When investors make the decision to give funding to a startup they are effectively saying ‘I believe that the vision of this business will manifest itself in tangible value in the future.’ Data sometimes back up this belief, but often it isn’t. This means that an investor's decision to invest in a startup is more emotional than rational in the early stages. For this reason, investors must believe in the value that the startups create not just for themselves as ROI, but for everyone that is and will be using the product.

While the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic unravel, there has been an increase in the number of claims being made on personal guarantees against directors or other individuals who have guaranteed business debts.

When starting a new business, the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of budding entrepreneurs are underpinned by the desire to secure a bright and prosperous future. Positivity, adrenalin and energy combine to drive them forwards. Hurdles are overcome, goals are pursued, and time flies by in a whirlwind of activity and excitement – at least, that’s the plan.

Global collaboration facilitates scalable innovation. And there has never been a more important time than right now for our best minds globally to work together to shape a better future.

Over the last few months, the world has entered a new phase of work that adopts tropes of both pre- and post-pandemic living. Whilst people slowly return to the office, the pandemic-related changes around how and where people are working seem here to stay.

Suffice it to say, 2021 was a challenging year for UK businesses. Brexit and COVID-19 have continued to dominate the news agenda throughout the previous twelve months, presenting challenges for organisations of all sizes. That said, new challenges began to emerge throughout the year; supply chain problems, for example, caused major disruption and product shortages for businesses and customers alike.

What is the entrepreneur mindset, and how do we develop it? These are questions that often go amiss during conversations about successful business leaders. Much is focused on reputation, a penchant for spotting talent, and of course, the all-important sales figures. While important markers, these fail to address what truly sets apart those destined to be entrepreneurs from the rest.

Obviously, when creating a startup business, the main goal is to achieve success – to find your business in a position to grow, evolve, and scale in line with your ambitions.

The topic of returning to the office has been a contentious one for staff across the world as they have been forced to adapt to new ways of working. The digitisation of the office has become a warmly welcomed addition for some, but not everyone works the same.

You’ve set your business up, you’re doing something really quite different and exciting, and the website looks great. What’s more, you’ve even acquired some customers quite early on thanks to your solid network. But, in an attempt to reach wider audiences, you attempted a PR push and it got you… nothing. Zilch. No coverage whatsoever. (Unless of course you were willing to pay £250 for a publication to print it but then who wants to do that?!)

You want your startup business to be an instant success. But challenges can crop up quickly and hamper your startup long into the future. However, if you understand these challenges, you can keep an eye out for them. From here, you can address these issues before they cause long-lasting damage. You may even identify opportunities to prevent such problems from damaging your business in the first place.

As the year draws to a close, with the Christmas rush nearly over, retailers are starting to look back at how the past year has played out and consider what it can teach us about the year ahead.

As the world of fashion is growing at a rapid rate, but so is the footprint the industry is leaving on the planet, we spoke to Stefan Hauswiesner, CEO and co-founder of Reactive Reality, the augmented reality leader enhancing e-commerce for retailers, who explained more about the vital role that AR will play in reducing the carbon footprint of the fashion industry and some of the key consumer fashion trends of that we will see in 2022.

As a business owner, your wellbeing and ability to deal with the demands of your company is inextricably linked to the wellbeing and longevity of your business.

Before entering into a potential brand licensing agreement as either a licensor or licensee, it is crucial to have a clear idea of your positioning and future aims for any licensing negotiations. This will help you to achieve a successful licence agreement for you and your business.

It is true that many people do not like change and shy away from it. But it is equally true that periods of change bring much more opportunity for innovation and for businesses to adapt and pivot and supply products and services to fulfil needs that have opened up or changed in some way. In times of rapid change as we have seen over the last few years then the opportunities are both bigger and more abundant.

As any startup founder knows, there’s an ongoing battle that you wage with yourself to do with staffing. More specifically, whether and when to staff up – or to keep trying to spin all the plates yourself. When you’ve grown a business from the ground up, it’s hard to pass responsibility to other people. In fact, I’d liken it to a kind of bittersweet grief; I’m happy things are going so well but it is hard to take a step back and hand the reins over to someone else.

Startups and corporates are often depicted as advisories. The challenger and the incumbent; the plucky upstart and the behemoth. But, in truth, there are an increasing number of partnerships forming between these two groups, particularly when it comes to the development of new technologies.

Ask any established business leader for the secrets of their company’s success, and it is almost certain that having inspirational role models – be they other entrepreneurs or businesses - would have played a key role in their growth.

Do you ever find yourself alarmed by the stark contrast in ecological attitudes between friends, family and colleagues? For many, net zero targets are a top priority. Others’ mindsets vary, with some making small adjustments to their way of life, and some refusing any personal responsibility.