Even those hiding under the O2 will be aware that the Olympics circus rolls into London on 27th July 2012.

The biggest sporting event in four years is mooted to provide millions of pounds to the UK’s depleted coffers.

However, originally set to cost 2.4bn, the final costs of staging the sporting extravanganza could top £24billion. So London's thousands of SME owners really need to start making some of that money back!

Before business owners start making their flyers and dreaming up special offers, let’s look at five the Olympics-friendly business investments buyers could make to jump onboard the Olympics cash cow.

How many businesses are truly maximising social media?

Many believe they just don’t have the time to sit down and work out what the opportunities are and how they can take advantage.  But this means they are missing out.

Facebook has 30 million users in the UK. However it is not the quantity of potential customers that makes it such a good vehicle for communicating messages, but quality.

Being shy at work can cripple career and social life. 

Toastmasters want to to provide a mutually supportive environment for improving public speaking and leadership skills. 
 
Here are eight tips to help others overcome their shyness when it comes to presenting and talking to large groups:

1. Remember nerves are normal everyone gets them.  

2. Stop thinking about what will happen if you forget what you are going to say. Instead think about “how much value can I give to my audience?”, “how can I make it fun for my audience and for me?”

3. Remind yourself you are there to give your audience the gift of your experience, knowledge and expertise.

4. If you get the opportunity beforehand - chat to the audience. It will help you feel more like you’re talking to a group of friends.

Stick to your working hours and close the door on your work when the day is done.

So says Cat Foulkes, franchise recruitment manager at thebestof.co.uk, a marketing and promotions business and multi award-winning home-based franchise.

“You need to create as close to a working environment at home as you can," says Cat. "Our most successful franchisees treat working at home in exactly the same way they would the office.

“They get up at the same time, they begin work at the same time and they don't allow distractions and interruptions to dictate their day.

“Stick to your boundaries regarding your work space and work hours and be sure to close the door and relax once the working day is done.”  

Commonsense advice you might think, and yet so many people let their social and work lives bleed into one another. It's certainly a point worth reiterating, to yourself and to others! Great advice.

A home-based business has few start-up costsWant to make money without having to embark on a lengthy training programme?

Want a lucrative business opportunity without the need for huge experience in the inustry?

Fancy yourself an entrepreneur but not much in the way of savings?

I've compiled a list of sectors characterised by being relatively easy to run, requiring few specialist skills and relatively low start-up costs.

Vending franchises >>

Home-based businesses for sale >>

Bargain stores for sale >>

Snack bars for sale >>

Distribution franchises >>

It's what you’ve been waiting for all week, not world peace, not even a million bucks, but information on the top 5 industries which have grown in the last year.

See here for the tenth to sixth business sectors with the largest growth...but before I show you number five to one, a little bit of sad news.

Reed’s Job Index may have seen growth, but it also saw numbers drop in jobs available for some sectors. It seems that the public sector, especially education and social care showed a large annual decline.

But do not fear, this can be seen as good news for the small business buyer, who will work in the private sector. Stop working for the MAN and start working for yourself.

Here are the top five business sectors which have seen the most growth in the last year.

5. IT and Telecoms jobs had risen by 41% - Everyone loves the world wide web, well if the number of hours I spend looking at pictures of kittens and puppies online is any indicator, so perhaps consider buying a business in the software, telecoms, or computer resale markets?

It might come as shock to discover that even in a (whisper it) ‘second recession’

certain employment and small business markets in the UK have expanded.

Recruiter Reed’s annual Job Index reveals that the number of full-time jobs available on its website increased by 17% in December 2011, compared to the same period in 2010.

Reed broke down this growth by sector, providing us some very interesting information. Below are the top 11 sectors with the highest annual increases in jobs,

coupled with suggestions for business opportunities you could take up to get in on the act:

The internet has made starting a new business simple. In theory anyone can be a bedroom entrepreneur with just a computer, an internet connection and a great idea.

However just building a website and putting it out there isn’t enough. You need to think carefully about what your website is saying about your business and whether it’s fulfilling its potential as a useful tool to help your venture grow.

Yell’s web design team has come up with five questions you should ask yourself when planning a business website:

Nelson Mandella Bridge, JohannesburgThe US recovery is gathering pace, but the prospect of a messy Eurozone collapse threatens to pull the rest of the advanced economies down with Europe.

China's breakneck growth was briefly checked while inflation threatened to get out of control, although the rising superpower seems to have largely weathered the storm.

Economic forecasts make a fool out of the most accomplished economists, but there are some clearly discernable trends which might influence prospective business buyers who are open-minded about their choice of sector.

Here are my five tips for choosing a business to buy in 2012.

By Greg Secker, ex-vice president of investment bank Mellon Financial Corporation and founder and CEO of Knowledge to Action:

1. Know when to cut your losses

Regardless of how much experience you’ve got, or how much money you’ve previously made, anyone is capable of making a bad call, and a key part of being a successful trader is learning how to recognise a mistake and having the conviction to shut down a trade that’s losing. 

Interestingly, although trading is viewed as a male dominated arena, women often make better traders than men, partly because of their ability to close down a losing trade before too much damage is done.