Most start-ups fail to survive more than a year or two after their launch. In most cases, failure is not the result of a flawed business idea. Instead, the problem lies with the way a business is handled. A variety of factors come into play to make any business a money-making machine. Similarly, there are several factors that contribute to a business’ failure.

The following outlines the startup mistakes that can inch a business closer to failure. Read on.

Insufficient Idea Development

Start-ups don’t fail because the business idea is awful. Rather, they fail because entrepreneurs don’t plan the business before putting the waters to test.… Continue reading »

Just about every office space, irrespective of size, shape or location, will have at least a few pieces of sophisticated and expensive technology in it. Laptops, desktop PCs, servers, printers, photocopiers and tablets are all usually found in a typical office space, and can have a combined value running into tens of thousands of pounds or even more.

At the same time, computers, laptops and servers may have some important documents or data stored on there, making them even more valuable. The intellectual and monetary value of your office’s tech means that keeping it secure at all times is an absolute must, but what, aside from a series of security alarms, could help guard against loss or theft?… Continue reading »

While recently statistics showed that the economy has grown by 0.6% in the first quarter, it doesn’t mean the economy is quite out of the recession yet. However, there’s no reason for SMEs to be optimistic. If the economy continues to recover, this year could be a good one for small businesses.

Since the economic crash of 2008, things have been difficult for businesses – especially those trying to get their foot on the ladder. Employment rates in the UK are still low, but there’s hope for the struggling retail sector thanks to the advent of ecommerce.

Online to outdoors

A great number of retailers, both large and small, have been enjoying the benefits of selling products online.… Continue reading »

It seems that the world has moved online. And now almost every type of activity is conducted online. This includes banking, attending classes, dating, cheating on our spouses, keeping up with old friends and meeting new ones, investigating the background of prospective employees as well as backgrounds of boyfriends and others.

In other words, there is almost nothing that can’t be done online. The possibilities really are endless.

Online Shopping Takes Center Stage

Online shopping has become a national pastime. It’s a very simple task to do a Google search to find whatever it is that you need. Online shopping is quick and easy, and it’s the simplest way to do comparison shopping.… Continue reading »

If you’re a tradesman and you rely on your van to make a living then it’s absolutely vital that it’s properly insured. Working vans tend to be transport, office space, staff room and secure lock-up all rolled into one vehicle and damage or theft can be a huge blow to your livelihood if you aren’t well protected. Ask yourself these three questions to make sure you’re getting the best deal.

Have I got the right level of insurance?

We all want the cheapest quote, but you may find yourself paying through the nose later if you opt to skimp on spending now.… Continue reading »

There are few areas of the economy that have more potential than renewable energy. Entrepreneurial and engineering efforts to tap into solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, and wind energy have all met with strong results, making it more likely for success than if established companies attempt to tackle energy problems. Some of the hottest new companies on the market are looking to reduce the impact of fossil fuels or completely achieve energy independence.

Energy in India

The Indian subcontinent has resisted renewable energy for many reasons, including the lack of infrastructure, refusal to change from the status quo, and the high level of input cost needed to get a steady market.… Continue reading »

It sometimes happens that you’re doing a lot of things and you’ve got a really busy task list, busy days and no rest. Yet you’re not quite moving forward to your goals. The reason of this entrepreneurial disaster is lack of focus and concentration which can be cured with a more flexible approach to task management.

When ordinary to-do lists don’t give visibility into where you’re going, visual task management can present your Outlook task list in a form of a mind map which is far easier to analyze and correct.

TaskCracker is a rather cheap and quick solution for your Outlook task list which enables you to see your task list in a form of a visual matrix, based on the principles of the famous Eisenhower matrix time management technique, also called Urgent Important Matrix.… Continue reading »

Because IT plays a vital role in the business world today, a new business cannot afford not to have an IT department. Therefore, if you intend to start a new business, you need to have competent and reliable IT employees with a good grasp of best practices such as offsite data backup and security. Read on to learn how to get the best talent for your IT department.

Take Charge of the Hiring Process

Some entrepreneurs choose to outsource the task of hiring new employees. While there is nothing wrong with this approach, it is advisable to make hiring IT personnel your responsibility.… Continue reading »

Going green is more than just a trend in the suburbs. New start-up projects and companies are attempting to utilize renewable energy in order to power their operations. Some of these companies have launched engineering efforts to get their facilities off the fossil fuel grid, while others have partnered with organizations in order to deliver new technology. Some of these entrepreneurs have saved millions of dollars and countless gigawatts of energy by choosing solar, wind, hydroelectric, or geothermal power.

New Hampshire’s Green Initiative

Some of the money give out through the federal stimulus in the past few years has gone towards renewable energy operations.… Continue reading »

Image is a crucial component to business success. While it’s true that you have to back up your image with results for clients or customers, that first impression is always important.

Clients want to be served by a company that has all of the tools to service their needs, but they do not want to be just another piece of a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. So, while larger businesses are working on ensuring that a personal touch is added within the huge machine, smaller businesses often must attempt to appear larger, always available, and always on. How can you accomplish this as a start-up or small business?… Continue reading »

With the ever changing and improving role of technology within work place environments, video conferencing has started to become a normal part of everyday working life. This has become ingrained to such an extent that many interviews have started taking place via this form of communication.

Nothing beats a face-to-face interview. How many times have we all thought “as long as I get this interview, I’ve got the job in the bag”? That’s because, when given an opportunity to articulate our skills and potential, we can dazzle prospective employers far better with direct communication than is possible over a CV.… Continue reading »

Where does video conferencing come in?

Ever since the internet’s popularity took off in the early 1990′s, just about every company who wants to succeed has at least a minimal online presence. Many companies will have their own website, several social media accounts, a blog and, in increasing numbers, an online shop where they can sell their products to customers all over the world.

Known as ecommerce, online sales are something millions of companies worldwide are reliant on in order to boost their income, and some of the world’s biggest firms have made a success of online retailing. Supermarket chains such as Sainsbury’s and Tesco make a significant amount of profit from selling goods online, while rival Morrison’s have only just broken into the online grocery market.… Continue reading »

The UK is about to see an overhaul of its work-based pension scheme. The changes have already been made but are being implemented gradually across the space of five years. If you’re in work, you need to know the basics of how your pension is going to change.

What is Auto Enrolment?

Auto enrolment is the newly-applied change to the law regarding your pension. The legislation sees employees being automatically enrolled onto workplace pension schemes on employment, without application by the employee themselves.

What does this mean for me?

If you’re an employee and not already on a workplace pension scheme, the law will state that you must be enrolled onto it automatically.… Continue reading »

It seems that just about the whole world and his dog is going to have something to say about corporation tax and whether it is the best way to get companies, particularly multinationals, to contribute their fair share of government tax revenues. Right now, we have everyone from the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) all looking at ways of taxing the likes of Google and Starbucks who can apparently shift profits from one country to the next until they find the lowest rate of corporate tax.

However, while they are busy deliberating about how they can close loopholes or invent new business taxes which provide more fool proof ways of skimming off revenues for the government, the UK’s ruling coalition is aggressively pursuing its own agenda of reducing corporate tax rates to such a low level that companies are hopefully not going to be too bothered about tax avoidance with all the adverse publicity that goes with it.… Continue reading »

On any given day, criminal justice and law enforcement professionals are in the local and national news. They are our heroes and protectors. They might be cops on horseback in New York City, DEA and ATF agents working in tandem to make an arrest in an urban hotspot, or your local deputy sheriff on patrol. No matter where we find these professionals in our world, there are many others working behind the scenes in computer forensics, psychological profiling, crime scene investigation, and other less visible roles.

Growth in Criminal Justice Careers

Criminal justice careers within law enforcement are expected to grow at least 10% by 2018, as estimated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.… Continue reading »

The idea of turning your hobby into a business can seem a little far-fetched at first, but actually every day those who are stuck in a rut at work chose to take the plunge and become self-employed.

It’s not simple, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. There’s a lot of work in it, but the rewards are well worth the challenge.

The first step

First of all, you need to do some research. You need to know exactly what service you are planning to sell. Are you planning on expanding your hobby of baking by selling cakes? Or set up a collectibles trading post?… Continue reading »

What does Sir Paul McCartney have in common with Imagination Technologies, one of the UK’s largest suppliers of chip technology to smartphone manufacturers across the globe? Similarly, what problem does the Ian Fleming estate share with luxury clothing manufacturer, Burberry?

The answer, of course, is that all four are examples of individuals or organisations who hold intellectual property (IP) and other rights which are licensed out to third parties around the world in exchange for royalty income. Outside observers might conclude that this is the sort of problem they would quite like to have but it is no joke when you have to rely on licensees paying you what you think they owe you.… Continue reading »

The engineering skills that allow someone to design dams, highways, space shuttles, oil rigs, and computers also allow an individual to create their own profitable business and seek out a niche in the market. This is because many of the strength of a quality engineer, such as intelligence and persistence, will help an individual to understand customer demand, market share, and how to become a successful start-up.

Many engineers have turned away from graphs and charts in order to turn their attention to starting their own business. Five of the most successful entrepreneurial efforts proved the switch from hard hat to business hat is capable of being achieved.… Continue reading »

When you go to start a new business, simply being able to provide a customer with a product may not be enough to keep your company in the black. There are five particular skills that any entrepreneur should hone if they want to compete in a crowded market. Some of these skills may seem simplistic, but will be extremely valuable as a company grows in size and scope.

Analytical Risk and Reward

Any entrepreneur is automatically a risk-taker, since they are investing a likely significant amount of their own capital and savings into the idea that they are capable of turning a profit from the effort.… Continue reading »

Noobpreneur.com is privileged to have a rare Q&A with Michelle Van Slyke, Vice President of Marketing and Small Business Solutions for The UPS Store, one of the leading business service center franchises.

The Q&A is mainly on The UPS Store’s latest program, Main Street franchise model, allowing qualified franchisees to save up to $80,000 in initial capital requirement opening a store in rural area vs. franchisees with location in urban area. Here is the Q&A – enjoy!

Hi Michelle – many thanks for the rare opportunity to have a little Q&A session with you.

I am intrigued in your Main Street franchise model, and I wish I had access to the same model when I was entering franchising back in 2004 (I was a franchisee of a business service center and established my store in a sub-urban area.)

Please kindly answer the following questions so that Noobpreneur.com readers can learn more about The UPS Store’s new program:

Question (Q): I think your Main Street franchise model is brilliant.… Continue reading »