You have worked hard to grow your business. You have invested your time, money and talent to create a successful company that you may wish to pass to your children one day. Perhaps you have a business partner, or several partners? You may have employees. The common factor that unites all of your family, partners and staff is their dependence on the continuation of your business even if the unthinkable should happen and you are no longer at the helm.

Life insurance pays out a lump-sum benefit to the person or persons named as the beneficiary by the policy-holder in the event of the policy-holder’s death. For a small monthly payment, a business owner can obtain the peace of mind that comes from knowing the company is protected in the event of his or her death. Level term life insurance is one of the most economical choices and is available from a variety of vendors. Terms vary from five to thirty years, and the premium is guaranteed to remain the same over the life of the term, ensuring the business owner will pay the same amount every month.

By creating a lump-sum payment, life insurance protects not only your loved ones, but also your business partners and staff as well. Many small companies have an agreement between the partners that if one should pass away, the others will buy his or her share from the heirs. Few people have large sums lying about to make such a purchase a possibility. Life insurance can be set up to cover that cost, offering your loved ones and your partners practical support at a difficult time. The lump sum may also help bridge the gap between the sudden loss and the time it takes to get the business up and running again.

Another key advantage of having a policy is the benefits it can bring in attracting and retaining top talent in today’s competitive market. It may be possible to save money by buying into a group policy and extending life insurance cover to your employees as part of their benefits package. Offering benefits such as life insurance can be a sweetener that draws in the highly qualified staff you need to make your business a success. It is even possible to create a life insurance policy that covers your interests in the event of the loss of one of your key employees. Losing a highly skilled staff member may mean an expensive search or necessitate making heavy investments in the training of existing staff to take over their job. Key-person life insurance can help cover the sudden loss of a difficult-to-replace staff member and provide peace of mind that integral positions in the company are covered.

Life insurance is a necessity for the small-business owner. While you may be gone, the business, complete with debts, operating costs and obligations remains. Without life insurance, your business partners may face having to shut the company down, your staff will lose their employment, and your loved ones may be saddled with debts that could lead, in the worst cases, to bankruptcy. A life insurance policy can help negotiate that difficult gap between their devastating loss and a re-structuring of the business that allows it to continue on after you’re gone.

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Student Entrepreneur

Starting up a business whilst studying can be so much fun and hardwork. The university environment gives you the perfect platform to discover and experiment ideas, but as you know sometimes having a part-time job or putting your student loan money into the business just might not be enough especially when you‘re running a business that needs a lot of cash to keep it running or it might just be that you just need a bit of money to help grow/scale the business.

Graduate Entrepreneur

Being a graduate and running a business can be very tough, especially if you’re focusing on running the business full-time without a job and probably just crashing on a friends couch bootstrapping and hoping to start making revenue soon or working part-time/full-time and spending most of the weekends and evenings focusing on your business.

The opportunity to get some finance can enable you to focus fully on the business especially during the startup phase where you are mostly experimenting.

The Competition

NACUE and Lloyds TSB have joined forces to give students and graduates the opportunity to win £50,000 in investment through the Lloyds TSB Enterprise Awards and all entries closes in just 10 days, 30 Jan 2012. Apply here

All entrants will be considered for two titles – Best Start Up, which will be awarded to a business in its early stages; and Best Enterprise which will be awarded to the business judged to show real potential to grow over the next five years to become a recognised SME within its respective sector.

The overall winner of the Awards will receive £50,000 to invest in their business, together with a comprehensive two-year mentoring programme, involving senior executives from Lloyds Banking Group, designed to provide coaching and support on critical business issues such as planning, finance, recruitment and marketing. Each of the winners will also receive free legal advice with an independent specialist law firm

The Awards are open to entrepreneurs currently studying at universities across England, Scotland or Wales – or who graduated within the past five years and have been trading for more than one year.

The prizes

Heats

Best Start-Up – £1k plus two years mentoring from senior Lloyds Banking Group representatives
Best Enterprise – £5k plus two years  mentoring from senior Lloyds Banking Group representatives

Grand Final

Best Start-Up – £10k plus two years mentoring from senior Lloyds Banking Group representatives and a business session with a Lloyds Banking Group executive
Best Enterprise – £50k plus two years mentoring from senior Lloyds Banking Group representatives and a business session with a Lloyds Banking Group executive

The heats

Wales – Cardiff 15 February
London & South East – Reading, 16 February
South West – Bristol 21 February
East of England – Essex, 22 February
Midlands – Nottingham 23 February
North West – Manchester 28 February
Yorkshire & North East – Leeds 29 February
Scotland – Edinburgh 1 March

Grand Final

Liverpool 13 March 2012

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Very few things in life are as rewarding as a higher education. Not only can a college experience help young people to clarify their interests, it can also open up a much broader range of career opportunities to them. Even more importantly for many people, those careers are likely to be in fields that the individual finds inherently enjoyable. In addition, a college degree generally enables individuals to earn a living with their minds rather than their hands. In general, this means a less strenuous lifestyle – but ironically, it also means a more lucrative one.

Benefits of a College Education

College graduates earn more than those who never attended at all or attended but failed to complete a degree programme, and this ‘earnings boost’ only accelerates as students pursue additional levels of university training. In the UK, university graduates earn approximately 25% more than students who never progress beyond their A-Levels. That differential may not sound like much, but when it accrues year after year, it can add up to as much as £160,000 during a lifetime.

College is not free, of course, but the wide availability of education loans means that it well within the reach of the common man. Universities UK has even determined that the earnings boost is greater for those from poor backgrounds than for those who come from wealthy families, making it even more essential for such people to seriously consider taking out education loans in order to secure their future via higher education.

The Career Boost

The earnings boost is far from the only reason why a college education is beneficial. In many businesses, it also opens the door to new kinds of careers. Many managerial and administrative positions require a college degree as a prerequisite to advancement. Those who lack such a degree can never get very far in their careers in such companies; no matter how long and loyally they have laboured, the firm will adhere to its policy of advancing only college graduates up the ladder toward the most prestigious positions available.

Companies have excellent reasons for such policies. They have learned through experience that possession of a college degree is a highly accurate indicator of valuable qualities such as confidence, perseverance and keen insight. University graduates also possess the ability to work cooperatively to complete joint projects, a skill that is in high demand across many industries. Businesses need leaders as much as they need followers, and a university education encourages the development of a wide array of leadership traits.

Financing a College Education

Those considering college should enquire at several different sources to learn about current terms and conditions for today’s education loans. At the same time, they should investigate the true costs of attending a university. In order to determine the right amount to borrow, prospective students should factor in all sources of revenue, including a part-time job and any grants or scholarships that can be obtained. Any remaining shortfall can be borrowed with the expectation that higher earnings in the future will enable full and prompt repayment of the loan balance.

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Ashton Kutcher

Probably the top or one of the top celebrity investor. A romance that started from his love with twitter and has since transformed into a full education of the tech community, impacts of social media and numerous investments. The Two and a half men actor even has his own fund, A Grade fund and he has invested in top tech companies such as Skype, AirBnB, Foursquare, Hipmunk, Nowmov, Square, Flipboard, Path to name a few….

Kanye west – Kanye west joined forces with Lady GaGa to invest in turntable in a $7.5 million round led by Union Square Ventures, which if rumours are corrects puts the startup’s value at about $37.5 million.

Justin Timberlake – Sean..Ooops I mean Justin. Justin Timberlake in Social Network, umm… Maybe Justin is really starting to believe that he is indeed Sean Parker. If he can’t buy Facebook, why not myspace? Apart from myspace, Justin has invested in companies such as Stipple and Dekko.

Guy Oseary – Madonna’s manager. Let’s just say whatever Ashton Kutcher invests in, he pretty much has some shares in. Guy is the Co-founder of A Grade fund, the investment company he and Ashton set up in 2007.

Leonardo Di Caprio – Leonardo joined the list of hollywood celebrities to invest startup in october. He invested in Mobli, a photo sharing application in a $4 million first round of funding, along with other private investors. He will also be serving as an advisor in the company.

Lady GaGa – Apart from investing in turntable with Kanye west, she has also invested in Backplane, a new startup founded by Lady Gaga’s business manager Troy Carter with Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt.

Selena Gomez – She is the latest celebrity to make an investment. She recently invested in Postcard on the Run, a free app that creates photo postcards from your phone and mails them for you, as part of a $750,000 funding round

Justin Bieber – Barely 18, Mr Bieber is the youngest out of the growoing list of celebrities to put his money into a tech company. Although the name of the startup hasnt been disclosed but we are told to believe that it is a Zynga like startup.

Will UK celebrities join to invest in startups?

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By now, most business owners know just how important it is to be able to reach an online audience. Whatever field you work in, whatever products or services you offer the chances are you will be able to increase your reach and hopefully market share by appealing to potential clients and customers over the Internet.

But for those who are unfamiliar with the how things work in cyberspace, taking a business online can be a daunting prospect. Here we look at a few of the key areas that will need to be addressed if you want to take your interests into cyberspace and reap the rewards of online advertising and operations.

Creating a Wonderful Website

A website is like an online office – you need yours to be welcoming, inviting and easy to use – as well as being clearly signposted so the right people can find you. Things to think about when putting together a website include:

· Design: A good website will be easy on the eye, and users will be able to find the things they need without any problems. Avoid garish colours and huge swathes of text. Make sure menus are logical and keep the number of clicks necessary to reach key pages to a minimum. A website is a big part of your online business so if you are unsure about it then get some professional help and bring on a web designer to help you make the most of this opportunity.
· Search Engine Optimisation: SEO is all about making your website appeal to search engines. You need to make sure that your website is optimised for the keywords your potential clients may be using. SEO starts on your own site, and includes everything from your content to your tags. Getting this right in the early stages can save a lot of time and effort later on.
· Security: If you plan on taking client details or payments online then your site will need to be demonstrably secure in order to be deemed trustworthy. If you are unsure of the options open to you, approach your preferred IT support people for advice on locking down your operation.

Bringing in Business Online

While having a website is a great start, if you want to make a real splash in cyberspace you will need to make sure that people are finding you. There are a number of ways to promote your business online including:

· Blogging: If you have great knowledge in your field then think about sharing it with an online audience through a blog. Well written blog posts with useful and interesting information that have been optimised for your own targeted keywords can be a great way of bringing a new audience to your website.
· Social Networking: Everyone who is anyone is on sites such as Facebook and Twitter, so well maintained profiles on these sites are a great way to get word out about your operations. Social networking sites must be regularly updated and must engage with the audience. Join in discussions relevant to your field and elicit others opinions on issues in your industry – social networking is not simply about pushing your own agenda.

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Curb has identified outdoor, sustainable media as a viable option for successful advertising and PR campaigns for big name brands and agencies.

In 2008, at the age of only 27 years old, and amidst the backdrop of developing fears about the future of our environment and an increased awareness by consumers about various company’s green credentials, Anthony Ganjou identified a niche in the market to bring advertising back to basic and to provide bespoke environmentally friendly media campaigns made from completely natural resources.

Anthony had a background in marketing, branding and sales through selling teddy bears and calculators on the street for an American company, which he feels gave him a crash course in business basics.  Most importantly, this position taught him to be determined to succeed and to constantly keep positive – essential attributes for any successful entrepreneur.

By using sustainable, natural resources to create innovative and successful marketing campaigns with no negative environmental impact, Curb has pioneered the concept of natural media marketing.  The concept was immediately popular with clients and environmentalists, and combined with search engine optimisation, the company grew rapidly.  In under a year, Curb had achieved international acclaim, secured big-name brands and had generated £200,000 in revenue.  The Curb Kia Cars campaign, when launched, was the biggest environmentally clean advertising campaign and achieved almost 150,000 visitors to the Kia website during the 2 week campaign.  Curb clients now include brands such as Haagen Dazs, Waitrose, Heart fm and Wagamamas.

In addition to Curb, Anthony is also the founder of Please Cycle, a one-stop shop initiative to encourage more people to get into cycling.  The secret to Anthony’s entrepreneurial success?  His BAIE philosophy – Belief, Ambition, Innovation, Enthusiasm combined with real passion for your idea.

Written by Emma McWhinney

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With student debt loads haunting college grads and jobless joining street protests, President Obama yesterday announced plans to ease student loan burdens by capping payments at 10 percent of what borrowers earn. On top of helping young people in lower wage jobs, the White House hopes the program will aid aspiring entrepreneurs whose student debts might otherwise discourage them from starting businesses.

The White House is building on the existing income-based repayment program that limits loan payments for low-earners to 15 percent of their income, and forgives all debts after 25 years. Starting next year, the cap will be lowered to 10 percent of income (a change that was already slated to happen in 2014). The payment timeline will also be shortened to 20 years, after which remaining debts will be forgiven. The White House estimates the change will lower payments for 1.6 million borrowers.

Coordinated with Obama’s announcement, the Young Entrepreneur Council (a nonprofit membership group) is unveiling a $10 million “Gen Y Fund” that will invest up to $250,000 in startups and cover founders’ federal student loan payments for up to three years. The group is also pushing for legislation that would expand loan deferments and forgiveness specifically for entrepreneurs.

The theory that student debt holds back young entrepreneurs has gained enough traction that venture capitalist Peter Thiel is actually paying would-be founders to drop out of college. I haven’t found any hard data on how educational debt actually affects people’s decisions on whether or not to start a business. But college tuition is rising twice as fast as inflation, and by some estimates Americans now have more student debt than credit card debt. There’s a lot of teeth-gnashing over how many top graduates (especially in math and science) go to Wall Street. These efforts to lower loan payments may make some of them more likely to start companies instead.

This was post originally appeared on BusinessWeek and was written by John Tozzi.

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Although a strong education is by no means a requirement for business acumen or success, many still saunter off to college and further hone what they’ve already got. Those walking on or logging onto campus with visions of profits and genius dancing in their heads shouldn’t relegate their learning within those boundaries exclusively. They should drink up any potentially valuable insight they can, and the venerable TED offers up one such conduit. One of the world’s most beloved and stimulating repositories for human knowledge available, it certainly explodes with amazing business, marketing and inventing advice. Try a few of these for starters!

1. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on aid versus trade

As Nigeria’s former finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala understands how trade, aid, private investment and government support all impact an economy differently. She wraps up TEDGlobal 2007 opining on what they all mean for business-minded Africans and what still needs doing to stimulate their minds.

2. Alexis Ohanian: How to make a splash in social media

Just because a video lasts less than five minutes, that doesn’t mean it has little to offer budding entrepreneurs. Considering effective social media use often translates to much better business and promotion, any advice on improving Facebooks, Twitters and blogs is extremely valuable (maybe even game-changing for some).

3. Anil Gupta: India’s hidden hotbeds of invention

The Honey Bee Network provides opportunities for some of the world’s most marginalized peoples to channel their creative, inventorial and entrepreneurial inclinations. In doing so, it nurtures both humanity and economy and ultimately might very well create a more prosperous and equitable planet.

4. Cameron Herold: Let’s raise kids to be entrepreneurs

Cameron Herold notices a correlation between many undesirable educational and behavioral traits, such as poor grades and spastic attention spans, and entrepreneurial potential. He argues for teachers and parents alike to recognize such characteristics and nurture rather than squelch or control them.

5. Dean Kamen on inventing and giving

Entrepreneurship might conjure up images of current and future capitalist fat cats, but such drives undoubtedly carry considerable philanthropic applications as well! Segway inventor Dean Kamen shares some innovations meant to give developing nations a necessary boost: an undoubtedly inspiring lecture for charitable.

6. Joseph Pine on what consumers want

The most sustainably successful entrepreneurs know how to market their goods and services to the intended (or, sometimes, unintended) audience, maybe even filling a niche nobody even knew existed. So making an effort to understand how consumers choose might very well mean the difference between a failing or triumphant business initiative.

7. Majora Carter: 3 stories of local eco-entrepreneurship

Students with entrepreneurial inclinations should find inspiration in Majora Carter’s fascinating tales of some impressively enterprising individuals from Chicago, Los Angeles and Whitesville, West Virginia. With the green movement swelling in popularity, many opt to keep their ideas local and sustainable, and the incoming results proved absolutely spectacular.

8. Tim Harford: Trial, error and the God complex

This economist actively encourages innovators, inventors and creatives to fail and genuinely embrace the results! His inquiries into how wildly successful ventures pop into existence reveal that the entrepreneurial individuals behind them often enjoyed a steady stream of not-so-greatness before achieving their goals.

9. John Gerzema: The post-crisis consumer

When the world’s economy collapsed, it completely overhauled the ways consumers approached purchasing goods and services, which John Gerzema dubs “The Great Unwind.” Faced with new challenges, they now take a more active role in budgeting and planning — and future inventors and business owners must consider this mindset before marketing anything.

10. Nigel Marsh on how to make work-life balance work

No matter how brilliant one’s ideas might be, he or she must not cave to the pressures of workaholism, even though society actively encourages such potentially dangerous addictions. Ponder some of the tips offered here and strive towards striking a better balance between the financial and the filial.

11. Euvin Naidoo on investing in Africa

Desiring “to separate the rhetoric from the reality” when it comes to the African continent, the South African Chamber of Commerce’s president weighs in on investment and entrepreneurial opportunities. Euvin Naidoo’s TED Talk revolves around encouraging businesses to consider what these oft-misunderstood nations have to offer, since it might very well prove mutually beneficial.

12. Itay Talgam: Lead like the great conductors

Even the entrepreneurial with absolutely squat for musical ability or knowledge may still glean excellent leadership advice from six amazing conductors. As a conductor and businessman, Itay Talgam intimately understands how the two disciplines overlap, and he shares his observations and lessons here.

13. Caroline Casey: Looking past limits

All her life, this speaker and activist yearned for an action-filled adulthood, only to spend her 17th birthday finding out she’s legally blind. Her parents, who knew, never provided her with any special assistance, which she considered absolutely refreshing. Current and future business owners might find her philosophy towards roadblocks a great inspiration.

14. Saul Griffith on everyday inventions

An idea doesn’t have to change the world or completely shift paradigms to be considered awesome and profitable. Sometimes a simple concept making daily chores and phenomena easier, such as the smart rope, is all an entrepreneur really needs.

15. Robert Neuwirth on our “shadow cities”

Marginalized peoples, like the billion currently occupying squatter, might very well possess some of the most spontaneous, innovative and inventive minds on the planet. They just need more resources to phase their concepts into reality, which some entrepreneurs might want to invest in. Though, of course, they must avoid exploitation and other inhumane acts.

16. Dan Cobley: What physics taught me about marketing

Viewers who love science and business as much as Dan Cobley will undoubtedly appreciate his observations about the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, Newton’s Second Law and plenty more. All of these, he argues, hold some surprising marketing and business methods for those knowing where to look.

17. Steven Johnson: Where good ideas come from

Like the complex “trial and error” patterns mentioned earlier, innovation and inspiration typically involves a slower process than most people assume. Sometimes, ideas that simmer instead of flash fry end up extremely profitable — and occasionally even game-changing.

18. Frank Gehry asks “Then what?”

This lauded architect talks career and professional philosophy with Richard Saul Wurman here, emphasizing how failure eventually molded him into the man he is today. Among other valuable lessons, of course, but entrepreneurial individuals should probably pay close attention to that particular nugget.

19. Jessica Jackley: Poverty, money — and love

Kiva.org partners philanthropists and lenders with impoverished and marginalized innovators to create some amazing, sustainable business opportunities. Here, one co-founder shares her experiences, philosophies and mindset shifts, hopefully encouraging entrepreneurial students towards social and economic justice.

20. Alex Steffen sees a sustainable future

Whether economic, environmental or a combination thereof, sustainability exists as more than just another empty buzzword — it’s a business philosophy aimed at creating a healthier, equitable society. The more innovators and inventors apply sustainable initiatives and ideas to their practices, the more consumers will concern themselves with ethics and eco-friendliness in kind.

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Twitter.

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A rumour that a Cash & Carry is working on a deal to buy 99p Wholesaler has been burning up the wires of Wholesale forums of late. Bloggers and journalists are suggesting that Booker Cash & Carry is the company in question. The company, a major powerhouse in the industry currently taking over £600 Million in online sales is said to have bought 99p wholesaler.

Suleman Sacranie has figured out how to inject hysteria into the process of shop keepers hunting the web, this resulting in speculation that the company has been taken over by various online forums. 99p Wholesaler represents what Groupon did but in a totally different sector.

99p Wholesaler negotiates deals with manufacturers directly and by keeping their overheads to a minimum whilst passing on great discounts to their customers. Retailers can simply register on the website then receive a no-obligation e-mail every morning to highlighting Daily Offers that are available for just 24 hours. If they like the offer they can just order them there and then and they will be delivered directly to their door.

99p Wholesaler, a name following on from the company’s consumer site 99p Shopper presents an online audience of Retailers & Wholesalers with deep discounted products compared to their usual visit at the Cash & Carry.

Unlike so many dot-com rockets, 99p Wholesaler is a real business, occupying its own warehouse in Leicester, the company continues to build its database and raised investment from London based Private Equity firm Equity Plus Partners.

Suggestions that a bid of £10 Million and £20 Million have been denied and company has made a formal announcement that no such offer has been received, Atul Devani of Equity Plus Partners Said, “The Company has been receiving an unprecedented number of calls from the press and trade to confirm if the Company had been sold. We have invested in a dedicated and talented management team who continue to remain focussed on launching the exciting 2nd and 3rd phases of our business which will further enhance our offering bringing a greater number of suppliers and ranges of products and change the way business is done in this industry”.

There’s little doubt that Cash & Carry competitors would be interested in nailing down an acquisition after Booker Cash & Carry acquisition of Blueheath.

Suleman Sacranie, Managing Director also commented, “Our aim has not been to compete directly with these outlets that will often stock a higher range of products, but to quench the thirst of Independent Retailers to find deals at better prices, with the convenience of having goods delivered free, directly to their door. We aim to make that easier by providing a platform that makes these deals available directly to the retailer”

What 99p Wholesaler is clearly able to do is provide daily offers to an industry which is always after deals, with Cash & Carry having to plan their offers and deals one year in advance it gives them a great edge over there competition.

Such a deal would put Cash & Carry in the position of selling directly to Internet Users, in this case, trade days which are held by all wholesalers during the week. The market is expected to grow rapidly and is currently coveted by Booker but it is clear to see by bringing selected offers together 99p Wholesaler are able to beat the prices of their competition.

The acquisition talks come as 99p Wholesaler is developing a new version of its website to progress with Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the company’s portal.

99p Wholesaler model has caught on because it is improved on the idea of providing offers to customers that are always on the hunt for deals especially when an average shop keeper visits the Cash & Carry 3 times a week the number of repeat visitors gives 99p Wholesaler an advantage.

In an interview, 99p Wholesaler founder and Managing Director Suleman Sacranie said he wouldn’t “comment on any speculation” about the company being sold.

The University Of Leicester drop out has clearly developed a concept that has got an industry used to stocking up there vans talking, question mark remains if the company decides to cash in or continue to develop what has become an industry game changer.

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