Alastair Balfour is a business journalist turned entrepreneur turned specialist business advisor. After a 17-year newspaper career (The Scotsman, Daily Record, Sunday Standard) he co-founded the Scottish Business Insider publishing group in 1984 and built it to a £3m sale in 1999. He has since been personally involved as a director and investor in the launch of seven businesses.

His major interests are Company Creators – www.companycreators.co.uk - which he co-founded in 2001 and for which he has handled business planning, strategy and funding for 27 high-growth ventures, and its subsidiary operation 2in10 – www.2in10.com – which he co-founded in 2005. His specialist expertise lies in business strategy, investment strategy and competitive positioning for high-growth companies.

Amongst projects that Alastair has worked on in the past three years are:

• Competitive positioning and messaging for Search Engine Optimisation specialist

• Building the top team for remote IT monitoring company

• Commercialisation study for 3D human body visualisation project

• Market entry strategy for online accounting business

• Middle East marketing strategy for ROV operating software business

• Commercialisation strategy for a retrofit hydrogen fuel technology for heavy diesel-powered road vehicles

• Investor-Ready project for new ship data collection technology

• Strategy Review for an AIM-quoted telecoms group

• Developed a Market Positioning Strategy for an established creative design company

• Created a Business Plan for a new malt whisky distillery

• Appraised a potential acquisition for a home technology installation business

• Advised the owner of a successful publishing company on a potential exit

Alastair was a founder of the Entrepreneurial Exchange in 1994, and served as a director for six years. He has been a member of Strathclyde Business School’s advisory board and the Archangel Informal Investment group, and is a judge of the annual Scottish Software Awards.

Alastair wrote a weekly business column for 14 years for The Scotsman, Herald and Business AM. His other publications include the Dorling Kindersley title “Working from Home”, published in 2001.

Company Creators Group

Standard Buildings

94 Hope Street

Glasgow

G2 6PH

Contacts:

M: 07801-456092

E: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Skype: alastair60