Latest articles by Jody Clarke
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My first million: profiting from plastic marshmallows
Features He may have been unimpressed the first time he saw them, but once he'd tried wearing a pair - 'like walking on marshmallows' - Duke Hanson of Crocs was sold. And thousands of customers around the world agree.
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Muscling in on the nutrition business
Features 34-year old bodybuilder Zef Eisenberg isn't someone you’d think could be pushed around. So it’s a surprise to learn that he started his niche sports nutrition business because he was “forced into it”.
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How a pub turned £10k into £10k a week
Features A failed venture in Helsinki taught Martin Webb and Simon Kirby to take their time over opening their new pub in Brighton. Now their C-Side chain
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Could you make money from property in Montenegro?
Features Once the playground of Hollywood stars, the tiny Baltic state of Montenegro has hit second-home radar screens again. But could you make money from buying a property there?
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Spain rues the day it joined the euro
Features Spain's economy is less competitive than ever, the house price slide continues and its current account deficit has mushroomed to the world's second-largest. And there's very little the authorities can do.
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Bringing mum’s bhajis to the masses
Features Jamal Hirani of Tiffin Bites (left) turned his dream of selling real Indian food to City workers into a very profitable reality. And it was all down to his mother's cooking - and an awful lot of research.
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How to play rising Chinese food prices
Features Chinese food prices are up 8.3% on last year - and favourite meat pork has seen particularly hefty price hikes. So how can investors cash in without burning themselves in the overheating Chinese stock market?
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My first million: Gary Hirshberg of Stonyfield Farm
Features Running a not-for-profit renewable energy centre in the early 1980s seems an unlikely foundation for a multimillion dollar business, but then Gary Hirshberg is not your run of the mill entrepreneur, as Jody Clark discovers.
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My first million: Lena Bjorck of Inn and Out
Features For a catering company that started out using London Underground to deliver its food, Inn and Out has come a long way. Founder Lena Bjorck (left) reveals the secrets of her success.
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Does Scotland really need the UK?
Features The Scottish National Party is threatening Labour dominance north of the border, making independence an issue once again. We look at the economics behind their arguments.
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The dotcom that benefited from the crash
Features When MBA student Richard Downes set up ski holiday website Iglu.com, he couldn't have imagined he would graduate with a quarter of a million in start-up capital.
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How to bank profits abroad
Features The media may have told you that the UK banking sector is profiting at your expense, but the truth is, the banks make most of their money outside Britain. And rather than losing out - you could be sharing in the wealth.
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How a failed hippy is making healthy profits
Features Profile of Bill Jordan, the failed hippy who went on to establish one of the country's best-known cereal brands.
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High street suffers as online sales soar
Features The anticipated nightmare on the UK high street failed to materialise this Christmas, but retailers have little to feel smug about. Changing consumer trends now mean that a successful online strategy is crucial to their long-term outlook.
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How to profit from America's ethanol rush
Features America's interest in ethanol as an alternative to oil may not be all that economically - or ecologically - sound, but it's fuelling a soft commodities boom that can't be ignored. We pick the best plays on this new trend.
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Three ways to cut your debt
Features You may not be on the verge of picking up the phone to arrange an IVA, but you could be much closer to debt problems than you think. So it's worth making sure you're managing it as best you can.
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The fish fanatic who reeled in a fortune
Features Profile of Matt Stevenson of Reef One who turned his hobby into a business with a turnover of £5.9m. What was his big idea?
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How a cement mixer churned out £24m
Features With all the media attention given to the issue, it's hard to remember that just 10 years ago healthy eating was of little interest to the UK public and it was hard to find a wholesome alternative to chocolate bars. Here's how Eat Natural co-founder Praveen Vijh exploited that gap in the market, with a little help from a cement mixer.
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My first million: a valuable lesson from Jeffrey Archer
Features When Susie Willis set up baby food company, Plum Baby, she spoke to various expensive marketing and packaging consultants. But it was her unconventional approach - learned from her former boss - which really made the difference.
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Two schemes to avoid when buying abroad
Features There's little the British like more than buying houses - particularly cheap houses abroad. But beware of outlandish schemes which promise to make a cross-Channel bolthole more affordable.
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Why Dubai is getting too crowded for comfort
Features Dubai's foreigner-friendly property laws, along with promises of high rental income - are attractive. But does supply threaten to outstrip demand?
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My first million: the beach bum who launched a TV channel
Features How 24-year old extreme sports fan Al Gosling set up a TV production and distribution company from his parents's barn with no experience.
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What happened to Bulgaria's property boom?
Features The number of Britons living in Bulgaria has doubled in the past year, but property prices have not. Why has the market failed to live up to the hype?
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The Japanese property bull has barely begun
Features Rising house prices have been as big a feature in Britain over the past ten years as falling ones in Japan – at least, until now. Is it time for investors to look East?
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