Neat Nutrition's popular protein supplements now grace the virtual shelves of Net-a-Porter and Mr Porter across Europe and the US. Not bad for a start-up that's only been trading for a year. Here the two former GB swimmers behind the company, Lee Forster, 33, and Charlie Turner, 32, explain the secrets of their success.

Boomf allows customers to upload pictures that it prints on edible marshmallows and sends as gifts. Founded in 2013, it has a turnover of £2.4million and 13 staff at its Berkshire base. But it has yet to turn a profit, and lost £250,000 in its first year. The loan comes from Barclays' Innovation Finance scheme, which lends to innovative firms at favourable rates, with the backing of the European Investment Fund.

Birmingham has just scooped the crown of the 'most enterprising place in Britain' thanks to the efforts of its local enterprise partnerships around the 'Midlands engine for Growth' initiative. Dudley-based sports vehicle manufacturer Westfield Cars was one of the businesses helped by the project.

For some, having acres and acres of vines to look after - and the satisfaction of seeing their wine on the shelf  - is the ultimate 'escape to the country' fantasy. Applications to open vineyards in the UK spiked by 40 per cent last year - but running your own vineyard isn't all plain sailing.

The online marketplace has gone down the bespoke route with the launch of its artisan marketplace. Amazon said it had created the platform in response to customer demand for handmade items. It comes hot on the heels of the launch of its grocery and restaurant delivery services.

Rob Smith's homemade gripping aids attracted the attention of fellow wheelchair rugby players and became the starting point for his company, Active Hands. He estimates 100 athletes at the games are using his technology and his company has won the chance to pitch for business in Rio.

'Living on a small island there's not many job opportunities, you've got to create your own,' says the founder of Hebridean Sea Salt. Natalie Crayton, 34, set up the firm on the Isle of Lewis in 2011. Now Crayton, who has four employees, has won a £180,000 deal with Sainsbury's that will see it launch into 360 stores. It is the firm's first UK-wide deal.

For those who shudder at the prospect of haggling, one entrepreneur has set out to take the awkwardness out of car buying. Meet James Hind. His Carwow website turns the tables on dealers and makes them fight it our for your business. He reveals how he created the idea, got started and grew his business.

Usain Bolt has become a significant minority shareholder in Enertor, an insoles business run by a team of four from Ipswich. They are now selling through Superdrug and hope to convert even the most casual runner to using insoles, which founders Nick Beresford and Andy Croxson say would benefit 70 per cent of people.

Spencer Bloomfield, founder of healthy ready meal start-up YOLO, left school with no GCSEs. Here he reveals his top tips to getting your dream job - even if you didn't get the results you wanted. He says employers are looking for workers who have passion - and have done their research.

In order to become more productive, businesses often need investment to purchase new equipment, or hire more staff. It frustrates me to see perfectly good businesses finding it so difficult to access investment. Here are answers to five big questions asked by SMEs when considering applying for credit

Emma Jones, the new government's Crown Representative for small and medium sized businesses tells This is Money the main issue she hears from small businesses is that government contracts are difficult to apply for. But this isn't the case, she insists.Here are some tips on how to make the most of what is a £15 billion opportunity to supply to government.

Anyone can be an entrepreneur - whether it is setting up a small business or topping up income with part-time endeavours. We speak to people who have changed their lives for the better by becoming their own boss - and look at the crucial ingredients required to help kick-start a new business.

Finding the best account for your business can be a minefield. But Moneyfacts has done the hard work for you by picking its star business and community accounts. While Co-op Bank and RBS come out on top for business banking, HSBC leads the pack for community accounts.

Business leaders hate uncertainty, says psychology expert Gurek Bains. You can expect companies to move their operations out of the UK pretty quickly - and snap up cheap British assets. He argues that business leaders in Europe feel more deeply about Brexit, while Americans could take a pragmatic approach.

Many industries still ignore, or resist, their employees' needs for more flexibility, creating a disenfranchised workforce, warns chief executive of sales platform Universal Avenue Johan Lilja. With competition for skilled staff increasing and digital technologies creating opportunities for more favourable working patterns, businesses need to wake up to the fact the power is shifting.

Single mother Nimisha Raja, who launched Nim's Fruit Crisps in 2012, is targeting new markets in the US, the Continent and Australia, and is developing new lines, including seasonal products such as fig and orange crisps for Christmas. The firm's expansion comes as a report from Lloyds Bank last week revealed food and drink companies in England and Wales have raised their growth forecasts and plan to create more than 75,000 new jobs over the next five years, despite uncertainty since the EU referendum vote.

What happens when you get together two of the world's most high-profile self-made women and ask them to share their business secrets? Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx and model turned entrepreneur Tyra Banks tell us how they've ended up exposing underwear in the bathroom and raiding savings to get ahead.

Nicola Stopps founded Simply Sustainable six years ago, with just £2,500 and a six-month-old baby on her arm. Today she has a network of consultants around the country. She shares her tips

Commercial finance is unregulated, meaning that - unlike a personal loan - banks do not have to provide a clear APR figure. But one finance provider is putting pressure on the Government to try to change that, and has created a calculator to help SMEs to work out exactly how much they will pay.