With a new university semester underway, it’s likely that most students will be focusing upon their studies, along with, of course, certain extracurricular activities.

The Olympics, which has rolled into London for its 2012 incarnation, may be the biggest sporting event in the world, but that doesn’t mean its participants are the richest.

Pitching for investment can be an arduous experience. Either the potential investor isn’t right for you or they aren’t interested in your idea. It can take countless meetings to find the right backer for your venture.

If you were the founder of a $150 million revenue IT business with a cushy market position, it would be tempting to kick back and enjoy your success.

It takes a lot to match Apple when it comes to high-profile tech unveilings, but Google made a good fist of it this week.

To his 4.5 million Twitter followers, Stephen Fry’s leap into tech entrepreneurship would’ve seemed quite logical.

For someone who has made an art of the brazen, headline-grabbing media stunt, it may surprise you to learn that Sir Richard Branson has a genuine fear of public speaking.

Is your entrepreneurial ego out of control? Do you think you’ve never failed to land a sale but you’ve pitched to a lot of stupid people? Do you sneer at other, inexplicably lucky, businesses?

Facebook is held in high esteem by many start-ups not just because of its own success, but also the access it provides to potential customers.

Who would want to work in public relations for Goldman Sachs? The opprobrium from the global financial crisis was beginning to fade a little when former employee Greg Smith went public this week with what he claims is a deeply dysfunctional and greedy culture within the company.

Imagine walking down the street and seeing a start-up entrepreneur working away in a glass-encased box, like some sort of spread sheet-toting version of illusionist David Blaine.

This past Valentine’s Day saw countless brands jump on the romance bandwagon, despite the growing cynicism of Australian consumers.

While billionaires are regularly the subject of public lambasting over their tax affairs, for many start-ups, they are nothing but generous.

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

As anyone has watched top-notch BBC series Dragon’s Den will know, there are some definite no-no’s when it comes to pitching your start-up idea.

With 2011 drawing to a close, Weekend Reads is feeling rather nostalgic this week.

The Eurozone may be in crisis, the US teetering on the brink of a double dip recession and even Australia struggling to get back to surplus, but that doesn’t mean there’s a lack of enormously wealthy entrepreneurs out there.

It sounds like your typical, syrupy American TV series. The characters include Noel, who has a “secret past and a Robin Hood complex” and Joel, a “slick Harvard MBA”.

This week’s news that Sir Richard Branson has invested in US start-up Square made headlines because, well, it’s Sir Richard Branson.

What is the cause of MySpace’s decline? Many have ruminated on the fall of the once social media behemoth, but now the man who until August was CEO has spoken out.

Weekend Reads can hardly contain its excitement at the arrival of the TechStars model to Australia. But how have other graduates of the fabled start-up accelerator fared?

What greater tribute is there to one of the great innovators of our time than to camp outside a store for weeks on end in anticipation of his latest product?

Who doesn’t love a good list? Weekend Reads certainly does, which is why we are encouraging you to take advantage of a recent slew of business-related countdowns.

The business world may be awash with the news of Steve Jobs’ exit as CEO of Apple, but Weekend Reads is always looking for the next big thing rather than pondering on the past.

He was hailed as the “kid who made Obama President”. But now Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes has had to give his venture up for nothing.

When pitching your idea to a potential investor, you will probably be addressing a soberly-suited man or woman who appears to be bred for the cut and thrust world of business.

Does the entrepreneurial Midas touch run in the genes? Randi Zuckerberg certainly thinks so, judging by her exit from Facebook this week.

The problem with making a lot of noise about your start-up is that if the PR backfires, you’re in more serious trouble than if you’d slid under the radar.

Where do good ideas come from? Many entrepreneurs vaguely cite flashes of inspiration for their businesses, but it is possible to identify a process to idea generation.

Failure is weighing heavily on Weekend Reads’ mind, especially given the huge haircut Rupert has just had to take on MySpace.

If you are part of the world’s super rich, you have little chance of being an eccentric, unknown recluse these days. Endless rich lists and the celebritification of the wealthy ensure your finances and personal life will be dissected by the media.

Want to make it big in New York with your web start-up? Well, according to NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, now is the time to do it.

Not for the first time, Weekend Reads has been left green with envy at the backing given to entrepreneurs overseas, while Australian start-ups are left pressing their noses up against their bank managers’ windows, akin to a huddle of penniless street urchins.

Is your foray into entrepreneurship bafflingly misunderstood by your friends and family? Do potential investors wince and scurry away when you mention your idea (which no doubt involves the words “integrated” and “in the cloud”) to them?