Your weekly summary of entrepreneurship news, comment, and features. Sent by the Centre for Entrepreneurs (home of StartUp Britain). Sign up here. Read the original newsletter here.
News
UK now boasts 12,000 high-growth small businesses
Startups.co.uk: The number of small firms achieving growth is at the highest level since the dotcom boom, with a “striking number” of fast-growth businesses now based outside London, according to the Enterprise Research Centre. Read more.
Official delays could put tax-free peer-to-peer ISAs on hold
Telegraph: The three biggest peer-to-peer providers have flagged concerns that they may not receive regulatory approval in time for an April launch. Read more
Relax Sunday trading laws to help shops, MPs say
BBC: Rules on Sunday opening hours for shops in England and Wales are out of date and need to be relaxed, a group of 200 MPs and council leaders has said. Read more
Powa Technologies: from UK tech darling to administration
FT: Powa Technologies, once valued at $2.7bn and seen as a darling of the UK tech scene, said Thompson Investments “is stepping forward to buy” the business, hours after the company went into administration. Read more
Ella’s Kitchen comes of age and joins global brands such as Ben & Jerry’s in the ethics set
Mail Online: Baby food brand Ella’s Kitchen has been approved by the ethical business organisation B Lab – joining global names such as Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and Danone. Read more
Opinion
The Deane Review: an underwhelming response to an overwhelming phenomenon
Benedict Dellott (senior researcher, RSA) in response to the launch of the self employment review by Julie Deane:
What should have been a report that laid out a comprehensive set of policy ideas is instead one that offers up mostly tame and trite recommendations. Read more
We must give a helping hand to small firms to build a resilient economy
Xavier Rolet (CEO, London Stock Exchange Group): With the Centre for Entrepreneurs telling us the UK created 608,110 new companies in 2015, we must not waste this opportunity.Read more
The shift in expectation on how businesses should behave
Rob Wilson (director, Ashoka UK): Google is only the most recent firm criticised for not paying enough tax. This story reminds us that companies are now expected to demonstrate social value. Merely creating jobs and making profits is no longer enough. Read more
Why the tech industry should kill “fake” networking events
Off to mega music and tech festival SXSW next month, Pavegen entrepreneur Lawrence Kemball-Cook says dated conference formats need to die. Read more
More must be done to make entrepreneurs aware their mental health is at risk
Jan Cavelle (entrepreneur and Real Business columnist): With so much being done to encourage people to start their own business, combined with an increase in legislation on workplace stress, there should be a great deal more done to heighten awareness of mental health for the entrepreneur. Read more
Labour is pro-business – but let regulators do their job
Mary Creagh MP (Labour) responds to the draft Enterprise Bill which would extend the Business Impact Target (assessing the economic impact of regulation on businesses) to regulators:
As it stands, the Enterprise Bill would impose a duty on regulators to have regard to growth, which could potentially conflict with or be put above the public interest. This could have damaging consequences for the public whose interests are – and should continue to be – the regulators’ priority. Read more
Features
The global tech community tackles the refugee crisis
Guardian: Amid political turmoil, innovative initiatives such as an Airbnb-style site for refugees and coding classes are providing short to long-term solutions. Read more
Every company needs a growth manager
Jeff Busgang and Nadav Benbarak share their findings from Harvard Business School research in which they interviewed more than a dozen growth managers at fast-paced startups. Read more