Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs
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 expert Rik Hellewell discusses the advantages of setting up a franchise compared to growing a business organically – and shares his tips on why franchising can be the ideal way to expand in business
Investing in a franchise
Sole trader
Changes in the way the self-employed must report tax mean sole traders could face having to pay an additional £3,000 in tax. Becoming a limited company could reduce your tax bill, says Marcin Durlak
Advice
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
IR35 taxation changes, Brexit and Covid-19 blamed for choking off rise in self-employment
Business Ideas & Planning
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
To help you make the right decision on what type of company to start, here are five business ideas to consider.
Business Ideas & Planning
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
We look at why market research is so important for start-ups and the different types of research you can do.
Business Ideas & Planning
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
We look at why market research is so important for start-ups and the different types of research you can do.
Business Ideas & Planning
In this piece, Tim Sawyer presents a four-week business plan to help your small business get started.
Business Ideas & Planning
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, star of TV’s Dragons' Den, shares his top tips for starting your own business
Business Ideas & Planning
Here, we look at five of the most useful low-cost business ideas you can consider in any country
Business Loans
Everything you need to know on what small business loans are and what types of loan are available for your business.
Partner content
Hospitality businesses have faced a number of challenges in the last couple of years. Find out what funding and support is available.
Employing & managing staff
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
Business broadband offers a host of advantages over standard domestic connections, here’s why you should be considering an upgrade