Business Advice and Guidance Blog

Simon Crowther 2 days ago . 10 minute read

Barriers in Business

I launched Flood Protection Solutions Ltd in 2012, aged 18, alongside studying for a degree in Civil Engineering. The company became the sole UK importer of the Water-Gate barrier from Megasecur. The business has grown over the past 5 years into one of the UK’s leading flood defence companies. It now has a turnover of almost £2million, with clients including Thames Water, Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency.
I’m always asked ‘why flood defence? That’s an odd business to set up!’

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Araminta Sheridan 1 week ago . 7 minute read

Values to build a successful business

If you surround yourself with happy, interesting, kind people, your behaviour becomes a reflection of theirs. Another person's excitement about a project or thirst for knowledge and personal development is contagious. When you make the decision to start your own business, you take on the ability to curate who you surround yourself with. Starting a business is challenging enough so upon starting my own I felt I owed it to myself to take away the additional stress factor of working with disruptive people.

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Rob Twells 2 weeks ago . 8 minute read

What I wish I’d known before starting a business

During my third year at university, I decided to put my passion for going into business to reality and began designing and building websites for people that were looking for them in my spare time. By the time I graduated, I had built up a steady client base and had the financial security in order to go full time with Frogspark. But there was definitely a lot of lessons I had to learn - and many late nights ahead!

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Rob Twells 3 weeks ago . 11 minutes read

Work-life balance as a business owner

It can be difficult to know how much time to spend on both working in and growing the business, whilst also spending quality time with my friends and family. I think this is something many business owners do struggle with, but I’m starting to improve.

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Melissa Eveleigh 3 weeks ago . 7 minute read

From a love of books to something much more

I’ve always had an interest in books. My fascination started as soon as I could understand words and stories. Just after I moved into secondary school, I became friends with a woman who wrote books and had been published. I turned my attention to the process of creating books, mostly in terms of writing.

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Natalie Bamford 1 month ago . 10 minute read

How I used local knowledge to start my own business

My mission is simple and is what drives me to do my job every day – it’s to help local families find what’s on locally by being a ‘one stop site for family fun in Derbyshire.’ One site for all the information you need so you don’t have to look at several sites like I was forced to do in the past.

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James Taylor 3 months ago . 12 minute read

Going above and beyond your competition

When people start a business, one of the common questions people get asked is – what’s your business plan, what will make you different?

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Chris Green 3 months ago . 6 minute read

Business meeting in a coffee shop?

The bond between coffee and work is forever. It has long been the staple drink for employees in offices, leading to pumped workers, ones with alert brains ready to tackle the tasks of the day.

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Maria Baranowska 4 months ago . 13 minute read

Choosing a career in tech in 2017

Choosing a career in technology in Britain has always been a safe bet for a secure future. But with recent political and social developments, what does the future actually look like for the technology industry?

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Rebecca Newenham 5 months ago . 15 minute read

Virtual assistance: a gap in the market

Rebecca Newenham spotted a gap in the market to provide businesses with virtual assistance. She shares the reasons behind her business success.

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Kate Tattersfield 5 months ago . 8 minute read

How can serviced offices help growing businesses?

From co-working to shared offices, agreements to terms, leases to contracts, it can be hard to know what to look for. Why choose a serviced office?

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Derry Holt 5 months ago . 12 minute read

Starting a business: the truths

Many things change during the ‘entrepreneurial journey’ all aspiring business owners walk. People, products and places can all change in an instant, but one thing is constant - the experience you take away from it.

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Rob Twells 6 months ago . 12 minute read

Should you start a business at university?

Most people say there's never a good time to start a business, but could university be the answer? The deadlines are daunting and you have to work night and day, but here's a few reasons why I think that starting my business at university was the best decision I made.

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Ed Hollands 6 months ago . 4 minute read

How to take the first step?

Launching your first business can be very hard; it’s a bit like bungee jumping for the first time. You’re stood on the edge scared it’s going to fail and you’ll hit the ground. But you try it and you either love it or say you’ll never do it again.

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Rob Twells 6 months ago . 3 minute read

Welcome to Blogspark!

I wanted to create somewhere that could act as a hub of advice and relatable stories from the business community. Whether you're just starting out or have had years of experience, we all need continued advice and guidance.

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Sharing entrepreneurial journeys

Work-life balance as a business owner