The seventh series of The Apprentice (BBC One) began last night, and the main news to report is that the title is now completely meaningless. The winner of The Apprentice in 2011 will not be Lord Sugar’s apprentice at all. Instead, he or she will get £250,000 of his cash and start a business. Why […]
Category: Columns
Columns, blogs and opinion from some of the UKs leading business opinion makers and entrepreneurs and small business owners
How to Stop Firefighting – Getting Past the Blocks
From fire-fight to calm is a common continuum for many businesses. Over the last two columns I have looked at how to get calm and how to prevent the fires. But with the best will in the world – you’ll come up against blocks that will impede your progress to calmly functioning business with no smouldering corners. Here are some tips to get past the blocks.
How to Stop Firefighting – Preventing the Fires in 5 minutes
If your business life seems to be a constant round of fire-fighting, getting calm, fire-fighting, getting calm… and round and round you go then here are some five minute techniques to help you get off that merry-go-round.
Skype swallowed up by Microsoft, Apprentice language explained & learning from failure
Microsoft confirms takeover of Skype: Microsoft has confirmed that it has agreed to buy internet phone service Skype. The deal being to buy to buy the operator, used by many small businesses, will see Microsoft pay $8.5bn (£5.2bn) for Skype, the BBC are reporting, making it Microsoft’s largest acquisition. Internet auction house eBay bought Skype […]
Are you ready for the Bribery Act?
After much criticism from business, and some serious stalling by government, the Bribery Act 2010 is finally due to see the light of day this July, signalling a stringent overhaul and far-reaching extension of the UK’s anti-corruption law.
Know what you stand for and raise your game because of it
Ever wondered why some people rise to the top and become so well known for their ideas? Why not look into becoming a REAL thought leader?
How to Stop Firefighting – Getting Calm
The first of a short series on “How to stop firefighting and get calm within your business”. This week’s article offers some top tips to get you out of the firefight stage and get you calm.
Small firms enjoy fast growth, Luke Johnson says we need angels & Cameron needs to ‘calm down dear’
Small Firms Enjoy Fastest Growth In 16 Years: UK’s small and medium-sized manufacturers grew at the fastest rate in 16 years due to strong demand at home and abroad, according to new data from the CBI published by Sky. The CBI Trends Survey goes onto report that companies have also benefited from the competitive level […]
Britain being left behind in cloud adoption, entrepreneur sells business for $30M after three months
SMEs in UK slower to adopt cloud computing than Europe’s firms: Small businesses in Britain are adopting internet-based software, storage and communication services more slowly than European peers, a survey of companies across Europe and published by The Telegraph suggest. The research findings, whilst not discussing American based businesses would also highlight that both Britain […]
No Experience Required! – Should You Start a Business in an Industry with No Prior Knowledge?
If you’ve been able to bear watching business hopefuls on TV be dismissed, put down and insulted by people with more money than they have, then you’ll know that the attitudes of those rich people fluctuate with the weather.
Banks failure deserves punishment, success & failure in business is close together
Banks failure to support small business deserves punishment, say MPs. The Government did not do enough to punish taxpayer-backed banks when they failed to hit targets for lending to small businesses, MPs have said today. The London Evening Standard is saying that a report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has revealed that The Treasury […]
Jamie’s Dream School. Will we ever learn?
I’ve been watching Dream School over the last few weeks with a mixture of emotions (admittedly, mainly horror) and now that it has come to an end, I think it’s time to just set something straight.
5 steps to build your concentration and focus in long meetings
Do you find your mind wandering in long meetings? Could you do with a little more concentration and focus? This article looks at the impact of poor concentration and focus in meetings. It also offers suggestions on how to tackle this and improve you and your colleagues concentration and focus.
Financial problems grow, Flip Cameras no more & the top 100 tech businesses announced
The number of UK firms showing signs of serious financial problems is growing as customers tighten their belts, says a report produced by corporate turnaround specialists Begbies Traynor, published by the BBC today. The report shows a 15% rise in firms suffering “significant” or “critical” financial distress in the first quarter of 2011 over last […]
Do MP’s really listen to SMEs? Red tape challenged questioned & insurance premiums calculations
Do MP’s really listen to SMEs? There is much criticism that politicians are out of touch with people who run small and medium sized business across the UK. So Business Matters asked Lord McFall of Alcluith, who was the Member of Parliament for Dumbarton and the West Dunbartonshire between 11 June 1987 and 12 April […]
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