Coupons have long been a popular and effective method of enticing customers to try a new product or service. And for just as long, less ethical members of the public have looked to game the system for their own illegal gain. Loopholes, counterfeiting, theft, you name it. If you’re a Shopify merchant wanting to protect your business and your bottom line, this guide will tell you exactly how you can spot the abuse and stop it.

AirBnb started off as three inflatable mattresses on the floor of a loft apartment in San Francisco. A light-bulb moment fleshed-out and tested in the market, then scaled-up once they had their proof of concept. That was their MVP: their ‘Minimum Viable Product’.

An innovative idea for a gifting application hit serious development issues with their off-shore technology partners. Sloppy documentation, miscommunications (not helped by the language barrier), a lack of attention to detail… What seemed the prudent financial choice at the start was fast turning into a nightmare.   They had a month to launch a product that was 66% complete and going nowhere fast.

"If you're not growing, you're dying".  That rather dramatic quote was originally attributed to William H Burroughs, of all people, but has been readily co-opted by Tony Robbins and fellow thought-leaders of the business world. And it's easy to see why.  Whatever your career goals- whether you want to move up the corporate ladder or finally make a move on that start-up idea- you need a plan for growth. It won't just happen; you need a strategy, and then you need to execute that strategy. You can't just sit on your hands- you can be sure your competition won't be.

"Work smarter, not harder" You've heard that mantra before, I'm sure. Efficient use of your attention and energy in the workplace can actually help you get more done, in less time. What's not to like? But it does require a more habitual, systemized approach to the tasks at hand- for the potential of the human brain is matched only by its preference for procrastination!

Your cap table is so much more than just a breakdown of who owns your company and how much they own. It tells a story of how your company is being run and how it has reached this point. And it's an integral part of effective equity management. This is what investors will look for in your cap table and what it says about you...

We’ve all seen it on Dragons Den, I’m sure. Watched behind our fingers as an overconfident founder has their fuzzy figures torn apart by the investors, the credibility of their project (and likely, the last few years of their lives) dismantled in a few withering comments in front of the nation.  Approaching an angel investor off-camera is not quite as daunting, but the stakes are just as high. Luckily, if you follow a few essential tips, you can give yourself the best chance of winning that investment and walking away with your pride intact.

Together with cash flow issues and insufficient market need, co-founder conflict is one of THE biggest contributors to startup failure. And yet it rarely gets a look-in when business plans are drawn up and the other bases are covered.