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.

Secure funding and expert mentoring for your start-up

The Start-Up Series competition is back for February! Enter by February 14th for a chance to secure up to £250,000 in equity funding and expert mentorship for your business

Startup Funding and Grants

Startup Funding and Grants

Why won’t investors back your small business?

Matthew Cushen, co-founder at Worth Capital, explores what makes a small business right for venture capital investors.

Advice

How your start-up can access valuable advice beyond the day-to-day team

Matthew Cushen, co-founder at Worth Capital, explores how your start-up can access valuable advice outside the day-to-day team

Starting a Business

One in five Brits say they want to start a business in 2021

Only 6% of those surveyed say that have been pushed into working for themselves after losing their job

Advice

6 helpful tips for fleshing out a high performing team

Founders can round out the gaps in their experience by ensuring they make the right hires, says Worth Capital co-founder Matthew Cushen

Starting a Business

Government flags employment law change to cheerlead ‘wave of startups’

Business department consults on the reform of non-compete clauses so ex-employees can go out and start rival businesses

News

City mayors warn of mental health pandemic among self-employed

Sadiq Khan, Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram come together to urge chancellor to help 3m self-employed excluded from government Covid business support.

Business Ideas & Planning

What winning The Start-Up Series meant for us – Randa Bennett and Patricia Salume, VeeLoop

VeeLoop was created to help teenagers shop online independently, but the firm has developed a new service to cope with these difficult times

News

City mayors warn of mental health pandemic among self-employed

Sadiq Khan, Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram come together to urge chancellor to help 3m self-employed excluded from government Covid business support.

Business Ideas & Planning

What winning The Start-Up Series meant for us – Randa Bennett and Patricia Salume, VeeLoop

VeeLoop was created to help teenagers shop online independently, but the firm has developed a new service to cope with these difficult times

Setting up a company

2020 set to be record year for new companies created

Extra 85,000 new businesses expected to be created this year, as Covid redundancies trigger people into setting up on their own

Setting up a company

Buying a company name before starting up

If I want to buy my company name so no one else can take it, but I’m not ready to start trading, how do I do that? What are my ongoing responsibilities with annual returns?

Advice

How to start a new business if Covid makes you redundant

COVID-19 is expected to decimate the UK jobs market, with unemployment doubling to 7.5% by the end of 2020. How to set up on your own if you’ve been made redundant.

Advice

5 reasons why setting up a business in a recession is a good idea

Thinking of starting your own business during a recession? 5 reasons why now could be a good time and 4 legal steps you should take

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