Small Business
Doing something different does not mean giving up
08 Jan 2013 | Andrew R Miller
If you're experiencing, or anticipating, business struggles in 2013, think about the options available to. How can you adapt? There are always options open to you, regardless of what you think the situation is.
The many hats of a micro-business owner
21 Feb 2012 | Dan Bobinski
In my view, micro-business owners are the backbone of the world. If you run a micro-business, you carry a heavy burden and wear a lot of hats. Knowing which hats are the most important for you - as well as how to wear them - will save you a lot of headaches.
Surviving the new normal
26 Jul 2011 | Dan Bobinski
The next 20 years will look nothing like the last 20 years. So says best selling author, Gary Harpst. And as he tells Dan Bobinski, that means that owners of small and mid-size businesses need to be more focused than ever on their strategies and be willing to change the way they operate.
Two ways to restart the economy
20 Nov 2010 | Dan Bobinski
I recently heard someone say that a true American does not want a free ride, he wants to sail his own boat. I find that statement to be overwhelmingly true, but as far as running a business is concerned, how much sailing can one do when so many obstacles fill the waters?
Can big company executives suceed in a start-up?
21 Aug 2008 | Michael Travis
Identifying big company executives who can achieve success with a start-up can be tough. Many star players at big companies wilt in a small company where they have finite resources and little or no supporting infrastructure.
Firms turn their backs on the office
12 Aug 2008 | Brian Amble
Who needs an office anyway? That's what an increasing number of organisations are asking as a new survey from the UK reveals that up to half of small businesses don't work from formal business premises.
Don't start a business by the seat of your pants
23 Jul 2007 | Dan Bobinski
If you try to start a business by the seat of your pants, chances are you're going to lose your shirt. But with so much information out there to help, any budding entrepreneur ought to be able to start and grow a successful, profitable enterprise.
Little help for small business down under
22 May 2007 | Derek Torres
It shouldn't take a genius to understand how important small businesses and other entrepreneurs are to a national economy. Unfortunately, it seems that this is a lesson still being learned in Australia.
Small business employees lose out on benefits
01 May 2007 | Nic Paton
Workers in smaller businesses in America are not only less likely to have access to health care benefits, but also left high and dry when it comes to company pensions.
Small business: take advantage of advisors
19 Mar 2007 | Dan Bobinski
Many entrepreneurs have a passion for their products, not a background in business. So startups can give themselves a better chance of surviving if they create a board of advisors to provide regular, outside perspectives on internal and external situations.
SMEs neglect marketing
01 Feb 2007 | Brian Amble
Marketing seems to be a Cinderella discipline in British small businesses, with over a third admitting to having no brand values or acknowledging the strategic importance of marketing.
Why nepotism can have its merits
03 Jan 2007 | Nic Paton
Hiring someone simply because they are 'family' has traditionally been considered bad business sense, but may actually have its benefits, particularly for smaller businesses.
For U.S. workers, small is beautiful
18 Sep 2006 | Brian Amble
You might make more money working for a large company, but if you want something resembling a personal life, don't want to be unhappy on the job and like to be treated fairly, you'd be much better off with a smaller employer.
Nearly half of UK small businesses hire without seeing a CV
12 May 2006 | Nic Paton
British employers, particularly small businesses, are abandoning the traditional CV when recruiting new workers in favour of gut instinct or word-of-mouth recommendations.
Small is beautiful for U.S. college grads
23 Feb 2006 | Brian Amble
Smaller U.S. employers worried about competing with large corporations for graduate talent can take heart form a new survey which finds that seven out of 10 graduate job-seekers would prefer to work for a medium or small employer.
Britain's SMEs face recruitment woes
05 Jan 2006 | Brian Amble
More than half the UK's small and medium-sized businesses have had problems recruiting good people in the past year, with low standards of education and a lack of vocational experience largely to blame.
Flat rate tax no panacea
22 Dec 2005 | Brian Amble
Although three-quarters of small firms in Britain would like to see the introduction of a flat rate tax, they have been warned that the reality of such a revolution might be far less attractive than at first sight.
Day-to-day worries mount for small business owners
05 Dec 2005 | Brian Amble
The working week for Britain's small business entrepreneurs may have grown by almost 10 per cent in the past three years, but the desire to be their own boss shows no sign of deterring people from wanting to go it alone.
Small is more generous when it comes to Christmas
21 Nov 2005 | Brian Amble
Smaller employers are much more to be generous when it comes to rewarding workers with gifts and parties at Christmas, a survey has concluded.
Secrets of start-up success
17 Nov 2005 | Brian Amble
With nine out of 10 new ventures doomed to failure, what is it that enables the remaining one in 10 to succeed?