Business Generation

Small businesses are predicting a bumper year for growth and jobs across Sussex.

Bosses across the county believe the health of the economy has improved so much that they are planning on expanding and taking on more staff.

Crawley MP Henry Smith, whose constituency includes the Gatwick Diamond Area, said that the improving position was being driven by the county’s pioneering companies.

He said: “We have seen 170 jobs created at Ceres Power in Horsham, one of the new green energy companies who are driving much of the economy’s growth. “We are not out of the woods but I am optimistic.”

A poll of 55 leading businesses by EMC Management Consultants revealed that 65% are targeting growth of more than 5% this year while a further 15% believe they will achieve growth of more than 20%.40% said they will be looking to take on extra staff.

Meanwhile, Sussex Enterprise, the county’s chamber of commerce, said that Sussex businesses were more confident of increasing sales over the next 12 months.

According to the Office of National Statistics, unemployment in Sussex has fallen steadily over the last three months. The total n Read more…

WASHINGTON – Parts of the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor are so significant and unique to the nation’s history that they should be protected in a new national historical park in Rhode Island and Massachusetts managed by the National Park Service at a projected federal cost of $3.5 million annually and $6.1 million in one-time startup costs, according to a federal report.

Scheduled for release Monday, the draft of the special resource study, conducted by the U.S. Department of the Interior, addresses the future of the national heritage corridor.

The corridor was established in 1986 and encompasses 24 communities along the Blackstone River from Worcester to Providence. Fed

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A security firm which handles immigration detainees received more than 700 complaints last year, according to official figures released under Freedom of Information (FOI) laws.

The most common complaints against G4S related to lost property and poor communication, but there were 48 complaints of assault, three of which were upheld.

More than half of the complaints related to Brook House, near Gatwick Airport, which holds convicted foreign criminals awaiting deportation.

Figures show there were 773 complaints against the private company from immigration detainees in 2010, of which 130 were found to be fully or partially substantiated. About 640 were unsubstantiated. Read more…

Are you managing a social media account or research for your business? The fact is, social media can be useful for lots of things beyond just marketing. Want a closer look? No matter what purpose you might use social media for in your SMB, you will need some way to manage the results. Here’s how.

Basic Techniques

Using analytics to measure your results. The same kinds of tools used to examine a click through or SEO campaign can now be directed to examine the effectiveness of social media. If you want to know whether your social media campaign is working effectively, get your hands on one of these tools and have look for yourself.

Hunting for customers on Twitter. If you think Twitter is just for spreading the word about your business, think again. It is also a great tool for making connections. In particular, you can use Twitter to search for those who might be future customers and follow them. B

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Are you an entrepreneur? If you’re reading this post or found it in a Google search, perhaps the answer should be obvious. Whether the business you plan to start or get into is large, small, or somewhere in between, the skills you will use to evaluate the market, competition and risks of the venture are, in part, skills belonging to an entrepreneur. If you fit into this category, you’ve come to the right place. So sit back and enjoy the links below.

Entrepreneurship Basics

Differences between big and small business? Is there a real difference between building a big versus small business? Maybe not, according to Liz Strauss who had the opportunity to visit with billionaire Clay Mathile and hear the story of his life as an entrepreneur. Check out some of Liz’s takeaways and ask yourself, is this any different than the way you would build your business?

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PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island has created a website for the state’s financial information, ranging from budget reports to Division of Taxation reports.

The state’s “Investor Relations Portal” was launched on Thursday ahead of two upcoming bond offerings and can be accessed through the Treasury site.

In addition to the website, the state also completed a review of its bond disclosure practices, and improved the information statement and related bond disclosure information that will accompany all future bond offerings, the General Treasurer’s office said in a statement.

“Transparency is paramount when it comes to public finances,” said General Treasurer Gina M. Raimondo. “Building and m

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