Category

Starting a Business

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.

Patent risk: understanding the best way to deal with it

Here, Peter Arrowsmith, patent attorney and partner at Gill Jennings & Every, discusses why you should be careful when applying for a patent in your business.

Advice

Work life balance

Workers spend less time on social media to restore work-life balance

Workers spend less time on social media in a bid to restore work-life balance, as the majority rarely use technology for personal matters.

Business Ideas & Planning

Mobile catering: A guide to managing festival season

Peter Moore, CEO of Lolly, offers some tips for mobile catering start-ups and discusses getting your festival proposition right.

Advice

How is Brexit affecting the UK tourism?

With Brexit affecting every aspect of UK life, from business to travel, we take a look at how the vote will affect the UK tourism industry.

Advice

Why every business needs to be prepared for disaster

Here, Jo Gibson, operations director at Payment Bureau First Capital Cashflow, tells us why you need to be prepared for disaster.

Advice

Manufacturing business: How to grow domestically and globally

Paul Bennett, managing director of manufacturing business Fascia Graphics, discusses how the graphic overlays and membrane keypads supplier gained traction in the market.

Startup Funding and Grants

Business and homeowners: What do lenders want to know about my home?

Conrad Ford, chief executive of Funding Options, addresses why lenders need to know whether customers are homeowners, and the implications.

Business Ideas & Planning

Music teacher: How to launch your tutoring business online

Here, guitar tutor Gianluca Chiarella gives some pointers for those thinking of becoming a music teacher.

Startup Funding and Grants

Business and homeowners: What do lenders want to know about my home?

Conrad Ford, chief executive of Funding Options, addresses why lenders need to know whether customers are homeowners, and the implications.

Business Ideas & Planning

Music teacher: How to launch your tutoring business online

Here, guitar tutor Gianluca Chiarella gives some pointers for those thinking of becoming a music teacher.

Advice

A question of values

Here, Iain Thomson, director of Incentive & Recognition at Sodexo Benefits and Rewards Services, outlines the advantage of instilling core values in your business.

Advice

Start-up success: From idea to launch in six months

David Spencer-Percival discusses how he found start-up success with his drinks company No1 Rosemary Water, despite having no prior experience of the industry.

Advice

‘Don’t strangle the self-employed’ The IPSE message to political parties

With the 2017 General Election right around the corner, IPSE warns parties to listen to the needs of the self-employed.

Advice

The unofficial guide to unofficial office party etiquette

Here, TeamTactics gives us their unofficial guide to unofficial office party ethics and etiquette.

Partner content

What are the funding options for hospitality businesses?

Hospitality businesses have faced a number of challenges in the last couple of years. Find out what funding and support is available.

Business Loans

A guide to getting a small business loan

Everything you need to know on what small business loans are and what types of loan are available for your business.

Employing & managing staff

The importance of vocational rehabilitation services for SMEs

In Aviva’s latest SME research*, 57 per cent of employers surveyed agreed that nowadays employees expect benefits to protect against loss of income or earnings. What do you offer your people?

Partner content

What are the benefits of business broadband?

Business broadband offers a host of advantages over standard domestic connections, here’s why you should be considering an upgrade