Why I left the City to found a business – Investec Comment August 2, 2015 What makes a barrister, with a comfortable salary and a promising career, leave her job and risk everything by starting her own company? It’s a question – or a version of it – that many in the City with an entrepreneurial spirit will have asked themselves. I won’t pretend that it wasn’t a big decision [...]
Investec Comment: Managing your foreign exchange risk July 19, 2015 In the first three months of 2015, the value of the euro fell 10 per cent against sterling. Since a stronger pound makes UK exports relatively less competitive in other markets, for a company doing business in the Eurozone, such a sizeable move could have had a significant impact on their profitability. Plenty of firms [...]
Scaling up: Overcoming the challenges – Investec Comment July 12, 2015 Business growth takes many forms, but some companies have the capacity to achieve truly remarkable rates of expansion. They are scaling up: increasing revenues at a rate of over 20 per cent annually for more than a couple of years. This phenomenon is not exclusive to fast-growing markets or sectors. It may be that [...]
What entrepreneurs can learn from sport – Investec Comment July 5, 2015 It's as true in sport as it is in business: everything you do has a risk attached. I’m a rower and have been training for the past two years to compete at the Paralympic Games in Rio next year, but there was nothing inevitable about me getting to this stage in my career. Before [...]
Investec Comment: Asset finance for startups: How it can help June 28, 2015 MUCH of the discussion about small business finance focuses on the very early stages of a company’s life. Will a bank lend the money it needs for its initial stages of growth? If not, what other options does that firm have? What can be done to make it easier for very new companies to borrow? [...]
How entrepreneurs can gain from corporate social responsibility – Investec Comment June 21, 2015 Businesses of all sizes can enrich people’s lives through more than just the products or services they sell. Strategically chosen community partnerships can have valuable mutual benefits, and keep employees and clients inspired. To ensure your corporate social responsibility initiatives gain traction, you should partner with people whose values align with your own. A great [...]
How to build a brand for your business – Investec Comment June 14, 2015 Whatever size company you run, your brand is an essential component of your success. If your reputation is the sum of the impressions people have had of your firm historically, your brand describes what your customers and clients can expect in the future. If you want to be distinct, if you don’t want to fade, [...]
How entrepreneurs can secure their legacy – Investec Comment June 7, 2015 When a founder has been in the driving seat of a business for many years, it can often be difficult to relinquish control: either passing the company onto the next generation or selling up entirely to move on to another venture. But business owners also face another dilemma, particularly when selling part or all of [...]
Cox can trump Investec Dash rivals with pair of speedballs June 5, 2015 RACE 4 3.45pm Investec Corporate Banking Dash BLINK and you’ll miss it. The Investec Corporate Banking Dash is the fastest five furlong race run anywhere in the world. As soon as the gates open you’ll have less than a minute to enjoy the action. But it’s always packed full of drama and hard luck stories [...]
Your indispensable horse-by-horse guide to the 2015 Investec Derby June 5, 2015 Carbon Dating Hasn’t won in four outings or got closer than 12 lengths to a winner. Finished flat last of 11 behind Gleneagles when priced at 150/1 in the Irish Guineas. He’s 250/1 this time and, to be blunt, has no chance, even if the rain stays away. A nice day out for connections but [...]