All Analysis
Private equity to maintain push
Research from accountancy firm Grant Thornton shows that the majority of private equity firms do not expect the number of new buyouts to decline in the next year.
Co-working collaboration
Collaborative working spaces are cropping up in cities all over the world, providing workspace to entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses. They’re not simply an alternative office for the remote worker or freelancer usually working from their home.
Bank loyalty in question
Deciding to switch banks may feel empowering, but Bobby Lane, a partner at accountancy firm Shelley Stock Hutter, says there may be unintended consequences including an affect on your ability to raise finance.
Social networking retainment
Internet technologies have helped SME’s generate operational efficiencies once enjoyed only by large organisations. But social networking can also bring similar benefits to staff engagement and retention.
A new lesson in IP
Google’s multibillion-dollar buy of Motorola Mobility should teach all businesses a valuable lesson – know the value of your intellectual property.
SME finance: There must be another way...
Project Merlin has proved to be less than magical for SME finance. So what other options are available to businesses?
An Italian problem
Joe McGrath, editor of GrowthBusiness sister title What Investment, looks at the months ahead in investment and what's in store for Italy.
Blue sky thinking: Adopting the cloud
Increasingly companies are looking to cloud computing to satisfy complex technological requirements. Five business owners tell GrowthBusiness the thinking.
R&D tax credits for innovation
Looking at developing an iPad app or in-house CRM software? Then R&D tax credits may well become a valuable funding source for innovative start-ups and high-growth businesses.
Build value before selling your business
There is no point waiting for an exit opportunity to merely arise. We report on why boosting your business’s profile prior to an exit will help reap the rewards.
The benefits of QR codes
A little barcode on your promotional material or even business card can work wonders for marketing.
Back in favour: VCTs in 2011
VCTs have more than £800 million at their disposal. GrowthBusiness reports on how businesses can make the most of this opportunity and what VCT managers are looking for in an investment.
Smart apps for your customers
Along with the explosion of smartphones, there's a similar storm about business apps. As GrowthBusiness's sister magazine Business XL launches its own app, we report on how other businesses are benefiting.
Avoid international payment pitfalls
British importers and exporters make hundreds of thousands of international payments everyday, but about one third of businesses encounter payment delay or failure because of avoidable mistakes.
Perfect the art of the pitch
Matthew Stafford, project leader specialising in technology start-ups and equity investment at Pembridge Partnership, says most pitches for funding or investment are poor, but there are ways for businesses to improve.
Rethink role of business technology
Businesses should banish perceptions of technology as a bolt-on to existing processes and instead appreciate that it can actually distinguish a company.
More SMEs to escape need for costly prospectuses
Raising equity finance is hard enough without taking compliance costs into account. However, in a move that could save UK business £12 million a year, the government has brought forward prospectus rule reforms.
Dig for victory
Coming to the AIM market recently is a Zambian producer of soya, eggs, bacon, beef and other products, as part of a rise in agricultural conerns.
Reducing the risk of bad debt
A good credit control system can be considered the lifeblood of a business. Terry Irwin of TCii Strategic and Management Consultants explains ways to reduce the risk presented to your business by bad debt.
Cross-border VC investing at the crossroads
The European Commission is hoping to encourage more cross-border venture capital investing, but proposed reforms may actually impact access to capital for businesses.
More from GrowthBusiness
The Entrepreneur
Space: The final entrepreneurial frontier
Despite it taking until 2013 for the UK to have its first ‘official astronaut’, Britain’s space industry offers many opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Growing A Business
Light touch regulation: Friend or foe?
Sophia Harrison, director of financial and professional services at Grayling, looks at how a new exchange platform out of Sweden could strike the right chord of regulation for SMEs.
Comment & Analysis
Channeling Instagram for start-up success
That a team of 13 could build a business worth $1 billion should be the inspiration that all entrepreneurs need.
Research
The rise of cash shells
New research from GrowthBusiness shows that the number of UK cash shells is climbing. We speak to new entrants to the market and those that have recently closed deals to find out what’s driving shells’ increasing popularity.
