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.

How one former company director took on a franchise arm

In this Q&A, Peter Searle discusses the process of taking on a franchise in the business consultancy sector.

Investing in a franchise

Setting up a company

How one business flourished despite an initial lack of sector knowledge

A dearth of sector knowledge didn't stop James Kinsella and Adam Carnell from launching their online printing business. Here's how they went from nothing to a £30 million turnover.

Advice

Six smart ways any small business can save money

Here are some insights to help small business owners from any industry to lower their overhead and still reach their target market.

Work life balance

Surprise! Majority of employees and managers engage in hard work

New research has shockingly found that a majority of employees and managers engage in hard work, toiling longer than their contracted hours.

Advice

Health and safety and high heels in the workplace

In this piece, we look at the dangers of high heels in the office and question whether dress codes should be revised for health and safety reasons.

Startup Funding and Grants

Three women who used bootstrapping to launch their business

Here, we look at how personal funds was enough for three company owners to get their business vision off the ground.

Advice

Legal binary option robot benefits

Advice

How to manage a start-up’s fast growth

Here's some advice on dealing with growth as an early-stage business, with tips from delegation to money management.

Advice

Legal binary option robot benefits

Advice

How to manage a start-up’s fast growth

Here's some advice on dealing with growth as an early-stage business, with tips from delegation to money management.

Business Ideas & Planning

The Brits who left a steady job to launch a hobby business

A new wave of professionals are turning their hobbies and passions into careers, according to research. In this piece, we speak to some of those who made a success of it.

Business Ideas & Planning

How four pre-revenue companies are plotting success

In this piece, we examine the raw potential in the earliest of early-stage companies.

Business Ideas & Planning

Odd businesses that shouldn’t have succeeded, but did

From tea in an aerosol can to a horse photography company, these ideas have come slightly out of leftfield, and are all the better for it. In this piece, we pay tribute to odd businesses.

Advice

Why you shouldn’t close your EU investments

There have been financial crises all across Europe in the last few years and many with European investments may be tempted to call time on them and take the easy way out: Brexit them

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

Partner content

How should I select my business broadband provider?

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

Future-proof your business communications set-up

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