Shopping channel tycoon
By Melissa Hancock
Meet Asian entrepreneur Hasfa Abubacker, the first – and youngest – woman to own a shopping channel in the UK.

Becoming a credible alternative
By Catherine Woods
Jay O’Connor was 26 years old and full of “energy and youthful arrogance” when she founded her first PR company, Fuse PR, in 1998.

Asian entrepreneur makes fat sales
By Kate Pritchard
When Nahid de Belgeonne opened her first cellulite-busting Power Plate fitness studio in central London in 2007, the fitness industry knitted its brows. She had zero experience in the sector, no client base and the Power Plate was practically unheard of. She was bound to fail, right?

The UK needs to catch-up to the US
By Catherine Woods
PepsiCo chairman and chief executive Indra Nooyi says she doesn’t know if she’d be head of a major company had she moved to the UK instead of the US 30 years ago.

Cinema sale was "stressful"
By Kate Pritchard
Businesswoman Romaine Hart has just sold her family business, Screen Cinemas, for a very respectable £6.9m. Instead of popping open the champagne, she’s still recovering from the stress of the sale.

From rags to riches: Liz Taylor's story
By Catherine Woods
Liz Taylor was a divorced, poor, single mother when she spotted an opportunity to run events in the Northwest of England.

Studentgems - mining the wealth of student talent
By Melissa Hancock
Launched in September 2007 by two Buckinghamshire businesswomen, Studentgems.com enables businesses to benefit from student talent. Already it has 1,500 registered students and 350 businesses using its service.

“This is England 2008 not Petticoat Fairyland”
By Kate Pritchard
Thought sexist businessmen were a thing of the past? Think again.

Young entrepreneur launches networking venture
By Rebecca Burn-Callander
Networking is an invaluable tool for any budding entrepreneur. Frustrated by the lack of support, Heather Wilkinson took the bull by the horns and founded business network Striding Out.

“Local councils: we need help!”
By Kate Pritchard
That’s the plea from female entrepreneur Bev Hurley, who wants to see local councils doing much more to encourage the thousands of home-based businesses run by women.