UK Entrepreneurship

Is 'The Apprentice' Giving Entrepreneurship a Bad Name?

Christopher Hall | Posted 23.05.2013 | UK
Christopher Hall

So, it's started again. For the next three months the viewing public will be treated to and will lap up a 'fly on the wall' vision of what makes an entrepreneur - except we won't and it isn't. But many people, who aren't in the know, will think it's meant to be this way.

Is It Easier Than Ever to Start a Business?

Xenios Thrasyvoulou | Posted 22.05.2013 | UK
Xenios Thrasyvoulou

Think for a minute about how much easier it is today to both start and scale your startup? When I started my first business eight years ago we had to get servers, server cabinets and IT managers to set it all up, buy software licences for practically every tool I needed to run the business.

What Makes a Great Role Model

Martina Milburn | Posted 21.05.2013 | UK Universities & Education
Martina Milburn

Sadly, thousands of the young people we help at The Prince's Trust do not grow up surrounded by positive role models. Many have had difficult childhoods, or grown up in workless households, with no one to turn to for advice about how to apply for a job or do well in an interview. They may look up to successful people they see in the media, but without the right support, they feel that their own dreams are out of reach. At The Prince's Trust, however, we are determined to prove them wrong.

Why Getting Funding For Your Startup Is NOT Always the Best Option

Hannah Lippitt | Posted 20.05.2013 | UK Tech
Hannah Lippitt

The groups that seem to be frequently ignored, are the growing amount of serious yet micro startups, which are quietly chipping away building profitable businesses by keeping keen and staying lean and focusing specifically on a niche in the market with no incentive to seek out investor cash.

Have We Reached the Tipping Point?

Emma L. Jones | Posted 17.05.2013 | UK
Emma L. Jones

What we need to tackle now is making the infrastructure and cultural change that will make growth and long-term development easier and more achievable for start-ups and micro businesses.

Will London Hold Onto Its 'Top Startup Hub' Mantle?

Shivvy Jervis | Posted 15.05.2013 | UK
Shivvy Jervis

This eclectic city must overcome a number of obstacles if it's to challenge established startup zones and communities in Israel and the US, while also fending off competition for its European crown from Berlin.

The Most Important Consideration In Marketing Today Is...

Grant Leboff | Posted 15.05.2013 | UK
Grant Leboff

This is a sphere of thinking, which too many companies still completely ignore, when putting together their communications strategy. Maybe, this is because it is beyond the lexicon of traditional marketing. However, in a digital, web enabled world, it is probably the single biggest aspect to contemplate.

Pitching or Presenting Is Just About Storytelling

Neeta Patel | Posted 14.05.2013 | UK
Neeta Patel

Perfecting your pitch won't come straight away. You need to practice at home, first on your own and then in front of an audience willing to be critical. Take their comments on board and practise some more.

Is the Traditional University Route Still The Best for Business?

Daley James Francis | Posted 13.05.2013 | UK Universities & Education
Daley James Francis

University in this country has become something that we take for granted. It shouldn't be a privilege just for the rich - that wasn't my point - but a privilege for the people who were going to give their degree 110% knowing that when they came out, they needed to earn good money in order to pay off the debts they've accumulated.

It Only Takes a Minute

Michael Hayman | Posted 10.05.2013 | UK
Michael Hayman

Today in the UK around 1,800 businesses will register to start trading. Put it another way, that's 75 an hour or just over one a minute. And by setting up, these young firms join the wave of entrepreneurs starting a phenomenal odyssey of adventurous independence and a life lived on their own terms.

Why Young Entrepreneurs are Good for Britain

Martina Milburn | Posted 08.05.2013 | UK
Martina Milburn

With youth unemployment just under a million, young people are turning their hand to gardening, graphic design, baking and beauty therapy to escape the dole queue and kick-start their careers. For many young people, the transformation from unemployed to entrepreneur is life changing; giving them back the skills, confidence and motivation that being out of work has taken away.

Minimising the Risk of Sub-Contracting a Sole Trader

Ruth Stevenson | Posted 08.05.2013 | UK
Ruth Stevenson

When a client sub-contracts a research project they have to make decisions about who they want to work with and who they think will get the job done. Imagine you could choose a university, or an agency with hundreds of staff, or a boutique firm with ten staff. These are my competitors. And then there's me, a sole trader.

Young Female Entrepreneur: How Winning a Business Award Gave Me the Confidence to Innovate, Inspire and Grow

Jessica Rose | Posted 08.05.2013 | UK
Jessica Rose

To provide context, it's been an uphill struggle and I can't ever forget what I've overcome. After having a tough time at school, dropping out of University, finding out I'm in the bottom 2% of the world in reading due to my severe dyslexia, it was hard to believe I could achieve success. Especially doing it all on my own.

Technology for Good

Jilly Forster | Posted 01.05.2013 | UK Tech
Jilly Forster

I'm a communicator, not a technologist. Yet even I know that technology is not so much about finding what's new, as using what is already here. That's why I'm a firm believer that digital technology can be woven into the fabric of our society to tackle the most important social challenges.

What Makes a Good Mentor/Mentee Relationship?

Neeta Patel | Posted 30.04.2013 | UK
Neeta Patel

For almost everyone reading this blog, there will be one person, whether a teacher, a friend or someone in business, who has given you a vital leg up at one stage in your life and without whom you would not have done so well.

Ride on the Back of Someone Else's Success

Mac Attram | Posted 24.04.2013 | UK
Mac Attram

In business, no person is an island. You need people. They need you, and never be too prideful to think that you can do it alone - you can't.

Entrepreneurial Lessons from the Middleton Family?

Preetam Kaushik | Posted 18.04.2013 | UK Lifestyle
Preetam Kaushik

Like most businesses, the Middletons started Party Pieces from their Garage, today experts estimate its worth 30 Million Pounds. Because the company is a private partnership, Party Pieces has never had to make their books public. Many say that the business value has risen considerably since the engagement and subsequent Royal wedding.

Business Insights From Entrepreneur Kurt Won

Mac Attram | Posted 18.04.2013 | UK
Mac Attram

I'm not going to tell you that you need to quit your job to start your business, that's your decision to make, but just because you're in a job doesn't mean you can't get started. Don't sit around. Get into action!

Talking 'Bout Our Generation

Vivi Friedgut | Posted 16.04.2013 | UK
Vivi Friedgut

I dedicate a day a fortnight to meet with people who inspire me and add spice to my thinking. Spending time with such people feeds my soul with new ideas. I always leave elatedly excited.

Life, Death and the Greatest Regret

Steven Bartlett | Posted 16.04.2013 | UK Universities & Education
Steven Bartlett

It is all too easy to let your true ambitions, your dreams and consequently yourself, be consumed by the expectations of others, by life's pressures and by fear of failure. This however; is no excuse to surrender. I often say that mistakes are things I did and regrets are things I didn't do.

Small Business Nostalgia for Thatcher is Badly Misplaced

Matthew Pink | Posted 12.04.2013 | UK
Matthew Pink

Entrepreneurs do not forget a helping hand and they appreciate those politicians seen to demonstrate strong opinions, a clear identity and a sense of natural independence, three qualities which Thatcher had in spades.

Do Young Women of My Generation Need to 'Lean In' More?

Jessica Chan | Posted 11.04.2013 | UK Universities & Education
Jessica Chan

However, I have noticed that much talk surrounding "Lean[ing] In" has centred mostly on women who already in the workplace. Whilst I have nothing against this, I feel as though younger women, girls of my own generation in the UK who are still in school, are, comparatively, missing out on this exciting 'buzz'.

I Agree With the Chamber Of Commerce - There Will Be No Triple Dip in 2013!

Charlie Mullins | Posted 04.04.2013 | UK
Charlie Mullins

The British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) yesterday said that the UK will avoid a triple dip recession and I for one believe they are right on the money.

A Road Forward for Apprenticeships

Dessislava Bell | Posted 01.04.2013 | UK Universities & Education
Dessislava Bell

Although public opinion still seems to hold higher education in greater regard than apprenticeships, evidence suggests this is partly due to the lack of information people receive.

The Globalisation of the Cottage Industry

Xenios Thrasyvoulou | Posted 05.04.2013 | UK
Xenios Thrasyvoulou

As final year students are in the last stages of their degree, they could be forgiven for wondering why they are even bothering. The latest UK statist...