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skillfulde015EmbedLike so many other products of the UK education system, I went into business without any entrepreneurial experience or training. Nothing I learned during my schooling prepared me in any meaningful way for the realities of running a company. Nor did I have the natural genius of a Steve Jobs or a Richard Branson; the ability to say "screw it, let's do it" and damn the consequences. Related: Investors at the wedding? Entrepreneurs who can't switch off Every first-time entrepreneur will be aware of their shortcomings and inexperience, and will have their own strategy for correcting these deficits. Part of the satisfaction of being an entrepreneur is finding solutions for yourself, yet if I were advising any first-time entrepreneur I'd recommend the three principles that have served me well: education, discipline and information. Our TV screens are overwhelmed by solicitors pleading with us to claim for any little mishap, there is obviously no such thing as an accident in this day and age. Somebody can be blamed and they must be made to pay!. Bearing this in mind, it would surely be a very brave (or perhaps foolish) small business owner who decided that they didn't need public liability insurance. Clicking on the following link will answer your questions that you might have on uk public liability insurance. Education can only begin once you have identified and prioritised the core areas where you're lacking. Any new entrepreneur should outline the key skills they need to be an effective founder, and give themselves an honest score out of 10. The key is then to gain access to these skills, either through hiring or finding mentors with the right experience and expertise. Not every founder is immediately ready to start hiring, which is why it's so important to pick up the phone and build a network of mentors. At the time I found this daunting, but I was amazed by how many specialists will be generous with their time and expertise. Mentors might be motivated by kindness, a desire to apply their own research or because they think your idea is a good bet for the future. Don't be shy - pick up the phone: the worst anybody can do is say no. A "jack-of-no-trades" CEO can develop their own killer USP: becoming chief learning officer David Benigson Discipline, my second principle, was hardest to ingrain but most critical to success. It requires you to focus with incredible precision on your strategic priorities for each day, week, month or quarter. It's tempting to focus on the easy jobs, but if you do then you'll find yourself working incredibly "busy" days where nothing actually gets accomplished. Instead, identify your top three priorities - the ones that affect your immediate business goals - and focus exclusively on them. It's easier said than done, but with practice and the right support (I find Trello an invaluable organisational tool), you'll find yourself controlling your business more than it controls you. Every stage of business poses new challenges that must be quickly mastered - from subsidies and new business pipelines in the early days, to staff acquisition and fundraising as the business finds its feet. The best method of learning new disciplines is to consume as much relevant information as possible. Given the work that we do - Signal is a market intelligence agency - we're at an advantage when it comes to cutting through the noise. However access to data alone isn't enough, it's how this new knowledge is applied that will shape the success of an enterprise. And this is where a "jack-of-no-trades" CEO can develop their own killer USP: becoming chief learning officer. This enables the new CEO to carve out an essential role as the repository and channel for information within a company. They build their own knowledge while simultaneously helping to shape the culture of education and development within their business. Related: Entrepreneur stories: the risks and rewards of starting a business This approach has enabled us to create a culture where information and education is valued. The advantage is that training isn't formalised and employees compelled to take part. Instead, we hire people who are hungry for knowledge and development, who are constantly reading or visiting research teams, conferences and universities to find the next big thing in their field. I'd always hire someone who is young, inexperienced but enthusiastic - as I was when I started - rather than someone who didn't fit our culture. When I founded my business I had an idea but I didn't have a role. By taking on the mantle of chief learning officer, I made a virtue of my own lack of experience, enabling me to develop a culture where knowledge and personal development are valued throughout my business. David Benigson is CEO of market intelligence and information discovery platform Signal Sign up to become a member of the Guardian Small Business Network here for more advice, insight and best practice direct to your inbox.  http://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2015/may/06/lessons-first-time-entrepreneur-company

Three lessons from a first-time entrepreneur

skillfulde015EmbedLike so many other products of the UK education system, I went into business without any entrepreneurial experience or tra...

CAIRO An Egyptian court sentenced former president Hosni Mubarak and his two sons to three years in jail without parole on Saturday in the retrial of a corruption case, although the trio is unlikely to go to jail again.Mubarak, who ruled Egypt with an iron fist for 30 years, and his sons Gamal and Alaa already spent at least three years each in prison for other cases, so will probably not have to serve out the sentence.The retrial was of a case in which Mubarak was sentenced to three years in prison in May last year on charges of diverting public funds and using the money to upgrade family properties. His two sons were given four-year jail terms in the same case. But Egypt's high court later overturned the convictions and ordered a retrial. "The ruling of the court is three years in prison without parole for Mohamed Hosni Mubarak and Gamal Mohamed Hosni Mubarak and Alaa Mohamed Hosni Mubarak," Judge Hassan Hassanein announced on Saturday.Mubarak's treatment by the courts since being toppled from the presidency during the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings has been perceived by his opponents as too lenient and raised doubts about Egypt's transition towards democracy. Charges against him of conspiring to kill protesters during the uprising, centered around Cairo's Tahrir Square, were dropped, and some of his associates were released from jail.UPHEAVAL Egypt's political transition has seen many upheavals. In 2013, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the then army chief, removed the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi from power after mass protests against his troubled one-year rule.Security forces then launched a cracked down on the Brotherhood and its supporters, and then targeted liberal activists in what human rights groups have condemned as a return to police state and repression of the Mubarak era.The U.S.-backed Egyptian government says it is committed to democracy, and large-scale unrest in the Arab world's most populous country has ended. Many Egyptians turned a blind eye to what is the toughest security crackdown in Egypt's history for the sake of stability after street protests and attacks by militant groups gutted the tourism industry, a pillar of the economy.Occasional troubles persist, however. On Saturday, one policeman and three Muslim Brotherhood supporters were killed in clashes in the city of Damietta, the Interior Ministry said.In addition, Islamist militants launched an insurgency after Mursi was ousted. Based in the Sinai, they have pledged allegiance to Islamic State, and have killed hundreds of police and soldiers.In North Sinai, their main strongholds, gunmen killed a police officer and a retired state security agent in separate attacks, security sources said. (Editing by Toby Chopra and Raissa Kasolowsky) Ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak waves to his supporters outside the area where he is hospitalized during his birthday at Maadi military hospital on the outskirts of Cairo May 4, 2015. Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Egyptian court sentences Mubarak and sons to three years in jail for corruption

CAIRO An Egyptian court sentenced former president Hosni Mubarak and his two sons to three years in jail without parole on Saturday in the ...