According to BusinessesForSale.com there has never been a better time to cash in your London home for a business in one of Britain's thriving regions.

A new BusinessesForSale.com survey of over 15,000 businesses for sale revealed that the average price of a freehold business with accommodation in the Midlands, (such as a pub or restaurant) was GBP366,000 - the same figure quoted for the average cost of a London home.

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Unique tribute to peole who have turned their lives around by starting a business.  

People who have triumphed against the odds to set up a small business are to be recognised in a unique awards scheme to be launched this week, sponsored by Barclays and backed by the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI).

The Barclays Trading Places Awards – now in their third year – aim to recognise men and women from all over the UK who have overcome various barriers and battled against adversity to positively change their lives by setting up in business.

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BusinessWeek reports that one quarter of the publicly traded, venture capital-backed companies started in the past 15 years in the US were founded by immigrant entrepreneurs.

Networkcar founder Diego Borrego, a son of migrant workers, talks of his experiences.

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It is your last chance to enter into the Small Business Service's Enterprising Britain competition.

Time is running out for the UK’s centres of enterprise excellence to take part in the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Enterprising Britain 2007 competition as the regional heats draw to a close.

The nationwide search to find the UK’s enterprise hot spots, the Enterprising Britain competition, is now entering its third year.

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Buying a business is one thing, but buying the property is going that one step further.

Best Syndication report that buying the place of business will make the business worth more when selling it on.

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The benefits of the franchise model have been well established, but how do you decide which franchise is right for you? 

Suzie McCafferty, international development director of Smart Cartridge, one of the UK and Europe’s leading franchise groups in their sector, offers some practical advice.

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The UK’s unofficial IT saviours are awarded for their contribution to small businesses.

After an extensive search covering the length and breadth of the country, Epson, the world’s leading printer and projector manufacturer, has revealed the five Brits who are the ‘IT saviours’ of their businesses.

These unofficial IT gurus regularly take time out from their official duties to contribute to the smooth running of their companies, saving them thousands of pounds per year.

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Consumers would rather buy goods and services from a franchised business, according to research conducted by the independent research house BDRC for the British Franchise Association (BFA).

Nearly half (45%) of those polled said they prefer franchised brands. Only 23% said they preferred non-franchised brands, while the remaining 32% said they didn’t know.

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From The Telegraph: The Chancellor's headline-grabbing cut in corporation tax will cost him £1.4bn next year but he gets it straight back again by tweaking capital allowances.

While his "Budget for Business" pretends to meet some of the business community's demands, it fails to address their biggest worry - that overtaxed, over-regulated, under-skilled Britain is not hacking it in the competitive markets that globalisation has brought.

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The Budget has caused a bit of a silent stir within the SME business community. The Robert James Partnership provides some advice and the lowdown...

According to the Treasury press releases, the 2007 Budget has been very generous to the business community and given the UK one of the lowest corporation tax rates in the world. 

Indeed more has apparently been given away in the form of deferred tax cuts than ever before.  But whilst Gordon Brown has announced a healthy 2% reduction to the basic corporation tax rate for larger businesses, he is leaving a nasty sting for the average owner managed business making profits of around £300,000 a year, or for smaller limited companies. 

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From Businessweek: Plato had Socrates. Tom Peters had Peter Drucker. Luke Skywalker had Obi-Wan. Here's how to find yours.

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A new report shows almost a fifth (17%) of all SME leaders in England’s professional services sector are concerned about their business’ ability to meet future pension commitments.

Over a third of companies in general looking to retire on the proceeds of their business have yet to undertake  any planning to maximise future sale value.

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Retaining and motivating employees are two of the most difficult tasks for any franchise owner no matter how long they’ve been at it. 

The International Franchise Association publishes an article revealing some of the secrets to retaining and motivating staff.

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Interim managers can be used in many ways. Danny Hodgson from Hitchenor Wakeford Interim explains how.

Question

I’ve been running my engineering business reasonably successfully for more than ten years but am in a bit of a rut and feel a bit stale.  I want the business to grow but how do I get some fresh ideas, initiatives and insights without handing over the reins to some over-priced MBA who’s ultimately after my job?

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Recruitment consultancy Angela Mortimer has revealed that the average hidden cost associated with recruiting a new employee is over £5,000.

The findings come from the organisation’s own Cost of Recruitment Calculator which was developed to allow employers to monitor the cost-per hire of new staff, with the aim of helping them meet their recruitment needs on time and within budget.

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Few people can claim to have become self-made millionaires three years after starting their own business – fewer still in the notoriously competitive world of the internet.

But Pierre Omidyar, was only 28 when he produced the first version of eBay, a company originally called Auction Web. French-born Omidyar had shown entrepreneurial tendencies before, starting an e-commerce company specialising in pens, but it was the simple idea of an online auction site that paved the way to riches.

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Here at Dynamis, we've just moved into a lovely new building, which we have bought.

You might decide you want to lease premises instead, depending on financial means, how long you think you will be there and other factors.

Your business premises are widely regarded to be the second biggest expense that you’ll shell out for after staff wages.

Your premises may turn out to be your largest fixed asset, making your choice of property an important one.

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From The New York Times: Money spent on computing technology delivers gains in worker productivity that are three to five times those of other investments, according to a study being published today.

But the study also concluded that the information technology industry itself was unlikely to be a big source of new jobs.

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Mary Erb, from leading corporate law firm Heatons, takes a no-nonsense look at the different types of funding available to businesses, and who you should approach for what.

At some time, most businesses - whatever their size - will need extra funds for something.  The reasons vary enormously but typically include:

• Needing to purchase new machinery or plant
• Overcoming a cashflow problem
• Replacing cars
• Mounting a management buy-out
• Relocating
• Acquiring another business or financing a new development

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