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.

Franchising ‘can bring returns within the first few months’

People new to business should consider starting a franchise before starting up their own business alone, it has been claimed.

Investing in a franchise

Work life balance

Working and running a family

Do you have children and want to use your skills and earn an income? Here are some tips for business mums.

Success stories

Starting up later in life

By 2042, almost a quarter of people living in the UK will be aged 65 or older, up from 18 per cent in 2016. The number of people aged over 70 who are in full- or part-time employment is steadily rising too, with around one in 12 of those still working compared to one in 22 working 10 years ago. Is starting your own business another option?

Startup Funding and Grants

Have your say: Funding for women

Financial institutions may well need a shake up when helping female entrepreneurs. SmallBusiness.co.uk speaks to some women in business about their experiences of raising finance and asks for your comments.

Startup Funding and Grants

Ladies who launch: women and funding

SmallBusiness.co.uk speaks to five high-achieving women to find out whether it really is a man's world.

Advice

Taking the plunge and starting your own business

Taking the plunge and starting your own business is a big step to take and the pressure of keeping yourself afloat can weigh heavily on a small business owner.

Business Ideas & Planning

Self-employment: six steps to success

The chance to steer your own career is a major attraction of becoming self-employed. However, success needs a firm foundation, so before you take the leap, follow these six quick steps to success.

Advice

Succeeding in the hospitality business

Knowing your market is vital to running a successful restaurant, bed and breakfast or hotel in this competitive market. SmallBusiness.co.uk offers this advice on how to avoid common pitfalls within the hospitality industry.

Business Ideas & Planning

Self-employment: six steps to success

The chance to steer your own career is a major attraction of becoming self-employed. However, success needs a firm foundation, so before you take the leap, follow these six quick steps to success.

Advice

Succeeding in the hospitality business

Knowing your market is vital to running a successful restaurant, bed and breakfast or hotel in this competitive market. SmallBusiness.co.uk offers this advice on how to avoid common pitfalls within the hospitality industry.

Sole trader

Register as a sole trader

How can you begin to nurture a small business? How do you register as a sole trader and where can you get the necessary forms?

Advice

Amanda Christie on starting the mysinglefriend.com online business

Amanda Christie set up online singles network Mysinglefriend.com with her childhood friend Sarah Beeny, presenter of Channel 4's Property Ladder programme. The website takes a different approach to online dating, attempting to remove the stigma. It is now one of the top online dating sites in the UK. SmallBusiness.co.uk caught up with her to find out how she did it.

Advice

Getting started in the buy-to-let business

For some, buying a property to let can generate a full-time income, and the task of managing more than one or two properties can become a job in itself.

Work life balance

Balance home and work life

Most of us have suffered from some form of stress at some point trying to balance home and work life. Learning to identify the symptoms is a good starting point and these tips from SmallBusiness.co.uk and BUPA offer some practical advice.

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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