GrowthBusiness.co.uk: Your gateway to entrepreneurial success
Simon Daniel
Back to the future
Now the recession is apparently over, global companies are back to thinking about the future...
Achieving Growth - Analysis
Destination infinity
In business, some people really do reach for the stars. Simon Cook, chief executive of venture capital firm DFJ Esprit, explores what happens when an entrepreneur's ambition is truly limitless.
The secret of search funds
There can’t be many asset classes that boast an average IRR of 52 per cent. Search funds, in which an inexperienced entrepreneur is backed by angel investors to search for and acquire a business, have this enviable distinction.
Building a business on the cheap
It may seem out of character for a venture capitalist to say this, but you don't need investment to create a great business.
Smart thinking
No matter how charismatic and driven you are, everybody needs a little inspiration now and then. Entrepreneurs tell Kathleen Hall which books and business theories have made a lasting impression
Urie calls the shots at Metrodome
Some people are suited to early retirement. Peter Urie, CEO of independent film distributor Metrodome, is not one of them.
Styles of leadership
Every team needs the right mix of intelligence and assertiveness. Chris Ingram looks at the different personality types found in every office and how best to manage and motivate them.
Does location matter in business?
We’ve all heard the old estate agent saying, ‘location, location, location’. But does the same principle apply to business? Gill Hunt, MD of online consultant marketplace Skillfair, argues that being out of town does not mean being out on a limb.
Rising star: Glassesdirect.co.uk
James Murray Wells started online spectacles retailer Glassesdirect.co.uk with the last £1,000 of his student loan. With the help of VCs he is now aiming to turn it into a £1 billion company. He tells GrowthBusiness his story.
Rising Star: Pharmacy 2U
Daniel Lee is the MD of Pharmacy 2U, the first mail-order and online pharmacy retailer in the UK. With turnover of £12 million, the company is seeking greater heights in the year ahead, as Lee tells GrowthBusiness.
Rising star: Ethical Superstore
Ethical Superstore, an online retailer of fair trade, organic and eco-friendly goods, is forecasting turnover of £2.2 million this year (up from £800,000 last year). We talk to co-founder Andy Redfern
My best business decision: Nick Craven
Nick Craven, chief executive of Weatherbys Ventures, says his best business decision was to widen the company's offerings from its traditional remit of horseracing while using skills it already had in-house.
How Video Arts broke into China
A producer of training DVDs in English seems a business unlikely to succeed in China. But Video Arts, co-founded by comedian John Cleese in 1972, now counts the nation as its fourth-largest export market.
Imran Hakim and the iTeddy
Entrepreneur Imran Hakim secured £140,000 from Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis when he showcased the iTeddy on the BBC's Dragon's Den. This curious bear-cyborg hybrid is described as an educational toy that helps pre-school children learn as they play.
Rising Star: Apatech
Apatech, a manufacturer of artificial bone-graft material, has grown sales to £3.1 million from £270,000 in 2005. We talk to CEO Simon Cartmell
My best business decision: Matthew Crook
Matthew Crook, CEO of software developer SalesCentric explains how partnership, especially with powerful players in your sector, can pay dividends when it comes to sales.
Research
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What should an AIM company pay its CEO or FD?
What should a non-executive director or chairman expect to be paid?
What benchmarks should AIM remuneration committee members be using when
setting pay?
VCT Special Report 2009
This reports principle aim is to provide business owners seeking funding with information about the amount of funds that VCTs have to invest.
Cash Shells Special Report 2009
A comprehensive overview of cash shells on AIM and PLUS, companies that have become a significant feature on the market landscape.
Store
AIM Guide 2009/2010
The 2009/2010 AIM Guide contains essential information for anyone interested in the Alternative Investment Market.
Business XL
Business XL is written by leaders for leaders. The magazine is a fountain of inside information and knowledge, which can only be delivered by people who have started, bought and grown their own business.
M&A Magazine
M&A Magazine is the leading mid-market monthly corporate finance publication in the UK.
Videos
Punch above your weight
Jos White, who sold his company MessageLabs for $695 million, on why it's so important to act like a bigger business than you really are.
Meeting menaces: The Waffler
More tips from John Cleese, who reveals how to stop a waffler in full flow.
Reducing energy usage
Ian Cheshire, chairman of B&Q, explains how the store has saved 10,000 tonnes of carbon emissions.
Selecting the right IT strategy in 2010
Owner managers and CEOs of fast-growing companies want IT-applications that accelerate competitive advantage and improve operational efficiency. This free whitepaper helps you plan and choose the right IT strategy for your business in 2010. Download ‘Selecting The Right Software Vendor’.
Save time and money with Outsourcery
Discover how streamlining and automating your sales processes can help ensure a shorter sales cycle and improved customer retention. Microsoft Dynamics CRM business software provides fast access to useful data in the office, at home or out at meetings. Download this free whitepaper to understand the business benefits
Get started with Barclays Business Banking
Choose from 3 great Start-up packages offering a range of business and banking solutions, from cashflow management software (QuickBooks or Sage) to VAT management solution. Plus, up to 2 years FREE banking (conditions apply). Apply online.
Out with the old, in with affordable.
Bring in IBM System x3650 M2 Express servers powered by Intel® Xeon® and dramatically lower IT operating expenses. Use IBM’s online evaluation tool to see ROI in as little as three months. Find out more
Hiscox Business Insurance
Life’s full of uncertainties, but you never want to be in any doubt about your business insurance. Hiscox offers broad and inclusive business insurance available online. You can tailor a policy to suit your business needs from a broad range of covers. Find out more.
Free Whitepaper - Accelerating the nerve centre of the SOA
A free white paper from Intel, discussing how SOA Expressway will continue to evolve, providing new capabilities to further support Cloud computing and other hosted delivery models. Download this free whitepaper.
Enterprise-class e-commerce for mid-sized businesses
Online shopping has become ubiquitous and has changed customers' expectations. But how can mid-sized companies tackle e-commerce?
View now the ATG webinar with Forrester Research to find out how enterprise-class e-commerce can work for you. Click here to find out more
We've started a revolution...
We are Outsourcery. We are on mission to enable small and medium sized enterprises to enjoy the same sophisticated unified communications and hosted IT solutions that used to be reserved for big companies. Find out how at outsourcery.com
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Achieving Growth
Reports, case studies and guides focused on the subject of achieving business growth. Gearing, investment, managing growth for business owners and CEOs.
