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.

Only animal lovers need apply: running a pet shop

NHS cost accountant turned pet shop owner Hannah shares her story and advice with would-be pet shop owners and animal lovers seeking a career change.

Advice

Startup Funding and Grants

How to tell if your business is right for private equity

Alex Fenton discusses how to tell if your business is right for private equity or if you should examine alternatives.

Advice

Making the transition from the corporate world to an SME

Insights on transitioning to a smaller business as well as advice to SMEs on making the most of new hires from the corporate world

Business Ideas & Planning

University degree or straight into entrepreneurship: Which is best?

Here are a few key questions for students to ask themselves before making the leap into starting a business.

Business Ideas & Planning

How to choose the perfect name for your business

In this piece, David Weiner explores the importance of finding the right name for your small business.

Startup Funding and Grants

SME investment: What can we expect in 2017?

Grant Bergman reveals his predictions for how the small business investment landscape will turn out in 2017.

Business Ideas & Planning

Four small business steps to creating your niche

How do you go about discovering your business niche? Here, Mark Perera gives his top tips for would-be company owners.

Advice

What is on the small business support wish list for 2017

The Small Business Taskforce was set up to fight for smaller companies as it feels like Whitehall may not have them as a priority any longer.

Business Ideas & Planning

Four small business steps to creating your niche

How do you go about discovering your business niche? Here, Mark Perera gives his top tips for would-be company owners.

Advice

What is on the small business support wish list for 2017

The Small Business Taskforce was set up to fight for smaller companies as it feels like Whitehall may not have them as a priority any longer.

Advice

What is a Forex broker?

Here, we look at how to decide which Forex broker best represents your needs.

Advice

Four habits of a successful digital options trader

Success with digital options is never guaranteed. If you want to set yourself up for reoccurring profits, you’ll need to develop these habits.

Advice

Ten tips to make the most out of your business travel

Gavin Bailey from CitySuites tells us his top ten tips for a better, stress free business travel experience.

Advice

Is 2017 going to be the year of the data integrity breach?

Here, Jason Hart from Gemalto gives us his top tips for businesses to avoid being the next big damaging security breach headline.

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