Sheffield's first ever large-scale event for entrepreneurs, the Start-Up Weekend, begins on November 9th, promising three days of new ideas and top industry training for small business owners and young people. The event, which is hosted by University of Sheffield Enterprise (USE) and the university's Department of Computer Science, aims to take innovative business plans and see them through to development w ...

A new survey by Barclays this week revealed that many business owners and entrepreneurs - as many as one in five -  considered themselves to be "playing it safe" as a result of the economic downturn. In addition, a quarter of the 1,000 people surveyed admitted that they were more hesitant about decision making, although younger entrepreneurs tended to attribute this to the Eurozone rather than the domestic ...

The subject of pay inequality is considered by many to be a thing of the past, but a new study by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) has shown that women who climb the executive ladder earn on average £423,390 less than men in equal roles over the course of their careers. The gap is now more than £10,000 per year, while women receive less than 50 per cent of men in additional bonuses. Unfairness in ...

Tokyo's biggest trade fair, Tokyo Designers Week, sprang into action this year with a huge range of showcases and displays held at the Meiji Jingu Gaien in the Shibuya District. A rainbow-coloured "Hello Design" banner greeted visitors to the main show, and with two major themes - "House" and "Play" - there was plenty for design lovers to see and enjoy. Meanwhile across the city the design bug took hold wit ...

The explosion of the internet has forced many businesses to find new and innovative ways of marketing to potential customers - but as the internet becomes saturated with adverts, many business owners are now going back to older methods, using the internet only as secondary support. A large number of companies in the US are returning to subscription-based services, offering bundles for a set price a month ra ...

A bid has been approved for government funding into a scheme to help young entrepreneurs get started in South Yorkshire, UK. The start-ups are to be offered loans from a £50,000 cash pot thanks to the successful request by development agency Creative Sheffield to the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills. Up to 200 loans will be handed out to business owners aged 18-24, starting in November 2012. T ...

The media giant Walt Disney has purchased Lucasfilm, the company which created the Star Wars saga, and revealed it is planning to release a seventh film. The deal will provide Lucasfilm with more scope for development and new media exposure. The deal was announced earlier this week, heralding a new era for the cult classic. George Lucas, who owned 100 per cent of Lucasfilm, will receive around $2 billion in ...

The fifth annual World Entrepreneurship Forum was held in Lyon, France last weekend (October 24-27), bringing together freelancers, small business owners, policy-makers and stakeholders to focus on new developments and sustainability. The main topic of discussion over the weekend was the idea of an "entrepreneurial ecosystem" in which small businesses could prosper and encourage more start-ups to flourish. ...

Whether you get most of your work done at home or in the office, it can be difficult to stay focused, especially when you're the only one who calls the shots! As the Harvard Business Review released some of its top tips last week, we've decided to put together some of our own favourite techniques. 1.      Get creative. If you're not invested in what you're doing, you'll never put all of your concentrat ...

The number of British microbreweries has risen to above 1,000 for the first time in over 70 years, in sharp contrast to the financial crisis reaching larger businesses in the brewing industry. While the UK's production of beer has dropped from 39 million barrels in 1974 to 27 million in 2011, over 130 breweries have opened in the past 12 months alone. Smaller businesses are taking a more traditional approac ...