Why Spain won the World Cup
Angel investor Permjot Valia was convinced Spain wouldn’t win the World Cup. it was a team with too many egos. Here’s how the Spaniards proved him wrong.
Due diligence on raising money
Borrowing money is a strange experience. We forget that we are the customer. When a bank agrees to give us a loan, we are (oddly) overjoyed that, over five years, we will give them back more or less double what we borrowed.
Beware market inertia
I meet so many entrepreneurs who have come up with useful, innovative products or services. But these innovations either fail to take off or take an extraordinary long time to become profitable. Why?
Why I’m dreading Junior Apprentice
So Lord Sugar’s Junior Apprentice has hit our screens, aimed at 16 to 17-year-olds. According to The Apprentice’s production firm talkbackTHAMES, it’s a “great opportunity for teenagers to learn about business first hand from one of Britain’s most successful entrepreneurs”. But I’m not convinced.
What Gordon Brown can learn from Canada
In the UK, I advise startups to stay well away from government and public agencies. In Canada, I encourage entrepreneurs to get involved with government agencies as soon as possible. Why the difference?
Dragons’ Den: More bartering than business
Dragons’ Den has helped people understand what angel investors actually do and what we like to see in a pitch. But on the flip side, it has led to a brutal bargaining strategy, which belongs more in the markets of Morocco than in business.