do well enough to survive and continue trading successfully beyond those tricky first couple of years... read more
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TODAY: 5 February 2012
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