Written business plans with clear financial goals are one of the differentiating elements of a successful business. It may be a bit hackneyed, but failing to plan is very often planning to fail and this 10 point guide published by the SME Insider and sponsored by Washington State University, serves as a useful reminder of […]
Continue ReadingIn a pre-Christmas address, the Pope has lambasted his team, citing a catalogue of 15 ills including indifference to others, excessive activity and mental and spiritual petrification. It makes any burst of anger from the corporate world look distinctly timid. The FT’s Andrew Hill translates his message for CEOs – let FDs beware… […]
Continue ReadingAre you are start-up looking to raise some money, perhaps by crowdfunding, but not sure how much your business is worth? The US based company EquityNet has a great little valuation tool. Not for the faint hearted, but a useful starting input to your strategic discussion.
Continue ReadingAccording to the Daily Telegraph last month, there is an elephant in the room with crowdfunding. With the arguable exception of the German platform, Companisto, investors have yet to make any money from their crowdfunding investments. Nevertheless with Nesta reporting a market growing by 200% to £84m year-on-year, it’s clearly an equity funding which has […]
Continue ReadingWith all the hype around crowdfunding one might think it was the answer to a maiden’s prayers. Not so for ParcelHero’s MD. In an interview for realbusiness he explains what went wrong. 60% of all crowdfunding pitches fail. His errors? Launching in the summer; no early strategic investor; a poor introductory video; too much writing; […]
Continue ReadingConcern has been growing about the impact of inequality on the recovery of the global economy. The Independent notes that JP Morgan, the American banker, believed that the head of a company should not earn more than 20 times those at the bottom. As recently as the mid-1990s, the experience in Britain was not a […]
Continue ReadingBitcoins are bought on digital exchanges at a rate which varies like any other currency, but a rate which has been volatile since its introduction. As with Paypal, monies (in this case Bitcoins) are received and paid out of a ‘wallet’, but no banks or credit card companies are involved. Now the big companies are […]
Continue ReadingThis useful report was first published in November 2010 and is available from the IOD’s website. The UK Corporate Governance Code is primarily aimed at listed rather than unlisted enterprises. However, many unlisted enterprises are owned and controlled by single individuals or families and for these SMEs, good corporate governance is about establishing a framework […]
Continue ReadingCompanies House is to make all of its digital data available free of charge. This will make the UK the first country to establish a truly open register of business information. This change will make it easier for businesses and members of the public to research and scrutinise the activities and ownership of companies and […]
Continue ReadingIf you’re looking for funds, you will need a business plan. Forbes magazine gives some initial guidelines and list of further reading to get you up and running including a refreshing style from American Dave Lavinsky. Lavinsky’s top priorities are to make sure you include a single one line description of your business, your financial […]
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