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 to choose the right envelopes for your direct mail campaign

Making sure you send your direct mail in the right type of envelope may not be top of your priorities, but it's key to getting the most bang for your marketing buck.

Advice

Advice

Striking the right balance between a defensive and proactive strategy in business

The short-term mindset of downsizing is more practical for larger businesses than small, argues David Cliff in this piece.

Work life balance

How I balance work and home life as an entrepreneur

E-commerce expert Simon Horton talks about how he manages to balance work and home life as an entrepreneur running his own business.

Startup Funding and Grants

The five M’s of choosing a business investment

Craig Peterson looks at the investor's perspective in finding the most attractive businesses.

Advice

Three tips for effective internal communication

Ian Cowley reveals some low-cost ways of connecting better with your employees.

Advice

Why failing is not necessarily a problem for a small business

Elizabetta Camilleri discusses a key mistake she made in her business SalesGossip, and how learning from it made the company stronger.

Business Ideas & Planning

Considering the personal cost of setting up a company

Erin Walls, a specialist business advisor for SMEs at Ward Williams Creative, looks at the important personal considerations that need to be made before going into business.

Startup Funding and Grants

Fundraising and building a business: Lessons learned

Richard Healy, co-founder of BaseKit, discusses the importance of getting the first-round funding pitch right.

Business Ideas & Planning

Considering the personal cost of setting up a company

Erin Walls, a specialist business advisor for SMEs at Ward Williams Creative, looks at the important personal considerations that need to be made before going into business.

Startup Funding and Grants

Fundraising and building a business: Lessons learned

Richard Healy, co-founder of BaseKit, discusses the importance of getting the first-round funding pitch right.

Advice

Five things I would have done differently in my small business 

Tom Skinner, managing director of marketing company Go Up, reveals what he would have changed if he could have started again.

Advice

Why a partnership proposition wasn’t the right choice for my business

E-commerce expert Simon Horton shares why some partnership 'opportunities' can be more trouble than they're worth.

Advice

How to make an impact against better-established competitors

Bimla Safka discusses how a small business can be taken seriously and build a reputation in a market full of more experienced peers.

Business Ideas & Planning

Top tips for starting a business

Starting your own business is an exciting yet terrifying prospect! Here are 5 top tips for anyone who wants to start a 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

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