Last week, EnterQuest publisher Cobweb exhibited at the Business Start Up Show at the Excel Centre in London. It had been four years since we last took a stand at the event, and in many respects not much had changed in terms of the aspiring start up visitors, their profile, needs and questions. But what was noticeably different was the mix of exhibitors and keynote speakers in attendance...

The slides and handouts from Marianne Whitfield's seminar at the Business Start Up Show 19th/20th May 2011

Just about every week, you read, see or hear something in the media or online about the importance of entrepreneurship, small business development and starting up your own enterprise. Which is no bad thing, provided it's done in a responsible way. But the problem is that it isn't always done that way...

Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are being invited to bid for a share of a new £5 million Start Up Fund to help establish themselves. The money is apparently available to finance the LEPs' office equipment, training needed to get the new organisations up and running, and their engagement with the wider business community...

Most small business owners start their new venture, or plan to start it, with a business idea or more likely a product idea. Often, but not always, this can be a very good idea. But even these good ideas are worth little or nothing if there isn't a market, or the potential to find a market, for that particular product or service...

There are many different reasons to explain why some people succeed with their small business venture, and the degree to which it happens for them. A combination of hard work, luck, plenty of planning, good timing and getting decent advice all play their part, but don't tell the whole story. When it comes to the crunch, there is one factor that stands in the way of almost all small business owners at some point...