It’s an incredibly exciting time to be starting a business and with more and more new launches every year the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in the UK, but what will make your business stand out from the crowd?

Entrepreneurs, by their very nature, must dare to be different, to think outside the box. Not only must they be fearless, innovative and determined, but they need to have that special creativity that sparks a unique idea or way of working that will make people stop and take notice of you.

Orange share this vision for businesses, which is why they are running their Different Business competition. They want to hear your business ideas, the ideas that will be different and that will mark you out as an inspirational entrepreneur ready to bring about changes that will leave your competition far behind.

Different Business isn’t just about finding a great idea and handing over money to the winner. Today’s new launches need support beyond monetary prizes, and that is why with Orange you will also receive the advice and support that’s needed to put you on the right path to success. This kind of support is invaluable and will put your business in a different league to other start ups. The prize is worth up to £200,000 and includes not just investment capital but legal advice, business planning advice, mentoring, and marketing consultancy.

As the latest series of the popular TV show The Apprentice hits our screens this week, it raises the question about the impact these programmes have on today's entreprepreneurs. Do they give the impression that starting a business is easy, do they trivialise what is a very serious subject and are the people we see on the likes of Dragons' Den and The Apprentice a true representation of today's entrepreneurs?

Clearly some of the people we see on these shows haven't got the first clue about business, despite what they might think, plus there's the inevitable fame wannabes just looking for some TV exposure and hoping for the phonecall that will lead them into the entertainment industry rather than business. But then, if they are successful as, say, TV presenters, you could say they are simply marketing themselves into a successful business.

So you think you have what it takes to launch your own business? You have the idea, the business plan and the funding to get it up and running, but that's only half the story. Do you also have what it takes to run a successful business?

The range of skills is huge, and nobody expects you to have them all, but you will need to know where your strengths and weaknesses lie so that you can utilise the help of others, whether through outsourcing or staff, to ensure the smooth running of your business.

It's going to be hard work, which means a huge commitment from you that will entail long hours away from home, stress and a willingness to keep going however tough it gets. You need to have your family on board to support you as they will be a part of it, even if just giving you support and understanding at home. The long hours will be tiring and there may even be no holidays for a while, but you've got to keep your eyes on the prize. It won't always be like that and, hopefully, ultimate business success will make it all worthwhile.

I read an interesting news story today about an employee who is spending the morning working suspended above a London street to show how today's technology is enabling entrepreneurs to work wherever they like. The entrepid volunteer is Caspar Mason, who works as a creative strategist at a project design agency called PD3.

While I have no desire to work hanging around in London, I totally agree with the idea that for many of us it is possible to work effectively in all manner of locations. It is, however, important to have Internet access and the right technology, but these are rarely a problem these days. I used to work in an office and now work from home and without a doubt I am far more productive now. It will be interesting, though, to hear how Caspar gets on in his 'extreme' work environment. Let's hope he wasn't faced with anything too taxing!

For those of you with a penchant for reality TV, do we have an opportunity for you! Sky 1 is looking for contestants to compete for an investment of £100,000 in their business.

 

In each of 5 programmes The Angel, John Cauldwell (of Phones4U fame) will be putting 6 contestants through a series of rounds specifically developed to test his 6 golden business attributes: drive, ambition, passion, resilience, commercial intellect and leadership. The last remaining entrepreneur each day will be rewarded £100k of The Angel’s own money.

It is only at this point that he finds out what he has invested in…

Fancy applying? Contact 0207438 1960 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

We recently reported on the new 'Business in You' campaign, a new partnership between private enterprise and Government to highlight support for start-ups and growing businesses and encourage entrepreneurial spirit in 2012. In the campaign it's claimed that "there's a business in everyone". That's a pretty bold statement and potentially harmful to the economy.

Should we really be encouraging people to start a business who have none of the necessary skills or knowledge to succeed? Many new businesses fold every year, and so is it a good idea to put the idea out there that anyone can start a successful business. While it's clearly not black and white - how do you identify someone who will be able to launch and run a business - there are some situations where the person in question clearly has neither the understanding or determination required to succeed as a business owner.

In a recent blog on LinkedIn a contact said of the growth in start ups, "More people are becoming self-employed and SMEs are being lauded as being the ones to drag UK PLC back into prosperity. Or is it a cynical ploy to reduce unemployment figures by having us creating our own temporary jobs?"

What are your thoughts? It's true that the government is putting a great deal of emphasis on the private sector to help the struggling economy and that more and more people are becoming self-employed. However, what are the reasons behind this increase in self-employment? Is it more opportunities to get into business, the lack of jobs, the public sector cutbacks, working to later ages, increase in university fees putting off potential students, greater encouragement of the entrepreneurial spirit?

Another important question is how successful these new entrepreneurs actually are, as if their new venture fail the unemployment figures, and the economy as a whole, definitely won't show any signs of improvement. So, how much support do new start ups actually get? How easy is it to access finance?

As we begin 2012, the economic outlook is somewhat mixed depending on which think tank, economist or business owner you talk to. If you are Robert Peston, however, the world is a very gloomy place and we are all doomed!

 

We can’t get away from the fact there is a level of uncertainty with the economy – just look at the eurozone. That saga will play into the hands of the Euro sceptics who are gleefully saying "I told you so", but as just over 50% of UK trade is with the EU, the future of the Euro and the EU as a whole will have a direct impact on business here at home.

 

Looking at the current worldwide economy and the various impacts it can have on the UK is another breakfast meeting all together. So let’s look at the situation we find ourselves in at the moment.

 

Perhaps you are in the situation where you know you want to start your own business, but have the really tough dilemna of choosing what type of business to open. People using a particular skill or expertise often take it for granted that they will start a business in that area, but the same isn't true for all of us.

Some entrepreneurs are actively trying to leave a previous career behind or have several ideas but need to pinpoint the one that will be most profitable. Finding the next big thing or current hot areas is not easy, otherwise we'd all be millionaires. Plus, once a new trend emerges it's often then flooded with businesses, which means survival of the strongest. So, you've got to get in fast, and be the best. Your choice of business will also depend on your budget. Do you need office space, stock, staff, kit? All this costs money, and so the lower your start up costs the better chance you will have of success.

The best businesses for 2012? Well, according to startups.co.uk these are ten of the best...

We already knew it, but a recent report by the Made Simple Group has shown that the oldest person to become a limited company director in the last three years was 94 and the youngest was 16. This is a fantastic reflection of business in the UK today, and just goes to show that the UK is full of new business ideas from all quarters. The fact that so many young are setting up companies bodes very well for the future of private enterprise, and we can only hope that they are getting the help and support they require to help them succeed in this difficult arena. Sadly, having a good idea simply isn't enough in this day and age. It's about how you get your message out to the masses. Similarly, with older entrepreneurs, if they are setting up their first company then they will probably still require support of some sort even if they have the benefit of business experience. It would be interesting to see the types of businesses these two groups have been setting up and whether there are any clear differences - and also the success rates.