Former banker follows his dream to go it alone January 29, 2012 IN RETROSPECT, Barbecoa – Jamie Oliver’s attempt to introduce the UK to BBQ food – was not the ideal setting to meet Daren Cox, chief executive and founder of Project Brokers. As a committed pescatarian he doesn’t live up to the stereotype businessman portrayed in such shows as Alan Sugar’s The Apprentice. Sadly, combative television [...]
A GLOBAL RACE IN PURSUIT OF TOP ECOSYSTEM January 29, 2012 BRITAIN, a fierce competitor in the global race to develop the best startup ecosystem in the world, will soon host delegations of startup leaders from more than 100 countries in an effort to find the fastest path to the finish line. Entrepreneurship promotion is no longer hopelessly intertwined with the discussion of “small and medium [...]
It’s time to fill your diary to bursting with events for 2012 January 29, 2012 FOLLOWING in the successful footsteps of StartUp America we have StartUp Britain: “A national campaign by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, harnessing the expertise and passion of Britain’s leading businesspeople to celebrate, inspire and accelerate enterprise in the UK.” It has just unveiled StartUp 2012: The Enterprise Calendar (www.startupbritain.org/calendar), which aims to be “a new resource to [...]
How to survive these taxing times January 29, 2012 AS THE dreaded 31 January rolls around for the self-employed – in fact, 1 February this year following planned industrial action – tax is once again top of the agenda. Nick Clegg, the deputy Prime Minister, has upped the ante by calling for the personal allowance to be raised to £10,000. In these taxing times, [...]
Mitigating your bill through pension planning January 29, 2012 THE trick with pension contributions is to understand your tax position. Looking specifically at high earners, there are two specific income thresholds, £100,000 and £150,000 to bear in mind. PASSING £100K Once you hit £100,000 per annum of income from all sources, you gradually lose your tax-free personal allowance, at a rate of £1 for [...]
FTSE closes up on US Fed’s growth plans January 26, 2012 BRITAIN’S blue-chip index rose 1.3 per cent yesterday after the US Federal Reserve pledged to support economic growth, boosting miners and other cyclicals stocks and setting the index on course for another week of gains. The FTSE 100 rose 72.20 points to 5,795.20, although the index failed to close above a key technical resistance at [...]
Wall Street’s rally starts to lose steam January 26, 2012 A month-long rally on Wall Street appears to be sputtering as stocks slipped yesterday in what investors called a possible warning of weakness ahead. Weaker-than-expected home sales figures and a group of mixed earnings reports tempered the market’s recent buying interest. The Dow Jones industrial average was down 22.33 points, or 0.18 per cent, at [...]
Banks and oil firms weigh on the FTSE January 25, 2012 BRITAIN’S top shares closed lower yesterday as banks fell out of favour after brokers urged caution on the sector after recent gains, while poor growth in the UK highlighted the challenges facing corporates to meet earnings expectations. London’s blue chip index closed down 28.90 points, or 0.5 per cent at 5,723.00, as the FTSE 100 [...]
Nasdaq takes a bite of the prized Apple January 25, 2012 BIG profits from Apple and a promise from the Federal Reserve to keep rock-bottom rates for at least two more years powered the US stock market higher yesterrday. Apple led the Nasdaq to a one per cent gain. Shares of the maker of iPhones and iPads surged to a record, making it the most valuable [...]
Why networking gives you the edge January 25, 2012 EDITORIAL INTELLIGENCE WHEN Cass Business School, regarded by the City as its very own business school, recently asked me to become the first ever honorary visiting professor of networking, they were recognising a significant shift in business thinking which brings networking out of its silo as a take-it-or-leave it soft skill, and into the realm [...]