India Martin: Former JP Morgan COO on why she left to start a nailcare business August 31, 2015 Do I feel like quitting? Yes, every single day,” says India Martin, founder of luxury nail polish firm Only Fingers and Toes. But she won’t. Not only does she know the value of her business, but when you talk to her, you know this is one of the most tenacious people you’ve ever met. [...]
The economic risks looming for small firms – Investec Comment August 31, 2015 Last week’s sharp sell-off in equity markets, apparently sparked by fears over the health of the Chinese economy, dramatically highlighted the risks to the global economic outlook. But the UK is still likely to enjoy moderate growth for at least the next two years. The CBI last week upgraded its UK forecasts for 2015 and [...]
Jeremy Corbyn may be drawing out the youth voters, but new poll suggests millennials could be the new Thatcherites August 26, 2015 Labour leadership hopeful Jeremy Corbyn may be drawing hundreds of young voters to his rallies, but a new poll shows that the hard-left candidate may not have what it takes to bring them to the ballot box at a General Election. Read more: Students are more right-wing than the general public on key economic matters like [...]
Summer break inspires City slickers to switch careers for a job in the sun August 25, 2015 Two weeks in a tropical paradise is seemingly enough to tempt even the richest City slickers into packing it all in to become a surf instructor, as apparently over 50 per cent of UK workers seriously consider a career change immediately after the summer holidays. After returning from a summer break, one in two workers [...]
Perfect timing August 23, 2015 Harriet Green talks pub food, capitalism and the importance of shiny things with Watchfinder’s Lloyd Amsdon When I ask Lloyd Amsdon’s seven year-old step-daughter if she knows what an entrepreneur is, she draws a blank. It may be age-related, but there’s no reason why she would have heard the word. “I’m only an entrepreneur when I’m [...]
Investec Comment: Five rules for businesses on social media August 23, 2015 Whether it’s Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Pinterest, social media has become an essential channel for businesses of all sizes to reach customers, potential customers, and wider society. The past few years have seen an intensification of the social trend. The ability of a company to access consumers directly (and vice versa), to be in the [...]
Michelle Mone resigns from board of her “beloved Ultimo” August 18, 2015 Entrepreneur Michelle Mone posted a sentimental farewell to her “beloved Ultimo” on Twitter today, following her resignation from the board of the company she founded almost 20 years ago. Read more: Michelle Mone hits back at Katie Hopkins’ ‘asylum seeker’ slam She said it was time for the lingerie and swimwear brand to “flourish” [...]
Becoming Mr Matchmaker: Venntro founder Ross Williams talks going mobile, nature v nurture, and ginger dating August 16, 2015 A week today, Ross Williams will be a married man. “Oh, I’m not stressed, nervous, anxious, oh no,” he laughs. But Williams shouldn’t worry – after all, he’s got a wife and mother-in-law-to-be who are “absolutely fantastic” organisers, and his relationship was founded on a very firm footing: he and his fiancée met on an [...]
Making a splash: Orlebar Brown founder talks bagginess, Stateside growth and being laughed at August 9, 2015 Spending two years building a business on your tod can’t be easy. But for Adam Brown, founder of swimwear and fashion brand Orlebar Brown, it turned out pretty well. Back in 2007, Brown decided to set up the company. The story of how, while at a friend’s birthday pool party in Rajasthan, which was [...]
What private client FX offers entrepreneurs – Investec Comment: August 9, 2015 Most businesses with vulnerability to foreign exchange risk – whether they’re exporters or have subsidiaries overseas – will have arrangements in place to mitigate their exposure to sharp currency moves. But what about you as an individual? As business owners and entrepreneurs become more globally-mobile, they are more likely to have overseas investments, or [...]