Since Dragon’s Den began to air on BBC2 entrepreneurs, would be entrepreneurs and inventors throughout the UK have become increasingly aware that there is an alternate to business loans or venture capital. That alternative is known to academics as the informal venture capital market and it is made up of two broad categories of investors: [...]

For those of us that rely on our websites for part or all of our income, it’s hugely frustrating when your website goes down. Not only do you have the potential hassle of resolving the issue, but you’re also losing money whilst you do so. So a few days ago my site went down I [...]

Harley-Davidson, Nike, Playboy, Coca-Cola, VW, and Apple logos have been permanently etched into the skins of customers worldwide. Why do they do it? Why do these raving fans, or Brand Lovers, scorch their bodies with a company’s mark? And what can marketers and brand managers learn from them? Most acts of unabashed brand loyalty are [...]

In setting up your business, something to spend some time on is the image you wish to present to the market. And I do not mean your branding and logos – I mean the real basics of your image. I have lost count of the talented people that I speak to who go on to [...]

Knowing how to write a good sales proposal is a vital skill for anyone running a business selling either to other businesses (e.g. consultants) or high value services to retail customers (e.g. builders). Yet few entrepreneurs seem to have mastered the art of writing simple, effective sales proposals (and I’m including sales letters, covering letters [...]

Making a million is an idea that appeals to us all, be that a million dollars, pounds, yen or whatever currency your country uses. But unless you’re currency is practically worthless it’s not an easy task. In fact, making a million is a bit like eating an elephant, it’s a hugely daunting task, but if [...]

Meet my dog, Otis. That’s him as a puppy on the right. He’s grown a bit bigger now, but he still behaves like a puppy. He has many cute habits. One of which inspired this business idea. You see this morning I found him lying in what looked a most uncomfortable way, squeezed into a [...]

You might not ever get rich But let me tell ya it’s better that diggin’ a ditch. There ain’t no tellin’ who ya might meet. A movie star or may be even an Indian Chief. (Workin’ at the) car wash. Workin’ at the car wash yeah! So sang Rose Royce in their 1976 hit. They’re [...]

As a kid I did a bit of target shooting, mostly .22 rifles and the odd air rifle. As I grew older I did more, joining the school’s clay pigeon shooting club and later firing the GP rifle in the cadets. Finally I joined (briefly) the archery club at University. One thing that struck me [...]

Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media and Blogs aims the help you get your site found in Google and understand the importance of blogs and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. The authors’ aim is to give you the tools and strategies you need to improve your Google rankings, grow and nurture [...]