Facebook’s $5 billion “social mission”

Unsurprisingly, this week’s business news has been dominated by the stock market flotation of Facebook, for a slightly-lower-than-expected $5 billion.

Much of the coverage has highlighted Facebook’s extraordinary profit margins, as well as the fact that COO Sheryl Sandberg is set to become one of the world’s wealthiest self-made women.

But is there a downside for Facebook, as well as other start-ups? This interesting piece claims that the social networking giant is hugely over-priced, to the determinant of other investment seekers.

There is also the issue of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s prospectus letter, where he claims that the site is on a “social mission”. Will it come back to haunt him?

While your business may not be in the Facebook league just yet, you can still use the site to your advantage, as these top 10 tips show.

So, will there be a “new” Facebook? And if so, where will it come from? Step forward, the leading tech start-up challengers from China and New York.

Giving up a career in banking in order to plough your life savings into an ice cream store may seem like a crazy idea, but single mother Suzanne Battle explains why her leap into the unknown paid off.

Indeed, entrepreneurship can strike at any time, even if you’re headed towards retirement. Conversely, why not start as early as possible? Here are 10 tips on how to pass on entrepreneurial traits onto your offspring.

Do you think any of your employees deserve a promotion? If so, make sure they aren’t using any of these tactics to get to the top.

Finally, they are wealthy, decisive and gain a stranglehold on the market – what isn’t to admire in the business dealings of a crime boss?