While a variety of opinions about the U.K.’s vote to leave the European Union are possible, there is something that almost everyone on the planet earth can now attest as truth: That old stereotype about the British being dull is officially obsolete.  

The U.K. has been arguably the most watched and scrutinized island in the world for the last 72 hours or so — and it seems likely that this trend will persist, barring the surfacing of Atlantis in the next few days.  

“Talent is never static. It’s always growing or dying” – Stephen King No truer words have ever been uttered. Regardless if you work in a creative profession like writing, painting or architecture; or as an entrepreneur trying to find creative new tactics to bring new customers in, innovation’s important in all aspects of running a business.

According to the latest research, 131 large corporations currently operate their own accelerator programs.  Another hundred or more operate innovation labs and incubators. Clearly, companies are researching and experimenting with new technologies to find faster, more intuitive and smarter ways to beat the competition. While the accelerators and incubators have noble aims and are run with valiant effort, it does not guarantee that the corporation will succeed in finding a new product or answer to its competitive woes.

It is an exciting time in the realm of ideas as more UK businesses innovate than ever before according to latest government stats – but the excitement is not just fuelled by the way our ingenuity is changing the world.

The government’s Innovation Survey shows that the number of businesses that are innovating went up from 45 per cent to 53 per cent from 2010 to 2014, and that the innovators are exporting more, employing more highly qualified staff , and collaborating furiously.

Many companies are capable of producing occasional flashes of innovation brilliance.  Yet sustained organizational mastery of innovation is very difficult to attain. Through the anonymizing safety of our 2015 State of Global Innovation study, an overwhelming number of corporate leaders worry about organizational culture — and the politics, entrenched habits, and fear of failure that hold innovation back.

Image: http://www.innovationexcellence.com

For the first time in modern history, we have broad and substantive access to shared knowledge and innovation from across the globe. Value creation in a global context is no longer limited to the strictures and barriers that affect the trade of goods and services across geographical borders; no longer is value tied to labor arbitrage and migration alone.

In the high-tech sector in particular, the emergence of the (now ubiquitous) Cloud and the rise of channels such as Google has helped level the playing field for entrepreneurs to conceive, launch, and build global businesses from any place in the world.

Image: http://beacon.wharton.upenn.edu

As the dust settles on one of the most momentous decisions by a people in living memory, John Kennedy asks what Brexit will mean for the tech economy across Ireland and the UK.

On Thursday 23 June, we knew it would be a close-run thing but, as most people switched off their lights and turned over for a night’s sleep, few realised they would awake on Friday to a new world order.

Some analysts argue that revenue drives growth, while others say user growth drives revenue. Both have worked. Google reached $1B in revenue within five years of incorporation, and now has a market capitalization of over $400B. Twitter showed no focus on revenue in the first five years, but was able to parlay 500M users into a $22B public company, now growing revenue.

“We take trust for granted, not conscious of how it pervades relationships,” writes Joel Peterson in The 10 Laws of Trust: Building the Bonds That Make a Business Great As Joel Peterson wisely points out in his new book The 10 Laws of Trust: Building the Bonds That Make a Business Great, trust is required in every type of relationship we engage in at the checkout counter, board room, or the kitchen table. Yet, trust between consumers and business is at an all-time low, despite all the talk about “customer service” and “relationship-building”.

A big problem that so many businesses face is staying on top of what is new in the niche.  But just because something is hard does not mean it’s not possible.  Generating new ideas often comes after a good hard look at what’s on the horizon.  An easy and effective way to do this is with a close examination of what is trending in your business’ market.

Image: http://smallbiztrends.com

The comatose market for initial public offerings — memba’ those? — is finally showing a heartbeat again.

The number of companies going public has hit a semi-respectable pace of 30 in the second quarter after only eight companies went public in the first quarter. That’s an improvement, but 104 companies had already gone public by this time last year, and for the full year 170 companies went public, according to Renaissance Capital, manager of IPO-focused exchange traded funds.

Image: Christopher Galluzzo/Photo by: Christopher Galluzzo / Warren Huff, president and chief executive of Reata Pharmaceuticals, rang the closing bell at Nasdaq on May 26, after the company’s successful IPO. Thirty-eight companies went public in the first half of 2016. 

From firm roots grow the beautiful leaves.

As this quote rightly portrays, what you are today and what you will be tomorrow – your father’s support and timely advices will always play a great role in your life.

Throughout my career as an entrepreneur and recruiter, there has been no greater influence than my father. While his entrepreneurial journey was in a very different field than the one I pursued, many of the lessons I learned from him are applicable for any industry.

Image: Keith Cline with father, Richard Cline (Image courtesy of Keith Cline) 

Ever since Melissa Ben-Ishay can remember, baking has always been a passion. Working with delicious ingredients, concocting new cupcake flavors and using her hands to create something makes her feel like a little kid. She even does a little happy dance when she creates a heavenly dessert.

But up until 2008, baking was just a pastime. It was during this time, a life-changing moment helped Ben-Ishay turn her love of baking into a business.

Last week, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) issued a notification, removing the ill-conceived ‘angel tax’ that was imposed on start-ups more than four years ago. The notification, dated 14 June, amends Section 56(2) (viib) of the Income Tax Act whereby capital raised by start-ups from domestic angel investors will not be taxed as income even if the investment exceeds the fair market value of the start-up’s shares. Earlier, such investments were taxed at the rate of more than 30% as income from other sources.

When Beehive Baltimore opened in 2009, coworking was a relatively new idea.

Over the last seven years, the number of spaces aimed at bringing together a community of like-minded workers who aren’t necessarily employed by the same person have multiplied as the tech scene has grown. Now there is enough demand that South Baltimore-based Kinglet developed a business model centered around providing real estate listings for spaces in existing offices. Coworking is also happening in less dense parts of the state, like hotDesks on the Eastern Shore.

John F. Kennedy introduced himself to the American electorate through his book Profiles in Courage presenting stories of public officials daring to confront ill conceived movements that sweep the country from time to time. They did so while being vilified by the press and many had their careers destroyed. While history shows they were correct, that was little solace at the time. Here’s how the publisher summarized Kennedy’s theme: “Courage, the courage to do what a person rightfully should do, despite the personal consequences, was a trait of character shared by them all.”

Image: Dr. Francis Collins, Director of NIH

Aiming to turn your summer internship into a full-time job? Good news: Your employer wants that, too!

The primary focus of most companies’ internship programs is to convert college students into entry-level employees, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ 2016 Internship & Co-op Survey. But if you intern for a medium or large company, you’ll likely be working alongside a group of interns who are also gunning for a job offer.

Andy McLoughlin, SoftTech VC partner, discusses the impact of the Brexit on venture capital firms. He speaks with Bloomberg's David Gura and Betty Liu on "Bloomberg Markets." (Source: Bloomberg)

Surely Google can't have it wrong?

Yet after many conversations, stories from fellow founders and approaches for help from people starting out in the industry, it somehow seems "substantial element of risk" has been erased from not only the definition of Venture Capital but the mindset of those driving this component of our local market.

Image: http://www.afr.com