The tech whizz who still has faith in the trusty telephone March 30, 2014 Annabel Palmer talks to Paul Lees, the ex-BT programme manager who co-founded the conference call firm for SMEs Powwownow WANDER down any street and it will instantly become clear just how far the telecoms industry has changed in the past decade. A growing minority of households has now gone mobile-only, in Britain and elsewhere. But [...]
The week in brief March 23, 2014 Advertisers welcome chancellor’s SME Budget helpThe chancellor’s decision to double the Annual Investment Allowance to £500,000 could spark an increase in ad spend by smaller firms, according to the trade body ISBA. Its director of public affairs Ian Twinn said, “this revision will free up cash and encourage smaller businesses to invest more money in [...]
Down to a Fine Art March 23, 2014 Annabel Palmer talks to Patrick van der Vorst, the ex-Sotheby’s art expert who used a £100,000 investment from Dragons Den to build online valuation service Value My Stuff THE INTERNATIONAL art market is having a ball, as investors flock to the perceived safer asset. A Sotheby’s sale last month totalled £163m, with demand coming from [...]
Budget 2014 showed promise: But it lacked beef for entrepreneurs to really get their teeth into March 23, 2014 YOU CAN’T please all of the people all of the time, particularly if you’re the chancellor of the Exchequer. Even if George Osborne had promised last Wednesday to personally traipse the length and breadth of the country handing out free candyfloss, an obesity pressure group of some sort would have released a statement condemning him. [...]
Gimme 5 March 23, 2014 …WEBSITES FOR ENTREPRENEURS Shell LiveWire Shell’s UK-wide enterprise scheme and social investment programme. It offers four monthly £1,000 awards and an annual £10,000 Young Entrepreneur award. shell-livewire.org Skype There’s more to Skype than free internet calls. Tools like video conferencing make it a more useful resource for small businesses than you might expect. skype.com Startup [...]
Trade Secrets March 16, 2014 Annabel Palmer talks fashion, funding and family business with Nish and Sach Kukadia, co-founders of the flash sales website and private members club Secretsales.com DEAL of the day, or flash sales sites, were brought into the post-dotcom bubble world with the launch of Woot.com in 2004. It gave customers a 24 hour window each day [...]
Pop-ups are coming to the Tube: Three ideas for how startups can hop onto the trend successfully March 16, 2014 POP-UP shops could soon be appearing at a Tube station near you. On top of reports that Transport for London is exploring turning obsolete ticket offices into online delivery collection hubs, it signed a deal last week to make its retail property empire available for temporary occupation. Its estate amounts to 1,000 retail premises within [...]
Gimme 5 March 16, 2014 …OF THE BEST AWARDS FOR ENTREPRENEURS Deloitte Technology Fast 50Now in its 16th year, the technology award programme is a ranking of the UK’s 50 fastest growing tech companies, based on revenue growth over the last five years. deloitte.co.uk/fast50 The EuropasThe Awards, taking place this June in London, celebrate Europe’s hottest tech startups. Former winners [...]
Crest of the wave March 16, 2014 Annabel Palmer talks strategy with UM’s Russell Place RUSSELL Place was a landscape gardener in Melbourne before he returned to London and delved into its fast-paced media world. Today, he is managing director at UM – a media and communications company whose clients include Microsoft and H&M. Place tells City A.M. about the transformation of [...]
The cookie has crumbled – online tracking faces an uncertain future March 16, 2014 @LiamWardProud THE TRACKING of individuals’ browsing habits burst into the public consciousness last year as a result of Edward Snowden’s revelations about US spy agencies’ online snooping. But it’s an issue digital marketers have been grappling with for some time. The industry standard tracking tool – the cookie – is dying a slow death, and [...]
