The early entrepreneurial spirit of famous business people

They often say that you’ve either got ‘it’ or you haven’t, and it seems some of the world’s most famous business people were born with ‘it’, showing off their entrepreneurial spirit from an early age. As children or teens, many of these famous entrepreneurs had a flair for business, thinking up their own money-making schemes, starting up what would grow into million-dollar businesses or finding ingenious gaps in the market.

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Top tips for developing your elevator pitch

Elevator pitches aren’t just for people appearing on Shark Tank. Any business owner should be able to describe their business and its goals in around 30 seconds. After all, you never know when you’ll need to impress a prospective client or investor, convince a new recruit that your business is the one for them or just help someone understand exactly what it is your company offers (and why you’re the best at it.)

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7 sure signs that you're on the road to success

Small business owners are often too busy to see the woods through the tress - especially when it comes to measuring their own success. But these 7 signs will give you a quick guide as to how well your business is actually doing and if you're on the much fabled road to success.

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4 businesses that have overcome tough times, and what they taught me

Fail faster; succeed sooner, as they say in Silicon Valley. Learning from those who hit the hard times so you can avoid expensive mistakes before they happen is also a good idea when it comes to succeeding in business. Here are four examples of businesses that made it through hardship and came back stronger than ever.

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Top tips for graduate recruitment on a budget

I’m always on the lookout for new talent and this can come in a number of different forms – experienced industry professionals, those looking for a career change (bringing with them a wealth of experience from other industries) and more recently I’ve started to recruit college graduates.

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The unusual team building methods of famous bosses

Team building activities are a great way to bring employees together, boost morale and potentially learn new skills. In order to retain employees’ interests, it’s important to keep these events new and fresh, allowing individuals to try something different and in some cases, somewhere different.

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Start a business in 30 days

In theory, all you need to start a business is an idea, a computer and a bit of free time. It’s never been easier, but can you launch a business inside a month?

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13 management styles no one wants to see. Ever.

All managers have their own style and some are definitely more effective than others. Over the years I've come across quite a few different approaches -both from people who've managed me directly and, more recently, who I've worked with on projects. And while I've been inspired by some people's approaches, I've been less than impressed with others.

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Graphic showing pages of Colonial Life's employee benefits survey 101 guide.

Employee benefits survey 101

Learn how to create and implement an insightful employee survey from scratch.

Cover page of the "How to (not) lose an employee in 10 days" guide.

How to (not) lose an employee in 10 days: The guide

Best practices for retention in the new era of work

Graphic of Colonial Life's "Voluntary benefits 101" guide.

Voluntary benefits 101

Strengthen your business with our quick start guide on voluntary benefits and build a well-rounded benefits package that helps attract and retain skilled workers.