A business partnership can be one of the most rewarding ways to build something lasting and tangible by pooling skills, sharing risk, and aligning ambitions. Partnerships, however, are not without risk.

“Do you want it done fast, or do you want it done right?” This old adage suggests that efficiency and speed naturally come at a trade-off with quality – a troubling thought for anyone who has ever hoped to do something both quickly and properly.

With a potential recession knocking at the door of the American economy, managing cash flow is moving to the centre of the plate for small business founders and CEOs. Recessions inevitably cause a business’s payables to balloon, and with business credit already running tight across the US, the lack of free-flowing capital can create a big problem. 

Launching a startup is a thrilling endeavour – it’s the dream of building something from nothing, fuelled by passion, grit, and ingenuity. But amidst the hustle of product development, pitching, and building a brand, many founders overlook one of the most critical elements to long-term success: legal infrastructure.

Did you know that one of the world's most recognised fintech companies, Wise, has roots in Ukraine? It's a story that often goes untold: a fintech giant, founded by Estonians, but in its early days built by a dedicated team of Ukrainian engineers from Cherkasy. This is the unexpected origin story of a company that has revolutionised international money transfers.

The AI revolution is often depicted as a contest between tech giants, each pouring billions into ever-larger, general-purpose models. But while big tech dominates headlines, a quieter transformation is underway: startups with deep domain expertise are building deeply valuable, practical AI solutions that solve real problems. In a world obsessed with big names, it’s these focused, specialist teams that are quietly reshaping industries from the ground up.

Building a business is hard enough, but building a business that lasts is even harder. On average, 20% of businesses fail within their first year and 49% fail in their first five years.

The restaurant industry is evolving at a pace previously unimagined. For small restaurant owners, who are often caught between rising operational demands and limited resources, the challenge is particularly daunting.

The business world is incredibly volatile, and a company can fail without an expertly executed strategy. Around 90% of startups fail because they run out of capital, don’t define the market need well enough, get outcompeted, or suffer through flawed strategies related to modelling, regulatory challenges, and pricing/cost issues. Without proper strategic planning, a business stands on the edge between success and failure.

Annually my family visits Ithaca, New York to visit friends and celebrate the New Year. Each time we go, I find myself at a small coffee shop; I spend a few hours here by myself, taking stock of where I am with my business, my life, and putting together an intentional idea of where I wish to be at my next visit. I call it my “planning day,” and with my head in a good place, I have some pretty incredible insights that bring great meaning to where I am and where I want to go.

In a world awash with AI headlines and tech disruption, Sara Daw, CEO of The CFO Centre, cuts through the noise with a compelling message – AI isn’t coming to take our jobs, it’s coming to transform them. And for company leaders and the finance teams that support them, the implications are both profound and empowering.

Few technologies have received as much attention from businesses as artificial intelligence (AI). The fanfare surrounding AI is hard to ignore, but startup founders must look past the hype and get the full picture before investing in any AI solution. Before you invest, you should recognise five crucial facts about AI.

Every year, The Apprentice finale sparks lively conversations about the merits of the candidates, including what it means to be a successful entrepreneur. The boardroom drama, the sharp suits, the elevator pitches – it’s designed for TV, but it also reflects how many still view business: competitive, high-stakes, and full of ebullient characters.

The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has long been a pillar of global medical research and the lead agency of the United States government for biomedical and public health research. The NIH has been instrumental in advancing medical knowledge and improving health outcomes through its extensive support of clinical trials.

Jamie Boyd is a former professional rugby player who suffered a career-ending knee injury aged 24. He took a £3,000 loan from The Prince's Trust (now known as The King's Trust) to lease a van and put in 70-hour weeks to build a nationwide same-day courier operation, Today Team, from scratch.

Some professionals don’t fit the mould. In fact, it’s often the most talented, high-impact workers who quietly carry more than their share of work, especially in specialised fields like deeptech. These individuals can often define the direction and pace of progress in startups and small business, yet leading them is anything but straightforward.

In an age where every click, swipe, and search can be tracked, stored and analysed, data privacy is no longer a luxury but a necessity. From social media profiles to medical records and financial transactions, personal information is constantly collected and processed, often without understanding or consent.

Startups today face more complexity and competition than ever before. Having a great idea is no longer enough. Success depends on how quickly founders can build the right support around them – whether that’s forging strong connections, accessing funding and mentorship, gaining access to the right talent at the right time, having flexibility, or becoming part of a strong community.

With over 34 billion connected devices expected to be in operation worldwide by 20281, industries across the globe are facing mounting pressure to adopt streamlined, scalable connectivity strategies. The accelerating expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) brings immense opportunity, but also significant logistical and technical complexity.

In the new normal of global trade, policies shift overnight, markets swing unpredictably, and yesterday's financial reports might as well be ancient history.