What are the characteristics of a growth business compared to a small business? Many people start up their business to meet a market need and are happy to keep operating it in a manner that suits their lifestyle or enables them to have flexibility. What they don’t recognise is that if they focused on certain areas of their business, they could be preparing their business for growth and a potential future exit plan.

The Start-Up Loan scheme has exceeded expectations as 2,000 aspirational young entrepreneurs have now received support to help get their business venture off the ground, in a boost to growth and the UK’s efforts to get ahead in the global race.

Anyone who’s been online to read a news article, watched a film on a smartphone, or indeed witnessed shops closing on the British high street, knows how the internet has transformed business models in almost every sector of the economy.  But far fewer sectors have taken the next big step and become social – and that presents an exciting opportunity for entrepreneurs and start-ups.

What sets top sales people apart? What is it that they do better than the rest? There are, of course, a number of factors, but one that we frequently observe is that top sellers are great story-tellers. They put their points across not by pitching their products, but by sharing relevant, situation-specific anecdotes and stories that their prospects can relate to.

I spent most of 2012 barreling down the path I set in motion in early 2011 (Looking back at 2011, looking forward to 2012), before ultimately deciding to completely unravel my life. I left OLX (Why I am leaving OLX) and I am radically simplifying my life (The Very Big Downgrade).

Businesses shouldn't hang grimly on to their best ideas; they should share them as widely as possible. Mad? I don't think so. This is why I think sharing ideas will boost your business.

We work with lots of different companies - from huge corporates to small startups - and one of the saddest things is a company who has no publicity because they want to keep their plans totally secret.

The statistics certainly make for uncomfortable reading. According to a substantial body of published research - some of it by sales training companies themselves - only a tiny fraction (less than 15% seems to be the consensus figure) of the content delivered in traditional sales training programmes has any practical impact on the sales person’s subsequent behaviour.

Gen X, Gen Y, Gen i and other labels attempt to define a generation and their needs, wants, desires and thoughts.

A few weeks ago Clarks Shoes, one of Britain’s most iconic brands (who hasn’t owned a pair?) announced the launch of the brand in Uruguay. Interestingly, it was not through a distribution model or through their own store. As I have emphasised in my blog, Latin America requires lateral thinking, and Clarks has shown plenty of it.