I must admit this blog sounds a bit as though I’m standing on a soap-box, but a recent comment by Google’s chairman, Eric Schmidt, rang true with me. He said:
“I was flabbergasted to learn that today computer science isn’t even taught as standard in UK schools,” he said. “Your IT curriculum focuses on teaching how [...]

Enterprise Zones are the latest government incentive to get businesses growing. Within the Enterprise Zone you can get superfast broadband, lower rates & taxes, and low levels of regulation & planning controls.
That can only be a good thing – right? A great encouragement for younger companies who may otherwise struggle to reach critical mass.
Maybe, however [...]

A few days ago the office of the Prime Minister sent a letter to many small businesses and SME organisations explaining that a new online tool called Contracts Finder has been launched that will show all government tender opportunities.
At the same time he said they would eliminate the prequalification questionnaire (PQQ) for low value orders [...]

At one time business incubators seemed to be mentioned in the business section of every newspaper. Now they have a much lower profile and you might be forgiven for wondering what had became of them.
Since they tend to be focused on high growth, technology or knowledge-based industries, it’s not surprising that during the hay day [...]

So it is coming to pass. As I speculated back in March, the new government is to close Business Link.
Mark Prisk, the business and enterprise minister, has now said: “The regional Business Links have spent too much time signposting and not enough time actually advising,”
“We’re going to wind down the Regional Development Agencies, and [...]

Yesterday’s budget reminded me that there are still considerable tax benefits to owning your own business, beyond the normal personal tax choices of taking salary, or dividends.
The Chancellor has for a start not only continued with the Entrepreneur Relief Rate of 10% but expanded it up to a value of £5M. Now many entrepreneurs busy [...]

During the latest recession as skilled or senior professional people suffered redundancy, many decided to start their own businesses. Some escapees from the crash of the City actually became Investors into young businesses.
With the huge cuts to public spending now being implemented there will undoubtedly not only be direct job losses, but with contracts being [...]

Well let’s first look at the terminology “hung parliament”. It is a term that is designed to send shivers down your spine. Hung, drawn and quartered, a hung jury, hung from the highest tree.
It provokes the public into a sense of unease, if not outright terror. The danger is that this sense of [...]

The Tories have vowed to get rid of Business Link, the government-funded business advice service in England, but what if anything will replace it?
Business Link has had over the years a mixed reputation. Your view of the whole organisation usually depended on which adviser you were allocated.
I certainly remember my original encounter with them. I [...]