GrowthBusiness.co.uk: Your gateway to entrepreneurial success

Dealing with unhappy shareholders

Spurious allegations of ‘boardroom bullying’ from minority shareholders seeking a payout are on the increase.

Ten ways to maximise the value of your business

Conventional wisdom states that business owners preparing their company for an exit should concentrate on growing profits.

Pre-packs aren't all bad

Pre-pack deals, in which a buyer is lined up before a struggling business goes into administration, have been given a bad press of late. David Moore, a partner at business recovery firm Begbies Traynor, argues that this is unjustified.

Wake up to reality

If you think your company is still valued at last year’s prices, then you'll need to think again. GrowthBusiness looks at what your business might be worth in today's credit crunched M&A market.

Getting cash out

Whether an investor wants to come on board or is seeking an exit, remixing the company’s capital base may allow you to get some money of your own in the bank and strengthen the business as a whole.

There's still money in IT

The threat of recession hasn’t stopped the world’s leading IT companies snapping up promising young ventures.

Hang tough when you're selling

Here's why you should never waver on price when selling your business.

Seven deadly sins of exits

Greed, pride, and an array of other human weaknesses can get in the way of a good exit. We speak to entrepreneurs about their triumphs and regrets in selling their businesses.

Buy-outs and the credit crunch

The collapse of the US sub-prime market put paid to a record buy-out boom. Here's how it all happened.

Partial exits: a balancing act

If it’s done correctly, a partial exit can advance your company by introducing new people with different skills and experiences, all the while allowing you to enjoy some of the wealth you have generated.

Go your own way: demergers

Companies pull apart for all manner of reasons. Some separate after a merger has failed to deliver the expected benefits, while others demerge a subsidiary to raise extra capital, usually on a public market.

Finding the perfect exit strategy

You’ve grown your business to maturity over the past few years and are now thinking of selling up, but how best to do it? Lesley Stalker, tax partner at professional services firm Robert James Partnership, outlines the key considerations.

From labs to riches

The difficulty of raising venture capital in recent years has made things much tougher for the ‘entrepreneurial academic’ looking to turn a scientific breakthrough into a commercial business. However, for a research team that is really convinced that it has a world-beating product on its hands, it is possible to make the transition, but several success factors have to be in place.

What’s it worth?

You’ve worked long and hard to build your business into a successful and saleable concern, now how do you determine its value? GrowthBusiness asks the experts.

How to get rid of an investor

Many companies owe their success to the wisdom and cash injection of an outside investor, but what can you do if your shareholder is no longer the right backer for your business?

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.