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Our poll this past fortnight has concentrated on business software. We asked if you thought software could help your business to grow. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority (90 per cent) of you believes that, yes, software could benefit your business. Unfortunately, of that number, 14 per cent think that you don’t have the IT skills necessary to cope with such software.

With business technology in mind, you might also want to think how working from home when starting out, with the use of mobile technology, could reduce your overheads. Look out for a forthcoming webchat on SmallBusiness.co.uk in association with Vodafone, which aims to answer any questions you might have on the subject.

Almost a third of you feel that monetary constraints make it impossible to purchase computer software that would help your business to grow – typically, lack of finance poses a stumbling block for small firms.

The biggest hurdle to starting-up, running and growing a small business is, of course, money – or lack thereof. Not many of us are in the position to self-fund a business to a stable position and Government grants are notoriously difficult to obtain and the application process long-winded. Moreover, unless you have significant assets in place, securing banking finance can be a real headache.

This fortnight, SmallBusiness.co.uk and businessGO have a whole host of different tit bits of advice and useful links to point you in the right direction. From news of forthcoming funds aimed at helping entrepreneurs, to funding advice from the head honcho of a forthcoming online business angel network, as well as from the business expert from BBC2’s Risking it All programme.

Furthermore, in our Q&A forum, you can read about how the Small Firms Loan Guarantee scheme can help you to secure funding, add comments and discuss a wide range of topics.

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