Getting to know you: John Lakey As part of our new initiative to help profile some of the smaller businesses in the UK, every Friday we accept pitches from business owners who want us to Get To Know Them Better via our Twitter account.

This week John Lakey answers our famous six questions.

Getting to know you: Mark Mason We talk to Mark Mason, the CEO of one of the leading smartphone app developers in the UK Mubaloo. Here he discusses what it is like to head up a business in this new and fast moving sector.

Getting to Know You: John Griffin We talk to Secret Millionaire, John Griffin, who has built Addison Lee from a single vehicle into Europe’s largest taxi fleet. Here he discusses his unique recipe for success

Getting to know you: Patrick Averies We caught up with Patrick Averies, who heads up one of the UK's leading pawnbroking companies, which is leading the charge in the change of the much maligned and frowned upon sector and in turn seeing a huge increase in business as banks are lending less.

Everything fits into place for dementia jigsaw inventor A young entrepreneur who was inspired by his ill grandfather to create something that would help keep dementia patients mentally active has become the winner of Britain’s biggest business competition.

Veuve Clicquot begins annual search for top business women Veuve Clicquot opens it's Business Woman of the Year Award to find the next Anita Roddick or Martha Lane-Fox.

Lord Sugar & J.K.Rowling inspire Britain's new wave of business owners Harry Potter author JK Rowling and The Apprentice’s Lord Sugar have been voted as the most inspirational celebrities to encourage Britons to become their own boss.

A Suit That Fits.com chalks up top honour at Drapers Record awards The fashion etailer, A Suit That Fits has been awarded ‘Smaller Etailer of the Year’ at the Drapers Awards 2010. As the Oscars of the fashion industry the winners of the 20th Anniversary Drapers Awards were announced last night at Grosvenor House, London.

Karen Darby leaves social enterprise she founded after less than a year Self-made millionaire businesswoman Karen Darby is no longer involved in Call Britannia, the social enterprise she founded after an acrimonious battle for the business with her board and social investors.

Entrepreneurs tell Lord Sugar ‘you’re fired’ & The Apprentice is not for them New research by a leading UK-based accounting software company has revealed that well over three quarters of business owners wouldn’t accept a job with Lord Sugar for a salary of £100k.

Getting to Know You: Chris O’Connor We caught up with Chris O'Connor, who has taken his company to be one of the largest independent hospitality agents in the UK, to ask what keeps him motivated, what are his ambitions and what real-world advice would he give to those wishing to follow in his footsteps.

25 year old crowned Shell LiveWire young entrepreneur of the year Jessica Grosvenor won the award, which recognises and celebrates the achievements of the UK’s finest young entrepreneurs, in recognition of the success of her business, Freelance Training & Consultancy, which provides bespoke training to college students, teachers and nurses.

Finalists for the Orange Leader of the Year announced Vote for the best of the best in British business – the National Business Awards in partnership with Orange has announced the finalists of the Orange Leader of the Year award and thrown open the category to an online vote.

Who is currently the highest paid director of a British company? We ran a competition within our followers earlier on Twitter and using our Facebook group, to see who they thought was the the highest paid company director of a UK company was. The answer was far from obvious

Getting to Know You: Ken Hom We caught up with famous chef and entrepreneur Ken Hom, to ask what keeps him motivated, how he juggles his various commitments, what are his ambitions and what real-world advice would he give to those wishing to follow in his footsteps.

Global entrepreneur aims to build smallest multinational in 12 Days Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin is embarking on a highly unusual challenge. He is setting out on a whirlwind 12-day world tour of Tokyo, Paris, London, New York and San Francisco to try to make his one-man entity Sebastien International the Smallest Multinational in the World.

A Tailor-made Winner! The Cambridge graduate, Warren Bennett, has beaten off stiff competition from across the UK to be crowned 'Entrepreneur of the Year' in the Nectar Business Small Business Awards judged by the entrepreneur and TV Dragon, James Caan.

The Apprentice 2010: The male applicants Here is a rundown of the eight male contenders looking to prove themselves to Lord Sugar, and under the ever watchful eye of retired PR-guru Nick Hewer . The eight are all hoping to join Tim Campbell, Simon Ambrose and Lee McQueen as the previous male winners of the BBC1 business reality show coming back to our screens on October 6th. With some of them saying things like: “I was a sniper in the Royal Marines and I take that killer instinct across into business.” and “In business there’s no place for shirkers and no place for passengers. I insist that people who work for me deliver.” We can foresee a lot of butting of antlers over the sixteen week run!

The Apprentice 2010: The female applicants Here is a rundown of the eight female contenders looking to prove themselves to Lord Sugar, under the ever watchful eye of successful female business woman Karren Brady. The eight are all hoping to join Michelle Dewberry and Yasmina Siadatan as the previous female winners of the BBC1 business reality show, back to our screens on October 6th. With some of them saying things like: I’m a hyper-achiever. Everything I do is always a success.” and “If you get in my way, I’ll mow you down.” We think series 6 could well see some sparks flying!

Willie Walsh elected President of the London Chamber of Commerce Willie Walsh, the CEO of British Airways, was been announced as the new, and 44th, President of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) following his election at the membership organisations' AGM.