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Marc Barber

Marc Barber

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Marc was editor of GrowthBusiness from 2006 to 2010. He specialised in writing about entrepreneurs, private equity and venture capital, mid-market M&A, small caps and high-growth businesses.

Entrepreneurs

Betting on the big deal

In 1997, City Cruises was an established business with turnover approaching £4 million but founder Gary Beckwith wanted more. A year later, he risked everything by betting he could secure a lucrative contract.

Growth Planning

Mind mapping your future

John Cross, director of Cross Facilities Management, was initially sceptical when introduced to the concept of mind mapping, which aims to improve thought and organisation.

Human Resources

Developing staff skills

Are you having trouble finding staff with the right skills-set for your business? If so, you are not alone. Figures from the British Chamber of Commerce show a 50 per cent increase in the number of employers reporting difficulties recruiting staff with the right skills.

Growth Planning

Bargain basement businesses – Buying a company for £1

Buying a company for £1 and going on to make a fortune out of it is any entrepreneur’s dream. It usually means grabbing an opportunity presented by a company with good potential but mired in financial woes — and can require providing hefty financial guarantees as well as a nominal amount of cash down.

Company Flotations

10 high-flyers on AIM

Introducing cat litter to the UK market, pioneering online entertainment centres and putting caravan parks back on the map are just some examples of AIM's most successful companies.

Entrepreneurs

Gareth Senior of Axion Systems – What I wish I’d known

Gareth Senior is the founder of software concern Axiom Systems, a business demerged from network reseller Connectivity Plus. It grew 250 per cent last year and just recently moved into profit.

Human Resources

Building your dream team

Dispersing responsibility, dispelling fear, divesting yourself of weaklings and deepening trust are the keys to building the perfect management team.

Entrepreneurs

Wade Lyn: Expanding a business into other product areas

Wade Lyn founded Jamaican pattie producer Cleone Foods in 1987, intent on bringing Caribbean cuisine to the mainstream market. The business, which employs 44 people, is now looking to expand into other product areas.

Growth Planning

Need to know: Confidential Disclosure Agreement (CDA)

You have an invention that will change the world, but you need outside help to produce it. How do you negotiate with prospective partners or investors without revealing your secrets?

Human Resources

Whistleblowers: from sneaks to saviours

Whistleblowers are no longer the disloyal company sneaks of old: they are, according to some, the saviours of the business world, and a whole industry has sprouted up to support their endeavours.

Entrepreneurs

Eagle Technologies: an entrepreneur’s diary

Business angels wanted too much equity. VCs weren’t interested. Undeterred, Chris Rayner, founder of plastic card printing business Eagle Technologies, last month secured the investment he needed.

Entrepreneurs

Back to the drawing board: Arthur Rackham

To safeguard his father’s 15-strong off-licence chain, James Rackham took the rather courageous step of closing every store bar one. Fortunately business has since thrived.