Category: In Business

It was announced today that the northern city of Leeds is set to become one of UK’s most advanced business and financial institutions by installing a high speed fibre network.

Wide spread budget cuts and concerns over cash flow are leaving small businesses struggling to invest in new technology and IT equipment, according to the results of a study released today.

For the past nine years, the National Business Awards has uncovered hundreds of examples of business leaders and entrepreneurs and have often been referred to as the UK Business Oscars.

The British Library Business & IP Centre, supported by the London Development Agency (LDA), has been at the heart of the capital’s small business community since its launch in 2006. A new report, published this week, indicates that the Centre currently helps London’s visiting SMEs generate £22 in additional turnover for every £1 invested by the LDA, highlighting the Centre’s importance and the significant return on investment it delivers.

Do Lord Sugar Sugar, Sir Richard Branson and Dragons’ Den, featuring our very own columnist, Duncan Bannatyne show what it’s really like to start up and run businesses?

The Best Companies 2010 two star accreditation status has been awarded to serviced office group, Avanta, in acknowledgment of excellence in the workplace.

JustGiving announced to be the charity partner for the newly launched Barclaycard Freedom rewards programme.

A nationwide study by the Forum of Private Business (FPB) has found that some councils in the UK are still failing to pay invoices promptly. Struggling firms face a ‘postcode lottery’ meaning their chances of prompt payment often depend on where they are based.

Small business owners are taking the lead to ensure their firms stay afloat despite the recession, new research shows. The nationwide survey of businesses with a turnover of up to £1 million shows that 59 per cent of business owners have frozen their pay in the past year, while just 33 per cent have frozen the pay of staff.

A free online public procurement course designed to help smaller firms bid for the £220 billion of public sector contracts awarded each year was today launched jointly by Small Business Minister Lord Davies and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liam Byrne.

From today every young person who is unemployed for six months will be guaranteed the offer of a job, training or work experience, supported by up to 470,000 opportunities over the next 15 months through the Government’s Young Person’s Guarantee.

One in ten mums surveyed by Netmums and BT Business, aspire to have their own business, with one in 5 looking to have more flexibility on choosing the hours they work.

Have you invented the next Dyson vacuum cleaner? Concocted a successor to Innocent Smoothies? Discovered the next Protect and Perfect face cream? Then the BBC wants to hear from you!

Are you a small business with big goals? Are you frustrated by the speed of your company’s growth? Would you like someone to inject some energy into your trade?

Do you have a killer idea or a ‘must-have’ product of the future ready for investment? Do you have the powers of persuasion needed to part Dragons from their cash? Well the BBC has opened the application process for the next series of Dragons’ Den.