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Alan Dobie

Alan Dobie

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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.

Business management

Perfecting project management

If you are taking on a new contract or have an ambitious plan for growth, it might be handy to learn from project managers.

News

SMEs to receive climate help

The findings of a survey by the Carbon Trust have prompted the group to provide more help for SMEs hoping to manage their green responsibilities.

Accounting

Keep your business on track

More and more people are escaping the daily nine to five grind and starting up their own business. Yet business owners should not become complacent once they have overcome the initial start up hurdles but should keep track of company performance. Here's how.

News

Small firms can reap fair trade reward

Retail based SMEs could increase their sales by stocking a range of fair trade goods but should only do so if they believe in the ethics, environmentalists have claimed.

News

Entrepreneurs ‘born not taught’

Entrepreneurs are born, not taught, is the conclusion of a new survey conducted by UK Business Forums.

News

Most enterprising place in Britain named

A North Staffordshire project dedicated to bringing enterprise to forefront of economic development in one of the most deprived areas of the West Midlands has won Enterprising Britain 2007.

Business Ideas & Planning

Getting your product design brief right

Ask a successful designer what the most important part of developing a product is and they’re most likely to say the briefing phase, notes Tim Gluyas, director of inventors’ resource IdeasintoProfit. Without a clear brief, it can prove almost impossible to design and develop a commercially successful product.

News

Businesses must reduce carbon emissions

Small businesses should make every attempt to reduce their energy usage to help cut carbon emissions, environment specialists have warned.

Work life balance

Returning to work as a parent

As a mother of two and founder of WorkingMums.co.uk, Gillian Nissim says she knows what it is like to try to get back into work and start a business after having a child. SmallBusiness.co.uk asked her to touch on some of the issues faced by mums returning to work and offer some insights.

Employing & managing staff

The beginner’s guide to share schemes

As your business grows, you may toy with the idea of offering a small number of shares to key employees to keep them attached to the business. This can motivate staff and offers them a stake in the business that they are working so hard to build. SmallBusiness.co.uk teamed up with Gemma Taaffe of Sherrards Solicitors to give you this beginner's guide to share schemes.

News

Stelios and Leonard Cheshire look for top disabled entrepreneur

Disability charity Leonard Cheshire and easyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou (better known as simply 'Stelios') have teamed up to look for the UK's Disabled Entrepreneur of the Year 2007.

Accounting

Raising invoices under a trading name

When a company trades as a different name to their legal name (e.g. Fred Bloggs Paving Ltd. t/a Crazy Paving). Is it legal to raise invoices using their trading name only?