Opinion and thought leadership from freelancers, small business experts and solo entrepreneurs shaping the UK’s independent economy.
It is not often that private sector business initiatives have a keynote address by the Prime Minister, are attended by some of the UK’s leading business entrepreneurs and also receive the backing and support from Sir Richard Branson, the man who many regard as the UK’s best entrepreneur. So surely nothing could go wrong…
Even though the Olympics haven’t taken place and construction of the Olympic Stadium isn’t yet finished, the flagship stadium has already been allocated to West Ham Football Club for use after London 2012.
I for one am relieved that West Ham won the bid. Not because l’m a die-hard ‘Hammer’ but because they appear to be wasting a lot less of the stadium by keeping the athletics track than the other hopeful club, Tottenham, would have done by re-building it as a football-only venue.
In 1884 Thomas Marks opened his first market stall in Leeds. Over the next few years he opened 20 other stalls around the UK. In 1894, Thomas Spencer invested in the business and retail chain Marks & Spencer (M&S) was born.
From humble beginnings, M&S became one of the UK’s biggest success stories and was the first retailer to make a pre-tax profit of over £1 billion.
Companies like WH Smith, Woolworth’s and AMSTRAD all started the same way, so it would seem that in order to make it big, you should start small. Can the same thing be said of the web? Andy Budd, managing director at Clearleft investigates.
What does Britain need to do to stimulate economic growth? That is the question taxing so many Ministers in Whitehall. But according to Sahar Hashemi, the founder of the Coffee Republic and bestselling business author, they need to start thinking outside the box.
Working hard is the only way you can really ‘make it’, so why do so many people think working long hours is a bad thing?
Think hard about why you want to study – real experience in a company can be a far better way to learn skills and get on in your career.
MEPs have backed an extension of maternity leave laws to 20 weeks, but what impact will this have on UK businesses?
There will always be the dilemma among employers over the best candidate. But can a change in the maternity law structure make it easier for both employer and their workforce?
Maternity leave is a subject many employers can’t ignore. But when new mothers return to work part-time, should they still be entitled to the same benefits as a full-time employee?
The image of the working mum has evolved greatly through the decades. But if help as a working mum can be found at home, why can’t there be help at work when you’re the one in charge.
Training courses have their place in every business and we all have room to learn. But perhaps the day of standard training is over and better ways need to be found.
Taking the lead in a business environment can mean often juggling your team’s problems. But embracing problem solving could lead to a happier workforce.
FairTrade™ is a hot topic at the moment. Businesses and consumers have an opportunity to make it a part of everyday life but are ethical products of equivalent quality to their non-ethical counterparts?
For several generations, corporate gifts have played a traditional role in business culture. Here Rick Lay looks at what the gift-wrapped chocolates sent by the printer to the staff incentive scheme, we are fast approaching the season which carries expectations of recognition for loyalty throughout the year.
As Google launches Google Instant, which displays search results immediately when starting to type a search phrase, is it becoming harder and harder for SMEs based online to appear at the top of the Google rankings?
And is this forcing some businesses to move from online to offline?
