GrowthBusiness.co.uk: Your gateway to entrepreneurial success

My best business decision: Sue Stedman

The founder of Sue Stedman Corporate Clothing explains how investing in top sales talent has helped her business prosper.

Barry Norman in a pickle

Behind Barry Norman’s languid exterior lies a firebrand who once squared up to John Wayne. The film critic is now heating up the taste buds of consumers with Pickleodeon, his range of spicy onions.

Beeny’s hot property

GrowthBusiness interviews Sarah Beeny about the property crash, her new venture Tepilo that allows people to sell homes online without estate agents, and why she's so proud of her dating website MySingleFriend.

Keeping it simple: Peter Ilic

Peter Ilic, the founder of Little Bay Restaurants, recently grabbed headlines with a daring publicity stunt. But he’s no flash in the pan – he’s been a fixture of London’s restaurant scene for more than 20 years. GB meets him.

Mr Cool: Frank Frederick

Over three generations, Frank Frederick’s family has gone from street-corner ice cream selling to running the largest independent manufacturer of ice cream in the UK.

Taking the growth risk: Misha Gopaul

Your business is profitable, but you know it could be a lot bigger. Do you play it safe or raise your game? Misha Gopaul, CEO of IT consultancy Fabric Technologies, explains how he faced the dilemma.

Wish I'd known... James Frost

Coast Digital CEO James Frost sold price comparison website CompareandSave for more than £12 million, but he’s the first to admit it’s been a bumpy ride.

Rising Star: Chemistdirect.co.uk

Mitesh Soma set up discount pharmaceutical retailer Chemistdirect.co.uk after noticing how high the mark-up was on common medicines in his wife's pharmacy. A year later and the company has sales of £5 million.

Paul Brewerton: my best business decision

In the past we always focused on the weaknesses in our clients' business, the gaps and things going wrong.

Attractions of Alternext

Web entrepreneur Luca Ascani explains why he chose Paris-based Alternext over AIM to list his latest venture GoAdv.

Rising star: Marc Koska

Marc Koska’s spent 24 years working on his single-use syringe, which is designed to reduce the spread of disease in poor countries. His company Star Syringe is now profitable with revenues of £1.5 million.

Media mogul: Kishore Lulla

Media company Eros International released five of Bollywood’s top ten films in 2007. We interview the CEO.

Creating a buzz

Paul Telford describes himself as a ‘normal guy with two kids’. He’s also the founder of Emotional Bliss, a manufacturer of female sex toys.

Wish I'd known... Tom Weston

Back in 1999, Tom Weston hired a chief exec to take the reins, allowing him to become chairman of the company he had founded, Sunrise Software. Three years later, Weston discovered Sunrise was on the verge of going under.

Wish I'd known... Rachel Elnaugh

Rachel Elnaugh shot to fame in 2005 as one of the investors on the BBC’s Dragons’ Den, but crashed back down when her gift experiences business Red Letter Days went to the wall, along with her career as a dragon. Here, she reveals the lessons she learned.

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.