With Mother’s Day just around the corner, a recent survey commissioned by Next has sought to find out exactly what we owe our mums for and just how much time and energy they dedicate to their children – whether that involves ferrying them to and from extracurricular activities or taking time off work to care for them when they’re sick.
Across hours of time, numerous gifts, invaluable advice and countless items borrowed, mums support their children in a thousand different ways (even after those “children” leave home) – and a lot …

By John Auckland, TribeFirst
If you’re raising money for your business, it is undoubtedly taking up a good deal of your time.  There’s nothing worse than spending your precious time on activities that are at best ineffective, at worst actively putting investors off the idea of funding your business.
Here are some of the common mistakes entrepreneurs often make when looking to raise money for their business?

Being unclear with your message

I run both accelerators for Virgin StartUp and crowdfunding bootcamps with Grant Thornton, and on both of these programmes I spend …

SMEs which receive EU-guaranteed loans significantly outperform those that don’t, in areas including asset, sales and productivity growth, according to a new research report from emlyon business school and Politecnico di Milano School of Management.
The report assesses the short and long-term economic effects that EU guaranteed loans have on beneficiary firms. These loans were provided to SMEs under programs funded by the European Commission and managed by the European Investment Fund (EIF).
Fabio Bertoni and Anita Quas, professors of finance at emlyon, and Massimo G. Colombo, professor of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial …

Apply now for a fully funded short programme at Catalyst: the South of England’s most successful accelerator for early stage businesses.
Southampton Science Park has revealed details of its Catalyst programme for 2019 and has announced that applications are now open for this sought-after accelerator for business start-ups.
Catalyst is a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs with an early stage business – or an ingenious idea for one – no matter whether they’ve been in business before or not. Valued at up to £15,000, the scheme is fully funded for successful applicants.
 
On completion, …

By Amanda Hamilton, NALP
 Whether you work for yourself or run a small business, the most difficult thing to manage is cash flow. So, what can you do if you are owed money and the person is ignoring all your phone calls and letters?
 
Firstly, don’t panic!
 
It’s easy to start thinking ahead of yourself about the cost and aggravation of taking someone to court – especially if you have no experience of such things.
 
Stop right there. Most situations don’t end up in court but if there is no alternative, and if the …

By Marco Scotti, Figaroo
With the introduction of exciting new technology in the entertainment industry generally the world of nightclubs is changing.  I predict we’ll see many more women owning and operating nightclubs as they embrace new and disruptive technologies. Without the baggage of ‘this is how we’ve always done it’ I think we’ll see more women, and in particular younger women, making a name in the club world.
Technology will shift the way the industry is run, and this will provide opportunities for women to break into the industry as …

It has been announced that mothers returning to work from maternity leave will be protected from redundancy for a minimum of six months. One in nine women stated that following their return to work after having a baby, they were either fired or made redundant. Or they were forced out voluntarily as a result of poor treatment.
This equates to some 54,000 women a year and will go above and beyond the current legal protection period of just two weeks. Charlie Rosier, mother and Co-Founder of creche integrated workspace Cuckooz Nest, …

By John Auckland, Tribe First
We’ve said goodbye to 2018 and after celebrating on New Year’s Eve, we’ve felt just optimistic enough to make ambitious resolutions, though experience tells us they are likely to be forgotten within a few short weeks. Rather than recommending you neglect Netflix in favour of a gym membership or give up your favourite tipple for kale smoothies, I’ll give you something better: five reasons that show why 2019 is the year your business should use crowdfunding.
 Fundraising via crowdfunding rather than banks is seen as more viable …

A large number of dads are considering changing jobs to have greater flexibility, with many saying employers are still not aware that modern families have changed, according to a survey to celebrate the launch of the new Workingdads.co.uk website.
The survey shows 73% of dads are considering searching for a flexible job and 16% are actively looking for one. The Workingdads.co.uk site has been launched to offer new flexible jobs to dads and as a place where dads can keep informed about and debate issues relating to being a working dad. It will also provide …

The judges of the 2019 Business Book Awards are delighted to announce the much-anticipated shortlist for this year’s event…
After reading their way through piles of brilliant entries and spending many hours in deliberation and hot discussion, the esteemed judges – including top authors, broadcasters, publishers and people from all areas of business – have whittled down this year’s entrants to a thought-provoking shortlist of books at the forefront of their field.
The winners of the 2019 Business Book Awards in each category – as well as the overall winner – …