New research on information security makes grim reading for small and medium-sized enterprises. The 2013 Information Security Breaches Survey, just published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), reports that 87 per cent of SMEs have suffered some sort of security breach over the past year, up from 76 per cent a year ago.

How much time do you spend actually leading your company rather than working for it? If you’re anything like the typical owner or manager of a small business, the answer is almost certainly not nearly enough.

Have you got what it takes to be an extraordinary entrepreneur - or are you doomed to failure before you even really get going?

The search for the mother of all inventions is on and MumPanel expects to find it, rather aptly, in the minds of the nation’s mothers. The mum-orientated marketing company, which counts brands such as Kelloggs and Morrisons as clients, is on the hunt for the next big domestic invention which aims to make the lives of mums and families easier.

Will the Government’s announcement of an extension to the Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS) deliver an increase in the amount of credit extended to small and medium-sized enterprises? It should certainly mean more credit is available – but that doesn’t mean there will be greater demand for loans, or that SMEs previously denied access to borrowing will now find lenders any more accepting.

The RSA and Royal Bank of Scotland recently published a report which stated that while 9.5 per cent of 18-24 year olds say they intend to start their own business, only 3.6 per cent of them are doing so. Much work is being done by the government to encourage younger entrepreneurs to start their own business, and inspired by programmes like Dragons Den, the UK start-up landscape is vibrant, despite ongoing economic gloom. However, more young people need to feel inspired and empowered to pursue their own business goals, and education and mentorship play no small part in this process.

In a difficult trading environment such as the economic gloom of the past few years, it is natural for businesses to become more risk-averse. But when a company becomes too conservative, it may neglect to plan for a brighter future. To put that another way, if you pull up all the shutters today, there’s a danger you’ll find the market has gone elsewhere by the time you dare risk peeking out once again.

Dear Sales Doctor, I am an IFA and I generate the majority of my new business by attending networking events. I was at an event the other day and was aware that out of 35 attendees, there were 4 IFAs. So when someone approached me and asked "what do you do for a living?" I found it frustrating to reply "I'm an IFA" as I was not able to differentiate myself from the other 3 in the room. Any ideas?

Do you run a London-based business that takes its corporate social responsibility duties seriously? If so, the Dragon Awards might be your opportunity to get some much-deserved recognition for your activities – and in 2013, the 26th year in which the awards scheme is being run – there is a drive to persuade more small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to enter.

We are in a tough economic climate where SMEs need to work effectively to gain the edge over their competitors. With the recent changes in copyright and the proliferation of ‘do it yourself’ website builders, many are left feeling unsure about how to create their own site which will stand out, be effective at securing new business and suit their needs, but also which will be copyright compliant.

New tax incentives introduced this week for innovative companies are expected to be worth as much as £1bn a year. That’s the Government’s estimate of the cost to the taxpayer of the Patent Box, a new scheme that came into effect on 1 April offering lower corporation tax bills to companies that make money from innovation and invention. And many of those that will qualify are small and medium-sized enterprises.

A crisis in business can come in many shapes or forms, from fire, fraud or coach crash to the realisation that you have been accidentally selling your customers horse meat instead of beef. How you handle the media fallout can make the difference between business survival and oblivion.

A teenage sensation has been born. No, it's not another overpaid footballer. And if you're thinking One Direction, you are mis-directed. Neither is this article announcing the resurrection of Justin Bieber (thank goodness). No, I am talking about Nick D'Aloisio - Britain’s very own teenage internet millionaire.