How confident are you feeling about your business this year?

No business will be successful if the owner does not have a good grasp on the finance of the company and they are not budgeting correctly. However, while good financial acumen is undoubtedly essential, so is being a leader and motivating staff. Some extremely successful entrepreneurs, such as Julie Meyer and Nick Jenkins, have both commented to me in interviews that they think good leadership is one of the most important qualities that business owners must possess.

There are many skills that small business owners must have to successfully run their company. One of the most important - especially in the current economic climate - is having a good understanding of finance. Recent research by Bibby Financial Services revealed that nine out of ten financial advisers have rated small businesses' understanding of the range of finance options available to them as 'average' or below.

One of the quickest ways that any business can lose their customers is by not protecting their data. With online sales rising and increasing amounts of small businesses harnessing the internet to make sales the risk of losing customer data or having it stolen is higher than ever.

With unemployment rising 30,000 when are you looking to recruit new staff?

Remote working used to be viewed with suspicion by small business owners, and perhaps several years ago this feeling was justified. However, with the growth and development of new technology this viewpoint is no longer justified

Has the postal strike affected your business?

Who is the most productive member of staff in your organisation? Chances are there is one name that will spring immediately to mind – that employee that is absolutely essential to your firm’s success – and then the rest will fall into place.

Trust in business is a tricky issue. Small business owners need to ensure that they protect themselves and their firm from those unscrupulous businesses and individuals that would rip them off.

Are companies taking longer to pay your invoices?

The recent unemployment figures that showed a rise to 2.4m took the wind out of the sales of many of those that were starting to talk about green shoots of recovery. However, unemployment has historically lagged behind economic recovery, so even if as predicted, the next figures are even worse it does not mean that the economy is still in terrible shape.

Flicking through television channels the other night, I came across an old episode of Dragons' Den. It was an episode from series one, and although the general format has remained unchanged, what struck me was how far the current series has developed.

How helpful has your bank been to your business?