Business121 Small Business Newsletter #51

In this week's Business121:

1. From a home-made health remedy to building a healthy business
2. Starting an online business - A Beginner's Guide
3. Five great ways to start a bidding war on eBay
4. Help on the new Age Discrimination Laws
5. White Van Man faces overnight tax hike of 600%
6. London's high-tech businesses top Euro venture capital league
7. eBay to launch eBay Express in the UK
8. UK SMEs failing to capitalise on blogging
9. Research identifies groups of young entrepreneurs
10. Get your vote on the 'Big Idea'
11. Minimum wage - Young workers could sue under age law

From a home-made health remedy to a very healthy business

If you're looking for inspiration in your quest to overcome endless hurdles and build a successful business, look no further than Rosie Hayward.

Rosie had been suffering from spinal arthritis for several years. The disease was so debilitating she was barely able to walk. So, with conventional medicine unable to help, she decided to help herself, and started to research whether nutrition could improve her condition. There was some evidence that Omega 3 oils may provide the answer.

Without any previous knowledge or experience in the food industry, Rosie set about making an organic product that was high in Omega, 3, 6 and 9 oils and came up with her own blend of flax, hemp and pumpkin sees oils, together with evening primrose.

The proof of the pudding, as they say, is in the eating, and Rosie started taking regular doses. Almost immediately, her arthritic flare-ups simply disappeared.

Rosie soon realised that she was onto a winner and set about turning her home-made cure into a business. Together with her husband, they mortgaged everything and raised £80,000.

With a raft of good PR - within a year they were selling their product in retail outlets. Articles in the major daily newspapers, including the Express, Telegraph, Mail and Sunday Times have really driven the sales and turnover has now reached £0.5 million.

The growth has caused problems but they've managed to overcome them all to date and are now launching their next product.

The full story of Rosie's success is in the October issue of Better Business magazine. This month's issue also brings you a range of useful articles including; The lazy way to innovate, How to stop your business from failing, A practical update on the new age discrimination laws, Earning customer loyalty and Choosing the right payment provider for your website.

Better Business is available by subscription only. You can find out more
about it and a special offer for Business121 readers here.

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Starting an online business - A Beginner's Guide
In addition to a solid business plan, an online business needs additional elements to succeed. This guide provides a summary of the basics you need to get started, from hosting and e-commerce to promoting your website with search engines, pay-per-click advertising and by writing articles.

Five great ways to start a bidding war on eBay
When it comes to selling on eBay, if you can stimulate competition between two or more bidders you'll see the value of the item you're selling multiply many times over.

White Van Man faces overnight tax hike of 600%
Workers who take home company vans overnight for personal use are facing a massive 600% increase in their tax liability unless their companies act quickly.

Help on the new Age Discrimination Laws
As you will now, it is now against the law for employers to discriminate against employees because of their age, no matter how old or young. This affects every single employer in the UK. For some practical help in ensuring you don't fall foul of the new laws have a look at the ACAS website where you can access a useful guidance booklet, some FAQs and find out about age discrimination training courses in your area;

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SMALL BUSINESS NEWS
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London's high-tech businesses top Euro venture capital league
London has the largest cluster of high-tech venture capital-backed companies outside the US, according to a new report published by gateway2investment (g2i). Last year 380 London-based companies received a total of £450 million venture capital investment.

eBay to launch eBay Express in the UK
Following on from its successful launch in the US, eBay is to launch its eBay Express website in the UK. The company claims the site will offer small businesses a hassle-free and credible route to market.

UK SMEs failing to capitalise on blogging
Nearly half of small businesses would use a blog to drive traffic to their website and increase sales according to new research from Fasthosts. However, only three per cent of the 2,000 small and medium enterprises questioned are actually intending to start a blog.

Research identifies groups of young entrepreneurs
New research provides fresh insight into young people's attitudes and behaviour towards enterprise. The study identifies six different groups of young people in terms of their 'desire' or 'readiness' for enterprise.

Get your vote on the 'Big Idea'
The Sky One team are working on a new innovation series for Sky One called the Big Idea and have invited Bytestart visitors to attend studio recordings in London from 4th - 7th October.

Minimum wage - Young workers could sue under age law
The Times reports the national minimum wage will be 'wide open' to legal challenge when EU rules banning age discrimination come into force, lawyers have warned the Government. They say that the lower rate for workers aged 18 to 21 is discriminatory, and ministers have not done enough to make it exempt from the Brussels directive.

So the Government brings in new laws to prevent discrimination, while, it seems, at the same time blatantly flouting the new laws itself. How odd!

** For the latest Small Business News, visit http://www.Bytestart.co.uk **

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