Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs
Advice on how to start your own business, with guides to help you plan, develop and finance a start-up company, plus recommendations on registering the business, its legal structure and finding financial backing for growth. Whether you are just beginning or have already taken the first steps and want to keep everything on track, our expert articles will give you the knowledge to help lead you to success, whilst maintaining a good work-life balance.
Starting a business can initially seem daunting, but with good support and a strong idea you can quickly pass through the key stages of the setting-up process and be able to launch your company with a solid foundation.
Topics covered include: regulations and requirements for company owners, finding and selecting the professional services you may need (such as banking, insurance, accountancy etc.), legal structure options (self-employed person, sole trader, a partnership or a limited company), business planning, UK start up funding sources and finding your first customers.
Darren Fell, managing director of Crunch Accounting, discusses when becoming a limited company might be the correct next step up from being a sole trader as a small business.
Business Ideas & Planning
Success stories
Stuart Hearn is CEO of Clear Review, a performance management platform. He talks about changing employee appraisals and how archaic models drove him to build his business.
Business Ideas & Planning
In this guide we explain the key things small businesses need to consider when setting up a pop-up shop in the UK.
Advice
Investment bank behemoth is offering a free programme for small businesses in the UK – here's how you apply.
Advice
Starting a business in an industry unknown to you? We explore how to make the transition and ask two other entrepreneurs for their advice.
Success stories
We have a chat with Theadora Alexandra, co-founder of Young Foodies, about the challenges of setting up a community for food businesses.
Setting up a company
With the help of a couple of entrepreneurs, we explain how to go about setting up a business on eBay.
Success stories
Former Paralympian Liz Johnson chats about her recruitment agency, The Ability People (TAP), and closing the disability employment gap.
Setting up a company
With the help of a couple of entrepreneurs, we explain how to go about setting up a business on eBay.
Success stories
Former Paralympian Liz Johnson chats about her recruitment agency, The Ability People (TAP), and closing the disability employment gap.
Advice
In order to minimise risk and maximise opportunities brought about by international trade, these are the strategies that companies practice.
Advice
Dermot Campbell, CEO of Kuber Ventures explains what businesses he thinks will succeed in a post-Brexit Britain.
Advice
Storytellers in the business world can engage audiences deeply with the right balance of emotion and key facts.
Advice
Making the transition from freelancer to small business can be pretty daunting. In this piece, we look at how to prepare for the switch.
Partner content
Business broadband offers a host of advantages over standard domestic connections, here’s why you should be considering an upgrade
Partner content
As with any supplier, it’s important to do your research and ask important questions before you select a broadband provider for your business. But what are the must-have things you should take into consideration?
Business Technology
Landlines as we know them will be scrapped in 2027 – along with a raft of upcoming business changes. Here's how to ensure your communications set-up is fit for whatever the future brings
Business Loans
Everything you need to know on what small business loans are and what types of loan are available for your business.