"Alevia Healthcare is a health clinic offering treatment such as chiropractic, sports therapy, massage and pilates" Name: Alevia Healthcare Area: Buckinghamshire Alevia Healthcare is a chiropractic and complementary health clinic offering chiropractic treatment, sports therapy, massage and pilates. We started trading in 2010, our aim being to promote preventative healthcare in the community. The first six months were difficult, but we just went out there and did promotions to make people aware that they can be proactive in looking after their health. We've seen a steady growth: in the last 12 ..read more

"Working from home has given us greater flexibility to hire new faces without worrying about geographical location and means we can spend more on projects that will benefit our users." Name: First Tutors City: Morecambe Website: www.firsttutors.com/uk We tried working from an office, once. Our small team, managing an entire web community of tutors and students, was bundled into a strip-lit room in Hertfordshire. Our developers tried to cope as our commercial team took marketing calls, and our customer service manager tried to work somewhere in between. The office wasn't doing anything positive ..read more

Japan is recovering from the effects of the Tohoku earthquake and becoming a global business hotspot. How can UK exporters grab the opportunities which the next decade will bring? Two and a half years ago the world looked on in dismay as north-eastern Japan was devastated by a natural disaster. The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami followed by nuclear crisis at Fukushima threatened the country's industrial capacity, its economic status and the safety of millions of its people. However, the decision to award the 2020 Olympics to Tokyo has lent a polish to the country's steady recovery. The Internat ..read more

Thinking about exporting to new markets? Join our panel of experts in a live discussion at 1pm today on how to find an overseas agent to help you on your way Are you thinking of exporting your small business overseas? On our site, we've had several success stories of how small firms have navigated foreign markets. How, then, can you make the most of your sales potential in pastures new? One way to do it, our experts have suggested, is by finding an agent overseas who can research the local market and build up contacts in the area you're aiming to work in ..read more

Using the cloud to store your data and run software? Here's how your SME could benefit from switching to cloud computing The latest market forecasts for cloud computing are predicting 30% annual growth in the industry, as more and more people adopt the latest technology to store information in a virtual space. But cloud computing isn't just for data, you can also use it to run applications and software remotely, without being tied to one computer. For a small businesses, outsourcing IT to the cloud lowers the need for specialist skills and frees managers to concentrate on the core business. It ..read more

"engageBRIC aims to give businesses, students and entrepreneurs an insight into how to do business in Brazil, China and India by running tailored programmes in-country" Name: engageBRIC City: London engageBRIC aims to give businesses, students and entrepreneurs an insight into how to do business in Brazil, China and India by running tailored programmes in-country. We offer two distinct programmes: one for companies which introduces them to like-minded businesses in an emerging economy, and a student programme which has a more holistic approach of introducing students to a different business en ..read more

From cloud computing to outsourcing, join us on Thursday 7 November at 11am to hear expert advice on running a mobile small business With the advent of new technology, the days of having to run your business from a desk screwed into the wall of an expensive rented office are over. Many startup SMEs find working remotely is not only cost efficient, it allows them to be fully mobile, more flexible and able to choose from a very wide pool of employee talent unrestricted by location. One of the biggest factors in the rise of the virtual office is cloud computing, allowing small business owners to ..read more

Mandy Weston went from being a board member at an international company to the founder of her own business. Here, she gives her tips for anyone else looking to make that transition In spring 2012 I took the terrifying step of leaving my role as a board member for an international environment compliance company to set up on my own. I had worked at board level for more than a decade and managed more than 250 staff. I controlled PR, human resources and marketing departments, not to mention budgets worth in excess of £1m ..read more

Contact with other companies early on can increase the chances of gaining a foothold in markets from Barcelona to Beijing Starting out in business can feel like a lonely journey. Whether you're up at 2am writing the business plan, dealing with rules and regulations before you open for trading, or negotiating the tricky task of securing external finance, it can sometimes feel like you're an army of one facing competition that's better resourced, more experienced and already in the game. Yet help, networking and sage advice are all closer than you might think. The internet is a treasure-trove of ..read more

"We focus on time management by defining the blurred lines of work and family life" Name: SABIVO Design City: Leicester Website: www.sabivo.co.uk SABIVO Design is a business to business greeting card publisher based at home. We abandoned the illusion of real flexibility and focused on time management by defining the blurred lines of work and family life. We set strict daily routines of allocated time slots for marketing, design, production...and the school-run. We set an hour to finish the working day, which forces us to focus. Easy communication such as smartphones, Skype and social media (wh ..read more