The other day, I followed a vehicle belonging to a local company. Underneath the winter dirt (on the day in question, it had not rained for over a week), partially obscured by rust and dents, there was a tag-line about the quality of their work. I immediately thought that there was a substantial difference between [...]

Usman Patel, the commercial director of he Times Online dropped me an email today to let me know that they’ve started a new section called Business Wisdom. Business Wisdom’s aim is to: generate collaboration and conversation among business leaders and followers. This online initiative is designed to facilitate and formulate new business models via mass [...]

The picture on the right is of our dog, Otis (named after Otis Reading, not the company that makes lifts). He’s a boxer, and at the time of the photo was only four months old. He’s now approaching three years old, but still just as cute, curious and energetic. We’ve had him since he was [...]

This years series of The Apprentice kicked off with the teams starting a cleaning business. They were given £200 "walking about money" and sent off to buy/hire their materials from a van provided by Sir Alan. Lacking in imagination both teams went straight for the power washers and decided to start car cleaning businesses. Then [...]

The Apprentice returns to our screens tonight and no doubt as usual we’ll be seeing the candidates start a new business from scratch each week, so now seems like a good time to talk you through how I’d suggest you go about starting a business from scratch. Firstly do you really want to start from [...]

So You Want to be an Entrepreneur?: How to Decide If Starting a Business is Really for You is intended to be a "fast and fun way to find out whether you can make it as an entrepreneur". Sadly I found it neither fast, nor fun and it’s one of the few business books I’ve [...]

The hit “business” show The Apprentice (UK) returns for it’s 5th season tonight at 9pm on BBC One, followed at 10pm by The Apprentice: You’re Fired! on BBC Two. Set your videos or plan your evening now! Much as I hate the show for the terrible image it portrays of business and business people I [...]

A reader asks: Can you suggest some great business ideas for someone looking to start their first business? I think most of the business ideas I’ve written about are “great business ideas” – that’s why I’ve written about them! But whether or not you think they are great business ideas will depend on what you’re [...]

When you buy a failed (or failing) business you’re not getting a ready made, working successful business. Instead you’re buying an opportunity, two opportunities in fact. The first is the opportunity to turn the failed business’s customers into your customers, the second is the opportunity to build a business out of the remains of the [...]

Now that I’m a regular gym rat I’ve started quizzing the personal trainers in the gym about their businesses – I just can’t help myself I quiz everyone I meet about their business! I was surprised to find that even personal instructors in a small sleepy Wiltshire town can charge up to £65 per hour. [...]