Category

Entrepreneurs

Dealing with disaster

It’s understandable that the day-to-day concerns for an owner-manager will be to keep customers happy, while also seeking opportunities to grow the business. Quite often, a disaster recovery plan will be at the lower end of a ‘to do’ list.

Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs

Maria Kempinska: Stand-up success

For 25 years Jongleurs has been the stage on which tomorrow’s TV stars have proved themselves. Paul Merton, Rory Bremner, Graham Norton and Ruby Wax all learnt the art of stand-up at a venue that was created using a £300 overdraft by the daughter of Polish refugees.

Entrepreneurs

Tim Richards: In a room with Vue

Vue's management buy-out positioned the UK's second largest cinema chain to play a leading role in the transformation of cinematic entertainment.

Entrepreneurs

David Reiss: staying in control

In the notoriously fickle world of fashion it’s rare to find a name that has persisted over the decades without either collapsing under the weight of its own ambitions or lapsing into corporate uniform.

Entrepreneurs

Drive personnified: Toni Mascolo

Passion matters. It is why entrepreneurs start businesses. It is what persuades others to get involved, as employees, customers or suppliers. It is a sustaining force during bad times. But it is not necessarily inexhaustible. Successful growth creates plenty of ways that can diminish its force.

Entrepreneurs

Freshminds is taking a fresh approach to recruitment consultancy

Research and recruitment consultancy FreshMinds, founded six years ago by two bright young graduates, Caroline Plumb and Charlie Osmond, has never looked back. It has doubled in size every year, reached £5 million turnover and lists 30 of the UK’s top FTSE 100 corporates among its clients.

Entrepreneurs

Alistair Baker: Entrepreneurial to the core

Alistair Baker, the innovator who has led Microsoft UK for the past two years, talks to GrowthBusiness about leadership, change-management and how the corporation is more than geared up for the next great turn in the technology cycle.

Entrepreneurs

The value of business mentoring

Helping business start-ups is a rewarding activity for many retired entrepreneurs and (since selling his own company) it has even become the principal activity for Derek Barr, a business angel with a keen interest in early-stage ventures.

Entrepreneurs

Alistair Baker: Entrepreneurial to the core

Alistair Baker, the innovator who has led Microsoft UK for the past two years, talks to GrowthBusiness about leadership, change-management and how the corporation is more than geared up for the next great turn in the technology cycle.

Entrepreneurs

The value of business mentoring

Helping business start-ups is a rewarding activity for many retired entrepreneurs and (since selling his own company) it has even become the principal activity for Derek Barr, a business angel with a keen interest in early-stage ventures.

Entrepreneurs

Paul Woodmansterne’s challenge

Paul Woodmansterne inherited the family business with his sister and Watford-based Woodmansterne Publications has become a leading publisher of fine-art and culturally-inspired greetings cards in the UK. Founded originally in 1953 as a publisher of colourslides, the company introduced its first greetings cards in 1987.

Entrepreneurs

The magnificent obsession

Obsessiveness plays a big part in momentum management. You can build a successful company, one that gives you a very good lifestyle, by working very hard for a few years. But if you are really going to blast your way through, being obsessed is probably essential.

Entrepreneurs

Investing in China: Carte Blanche

A combination of energy and work ethic attracted greeting card business Carte Blanche to China and chairman Stephen Haines has nothing but good to say about his experience of doing business in the country.

Entrepreneurs

Michael Murphy: Murphy’s Law

It’s a brave man who becomes CEO of internet colossus Friends Reunited at a time when its phenomenal growth appears to be stalling. But from day one, Michael Murphy set about strengthening the brand, turning a potential one-trick wonder into an attractive acquisition for media giant ITV.

Partner content

Why upgrading your tech regularly will help your business grow

To run an optimal business, you must have optimal tech. We explain why you must upgrade your business technology on a regular basis

Accounting and Finance Software

Desktop vs cloud accounting: What to consider 

What are the key differences between desktop and cloud accounting software, and what should you consider when it comes to choosing a solution for your business

Accounting and Finance Software

Accounting and financial management software: What you need to know 

Fast-growth businesses need a solution that can cope with the demands of an ever-increasing volume of data, transactions, and tasks.

Opinion

Boosting confidence in outsourcing your customer service function to call centres in Africa

CCI Kenya discusses why outsourcing key of your business processes to call centres in Africa may be beneficial