Raw ambition: Meet Yo! Sushi founder and ex-Dragon Simon Woodroffe June 16, 2014 Harriet Green talks Yo! Sushi and embracing disaster with ex-Dragon Simon Woodroffe For one of Britain’s most ebullient entrepreneurs, Simon Woodroffe is modest about his first steps into business. “The initial motivation was desperation”, he says. The founder of Yo! Sushi, Yo! and former BBC Dragon says that he “started a restaurant in a world [...]
It’s easier than ever to start out as an angel investor – and there’s more to it than money June 16, 2014 IN THE bad old days – when Britain was clearly divided between haves and have-nots – it was easy for the average Marxist to distinguish between the capitalists and the rest of us. However, with shareholdings, private pensions and crowdfunding, things have got a little complicated for those who want to bring down the “owners”. [...]
Gimme 5 June 16, 2014 …STARTUPS CROWDFUNDING THIS MONTH Chilango Target: £1,000,000 for 8 per cent equity A London chain of seven fast-service Mexican restaurants serving award-winning food. Offers the “Burrito Bond”, a mini-bond paying investors 8 per cent. Raised: £430,500 via CrowdCube 57 days left Odyssey Target: £1,000,000 for 5 per cent equity A new business class airline venture [...]
Kings of Leon: Meet fast food entrepreneurs Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent June 8, 2014 Annabel Palmer talks fast food in heaven with Leon founders Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent BRITAIN’S foodies have never had it so good. Barely a week goes by without a new fad emerging to whet their sweetbreads (most recently, the rise of American-inspired dipping and Korean cuisine); BBC One’s Masterchef becomes ever more delectable as [...]
Tipping point: Why there’s never been a better time to start a business in Britain June 8, 2014 WE HAVE now heard Her Majesty the Queen utter the words small business and enterprise in Parliament. Last week, she announced the first ever bill dedicated to small firms in the Queen’s Speech: the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill. This was soon followed by a release from the Office for National Statistics showing the [...]
Gimme 5 June 8, 2014 …INSPIRATIONAL BUSINESS BOOKS The Gospel of Wealth Andrew Carnegie The original wealthy capitalist’s bible, Carnegie’s book explains that growing rich by making well-thought out business decisions is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it’s among the most patriotic things you could possibly do – as long as you pay your taxes. The Dilbert Principle [...]
The Queen’s Speech: Recall, pensions and heroism June 4, 2014 Small business bill If a big bank turns down a small firm’s loan application, they will have to refer it on to other lenders. Zero-hours contracts can no longer include an exclusivity clause that ban workers from taking several such jobs. Tax-free childcare will be extended to under-12s from 2015 in a bid to make [...]
UK mega pensions aren’t a bad idea – if government can resist destroying them June 3, 2014 IN THE Queen’s Speech today, the government is likely to give the go-ahead for large pension schemes along Dutch lines. Such collective defined contribution schemes have many advantages. They allow managers to pursue return targets without giving guarantees. Risks can be shared between generations and costs can be kept down as a result of economies [...]
Standard Life’s shares dip after pension change June 2, 2014 FURTHER changes to the pensions market, expected to be announced by the government in the Queen’s speech tomorrow, caused Standard Life shares to dip by nearly 1.7 per cent yesterday. News that ministers are to legalise collective pension schemes similar to those seen in Holland and Canada has caused unease, after warnings of risks associated [...]
Britain beware: How the Dutch pension system pits young against old June 2, 2014 IN TOMORROW’s Queen’s Speech, the government is expected to include the “Collective Defined Contribution” model (CDC) of the Dutch pension system in a forthcoming Pensions Bill. Pensions minister Steve Webb is right to consider it a strong model. But he must also be careful not to repeat the Dutch system’s mistakes, and should ensure that [...]
