Entrepreneurship and small business have been making news recently; with banks being tackled to lend more to small businesses, and television shows such as Dragons’ Den dividing the nation over the way small businesses are portrayed and helped. My views on such television programmes are one for another day, but for now all this has highlighted a real sense of enterprising throughout the UK.

In a time when unemployment is high, and job security seems like a long lost friend, it is easy to see why over half a million people are starting their own businesses every year. But what is the best way to start a business? Quit the day job and take the plunge, or build up steadily until you have the security you need to enter fully in to the world of the self-employed?

This is a question that is very much based on individual circumstance; I, for example, started my first business whilst at university and have been doing so ever since! But, at the same time there are many successful entrepreneurs out there who have worked in a job all their lives and at some point turned around and said “enough!” and have started out on their own well in to their working life. If this describes you, I would love to hear from you.

There is no ‘right’ way to start out in business. You can buy all the books, and read all the blogs, but starting your own business is something that has to be driven by you; your drive, enthusiasm and vision for you business. Of course, there are external pressures on us all, and mortgages to pay and families to support have to play a major role in how we develop our businesses.

That is why I will always say there is no iron-clad correct way for a business start-up to progress. A business has to grow in accordance not only with demand, but also in line with how the business owner wants it to develop. For some, diving in feet first and spending every waking hour on their business, building and expanding and constantly reaching for the next goal, is the only way to do business. I guess these people would fall in to the 9-5 camp, in that their business is their day job, but I know from experience 9-5 is a mere fraction of a small business owners’ day!

Other small business owners, for various reasons, take a gentler approach and test the water, building up their customer base alongside their current job or while looking after children and running the family home. These people are the 5-9ers. Although, yet again, that time frame does a disservice to these people as a lot of business owners I know are more 5-12ers! For some, this is a way to build their business to a point where they can launch and go it alone; but for others this is how they want their business to be. Something that can fit in with their lives, not run it, and provide enough of an income to make them comfortable, not rich.

People start their own business for many reasons, and it is not always to work every hour under the sun (and through the night!) to build a hugely successful business. There are many different businesses, and many different types of entrepreneur. Each deserves as much respect, help and admiration as the other, whether they work 9-5, 5-9 or anywhere in between on their business.

Owning your own business is about creating a life that is right for you and those around you. 9-5 or 5-9? It makes no difference at all – success is in the eye of the achiever.

The top 5 tips weekly post is always full of hints and tips for small, home & micro business owners.

1. Make certain that you have strong, unconfusing policies on employment. These must be well communicated to employees and strictly enforced.

2. Stay within legal guidelines regarding employment. Discrimination or harassment in the workplace will result in big trouble.

3. Consider Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) to cover you against claims or lawsuits filed against you by employees.

4. A good recordkeeping policy is essential. You should keep detailed records of any disciplinary action taken, so you can  justify it later if needed.

5. Select employees carefully during the hiring process. Look for people with a strong work ethic who are not interested in troublemaking.

If you have additional tips, please share them in the comments section.

The winner of WinWeb’s Pitch of the Week competition this week is Monoj Phatak, founder of Domoticware, a company that is that are innovative from a customer perspective, not just from an engineering perspective .

Read more about Domoticware here and if you would like to enter WinWeb’s Pitch of the Week competition visit our Facebook page for more information – you could win superb free publicity for your small business!

Fellow blogger John Crickett is busy writing a new book: The Big Book of Business Ideas, and he needs your help.

John needs business owners to use as case studies and some ‘from the trenches’ advice on starting a business like yours.

What do you have to do?

Just take a few minutes to complete his questionnaire.

What’s in it for you?

Everyone who responds (and wants to be mentioned) will get an acknowledgment on the book’s website, all the case studies will be published on the his Business Opportunities and Ideas blog and the best ones will be included in the book – Giving you free publicity!

Every successful business starts with an idea. If you haven’t been immediately struck with inspiration, then coming up with a concept for your small business can be difficult and frustrating. However, there are some tried and tested methods you could use to come up with an idea that suits you.

Firstly, you could try doing some research into current start-up trends. The UK government publishes statistics on start-up types as part of their Small Business Service. Mintel also conducts market research on the growth of different sectors. It is generally advisable to enter a market sector that is either already well-established or is growing rapidly. Although these sectors will be crowded, at least there is a guaranteed market there for you to fight for a share.

Some entrepreneurs find it easier to look for gaps in a market and attempt to fill them. For example, if you learn about products that are doing well in other countries then you may be able to adapt them for sale here if no-one else is doing it. Other variables such as the location of your business and its opening hours could result in a business opportunity. If you can find a gap in the market that there is a genuine demand for, you could be on to a winner.

Other entrepreneurs have found business success simply by taking old ideas and breathing new life into them. Try to work out why a previously popular idea has been on the decline and then come up with a way of making it popular again. A small business can be very successful just by taking an existing idea and doing it better or differently to everyone else.

The Internet is a great way of modernising an existing concept. Many successful web enterprises are based on very basic ideas that have simply been adjusted to make the most of technology. The Internet can add extra value to many business ideas, either because of the 24/7 convenience it provides or by how it simplifies things that were previously time-consuming.

If you are determined to invent something unique, look for problems that require a solution. New inventions can be a legal minefield involving copyrights and patents, but some of the best business ideas are often things that are so simple it is hard to believe no-one else thought of it first.

For more inspiration, follow me on Twitter or become a fan of WinWeb on Facebook. I look forward to connecting with you!

The top 5 tips weekly post is always full of hints and tips for small, home & micro business owners.

1. Pick one idea for an article and stick to it.  Don’t meander onto other topics, save that content for additional articles.

2. Simplify as much as possible.  Try to boil down content into its most simple form.

3. Avoid using jargon or theoretical terms.  Remember that if people are bored then they will stop reading.

4. Provide ways for the reader to interact, either by replying directly or contributing to a public discussion.

5. Set a timetable for providing content and stick to it.  Visitors to your website will then know what to expect from you.

If you have additional tips, please share them in the comments section.

The winner of WinWeb’s Pitch of the Week competition this week is Kai Chew, founder of KafeChew Actuarial EduTech Co., who after seeing a problem came up with a business idea to help actuarial students gather all the information they need from one source.

Read more about KafeChew here and if you would like to enter WinWeb’s Pitch of the Week competition visit our Facebook page for more information – you could win superb free publicity for your small business!

It is my belief that in order to succeed, businesses should have a distinct online presence. Being online enables small businesses to sell to customers across the country, even around the world, not limiting their customer base to those just around their chimneybreast.

I have spoken before about small businesses that want to stay small, and know that growth isn’t necessarily the measurement of success for small business owners. However, having a business website is not necessarily just about growth; it can be about maximizing your potential as a small business, no matter if your business is you selling cupcakes from you kitchen, or running an office with 10 staff.

People often say to me that their small business doesn’t have a website as it’s too complicated, takes up too much time or is too expensive. None of these problems have to be true; with the importance that websites hold for small businesses in mind, WinWeb.com have designed a range of one page websites, fully designed and populated with content, and that can be online in 30 minutes. All you as a small business owner is to do is choose your design, and provide details of your business.

Your business being online is about more that having a website though; having an online presence includes activities such as blogging, social networking and having active discussions with people within your arena. Increasing awareness of your business this way costs nothing but time, and can actually be fun!

As I have mentioned previously, I am looking to help small businesses to hold conversations, engage with each other and learn from what is happening in the big business world. It is for these reasons that when I was asked to contribute on Nasdaq.com I eagerly accepted; knowing that there is much that small businesses can learn from the big businesses on the Nasdaq.

My articles on the Nasdaq will focus on commentary and comparisons between how big businesses are acting and performing and the ramifications and lessons that are in these activities for small businesses. I hope you will join in the discussion; I hope to see you there!

For the latest information about SME Technology, follow me on Twitter or become a fan of WinWeb on Facebook. I look forward to connecting with you!

The top 5 tips weekly post is always full of hints and tips for small, home & micro business owners.

1. Become comfortable with making quick strategic twists and turns.  Throw your five-year plan out the window.

2. Examine timetables closely and look for ways to compress the length of time that projects will take.

3. Follow-up sales leads within the hour, regardless of whether they come via email, fax or phone.

4. Make haste part of your corporate culture.  Reward employees who are able to get the job done quickly and to a high standard.

5. Remember that the speediest business is often the winner in today’s marketplace because consumers want instant gratification.

If you have additional tips, please share them in the comments section.

The winner of WinWeb’s Pitch of the Week competition this week is Paul Stewart, founder of Uni Baggage, who after seeing a problem came up with a business idea to help students transport their belongings to and from University.

Read more about Uni Baggage here and if you would like to enter WinWeb’s Pitch of the Week competition visit our Facebook page for more information – you could win superb free publicity for your small business!