Business121 Small Business Newsletter #86

In this week's Business121:

1. Why not to do a startup
2. How to fund your business
3. How to set up a blog for your small business
4. Small Business Late Payment - Credit Control Tips
5. A Guide to Intellectual Property (IP) and your business
6. Choosing a search engine optimisation firm for your site
7. Web hosting for your small business - a buyer's guide
8. A Guide to choosing a Virtual Assistant
9. £50,000 disabled entrepreneur award launched
10. Arctic Systems case - No tax certainty for family businesses
11. What are the most talked about brands online?
12. A powerful attraction – the 'buzz' of business
13. Give new fathers a month off work with pay, says minister

Why not to do a startup

On his blog, Marc Andreessen, one of the co-founders of Netscape and a veteran of Silicon Valley reveals some very interesting and detailed thoughts on business startups.

The first part of 'The Pmarca Guide to Startups' is actually titled, 'Why not to do a startup'. Andreessen comes up with a very long list of convincing reasons why you'd be mad to start a new business.

His insights are particularly useful if you're considering a startup with VC-backing and the short clip from Start Wars is a great, graphic reminder of what it's like to navigate a new business start-up.

http://snipr.com/Guide_to_startups

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How to fund your business
One of the least exciting things about starting your own business is getting the finances sorted out (unless you're an accountant of course). But it's one of the most important things. It doesn't matter how good you are at what you do – if the money runs out, your business is dead. Here's a quick overview of your funding options.

Blogging - How to set up a blog for your small business
A blog can be a useful way to help you promote your small business. It's also pretty quick to set up, in fact, you can get a business blog up and running in about 20 minutes. Here are the 7 simple steps you need to follow if you want to start a blog.

Small Business Late Payment - Credit Control Tips
Small companies have, for years, been vulnerable to slow payments from large clients. Severe late payment can even lead to insolvency in the worst cases. Here are some practical steps that you can take to avoid the problems of late payment.

A Guide to Intellectual Property (IP) and your business
A complete guide to protecting your intellectual property - including patents, trademarks, copyright and design issues.

Choosing a search engine optimisation firm for your site
As the search engine optimisation game grows ever more competitive many small business owners are farming out the essential task of promoting their website to SEO companies. Here are some tips to look out for when choosing a Search Engine Optimisation company to promote your site.

Web hosting for your small business - a buyer's guide
You need to make sure you get the right kind of web host for your business - what to look out for when choosing a web hosting provider.

A Guide to choosing a Virtual Assistant
Here is a handy guide to help you decide whether virtual support is right for you and your business. Find out how to go about choosing a reputable Virtual Assistant, what you need to look out for and the questions you should ask.

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SMALL BUSINESS NEWS
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£50,000 disabled entrepreneur award launched
Leading disability charity Leonard Cheshire and easyGroup Chairman Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou are launching an annual award for an exceptional disabled entrepreneur.

Arctic Systems case - No tax certainty for family businesses
The final arguments of a landmark tax case, heard earlier this month in the House of Lords, will have a major impact on the future taxation of family businesses whether the taxman wins or loses.

What are the most talked about brands online?
The 'Brands in Social Media' report examines how companies from the Interbrand Top 100 Global Brands (2006) report are performing in social media. The report concludes that Disney, Nintendo and Google are the most positively-discussed brands on social networks.

A powerful attraction – the 'buzz' of business
Running your own business exerts a powerful attraction and provides a real 'buzz' for most entrepreneurs, according to a monthly internet survey.

Give new fathers a month off work with pay, says minister
New fathers would be able to spend a month off work with their babies under a proposal by the Minister for Children to double the length of paternity leave, reports the Times.

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

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