Entrepreneurs aren’t afraid of a setback: Optimism is in their nature March 25, 2015 STARTING a business is not for the faint-hearted. You need to be an optimist. While many of us see the metaphorical glass as either half full or half empty, for entrepreneurs it’s overflowing. This exuberance is rational. Before you can convince others that your idea will change the world, you must first convince yourself. For [...]
Entrepreneurs aren’t afraid of a setback: Optimism is in their nature March 25, 2015 STARTING a business is not for the faint-hearted. You need to be an optimist. While many of us see the metaphorical glass as either half full or half empty, for entrepreneurs it’s overflowing. This exuberance is rational. Before you can convince others that your idea will change the world, you must first convince yourself. [...]
Becoming Steve Jobs: The new biography by Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli March 22, 2015 How much do you know about Steve Jobs? You recognise the custom-made black turtle necks. You probably know that, as well as co-founding Apple, he also founded NeXT and co-founded Pixar. And you may remember his death from pancreatic cancer in 2011. The authorised biography by Walter Isaacson, published the same year, gave a fact-heavy [...]
Startup-friendly? What George Osborne’s Budget means for entrepreneurs March 22, 2015 Small businesses favour certainty over circus tricks, and the announcements made in last week’s Budget have received a generally positive response from entrepreneurs that I have spoken to – especially in the context of a growing economy. FOR THE ENTREPRENEUR Many will be happy that Entrepreneur’s Relief remained largely unchanged, providing a 10 per cent [...]
IonStar founders Liz and Tim Hughes talk connecting City talent, lifeboats, piano lessons and how to make a real difference March 15, 2015 Like most couples, Tim and Liz Hughes got to the stage in life where they wanted to start a family. The challenge they faced was that, as successful professional people, they wanted to make the most of their skills and abilities – but also their family life. “Throughout my career, I’ve watched women above me [...]
How a startup can benefit from a hybrid investment strategy March 15, 2015 Different kinds of investors bring different kinds of value to the table. Striking the right balance between them is vital for any young business. At JustPark, I’ve now had exposure to four different types of investor: a corporate investor, an angel investor, a venture capital firm, and currently the crowd – the thousands of people [...]
Gimme 5 March 15, 2015 …LONDON HOTDESKING COMPANIES Deskcamping Deskcamping likens itself to a campfire – you can sit, meet new people and share things. List a spare desk or find one to use. As the service is new, it’s currently free to list, with desk owners naming their price. www.deskcamping.com Hotdesking Hotdesking offers four office spaces in central London [...]
Bitreserve and CNET founder Halsey Minor talks dot-commers, virtual currencies and the Bank of England’s open-mindedness March 8, 2015 You might not have heard of Halsey Minor, but it’s likely that you’ve indirectly benefited from one of his many achievements. He’s one half of the brains behind CNET, the technology media website which, founded in 1994, was in the vanguard of internet firms, and is still one of the most-visited tech information resources in [...]
Entrepreneurship is not the preserve of the young: You can succeed at any age March 8, 2015 Popular portrayals of entrepreneurialism might leave you convinced that the only people who are going to make it in business are twenty-somethings – millennials. But the reality is not nearly so clear cut. My own experience of setting up Zendesk is a testament to the fact that, if you’ve got a great idea and the [...]
Gimme 5 March 8, 2015 …EVENTS FOR ENTREPRENEURS Self-Management, Branding & Decision Making This is day one of a three-day CPD course which explores how to manage yourself better – particularly helpful for those running their own business. 24 March, £180, UCL www.ucl.ac.uk/advances Silicon Drinkabout This weekly meetup for entrepreneurs has become a fixture – and is now in cities [...]