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.

Registering a company name – a Small Business guide

Your Small Business guide to registering a UK company name at Companies House.

Getting Online

Advice

How to choose a workplace pension provider

If you need to set up a workplace pension for your employees, make sure you know what to consider and which providers are out there

Sole trader

Number of self-employed falls one fifth since Covid-19

IR35 taxation changes, Brexit and Covid-19 blamed for choking off rise in self-employment

Business Ideas & Planning

6 best small business ideas for 2022

What are the best ideas for starting your own business in the post-pandemic world we now live in? Here are six suggestions from becoming a yoga instructor to walking dogs or becoming a social media expert.

Business Ideas & Planning

Five business ideas that are bound to click

To help you make the right decision on what type of company to start, here are five business ideas to consider.

Business Ideas & Planning

What emerging business ideas could boom in the future?

UK entrepreneurs are looking to take advantage of the next emerging business trends which could boom in the near future and beyond.

Business Ideas & Planning

Why market research is so important for a start-up business

We look at why market research is so important for start-ups and the different types of research you can do.

Business Ideas & Planning

Planuary: How to create a business plan in four weeks

In this piece, Tim Sawyer presents a four-week business plan to help your small business get started.

Business Ideas & Planning

Why market research is so important for a start-up business

We look at why market research is so important for start-ups and the different types of research you can do.

Business Ideas & Planning

Planuary: How to create a business plan in four weeks

In this piece, Tim Sawyer presents a four-week business plan to help your small business get started.

Business Ideas & Planning

Top tips for writing the perfect business plan

In this piece, we provide essential pointers on how to write the perfect business plan to help your company succeed.

Starting a Business

Touker Suleyman 7 tips for starting your own business

Touker Suleyman, star of TV’s Dragons' Den, shares his top tips for starting your own business

Business Ideas & Planning

Five low-cost business ideas for your consideration

Here, we look at five of the most useful low-cost business ideas you can consider in any country

Sole trader

Becoming self-employed 

Becoming self-employed could mean less income, more responsibility and working longer hours. But freedom and independence cannot be underestimated, says Margaret Wood

Business Technology

Why you should upgrade your tech now rather than later

To run an optimal business, you must have optimal tech. We explain why you must upgrade your business technology on a regular basis

Investing in a franchise

Should I buy a franchise or go solo?

Starting a new business is an exciting venture. But – especially in well-established industry sectors – a key question is whether it would be better to buy a franchise or go solo.

Partner content

16 ways to improve your business cash flow

Read here for 16 tried and tested tips and tricks to improve potential cash flow problems

Business management

How to create good cashflow habits

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