Who are the top ten celebrities on Twitter? What are the top trending topics of the past three years? How many tweets are sent every day? Are they mostly in English? This spanking infographic from the fabulous data-miners at Mashable has all the answers.

The Bransons are no stranger to controversy. Sir Richard Branson did make his fortune with the brand 'Virgin' after all. But have the young Bransons, Sam and Holly, gone too far with their latest investment in natural energy drink, Pussy? The tagline for its new campaign reads: 'The drink is pure: it's your mind that's the problem'. But is this a genuine business proposition, or a gimmick?

October is nearly upon us. But before you take time out from your business to start carving pumpkins and stockpiling horror flicks, you must register for a Self Assessment Tax form with HMRC.

Neil and Laura Westwood from Magic Whiteboard appeared on Dragons' Den in August 2008. The husband-and-wife duo made their dreams a reality, securing a £100,000 investment from both Theo Paphitis and Deborah Meaden. Three years on, Magic Whiteboard is Theo and Deborah's most successful investment. Here are their top 10 tips for how to win in the Den.

"This kind of proposition often makes quite dry reading, you know. How do you get people interested?" Hydra CEO Martyn Jobber laughs. "I suppose it is. You don't pull your punches do you?" Here's what happened when Smarta's deputy editor (with the attention span of a gnat) caught up with tech entrepreneur Jobber to talk start-ups, phrase marketing and geekery.

Kate Castle's whole life changed in one instant. It was the moment she nervously walked into the Dragons' Den and had television cameras beaming her business creation to the entire country.

Mary Portas, the shop guru and iron lady of retail, has taken the plunge and started her own venture. Her eponymous 'shop within a shop' at House of Fraser in the heart of London's West End aims to execute all the best practice she has learned through 20 years in the industry, from expert customer service to streamlined displays and smart targeting. The start-up is currently the subject of a brand new TV show: Mary Queen of Frocks. But can she pull it off? Or will her scores of critics get the last laugh.

It sounds a bit 'James Bond' for a Thursday morning - and maybe we are being slightly melodramatic - but there are some unscrupulous characters out there. Protect your ideas and your data from spying eyes with these five handy tips.

Serial entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson is at it again.  This time the business hound has sniffed out the smell of success in American blogging site Tumblr.

How do you measure 'cool' then? We're not entirely sure. But CoolBrands, the barometer of all things zeitgeist and trendy, has come up with a precise algorithm for ascertaining the true 'coolness' of today's brands (it asked a cross-section of the most a la mode, interesting 'influencers' on the bleeding edge beat). Fresh off the press today, the votes from their 'Expert Council' are in. We present the CoolBrands findings: the top ten coolest brands of 2011.