http://www.ft.com/comment/columnists/mikesouthonhttp://www.ft.com/rss/comment/columnist/mikesouthonFT.com - Mike Southonen© Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2008. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times. See http://www.ft.com/servicestools/help/terms#legal1 for the terms and conditions of reuse.support@ft.comFri, 18 Jul 2008 15:04 BSTThu, 24 Jul 2008 20:57:28 BSTNewspapers15http://news.ft.com/cms/d1f3ce1a-6bbe-11da-bb53-0000779e2340.gifhttp://www.ft.com/comment/columnists/mikesouthon(PICS-1.1 "http://www.classify.org/safesurf/" L gen true for "http://www.ft.com/" r (SS~~000 1))http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4ca4486a-4dbc-11dd-820e-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4ca4486a-4dbc-11dd-820e-000077b07658.htmlThe main challenge in public speaking is preparing the material. I rely on a very simple structure.Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:04 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/71463eb0-49db-11dd-891a-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/71463eb0-49db-11dd-891a-000077b07658.htmlOne of the advantages of working for a small company is that you do not have to worry too much about strategy.Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:56 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c2e1b08e-469c-11dd-876a-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c2e1b08e-469c-11dd-876a-0000779fd2ac.htmlWe may be moving into recession, or the "winter" of the economy, but "spring" is just around the corner, and we should prepare accordingly. Fri, 4 Jul 2008 17:44 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/13efecda-3ef9-11dd-8fd9-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/13efecda-3ef9-11dd-8fd9-0000779fd2ac.htmlWhat do you have on your business cards? Unlike most people, mine has my picture, as I feel that it is always good to put a face to a nameFri, 20 Jun 2008 19:55 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/98181db2-314c-11dd-b77c-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/98181db2-314c-11dd-b77c-0000779fd2ac.htmlOne of the most common questions I am asked by entrepreneurs is: "How do I get funding for my exciting new business?" Fri, 13 Jun 2008 17:26 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/30e7badc-2bcd-11dd-9861-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/30e7badc-2bcd-11dd-9861-000077b07658.htmlThe Beatles' story has many business learning points. It also reflects my own start-up experience in the early 1990s. Fri, 6 Jun 2008 17:44 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7455d220-2580-11dd-b510-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7455d220-2580-11dd-b510-000077b07658.htmlSuccessful entrepreneurs seem to have an in-built sense of timingFri, 30 May 2008 15:28 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e94ba64e-2004-11dd-80b4-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e94ba64e-2004-11dd-80b4-000077b07658.htmlIf Shakespeare were alive today, he might observe: "Some people are born entrepreneurs, but some have entrepreneurship thrust upon them."Fri, 23 May 2008 15:27 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/99c094e6-1b80-11dd-9e58-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/99c094e6-1b80-11dd-9e58-0000779fd2ac.htmlWhat people look for most in a leader is a vision, a clear statement of where the organisation is going. More difficult is the second quality: people want to know exactly where they stand with the leader.Fri, 16 May 2008 16:46 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/65ed0178-1deb-11dd-983a-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/65ed0178-1deb-11dd-983a-000077b07658.htmlWith recession looming, perhaps now is the time to dust off that business plan and start a new venture.Fri, 9 May 2008 16:12 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d92588f6-15d3-11dd-880a-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d92588f6-15d3-11dd-880a-0000779fd2ac.htmlWith recession looming, perhaps now is the time to dust off that business plan and start a new venture.Fri, 9 May 2008 16:12 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/24e323a2-0b11-11dd-8ccf-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/24e323a2-0b11-11dd-8ccf-0000779fd2ac.htmlIn a large organisation you can at least look forward to the monthly salary cheque. But in a small organisation the buck stops with you.Fri, 2 May 2008 18:05 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/64c9eea6-000d-11dd-825a-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/64c9eea6-000d-11dd-825a-000077b07658.htmlFinding the right property, but in the wrong location can lead to misery and bankruptcy. I have a better model, which involves the aspiring entrepreneur test-driving their idea before they get their premises. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:34 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0e578aa0-0d38-11dd-b90a-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0e578aa0-0d38-11dd-b90a-0000779fd2ac.htmlIf you're struggling for a business idea, here's a suggestion: why not save the world?Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:42 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/db9eb27a-07b3-11dd-a922-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/db9eb27a-07b3-11dd-a922-0000779fd2ac.htmlCoutts' network of more than 18,000 entrepreneur customers has identified business reputation as a key issueFri, 11 Apr 2008 16:23 BST