Running a business rarely runs smoothly, but a cool head and self-belief can turn adversity into advantage. The Guardian Small Business Network's confessions events bring entrepreneurs together to share the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. These are the stories you won't hear anywhere else. Hosted by Guardian journalist Coco Khan
In the final podcast of the series, Lord Karan Bilimoria advises the founders of tech startup Zipabout on everything from marketing to investment
Dinesh Dhamija gives leadership tips to Jamie Wilson, budding entrepreneur and founder of carer provider HomeTouch
Serial entrepreneur and organic food pioneer Jo Fairley gives her tips to milliner Sahar Freemantle on how to make it big
The designer who created an empire around her trademark floral wash bags, tea cloths and crockery, reveals that luck played a big part in her success
In the first podcast of a new series, the designer of the award-winning kids' luggage brand shares his top tips for global expansion with a furniture maker from Blackburn
In our last podcast of the series, entrepreneurs at our Confessions of a Startup seminar shared their tales of overcoming obstacles while starting a business. They agreed it's important to have people around who support your vision
If you don't experience tough times, you're not putting yourself out there enough. That was the verdict of the entrepreneurs at our first Confessions of a Small Business seminar. Catch up with what you missed
Isabella Lane started Smarter Applications with husband Christian two and a half years ago. Their first product was a wifi kettle, which they built for £100
It's been a long road for Efe Çakarel, founder of MUBI. He had his big idea in 2006 but it was seven years before he finally felt the model was working
Emily Forbes loves film and working in storytelling. But setting up Seenit, a video collaboration platform, has challenged her in ways she couldn't imagine. Not least because she has parted ways with not one but two co-founders
In our first Confessions of a Startup podcast, Rich Pleeth, founder of the social app Sup, describes struggling to achieve sustainable growth, falling out with his co-founders and having to tell investors you're closing the business
Nick Edwards, the founder of software company Papaya, was faced with a dilemma in 2012 when his developer was killed in a hit-and-run incident
Arpana Gandhi, co-founder of landmine disposal company Disarmco, talks struggling to find investment, almost going bust and battling to save lives
In our second Confessions of a Small Business podcast, John Stapleton, founder of New Covent Garden Soup and Little Dish, talks about going out on a limb, coping with a fire that gutted his factory, and failing to crack the US
Little Riot founder Joanna Montgomery kicks off our Small Business podcast series by reliving the highs and lows of launching her product Pillow Talk and explaining how caring customers gave her heart
Traditional lenders often shy away from the creative industries – what can startup bands and independent musicians do to get on the road to financial success?
It's bash-a-banker time. As the former RBS boss Fred Goodwin loses his knighthood, his successor at the bank has handed back his bonus. Nils Pratley and Jill Treanor discuss
Seumas Milne, Rowenna Davis and Hopi Sen discuss Labour's shift in economic policy and how the party can remain true to its mission for social justice in austere times
The Occupy movement's philosopher-in-chief David Graeber examines the arguments for a debt jubilee in 2012. Plus Heather Stewart and Angelique Chrisafis explain the ratings downgrades of France and other EU countries
Larry Elliott, Jill Treanor and Nils Pratley discuss the economic indicators to watch in 2012 and look ahead to an Olympic year in which Britain is hoping to rediscover a feel-good factor
Economist Joel Waldfogel explains why you shouldn't buy Christmas presents plus Larry Elliott and Simon Goodley round up a turbulent year in business and economics
John Gapper and Jill Treanor discuss a new report into the failure of Royal Bank of Scotland. Plus: we look at the history of rogue traders. What makes some bank employees risk everything when they seem to have so little to gain?
Jeffrey Sachs discusses the turmoil in the eurozone, the ethical issues underlying the financial crisis and his new book The Price of Civilisation
Philip Coggan, a historian of debt crises, discusses the current turmoil in Europe and explores the nature of money itself and our changing attitudes to it – most money now exists only on computers and the only thing that sustains it is confidence
Larry Elliott and Jackie Ashley join Tom Clark and Aditya Chakrabortty for a review of George Osborne's autumn statement on the British economy
Deborah Hargreaves of the High Pay Commission discusses her report on the inequality of salaries in Britain with the Guardian's City editor Jill Treanor
Katie Allen, Dan Milmo and Giles Tremlett discuss stark youth unemployment figures. Plus we ask whether austerity is working in Ireland
John Hooper and Larry Elliott on how Italy became the latest EU economy to face attack on the bond markets and economist Robert H Frank discusses his new book The Darwin Economy
Sheldon Garon, author of Beyond Our Means and an economic historian at Princeton University, on why the UK and the US stopped saving and started spending in the second half of the 20th century
Larry Elliott, David Gow and Jill Treanor examine the three major issues on the table this week: Greece, European banks and the EU bailout fund
Danny Dorling discusses his new book Fair Play and how its arguments can inspire those who are protesting against wealth inequality in London
The European Financial Stability Facility is the bailout fund that the EU is hoping will be large enough to stave off the debt crisis in the continent. But as David Cameron calls for a big 'bazooka' to tackle debt we investigate ways of enlarging the fund
Jonathan Freedland, Mike Cherry of the Federation of Small Businesses and Tim Leunig of Centre Forum discuss the chancellor's plans to get money flowing to small businesses, announced in his speech to Conservative party conference
The financial crisis proved terminal for Labour's 13-year run in office. As the party gathers for its autumn conference, its main objective is to regain the trust of voters on the economy. Tom Clark hears from delegates, commentators and economists in Liverpool
Guardian experts discuss the global financial crisis; Italy's downgraded credit rating; and baby-boomers' toxic legacy for younger generations. With Jon Henley
A blueprint for a new banking system, or a huge opportunity missed? Aditya Chakrabortty, Jill Treanor and Nils Pratley discuss the long-awaited Vickers report into the reform of Britain's financial sector
Markets have been in turmoil for days as central banks and politicians struggle to maintain confidence in major economies. Larry Elliott, Sukhdev Johal and Dominic Rushe discuss whether the world economy can avoid another crash
A deal in Washington to raise the borrowing limit of the United States government has averted a major crisis, but has the damage to American credibility already been done? Nils Pratley, Peter Beaumont and Richard Adams discuss
Britain's economy is struggling, the eurozone is lurching from one crisis to the next and the US is threatened with a credit rating downgrade. Julian Glover, Larry Elliott and Nick Pearce discuss how policymakers should react
The US government is running out of time to agree an extension to its borrowing limit. But has the damage to the country's credit rating already been done? Larry Elliott, Richard Adams and Dean Baker discuss
Goldman Sachs survived the financial crisis as many of its competitors on Wall Street collapsed. But how? William Cohan and Nils Pratley discuss the giant among investment banks and how it has remained at the top for so long
The Greek debt crisis could turn into a European banking crisis, according to some economists. But is there any solution to the conundrum that protects living standards and pacifies the markets? With Martin Kettle, Phillip Inman, Aris Chatzistefanou and Aditya Chakrabortty
As many household names in retail go out of business, we look at the future of the UK high street. Plus economist Ahmed Rahman on his quest for a 'unified growth theory'
The Greek debt crisis worsens as ratings agencies threaten further downgrades. Plus Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo discuss their new book Poor Economics
Is British society fair? And if it's not - is it time to get angry? We take a look at the pay gap as inflation leaves those at the bottom struggling. And the film industry takes on the financial crisis
What do India's writers think about its role as a new superpower? Aditya Chakrabortty speaks to Arundhati Roy and Siddhartha Deb
Can we increase social mobility by reforming internships, or should they simply be abolished? Aditya Chakrabortty is joined by Ross Perlin, author of Intern Nation
Social networking companies are becoming hot property. But does their high valuation indicate a new dotcom bubble? Plus: we examine the candidates vying to become the new head of the IMF; and a new hip-hop track charting the battle between Hayek and Keynes
Dominique Strauss-Kahn's arrest and the future of the IMF; Japan's economic recovery; and Google's chief economist Hal Varian on how the spread of information can prevent banking crises
Our expert panel discusses the mis-selling of payment protection insurance to millions of customers and the debt crisis facing Greece and threatening the euro
Phillip Blond, Shiv Malik, Nils Pratley and Andrew Simms discuss the growing power of supermarkets; the windfall tax on energy companies in the North sea; and Portugal's bailout