About

Alan was assistant editor at Vitesse Media Plc (previous owner of smallbusiness.co.uk) before moving on to a content producer role at Reed Business Information. He has over 17 years of experience in the publishing industry and has held a number of senior writing, editing and sub-editing roles.

Startup Funding and Grants

How to survive the Dragons’ Den

Aside from the entertainment value, there are a number of valuable lessons to be taken from the BBC’s Dragons’ Den. Here are the top five from Smallbusiness.co.uk.

Alternative finance

How to raise angel finance

Business angels are those lucky types with enough cash to consider investing in early-stage businesses. SmallBusiness.co.uk speaks to owner-managers who never would have got their business off the ground without angel finance.

Business Ideas & Planning

Information memorandum

I have been asked for an 'information memorandum' but am struggling to understand how this differs from the business plan. Could you please advise?

News

SMEs ‘would benefit from graduate internships’

Government plans to increase internships will allow small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to benefit from taking on graduates, an expert asserts.

Government Grants

What business grants are available for a small business?

I run a butcher’s shop and am looking for a small grant in order to print some leaflets and advertise the business. What types are available?

Alternative finance

A guide to asset based lending and invoice finance

Credit is what sustains most businesses. Without access to a working credit line, many small businesses would find it impossible to bridge the cash flow gap between the raising of an invoice and its eventual settlement.

News

Dragons’ Den ‘dumbs down business’

Small firms feel shows like Dragons' Den and The Apprentice dumb down the public perception of businesspeople.

Business Technology

Plan for the worst: business continuity

Business continuity provider SunGard and Smallbusiness.co.uk offer advice on how to carry on with ‘business as usual’ when the unexpected happens.

Employing & managing staff

Redundancy: softening the blow

It is never easy making someone you know redundant. But it can be even harder when you've worked closely with them in a small business environment.

Marketing

Basic building block of any Internet marketing campaign

For almost all sectors of commerce today, the Internet, or more specifically the World Wide Web, is now a key tool for business. In the field of marketing in particular it has become crucial.