All Profile
Small but perfectly formed
The past year saw a strong rally for small-cap companies, but some were singled out for particular distinction in the Quoted Company Awards. GrowthBusiness meets the winners.
Why I got out of the property sector
Mitchell Feldman, co-founder of The Internet Group, explains why withdrawing from the property sector was one of the shrewdest decisions he ever made.
Entrepreneur for sale
After running three businesses, James Layfield has taken a radical step in order to raise finance for his fourth.
Building a brand: Hotel Chocolat
The story of Hotel Chocolat demonstrates that sometimes you need to ignore all the advice you get. Angus Thirlwell, the company's founder, reveals his recipe for branding success.
Dealmakers club together
Entrepreneurs are typically thought of as lone rangers who sink or swim based on their individual skills or luck. Andrew Romans, general partner of The Founders Club, has a slightly different notion.
Growth creators: Power Top 50 2010
The entrepreneurs who make things happen. The investors who refuse to stand still. Meet the Business XL Power Top 50, the most influential risk takers and deal makers on the UK's growth company scene.
A steady hand: David Hall
A question-and-answer session with David Hall, the managing director of venture capital firm YFM.
Inside Gordon Ramsay's business
The business empire of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay reported a pre-tax loss of £4.3 million for the year to August 2008.
Adam Stafford: lessons learned
Five years ago Adam Stafford’s web design agency Fresh Egg was on the brink of bankruptcy. Now the business has sales of over £2 million and Dragons’ Den star James Caan recently joined as chairman.
Choosing a national base
David Evans, CEO of business consultancy Grass Roots, explains why he decided to put down roots outside London.
Patrick Reeve: a question of trust
A perennial figure on the UK venture capital scene, Albion Ventures’ Patrick Reeve talks to GB about VCTs, monster exits and riding tanks.
It's a giving thing
Lessons learned: Michael Norton
Paypoint.net managing director Michael Norton reflects on setting up a fresh pasta business and running a pineapple factory in Costa Rica.
Dream team: PROfounders Capital
After quitting one of Europe’s major venture capital firms in the summer, Sean Seton-Rogers decided to set up a brand new fund with a little help from his friends, Michael Birch and Brent Hoberman. GB meets him.
Rob Marcus: a family affair
Chat Moderators director Rob Marcus explains why his best business decision was giving his wife a job at the company.
Going off-piste: Andrew Foyle
Andrew Foyle was one of the few entrepreneurs to make a fortune before the dotcom bubble burst. Now he’s building a new business, as well as a chalet in the Alps. GrowthBusiness meets him.
Danny Chapchal: musical chair
Danny Chapchal likes nothing more than lending his experience to the founders of young or troubled businesses – well, nothing except losing himself in his collection of 17,500 CDs.
Hargreaves: coal-fired ambition
In less than a decade, Gordon Banham has transformed Hargreaves Services from a Durham haulage company to a diversified support services and energy group delivering consistent turnover and profit growth.
Mark Kingdon: Business gets a Second Life
The company behind virtual world Second Life is profitable, expanding fast, and bullish about the future. GrowthBusiness meets new chief executive Mark Kingdon to discuss why online worlds mean real money.
More from GrowthBusiness
The Entrepreneur
Diversifying the client base at launch and learning to say ‘No’
David Barker reflects on resisting the temptation to say 'Yes' to the first offer when he opened his data centre, and how choosing instead to diversify his client base at launch has enabled 4D Data Centres to maintain rapid growth in a recession.
Growing A Business
Corporate leaks: How to prevent and investigate if they occur
Bob Mecrate-Butcher, partner at Charles Russell, looks at how corporate leaks can first be prevented and then plugged when they do occur.
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.
