DanMartin

I'm a big fan of Innocent. The smoothie brand represents all that's good about business - a company set up by a group of friends that has made it big while managing to maintain ethical ideals and giving shedloads to charity. With that in mind, I was among those who shed a metaphorical tear this week on reading the news that the darling of the ethical business world has sold a 20% stake to corporate giant Coca Cola. Coke! The soft drinks behemoth that for many represents all that's bad about... Read Full Story

After many years of waiting, a business support system to end all business support systems was unveiled on Tuesday. Put up the bunting, don your Sunday best and let's celebrate! Hold on, what's that? It's still confusing? Time to stop the party. Read Full Story

My recent two-day rejection of PR pitches via email and telephone in favour of Twitter caused quite a stir. Despite accusations from some of my fellow hacks that my real intention for the experiment was ironically PR; the truth was that the amount of irrelevant material which fills my inbox and voicemail is getting really annoying. The pressure on PRs to get the word out about their clients, particularly in these tough economic times, is stronger than ever. But unfortunately that's leading to... Read Full Story

Last month, 185 cities around the world took part in Twestival, a fundraising initiative to raise money for charity: water. Each event was organised within just four weeks via social network Twitter. BusinessZone.co.uk organised the Bristol Twestival. Here's a film about what happened. Read Full Story

Watching BBC TV's Dragons' Den you'd be forgiven for thinking that any time you have to stand in front of a group of investors, the experience is going to leave you stressed out and humiliated. But after joining a group of entrepreneurs for a day's instruction on how to access that all important cash, I've come to realise that more often than not the action in the Den doesn't reflect the real world. Last Wednesday, I spent an enjoyable day with around 30 business owners learning how to pitch... Read Full Story

You know what, I think my interest in Twitter is bordering on an obsession. This is the third blog post in a row that I've focused on the site and I'm sure it won't be the last It's getting to the point that the only time I don't tweet is when I'm asleep although I'm sure it won't be long until some bright spark creates an app that means I can even twitter via my dreams! Read Full Story

I don't want to say I told you so but the Bristol Twestival was amazing! For those of you out there who have no idea what I'm talking about (and there can't be many!), the Twestival was a worldwide charity fundraising initiative in 185 cities last Thursday. It was a single tweet on social network Twitter on 6 January that sparked all the fun. Entrepreneur Amanda Rose sought global interest in running an event similar to that which took place in London last September. The rest, as they say, is... Read Full Story

Regular visitors to BusinessZone.co.uk will have found it hard to escape references to Twestival over the past few weeks. It's a word you won't find in a dictionary but speak to any of my friends and they're likely to know exactly what it means because it's pretty much all I've been talking about during the past few weeks! Read Full Story

If there's one man or knows a thing or two about networking it's Mike Segall. I met Mike last weekend, appropriately enough at a business event. I've heard him speak before about the value of networking for business owners but I hadn't quite realised just how massively beneficial it has been for Mike. He makes a living out of it! Read Full Story

This year ain't gonna be pretty if the experts are to be believed! With well established businesses collapsing left, right and centre and employment analysts predicting hundreds of thousands of extra people out of work by December, we're set to experience the worst economic conditions for decades. With all that in mind, entrepreneurs would be forgiven for throwing in the towel. But, for many, giving up is the last thing on their mind. As my blog post last month showed small business owners... Read Full Story