Refresh

This website realbusiness.co.uk/skype-ebay-admits-defeat is currently offline. Cloudflare's Always Online™ shows a snapshot of this web page from the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. To check for the live version, click Refresh.

FREE newsletter

Telling the truth about SME life today

Skype: eBay admits defeat

EBay last night announced plans to spin off Skype in an IPO next year, having failed to use the technology to boost auction sales.

In the wake of the news, a number of private equity firms are sniffing round the internet phone business, with original founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom leading the pack to repurchase the company. 

John Donahoe, the chief executive of eBay, says: “Skype is a great stand-alone business with strong fundamentals and accelerating momentum. But it is clear that Skype has limited synergies with eBay. We believe operating Skype as a stand-alone publicly traded company is the best path for maximising its potential.”

Read the full article on The Times.

Related articles Entrepreneur juggles multinational staff Three offices, one voice

Picture source

Trending

Topic

Related Stories

Clothes donation

What Is Conscious Business & How Can We Cultivate It?

By Jill Taylor, CEO & Co-founder of The HuPerson Project To have a conscience in business, and to be a...
flat rate scheme percentages

What Is The Flat Rate Scheme And Its Percentages

The VAT Flat Rate Scheme is an HMRC-administered programme permitting eligible UK small businesses to calculate their VAT dues using...
Freelancer planning time off

Taking Holidays As A Freelancer

Working as a freelancer has many benefits, and one of the key ones is the flexibility it affords you. When...
Negotiation Strategy

Negotiation Strategies To Help You Seal The Deal

In business negotiations, there are winners and losers and you always want to come out on top. Or at least,...
Workplace Mental Illness

Do Employees Have To Disclose If They Are Taking Anti-Depressants?

Navigating mental illness in the workplace can be a tricky situation for both employee and employer. From your employee’s perspective,...
how to start an etsy shop

How to Start an Etsy Shop – Everything You Need to Know

Through its handmade and vintage marketplace, Etsy gives artists, crafters, and vintage sellers the tools they need to turn their...
What is Business Administration?

What is Business Administration?

Business administration is the coordination of different roles to achieve the objectives of a company. Business administration is primarily linked...
Freelance contract

How to Write a Freelance Contract

Freelancing gives you a lot of flexibility and freedom to work on your own terms but having multiple clients means...
Business Advertise

10 Most Popular Ways to Promote Your Business

In order to properly promote a firm, it is necessary to employ multidimensional marketing techniques that strike a balance between...
quality of a team leader

Qualities of a Good Team Leader

The qualities of a good team leader are instrumental to progressing and motivating the team they work with. Increasingly, there...

Funding Female-Led Businesses: The Way Forward

Female entrepreneurs continue to make strides globally. So far this year, at least a dozen new female-founded unicorn ventures valued...
branding

What Does Your Business Branding Say About You?

Any company that cares about recruiting and retaining top talent should constantly evaluate its hiring strategy, says Julie Mott, managing...
menopause in the workplace

Menopause in the Workplace: Conclusions from WEC Report 2022

Last month, the Women and Equalities Committee published its first report on menopause in the workplace, surveying how people experiencing...
employee experience

How Personalisation Can Improve the Employee Experience

Personalisation is becoming a sought-after advantage in the workplace. Employees no longer accept a generic experience that doesn’t support them...
site performance

Why Your Web Host Matters: Is It The Key To Improving SME Site Performance?

The SME scene is booming in 2022. With more online entrepreneurs than ever before, getting a site up and running...
three tips for success

Three Tips for Success When Starting Your New Position as a Team Manager

After you get a promotion into a manager role or move into one after a hiring process, you’re often overwhelmed...
how to mold top-performing employees

How to Mold Top-Performing Employees

When it comes to running a business, it’s always important to invest in quality talents. After all, your employees are...
smart1 recruitment

Smart1 Recruitment: Going the Extra Mile with Mike Harper

Recruitment has been the number one challenge for many businesses across the UK in 2022. Real Business sat down with...
tech launch

Why Personal Experience is the Key to Tech Launch Success

Santiago Schmitt first started working on the idea for a business that would make his mum’s weekly online grocery shop...
investing in well-being

Investing in Well-being to Stem the Tides of the Great Resignation

Employee turnover has become a major concern for HR professionals and business leaders, and it is impacting how they are...
financial forecast

Planning for the Future: 5 Tips for Building a Robust Financial Forecast

Although the immediate implications of Brexit and Covid-19 are behind us, the long-term repercussions are still being felt by small...

5 Types of Sales Enablement Content You Need for Your Business (and Tips on How to Create It)

If you’re a marketer putting together content to create brand awareness, you might think sales enablement content sits outside of...

How to Grow Your Business Organically

When it comes to launching a business and running a startup, the word ‘funding’ is often hot on everyone’s lips...

Drive to De-Risk and Crystallise Value Spurs Interest in ‘Cash-Out’ Opportunities

Against the current economic backdrop, and with a potential recession looming, business owners with significant wealth tied up in their...

Work Perks: Why Your Business Should Say Goodbye to the Free Gym Membership

Ping-pong tables, bucket-list experiences, bottomless sweets dispensers… employee work perks these days are many and varied. But do work perks...

Celebrating British Excellence with Sarah Austin

Sarah Austin had a nearly fifteen-year-long career in corporate event management, including a highly respected position in an FTSE 100...
remote working

Has Remote Working Changed B2B Purchasing Forever?

There’s a significant power shift happening in B2B purchases, with the pendulum swinging firmly in the employee’s favour. With 82%...

Out with the Old, In with the New: How Digital Agreements Redefine the Present of Work

Office, hybrid, remote, and agile working is not only the future but also the present of work. Ronan Copeland, GVP...
pitch deck design

Pitch Deck Design Trends and Top Tips for Making Your Pitch Deck Stand Out

Pitching your business to investors often requires a pitch deck. Pitch decks typically contain between 10 to 20 slides and...

Super Apps are the Way Forward for Modern Parents: Interviewing the Creator of Onoco

We are exploring the world of parenting technology with business owner and entrepreneur, Margaret Zablocka. The rise of super-apps and...

Financial and Funding Business Contingency Planning with Kevin Harfield – MD JamesField Executive Limited

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges for directors/ business owners and entrepreneurs face is being aware of both financial and...
search engine rankings

Google Launches New Core Update: What This Means for Businesses

Businesses, website owners, and SMEs could risk fluctuating search engine rankings over the next two weeks. This is because Google...

Why Firms Can See the Global Supply Chain Crisis as an Opportunity

Many UK firms will be rightly concerned about the scale of the global supply chain crisis. But is it time...

Does your Business have what it takes to win at The Lloyds Bank British Business Excellence Awards?

We are delighted to announce our partnership with The Lloyds Bank British Business Excellence Awards 2022! The Lloyds Bank British...
inflation

Tackling Inflation As An SME: 5 Strategies For Corporate Success

It’s no secret that inflation is on the rise. After the annual inflation rate across the United Kingdom rose to...

How to find Inner Safety, Sleep Well and Increase Energy and Performance

In light of her latest book releasing last month, 'Finding Inner Safety', renowned Neurophysiologist and Sleep Expert, Dr Nerina Ramlakhan...

Preventing a Wage Spiral: How to Balance Talent Retention and Recruitment Post-Pandemic

The post-pandemic UK recruitment market is currently defined by record numbers of unfilled vacancies, with little sign of it changing...
loneliness

How To Beat Loneliness In The Workplace

With Mental Health Week upon us, it is a timely moment to think about the way in which your business...

How To Get Started In Property Investment

The UK property market has always been one of the most popular markets to invest in, as it remains a...
cheesgeek

Conquering Dragons’ Den with cheesegeek Founder, Edward Hancock

Real Business chats with cheesegeek Founder and successful Dragons' Den candidate, Edward Hancock, about making the leap from finance to...
demographic

How Small Businesses Can Capitalise on Demographic Changes

While we’d all hoped that 2022 would bring some respite to UK small business owners, the next few months look...

Lessons from the TV World: The Link Between Developing TV Shows and New Businesses

It may surprise you to learn that developing a television show is remarkably similar to creating a new business. Every...
business reputation

Branded Content Can Be Key To Protecting Your Reputation

For a lot of businesses marketing and PR is often seen to have one ultimate goal - drive sales. The...
elon musk buys twitter

Elon Musk Buys Twitter: What Does it Mean for SMEs?

Elon Musk has succeeded in his mission to buy social media platform Twitter. The final bid? A massive $44 billion....

Eskimoz Conquers the European SEO Market

It is no wonder that Eskimoz has been able to conquer the European search engine optimization market. From 17 million euros raised...
grove communication

“Inspire your team to excellence”: Interview with Marie Grove Walton

From promising new enterprise to working with Lacoste, Versace, and Goldsmiths, one of the UK’s leading quality jewellers to name...

TikTok for Business: How to Market to Millions

TikTok. Despite the fact that it’s now almost six years old, TikTok is still considered to be something of a...

How Has COP26 Affected The Corporate Sector Six Months Later?

As we reach the six-month mark on the back of COP26, it’s clear that the corporate world is starting to...

What Happens if Britain’s Backbone Breaks?

Great British Businesses breathed a sigh of relief as pandemic restrictions were finally lifted. Their adaptability, ingenuity, and determination to...

It’s Time Businesses Reboot Their Employee Wellbeing Experience Tools

Employee mental health deteriorated as a result of the pandemic. In fact, a recent survey showed only half (52%) of...

The Formula for High Fashion: How Sunglasses Deals Became Big Business for the F1 Industry

Formula 1 is a sport that’s long been associated with high fashion and class, but it turns out that fashion and...

Should Employers Provide Workers Access to Mental Health Services?

Did you know it is Stress Awareness Month? Stress can be incredibly challenging for people to cope with, especially in...
best tools for creative freelancers

The Best Tools for Creative Freelancers

With 44% of millennials freelancing in the past year and 36% of Gen Z workers freelancing since the outbreak of...
spring statement 2022

The Chancellor’s Spring Statement 2022: The Summary

Chancellor Rishi Sunak stood before Parliament today to outline the financial plans to keep the UK’s economy steady and help...
BRAND

Is Your Brand a Great Design Story in the Making?

As a designer, I believe that every brand has a great design story just waiting to be discovered. It’s more...
G-Cloud 13

Opening of GOV G-Cloud 13 Framework Means Huge Opportunities for SMEs

In light of the hotly anticipated Government G-Cloud 13 tender framework – which opened for applications Wednesday 9th March –...
lewis hamilton

Lewis Hamilton: Lessons in Resilience and Determination

When we think of highly competitive, determined, and successful people, the images that often come to mind are of people...
access group

Adopting a People First Approach to Technology

Discover how a richer relationship with technology can empower us to have a better experience across all aspects of our...
International Women's Day

Women-Led Businesses You Should Be Paying Attention To

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Real Business is casting a spotlight on six women-led businesses that are focused on innovation...
litalist

Litalist: Building a Community Between Book Lovers and Booksellers

Last year, the UK book market enjoyed one of its best sales years in over a decade and this World...
crowdfunded publisher

Breaking into the Publishing Industry? Start Your Own Crowdfunded Publisher

This World Book Day, we’re diving into the world of publishing. Breaking into the industry the traditional way can be...

Marketing Strategies in a Technology-Driven Age

New York Times bestselling author and Founder and CEO of Genius Group, Roger James Hamilton, talks through which marketing strategies...
business leaders

Business Leaders Are Under Unprecedented Pressure – But Have Unprecedented Opportunities

The huge pressure on Unilever CEO Alan Jope in the past couple of months characterises the unprecedented challenges today’s business...
productivity

Productivity Wars: How Managers Can Re-Inspire Their Teams

Business leaders have faced challenges and difficulties unknown to their peers in years gone by. Almost every aspect of our...
russian invasion

Russian Invasion of Ukraine Threatens Global Economy Amid Massive Recession

With the Ukraine reporting several explosions at its military bases and near major cities, Russia’s invasion brings further chaos and...
LGBT+ History Month

Queer-owned Small Businesses: How To Celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month And People All Year Round

February is LGBTQ+ History Month. An incredibly important awareness month, yet sometimes overlooked in businesses, particularly if there’s a lack...
creators

“Creators aren’t aspirational dreamers, they’re a critical part of the economy,” says Lotanna Ezeike, Founder and CEO, XPO

The financial impact of the last 24 months is hard to quantify. Incomes have been pressured and stretched to breaking...
parental leave

Why Parental Leave Isn’t the Issue for Young Professionals

A recent survey has shown that poor parental leave policies have led to one in five younger workers to quit...
valentine's day

With Love – Taking the Opportunity to Care for Your Staff on Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is globally recognised and celebrated beyond the office – but it is not, however, a holiday that’s on...
Talisker Whiskey

Oldest Pair Breaks Record Rowing Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge

Photo Provided by Atlantic Campaigns Guy Rigby, 68, and David Murray, 56, have become the oldest pair ever to row...
skincare

Creating Skincare Brands for the TikTok Generation with Tiffany Salmon

We have seen so many different industries and products blow up on TikTok over the last few years: books, food,...
self-doubt as an entrepreneur

How to Surmount Your Self-Doubt as an SME Entrepreneur

Do you ever have those days where you start to question what you’re doing? Not just whether this, that, or...
Hiring process

Social First, CV Second: How Gen Z is Changing the Hiring Process

If you’re older than 25, you’ll still clearly remember the days when recruitment success came down to your application form...
ocean club holidays

Ocean Club Holidays: Vertically Integrated, Organically Grown

As travel restrictions are lifted and the UK adjusts to a new normal post-pandemic, many holidaymakers who have missed the...
private capital

Private Capital Could Help Drive SMEs Forward on the Road to Recovery

Tough challenges remain on the horizon for many UK SMEs after two years of Covid-19. Although we now seem to...
covid rules

Covid Rules To Be Lifted In England Over The Next Week

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that the Plan B restrictions implemented in England with the spread of Omicron are...
data

Pioneering Adtech Company Keeps TV Advertisers Informed and Adaptable

Real Business sat down with TVSquared Founder and CEO, Calum Smeaton, to discuss the world of data analysis, the benefits...
rewards

The New Year: The New Loyalty and Rewards Strategy

It is often true for any business that it is cheaper to retain existing customers than to try and attract...

What Business Owners Need to Know about Workplace Mental Health Support

January - the month when your staff are most likely to hand in their notice. But what can you do...
print magazines

Are Print Magazines Still Viable in our Increasingly Digital Lifestyles?

In the face of rising digitalisation and the popularity of the minimalism aesthetic, the viability of print magazines might be...
make the most out of the new year

How to Make the Most Out of the New Year

After the difficult hardships of the past two years, you may be feeling despondent about 2022, unable to see the...

Why Emotional Intelligence is Key to Successful Conscious Leadership

The title may sound complex, but to be a truly impactful leader in today’s world, Emotional Intelligence has proven to...

Ways to Avoid Burnout as a Freelancer

With over 15 years leading workplace mental health, Chartered Psychologist, Dr Jan Smith explains the steps you should be taking...
simplify your small business

3 Easy Ways to Simplify Your Small Business For Streamlined Success

The world of entrepreneurship and operating a business is by no means an easy one, so making things as streamlined...
elizabeth holmes

Elizabeth Holmes Found Guilty of Fraud in Theranos Case

Once viewed as a rising star of Silicon Valley and a figure of inspiration for women in tech, the former...
burnout

There’s Bias in Burnout, and Things Need to Change

In different workplace settings across the world, the strange and unsettling feeling of exhaustion - known as ‘burnout’ - has...
sleep

Is There a Correlation Between How You Sleep and How You Work?

There are few of us who are unfamiliar with the heavy feeling of a bad night’s sleep. The achiness behind...
plagiarism

Fashion’s Plagiarism Habit and The Impact on Small Brands

The fashion industry often plays it fast and loose with the idea of “inspiration versus imitation”. Plagiarism and design theft...
laptop

Living the Laptop Lifestyle with Social Cactus

When we were told in March 2020 to ‘stay at home’, many businesses were thrust into an unknown world, left...
Christmas TV advert

The Competition to Create the Best Christmas TV Advert

The hype that surrounds the release of Christmas adverts from brands like John Lewis, Waitrose, and Marks and Spencer signals...
new omicron restrictions

Some Businesses Won’t Survive This Christmas Under New Omicron Restrictions

As the Omicron variant sweeps the UK, new restrictions to help slow the spread could be the final nail in...

Putting Cyber Security First: Why the Latest Trends make this Critical for SMEs

With the ever-evolving and highly sophisticated cyber threat landscape, online security for SMBs is no longer an option, it’s a...

Finding the Perfect Gift: Interview with Louise Doyle and Steph Scholes

Real Business sat down with the founders of the innovative gift service, needi, Louise Doyle and Steph Scholes to find...

How Innovation is Driving New Sustainability Goals

Sarah Swenson, Global Senior Manager Sustainability at Avery Dennison explains the art of collaboration and driving change for the better...

How your SME can capitalise on the Festive Season

It is clear that Christmas is the most wonderful yet hectic time of year for businesses. As the reindeers rally...
narce media

Narce Media: Video is the Ultimate Content Currency

Disillusioned by the nine-to-five standards of traditional employment, more and more graduates are filled with entrepreneurial spirit and striking out...
chanel

A Chanel Christmas Story: How Important Are Customer Perceptions of Value for Money?

TikTok outrage strikes again, and its latest victim is iconic, luxury brand, Chanel. In the age of instant video reviews...

Starting Out in a New Market

Founder and CEO of Alicia J Diamonds, Alison Cooper talks through what you can do as a business owner to...
Lush

Lush Exit: Can Brands Survive Without Social Media?

Lush, the well-known cosmetics brand, has announced its departure from social media platforms Instagram and Facebook as they insist Meta...

Introducing the Entrepreneur Who Has Banished Leathers for Making Timeless Sustainable Accessories

Serial Entrepreneur and designer Jessica Kruger moved from her barefooted upbringing in Sydney, Australia, to Europe in 2009 before settling...

Increasing E-Commerce Sales with Website Analysis Insights

E-commerce is a high-growth, yet highly competitive space, and data analytics has changed the way companies interact with their customers....

6 Tips for Selling your Business

If you’re planning to sell your business, for whatever reason, it is absolutely crucial to ensure that you start planning...
cybersecurity

Cybersecurity Business Leading the Charge Against Business Threats

Last year, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the world saw a nearly 600% increase in cyberattacks as the world went into...
diversity

“Diversity of thought” – Why it’s Crucial to Business Success

My passion for diversity and inclusion comes from my heritage and growing up in South Africa in what was a...
greenwashing

Did COP26 Inspire Business Sustainability Or Just Encourage A Future Of ‘Greenwashing’?

On the back of 2021’s yearly climate change conference, it’s no surprise that the world’s most influential meeting yet, COP26,...
Talisker Rowing Challenge

“The Entrepreneur Ship” Takes on the Talisker Rowing Challenge

The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge is known as “the world’s toughest row” with participants rowing over 3,000 miles from the...
pay rise

What Lidl’s Pay Rise Shows Us About the Competition for Staff?

Last week, Lidl announced that, as of March next year, all employees outside of London will be receiving a significant...

Speaking your Mind as an Introvert in the Workplace

You may have never experienced being in a boardroom, with the overwhelming feeling of paranoia that you aren't speaking enough...
TikTok Resumes

Wonsulting and TikTok Resumes: Revolutionising Recruitment for the Future

Nearly six months on since the launch of TikTik Resumes, Real Business interviews Wonsulting CEO, Jonathan Javier, and Co-Founder/Chief Operating...
wages

The Rising Wages Impact on Small Businesses

Last month, it was announced that next April (April 1st, 2022) the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage are...

Black Friday Success: Ditch the Discounts and Get Creative

This year, Black Friday will take place on the 26th November. Now considered one of the most significant shopping events...

Big business doesn’t talk about disability. Do you?

New research from EY blows the lid off yet another unnecessary workplace taboo: disability. A global campaign #valuable, looks at...

24-hour London: Progress and challenges surrounding the night time economy

It's fair to say that the first step towards making the night time economy a robust marketplace was with the...

The pawnbroker so prestigious it scaled Britains TV screens as a Channel 4 show

Prestige by name and nature, the London-helmed pawnbroking service which now boasts four sites delivers loans against high end assets.Indeed,...

Intelligence tool maximises sales

Chidley says the driving agency has had the tool in place for the past four years “to allow us to...

Five ways to prioritise productivity in your organisation

In fact, the latest Business Trends Report by BDO finds that despite the UKs plan to keep hiring more staff,...
future of customer service

The future of customer service: Humans for robots isn’t a matter of rip and replace

However, this debate has no place for absolutes. For the future of customer service, rarely does technology completely automate human...

CFO watch Robert Brent

Brent is currently head of research at stockbroking and advisory house KBC Peel Hunt.SCi has not announced when Brent will...

Do women find it more difficult to advance to higher roles

From producing high-quality work to goal setting and mentoring employees, companies that dont actively recruit top female talent put their...

Top tips to maintain brand consistency

Simply put, your brand is a direct interface with the customer, and therefore its impact on their perceptions of your...

Be prepared for changes to state benefit paid to ill or disabled staff

From 2017 we can expect a new tax-free childcare scheme, for tuition loans to be extended for students planning to...

More From

Growing Business Awards 2010: New Product of the Year shortlist

This category recognises the best launch of a new product or service in the past 12 months. Past winners of...

Retailers bemoan quarter day rents

“Retailers are already struggling for survival and have been further impacted by consumers reigning in their discretionary spending between January...

Hiro Harjani

When Hiro Harjani stepped off the plane from India, he had no contacts, no cash and zero business experience. So...

Mark Prisk: How to close the gap between business and academia

"When Brits think of the Silicon Valley universities, Stanford always springs to mind. Yet it is San Jose State University...

Betfair boss: best time ever to start a business

Speaking at this morning's "Entrepreneur Country" event in central London, Betfair co-founder Ed Wray painted both a sobering and uplifting...

64: T&A KERNOGHAN HOLDINGS

This Belfast-based company was founded in 1978, and over the past 30 years has grown to become a market leader...

Meet our new RB columnist: Sam Barnett

Startup life. Being an entrepreneur. It's all about taking chances, being resourceful, doing things on the cheap, bingeing on Pro...

Encouraging enterprise among disabled entrepreneurs

E4E was launched in conjunction with a new report called the Barriers and Opportunities Report, which noted that 57 per...

Huge discrepancies across UK in new startups

London is the top business hot-spot in Britain, seeing a 91 per cent increase in startups in 2010, the latest...

Did Darling deliver?

Unfortunately, he failed. We wanted to hear about the £12.5m he’s investing in a venture-capital fund that will back women-owned...

Most Read

Trending

What Is A Remittance Address
What Is A Remittance Address
A remittance address is a mailing address that is designated to
Claire Renée Thomas
Turning Tension Into Collaboration: Tips For Resolving Conflict With Your Manager
By Claire Renée Thomas, Mindset and Mindfulness Coach, Founder of Reaching
business financial advisor
What Does A Business Financial Advisor Do And What Are The Benefits
A business financial advisor aims to provide expert business finance advice
How Can Business Leaders Take A More Human Approach To Leading?
By Professor Lynda Holt CEO, Health Service 360 Most leaders face
Out of Office While Travelling for Business Examples
Out Of Office Business Trip – Travelling for Business
Going out of the office on a business trip is common

If you enjoyed this article,
why not join our newsletter?

We promise only quality content, tailored to suit what our readers like to see!

JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER

Published by Prosper2 Media

Do you want to write for us?
Click here to find out how

Telling the truth about SME life today

Real Business has championed entrepreneurship in the UK since 1997. It is now the main source of inspiration, education, and collaboration for the owners of fast-growing businesses, from startups to mid-market companies. Real Business provides readers with high profile interviews, news, insight and industry benchmark reports, as well as a growing stable of events tailored to SME growth.

JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER

Privacy Policy

Website built & designed by Lead Generation Company