If you run a business or are planning to start one and need some inspiration, it is imperative you get in the right frame of mind for success. Ayn Rand was one of the world's foremost writers on the subject of capitalism and its crucial role in creating a healthy and happy society, not just for the richest number but for the populace as a whole. Here are some of her most inspiring quotes on the importance of ambition and the individual who strives for success.

A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.

Here we see that Rand's philosophy is not one of selfishness (as often her critics would characterise it) but one of determination. Do you have the desire in you to achieve? If you are in business, you better have. Don't concern yourself with the other guy – concentrate on what you can do.

Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver.

Again Rand makes a key distinction between competitiveness and true self determination. Greed will only get you so far. It must be supported by deeper, more spiritual desire to make yourself the best you can be if it is to truly reap rewards.

Run for your life from any man who tells you that money is evil. That sentence is the leper's bell of an approaching looter.

Rand was steadfast in her belief that those who have no ambition to strive will, if allowed to, drag down those who do. The key message here is, never feel bad about making the money you work hard for and do not trust those who tell you that you should be ashamed of wealth.

Achievement of your happiness is the only moral purpose of your life, and that happiness, not pain or mindless self-indulgence, is the proof of your moral integrity, since it is the proof and the result of your loyalty to the achievement of your values.

Perhaps the purest expression of all of Rand's belief system, this quote warns the reader not to get distracted by instant gratification or feelings of guilt simply for being. Time on the earth is short – use it to satisfy your deepest desire for happiness.

The rules of business etiquette have been around, seemingly, forever. Yet, in these days of remote everything, video calls, email attachments and archived data, the landscape has shifted dramatically. In order to deal with the change, here are some new tips on business etiquette.

Turn off the gadgets during meetings

Yes, your phone, laptop or tablet might be essential to the work you do on a day to day basis. Yes, you might be expecting an important phone call. Yes, you might feel a little lost when you are not connected to your email for five minutes. But that does not change the fact that, if you have a bright screen open on your desk, you are not fully concentrated on the task at hand.

At the beginning of every meeting simply turn all non-essential gadgets off or on silence and get them out of sight. It will help everybody focus, ensure nobody feels slighted and bolster the speed with which you get the work done.

It's not OK to be late for a virtual meeting

As the old saying goes, "If you're early for a meeting you're on time. If you're on time you're late. If you're late you're fired." For some reason, people seem to think this wisdom need not apply to video calls. Not so.

Just because you are not sitting in a room with somebody, does not mean you can arrive late to the sit down. We know you always blame it on ‘technical issues' but, we guarantee, they don't believe you and leave the meeting with a bad taste in their mouths.

Business emails, instant messages and texts are never, truly private

If the last few years have proven anything, it is that anything sent via email or text is not truly private. It is archived on somebody else's device and can then be passed on to any other number of people. Plus, if it's on a company email system, it can easily be read by the IT department. Plus there's the nightmare of sending an email to the wrong address.

With all this in mind, it is best to follow this code: if you wouldn't say it in front of the entire organisation, don't say it in an email.

There is no question or debate about it: now is the era of Big Data. As hardware that creates, shares and stores data becomes more ubiquitous and easier to use, the amount of data increases at rates never before thought probable or possible. The big question in 2018, for many companies, will be: how do we put this incredible volume and variety of information to the best possible use?

Here are five important tips on surviving and thriving in the age of Big Data.

Be proactive and unconventional in how you tap into new data

Regardless of what the product or service you sell is, it is now possible for you to learn about and study the habit of your target demographic in ways never before imagined. The companies that are left behind are the companies that do not realise this potential. Accrue data that would appear irrelevant to your business but is relevant to your customer. Consider buying habits, consider income, consider online activity, and use it to create new avenues for interacting with your buyer.

Focus on data organisation, not just data gathering

Actually finding the information is not going to be a problem for most companies with any knowledge of technology. The trickier part is going to be actually organising it into a meaningful, unified whole. Integrate information of all sorts and concentrate on how each piece of data might affect another, as oppose to simply holding on to a number of large ‘data ghettos' filled with unrelated data.

Get trained employees to deal with large quantities of information

Dealing with Big Data is not something every member of your workforce will be able to do. This is why you will have to make sure you have people in your company that are trained in analysing information and putting it to use. This is a highly skilled capability, so do not assume just anybody can do it.

Don't be afraid of creativity

These days, it pays to stand out from the crowd. Every company has a website, Twitter presence, Facebook page and a profile on whatever other social media hangout is hip this week. How many of them are using these platforms to truly do something different? The inundation of information now available gives you all the tools you need to make yourself different from the herd. Be willing to strategise differently and make the most of the opportunity.

For many small business people, particularly those running a brand new start up, the question of how much information you should share with your employees and you customers is a very pertinent one. While, undoubtedly, people prefer to work for a company and buy from a company that seems to be successful, confident and on the way up, pretending to be successful when you are not can sometimes feel inauthentic. And yet, there are very few business that can afford complete transparency.

Is there a way to run a successful company with complete honesty? Here are a couple of key issues to think about.

The question of strength and weakness

We all know that it is good marketing to be up front and vocal about what your company is doing well, but what about the other stuff? Is it OK to be up front about things that your business has done badly and areas in which it has failed?

While some would argue that no business should ever highlight its weaknesses, either to employees or customers (after all, there'll be plenty of other people to do this for you), showing some humility and discussing openly the improvements you want to make gives your business more humanity. Just ensure you always couch it in positive language.

Be honest but stay on brand

The question of branding is now as important for a small start up with four employees as it is for a multinational corporation. Customers in all market sectors want a company to which they can connect and identify, even for the smallest of purchases.

So, when designing and implementing a branding strategy, ensure that it is one which is honest and in line with the real company that you run. Do not try to claim your business is something it isn't. Staying on brand if a brand is totally honest is not such a hard proposition.

Hire employees that fit with the real company

If you wish to run a more open and honest work environment, then you will have to trust your employees to be honest too. Ensure that the people you hire are happy to be part of such a business and have faith in the company culture that you want to create.

This might mean hiring based on attitude as opposed to skill. That might seem counterintuitive for a small business looking to get ahead, but oftentimes it is the mindset of the company that sees it really make a mark.