The recession has affected different parts of the economy in different ways. In the UK some sectors, such as government or financial services, have been hard hit.

Once you have an established business, you need to start thinking about entering industry awards. Awards aren’t just about receive kudos for something remarkable your business has achieved. Here are my 7 reasons why a small business should enter awards.

In response to its existential crisis, the euro area has opted for the path of austerity and economic reform. The aim is to restore the public finances and rebuild competitiveness in the peripheral nations of Europe.

I’ve been thinking about this question a lot lately as I’m wondering why I continue to work the startup (tripchi) and the day job. Why do I do this to myself? 

I had the immense pleasure of meeting David Dimbleby after I was invited to BBC's Question Time at the Mick Jagger Centre the other week. Click here to watch the show in full. I made a comment about globalisation and our responsibilities as entrepreneurs around 38 minutes into the piece:

There are lots of challenges involved in setting up a business. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it! But one of the most difficult things is getting started. So you have an idea. Now what?

Recently I wrote a post about “proprietary dealflow for VCs." In the article I discussed the downside of raising capital at a too high of a price and referred people to a previous article I had written encouraging founders to raise “At the Top End of Normal” as opposed to stratospheric prices.

I hope the headline caught your attention - it was intended to. After all, aren’t fresh leads the lifeblood of any company that depends on winning new business to grow? Of course they are. I left half the headline out.

One of the key realisations of my early career was that, despite being employed, I was essentially a free agent. I’d spent a few years working for large technology companies, but an American colleague pointed out to me that the relationship with my employer was largely an illusion.

Risk taking is something that is a natural part of work and life. For some it may seem risky to eat a yoghurt that is past the “sell by” date, where as for others they dont even think about the potential implications of doing so. The people in the boat sailing past the iceberg in the image on the right may not have considered the risks of the iceberg behind them turning in the water and capsizing them.