Sam Jones’s Dragons’ Den start-up pitch is immortalised as the TV show’s “best ever”, and Harry Redknapp describes him as having the work rate of a top footballer. In this episode of Sound Advice, Jones revealed his first-hand experience with how to fund a start-up, including how he convinced stars such as Tinie Tempah to invest in his tech start-up, Gener8, a web browser that … [Read more…]
Kit & Kin founder Christopher Money turned an eco-friendly baby product idea into an award-winning startup by partnering with Emma Bunton to build a purpose-driven brand. Money was on the hunt to find baby products that were both kind to sensitive skin and kind to the planet, but he couldn’t find what he was looking for—so he … [Read more…]
Small start-ups can take off, even with limited resources, by testing a clear idea, solving a real problem, and building momentum one practical step at a time. Rob and Mart Drake-Knight set up their first small business, Teemill, in a garden shed. From tinkering with Epson printers to building factory robots from old parts they found on eBay, the pair built the first open-access circular fashion supply chain from scratch. … [Read more…]
Fundraising is already challenging enough, but keeping your organisation financially sustainable adds another layer of responsibility. In fact, a survey conducted by Sage in the US found that nonprofits rank budgeting and financial planning as one of their top five internal challenges. Why? Because nonprofit revenue streams can be unpredictable, and it’s easy to prioritise … [Read more…]
Accountex 2026 took place in mid-May 2026, and delivered some powerful, game changing insights about the state of the accountancy profession. We’ve a full write-up in this article, as follows: Operational pressures: Beyond compliance and deadlines One of the most revealing moments at Accountex 2026 came during a session discussing operational pressure inside accounting firms. … [Read more…]
Whether you’re starting a traditional business or something more offbeat, the core principle is the same: your idea needs real demand, practical development, and a willingness to try something different. A business may need broad appeal, but that doesn’t mean the idea itself has to be conventional. Even the strangest concepts can succeed if they solve a genuine problem and can … [Read more…]
Running a hotel means juggling a lot of moving parts. Every day brings new guests to serve, operations to manage, and numbers to track. As a hotel owner or finance manager, you’re not only focused on delivering a great experience today—you’re also planning for long-term profitability. That’s where your hotel budget comes in. Your hotel … [Read more…]
If you’re new to running a business, you’ve probably put a lot of thought into the basic first steps: sourcing materials, arranging production, and then serving customers. One finer detail of those steps is building relationships with your suppliers. They’ll want to see that you know what you’re doing, and that you’re both speaking the … [Read more…]
If you’re managing projects or payroll, budgeting or planning, you need to know how many working hours there are in a year or month. Maybe you’re planning resources and output, and want to create a detailed plan including the amount of working hours for the year. Or, you want to reassess productivity and benchmark if … [Read more…]
Your team may be using AI. The question is whether anyone’s in charge of it. Nobody announced it. There was no policy meeting, no training session, no sign-off. But somewhere, somehow, AI has quietly become part of how your team works. Customer emails drafted with ChatGPT or Claude. Meeting notes summarised in seconds. A prospecting … [Read more…]