In 2009 I quit a reasonably well paid, secure job to start Meetupcall. I did so with nothing more than my final month's salary and a couple of days a week IT contract. The biggest reason most new businesses fail is they run out of money, here's some reasons we didn't:

We'd all love to have an extra hour in the day, here is our suggestions on how you could find yourself 60 extra minutes each day to spend doing something you actually want to:

We're all about working as efficiently as possible at Meetupcall; not wasting our time, energy or resources while we work is important to us. Sometimes however, just starting work is a problem, so here are our top 11 tips on forcing yourself to work and stopping procrastinating.

1. Keep written goals and review them in the morning every day. Reviewing them daily helps you focus on each individual one and think about what you can do today to move yourself closer to it.

The worm has turned – 68% of the world’s most successful corporations now have climate change actions embedded as part of their business strategy, according to a new study. That’s a leap ahead from a year ago when just 48% did the same.

So you want to cut down on the number of hours you’re spending at the office without taking a pay cut? Time to talk to your boss about flexible working, which basically means any working pattern adapted to suit your needs.

Sounds good? It’s a humane, modern and increasingly popular way of doing business. As well as relieving that Groundhog Day feeling there are business arguments in favour of it – here are a few from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills:

In four weeks, all financial firms in the UK are going to have to record all business conversations made and received on mobile phones.

The rule change brought in by the Financial Service Authority is intended to stop market abuse. Currently, financial firms must tape fixed line calls, but there is a loophole allowing firms to dodge this by diverting calls to un-taped mobile lines.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

An interesting TED talk below about how sketching or doodling during a meeting can increase both your comprehension and your creative thinking. It might be a bit embarrassing to doodle away in front of clients or at a board meeting, but the next time you are on a conference call we suggest you give it a try. Nobody can see you then!

Thankfully, we are in 2011. We are in an internet age, where businesses can be started with minimal capital from your bedroom with just a laptop and internet connection. If you happen to start your new internet startup in the UK though, you may find yourself at a severe disadvantage.

In January 2011, transport minister Norman Baker barked an order at his civil servants that no doubt would have made his cost-cutting Government proud: he instructed workers to avail more of teleconferencing and less of travel.

Ignoring the irony of Department for Transport civil servants being told to use public transport less frequently (a command that was probably well received given the state of Britain’s road and rail network), the instruction conveyed a deeper sentiment to save money.