Innovation abounded in the Den last night, with three business ideas that instantly enticed the fiery ones. That's not to say they all won investment though - a great pitch can be easily unravelled when the Dragons start looking for holes to pick at. And even the most promising businesses can start to implode when the nitty gritty of enterprise isn't handled correctly... but more on that later.

I was ten years old when Asil Nadir fled the UK but I still remember the prolific news coverage. I even recall government minister Michael Mates' reported advice to the Polly Peck tycoon, inscribed on the back of a wristwatch: "Don't let the buggers get you down".

This week's Dragons' Den was an interesting lesson in the importance of looking at your business from all angles. It kicked off with an internet start-up company who presented the concept of creating a marketplace for unused gift cards.

Shira Rubin, founder of learn2lingo.com, takes her turn against the clock.

1. Sum up your business in one sentence:

Learn2lingo.com is an online platform for learning languages. We offer live, one-to-one lessons with a teacher by webcam in our unique online classroom.

X Factor season kicked off with a bang last Saturday. We're in the audition stage: thousands of hopefuls singing their hearts out in Glasgow and London, hoping for a golden ticket to stardom. For the next few weeks, each contestant will try to win over Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, Louis Walsh and the guest judges, pitching themselves to the expert panel much like the Dragons Den candidates would pitch their businesses. So, are there any lessons to be learned for entrepreneurs. Can the auditions reveal some tips on pitching, presentation and body language? Here are ten things that SMEs can learn from the X Factor.

Last night's episode of Dragon' Den saw some truly brilliant and utterly misguided entrepreneurs strut their stuff for the panel. The Dragons were often divided, sometimes brutal but consistently entertaining. Two investments were made and plenty of sage advice was doled out to the hopefuls.

Vicky Stokes of BuzzMyBiz runs us through her business in 60 seconds.

0-5 seconds: Sum up your business in one sentence

A website providing small businesses with web presence via a self-created minisite, within the main buzzmybiz site, with customer contact, business search facility and community forums.

Has anyone else noticed the sudden rash of young entrepreneurs hitting the headlines? Teen businessmen Christian Owens, James Cunningham and Connor Pickering all grabbed column inches last week - and I thought it was policemen that were 'always getting younger'. These days, kids are starting businesses before they've even got their maths GCSE.

In times of boom, weddings are lavish occasions. In 2004, steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal threw the world's most expensive wedding for his daughter Vanisha. The six-day celebration came in at a cool $60m. But only four years later, the recession bit and marriages fell to their lowest level in the UK since 1895. Couples who were still determined to marry chose recession-busting ceremonies in winter, rather than splashing out on a summer do, when venues and even catering can be up to 20 per cent more expensive.

We're giving away 10 pairs of tickets to Shaa Wasmund's event 'Sharing the Secrets of Social Media', and it couldn't be simpler to enter!