Fatal attachment: Dotmailer’s Tink Taylor talks automation, dinner parties and kitesurfing August 3, 2014 How long could you survive without email? Estimates of how many are sent globally every year range from 100bn to 200bn. And every year, dotmailer’s founder Tink Taylor gets asked the same thing: is the death of email just around the corner? It’s a question he finds laughable. Recent research by Gigaom found that 86 [...]
In a field of his own: FarmDrop’s Ben Pugh talks crowdfunding and the future of our food July 27, 2014 In the time it’s taken FarmDrop founder Ben Pugh to discuss his company with me, it crowdfunded £13,000. After just eight days on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube, FarmDrop raised more than its £400,000 investment target. A new way of doing food is, it seems, quite popular. The FarmDrop concept is simple: it streamlines the food [...]
Global Innovation Index: Britain’s won a silver medal – even without a Google July 27, 2014 Apart from the risk of shocks from geopolitical crises, the outlook for the economy looks a whole lot brighter than it has for a long time. Friday’s UK GDP figures are the latest in a steady stream of good news, but this doesn’t need to be the only thing to brighten your Monday morning: the [...]
Pensioners warned not to splash all their cash on a Lamborghini as Treasury unveils pension rules July 21, 2014 Pensioners tempted to splash all of their cash in one go on a new Lamborghini are being warned they would face a tax bill of £63,000, ahead of today’s confirmation from the government that it will push ahead with the biggest shake-up of the pensions industry in a century. Research by financial services provider NFU [...]
Heaven in a box: Rococo Chocolates’ Chantal Coady talks hurricanes and strong wine July 20, 2014 Luxury chocolatiers weren’t a common sight in 1983 England. Stalwarts like Thorntons and Prestat were around but, save imports from the continent, it was a market waiting to be tapped. And 24- year old Chantal Coady realised this. The founder of Rococo Chocolates was then participating in the Youth Training Scheme, an on-the-job training course [...]
Gimme 5 July 20, 2014 …UPCOMING EVENTS FOR ENTREPRENEURS The Fashion Exchange A day-long event for people starting up in the skincare, beauty and men’s grooming business, with several talks from industry experts. 17 September, 9am – 4pm. £40 BIS, 1 Victoria Street www.enterprisenation.com Marketing Business Surgery A four-hour workshop for businesses in their first 12 months of trading, looking [...]
Peer lending and crowdfunding an “increasing source of finance” for UK firms July 18, 2014 Peer lending and crowdfunding are becoming an "increasing source of finance" for firms, as non-bank alternatives are giving a growing number of UK firms a helping hand, according to the Bank of England. In its quarterly report on trends in lending, the central bank reports that credit conditions for businesses are improving, with net lending [...]
Grocery website Farmdrop uses crowdfunding to raise £400,000 July 14, 2014 A company that aims to link local food producers with consumers by tapping into the soaring popularity of click and collect is seeking to raise £400,000 using the crowdfunding site Crowdcube. Farmdrop is an online platform set up last year that allows shoppers to buy directly from producers, such as fishermen or bakers, and collect [...]
Sheer satisfaction: Zendesk founder Mikkel Svane on providing better customer service July 13, 2014 Harriet Green talks IPOs, big data and radical taxis with Zendesk’s founder Mikkel Svane. An O2 survey last year found that 70 per cent of people wouldn’t forgive a company for bad customer service. Two thirds also said they’d share their experience with an average of eight friends and family members. Mikkel [...]
The sharing economy and VCs: A marriage made through money July 13, 2014 Hitchhiking once meant a compassionate driver picking up a rain-sodden stranger for nothing more than heartfelt gratitude. Today, its modern equivalent is “ridesharing”. Drivers now list journeys on their smartphones and sell seats in advance to offset the cost of petrol. Passengers book a seat online just like booking a train ticket, except that [...]
