Gimme 5: Apps every entrepreneur needs February 8, 2015 EchoSign Founded in 2005 and acquired by Adobe in 2011, the app lets you e-sign documents and forms, send them to others for sign off, track responses in real time, and get e-signatures instantly with handy in-person signing. echosign.adobe.com Pocket Ever find something interesting online but lose track of it later? With Pocket, all [...]
TaskRabbit founder Leah Busque talks dog food and London’s penchant for gardening February 1, 2015 While most of us spent good chunks of our childhood playing shops or doctors, Leah Busque was busy heading up Pollution Solutions. “Really, it was just an excuse to boss around my little sister and cousins,” laughs Busque, who is the founder of TaskRabbit, one of the first sharing economy platforms. Pollution Solutions was Busque’s [...]
Entrepreneurs’ relief: Unnecessary fiddling with this vital policy will damage growth February 1, 2015 Given that they drive our economy’s growth, it’s vital that entrepreneurs are rewarded for their efforts – especially since they take on so many risks to succeed. Thankfully, since 2008, there has been a tax relief that does precisely this. Entrepreneurs’ relief enables business owners to pay a lower rate of capital gains tax when [...]
Gimme 5: Blogs for entrepreneurs February 1, 2015 Richard Branson’s blog The business heavyweight shares his expertise on everything from how to write a complaint letter, to why a three-day week could work. He’s happy to share personal stories and ways of working, to help you on your way. www.virgin.com/richard-branson The Entrepreneurial Mind This is the blogging home of Jeff Cornwall, chair of [...]
The Supper Club founder Duncan Cheatle talks cowboys, venture capital and safe spaces January 25, 2015 If you ask Duncan Cheatle, founder of members-only entrepreneur networking group The Supper Club, to describe his formative entrepreneurial experience, you’re instantly transported. “Like lots of entrepreneurs, the first early thing I did was to sell tuck,” he tells me. “I guess there’s a limit to what you can do as a kid to show [...]
Why the smart data revolution creates opportunities for firms of every size January 25, 2015 We are witnessing a transformation of our economy, with data becoming one of the key drivers of every business. Increasingly, everything we do is digital, leaving a data trail that can be analysed to gain new insights and power innovative business ideas. This offers opportunities for entrepreneurs and startups that we have not seen since [...]
Gimme 5: Networks for entrepreneurs January 25, 2015 The Entrepreneurs Network Seated within the Adam Smith Institute, TEN is a think tank that supports entrepreneurs through research, events and a network of individuals who are keen to improve the public policy debate. Events are free and you can sign up for its weekly Entrepreneurs bulletin. www.tenentrepreneurs.org Business Because This handy networking [...]
LiteBulb Group’s Simon McGivern and James Phillips talk Mary Berry, cashpoint encounters and woodwork January 18, 2015 It's not every day that you bump into an old friend at a cash machine in Fulham and end up hatching a business – but then Simon McGivern and James Phillips, the founders of LiteBulb Group, are not your average pair. They went to school together (although they didn’t know each other very well) and [...]
There’s hard evidence that soft skills are key to success in business January 18, 2015 I’m regularly asked how to get ahead at work and what lessons there are from my own success in business. The answer often surprises people. It’s not just about qualifications. It’s not about my education or background. I’d actually put my success down to something called soft skills – the vital abilities in areas such [...]
Gimme 5: Websites for hot desking in London January 18, 2015 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 for entrepreneurs [...]