12 strange celebrity businesses

Dan Martin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:45:18 +0000

Celebrities are always looking for ways to keep the cash coming in. They never know when they'll be between projects and need to buy a helicopter or new mansion or 20-carat diamond.

To prepare for these unexpected emergencies, many stars try their hand at running a side business or two. Starting clothing lines, restaurants, and production companies are some of the most common, but other celebrities think outside of the box. Way outside of the box. These 12 bigshots got into some industries that don't exactly fit their famous personalities or the demands of consumers.

Why sticking together might help you stick at it

Dan Martin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:35:32 +0000

Nick Giles, who started his company with a friend two years ago, explains how going into business with someone else can be a powerful driver behind entrepreneurial success.

According to a new report from the insurance company Aviva, one in four of the UK’s entrepreneurs are about to throw in the towel. The poll asked: "How do you feel about running a company in the current tough economic climate?" One in four agreed with the statement: "I am actively considering returning to work as an employee." A third said they had lost enthusiasm for their business, while half said it is “too tough to be a business owner in the current climate.”

While these are undoubtedly tough economic times, these numbers imply that more than a million of the UK's four million small business owners are ready to pack up and go back into employment.

That is a statistic that I find hard to believe however difficult the current economic conditions, not least because of the personal motivations that are involved in setting up a business but also the satisfaction of running something of your own.

Five ways to squeeze every penny out of your website

Dan Martin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:07:32 +0000

Any small business relying on a good search engine position to succeed will know that getting to the top of the Google tree is a real challenge - for many it’s a preoccupation, for others it seems like a distant ambition. Yet whatever the skills and resources we have to throw at our search strategies, we all get traffic - but very few of us make as much money out of our site visitors as we could.

Video: Why venture capital can destroy a business and the secrets behind Silicon Valley's success

Dan Martin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:27:19 +0000

David Richards is a successful British serial software entrepreneur based in Silicon Valley in the US. His latest company, WANdisco, provides software that is used by thousands of blue chip corporates. In a revealing interview with Dan Martin, Richards explains the secrets behind the success of Silicon Valley (video four), why he believes venture capital can destroy a business (video three) and what he thinks of the UK's efforts to create a British version of the Valley (video five).

1. Tell us about your entrepreneurial journey.

2. What have been your key business challenges?

3. Why is your current company not venture capital backed?

An entrepreneur's guide to social media (part two): How to identify your social media goals

Dan Martin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:20:07 +0000

In part two of a series of seven articles on social media skills, Colette Mason looks at the four big questions that need answering in order to identify your social media goals.

In part one of my series on social media skills, I looked at how to get started. In part two, we’re going to examine the four big questions you need to answer.

Who are you going to connect with?
Where are they to be found online?
Why do you want to connect with them?
Why would other people want to connect with you?

Who are you going to connect with?

Prospects
Look for people with common interests to your target market and start interacting online in those circles - for example:

10 strategies to achieve your business breakthrough: Part two

Dan Martin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:16:04 +0000

In the second of four articles, Dan Sullivan, founder and president of entrepreneurial coaching company, Strategic Coach, reveals the key strategies that enable business owners to break free from the complexities which limit the growth of their company. To read part one in the series, click here.

Plumbing and carpentry will save 'rotten' education system, says entrepreneur

Natalie Brandweiner — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:59:02 +0000

As the government today announced it will axe subjects such as nail technology and horse care from school league tables, one entrepreneur has called for greater recognition of traditional trades.

More than 3,100 vocational qualifications regarded as equivalent to GCSEs are to be cut out of the school league tables, ministers said.

According to the government, the inclusion of such qualifications, which also includes fish husbandry and travel and tourism, has caused "perverse incentives" for schools to count them towards their legal table results.

The changes follow last year's government-backed review of the vocational training system by Professor Alison Wolf, who said performance tables encouraged schools to offer "inadequate qualifications".

Government delays auto-enrolment pension scheme for small firms

Natalie Brandweiner — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:17:51 +0000

The government has further delayed the date from when small firms must begin automatically signing employees up to company pension schemes.

Work and pensions minister Steve Webb gave businesses with less than 250 employees new start dates for automatic enrolment, according to a timetable published on the Department for Work and Pensions website.

Under the new legislation, staff will be automatically enrolled into their employer's existing pensions scheme or a government-backed scheme, such as the National Employment Savings Trust, unless they opt out.

Firms with between 50 and 249 employees will start auto-enrolling staff between 1 April 2014 and 1 April 2015 – a year later than planned – and the smallest of employers with fewer than 50 staff will not have to do so until two years later, from 1 April 2017.

Why the new Cooperatives Bill is an historic decision

Dan Martin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:23:38 +0000

Linzi Nedoszytko, from Co-operatives UK, reflects on the government’s introduction of a new Bill to tackle red tape suffered by co-operative businesses.

Salesforce targets small firms with new social service platform

Dan Martin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:12:58 +0000

Cloud Computing provider Salesforce.com is setting its sights on small and medium sized businesses with the launch of its new social media customer service dashboard, Desk.com.