If you have always wanted to run your own business (or even expand the one you have) but you haven’t yet made it happen, then maybe you are just too lazy to succeed. Or maybe you just haven’t found the information you need to make it happen because you haven’t got yourself organised. Here are [...]
These days everywhere you look on the internet people are talking about “Niche Marketing” and how by identifying a niche you can make lots of money. However, what is seldom discussed is what exactly a niche market is. Now, as it happens a niche market can be defined is several different ways but for our [...]
There have always been people who liked the idea of starting and running their own business. They like the idea of the freedom and independence this offers – though in fairness there are downsides too – working alone, doing all the accounts and paperwork etc. It isn’t as easy as you might think. In the [...]
If you have decided to start your own business as a self-employed sole trader (perhaps having read Choosing the Structure for Your Business) then you might think that you have nothing else to do apart from finding some work and getting paid when you have done it. Unfortunately it isn’t quite as simple as that, [...]
A new website has just gone online which will be of great help to anyone starting up a new business. One of the most common complaints on a whole load of business forums is that of someone who has an established business and finds that someone else has set up another business with the same [...]
The term Venture Capital refers to an investment made in a new or nearly new company either to get it off the ground (known as seed funding) or to provide capital for growth – surprisingly known as growth funding). Venture capital investments are usually made in cash in exchange for shares in the invested company [...]
This Blog is dedicated to offering help and advice to people who run or want to run a business of any kind. In addition to the information contained in the posts we also offer a number of free business guides, usually around 12 pages long, on a wide range of subjects. You can access these via [...]
From 1 October 2008, there is a new right for individuals, partnerships or companies to object to the registration of a new company with the same or similar name as they use for their own business. This new right has been established under the 2006 Companies Act which itself is being introduced in stages over [...]
Ask most people how they would structure a new business and the chances are that they will talk about starting a company. That’s fine and works a lot of the time but usually only in conjunction with a shareholder agreement. One of the oldest forms of business structure is the Partnership – and this is [...]
Many small start-ups find setting up an office at home the most attractive option. It is cheap and handy, but there may be drawbacks. The Legal Position The first thing is to consider is whether or not you can legally set your office up at home. If you rent your home there may very well [...]
Ever wondered why some people succeed in business and others don’t? Or why some of them are exceptionally successful? Well some of it may be luck but there are common factors seen in all successful business people that would seem to indicate otherwise. It appears that great entrepreneurs have 5 key qualities that help them succeed in situations [...]
There is a saying in marketing that “image is everything” and there is a lot of truth in that. Your customers, existing and potential, will expect you to present a professional image and your stationery is an important factor in creating your business image. You should take time to consider what you will need and [...]
The one aspect most likely to delay the start of business for a new company is not the actual incorporation but the printing of stationery. Letter headings and other stationery cannot be printed until after the company is incorporated. This is not just commercial prudence in case a name is turned down, but certain items [...]
In the first two parts of this post we have looked at what you will need by way of furniture for your office and also what communications equipment you will need to consider. In this part we will now look at office equipment: what you are likely to need, what your options are, and how [...]
In the first part of this post we looked at what you needed to furnish your office. Now we consider what equipment you will need in order to connect to the outside world. Communications The one item you are certain to need in your office is a telephone line. Even if you have a [...]
At some point as you establish or expand your business you are going to have some sort of office set up. This may be a one-man office for your own use, possibly in a spare room of your own home, or it could be a much larger set up in a business centre or business [...]
Ask most business owners what a business plan is for and they will say that you need it when starting a business to get a bank account opened or when you try to get funding for a new project. There is some truth in that but it is only part of the story. A business [...]
Every business will – unless it continually makes a loss – have to address the issue of taxation. Like it or not the government wants its pound of flesh, but there is nothing to stop you structuring your business to get the best tax advantage possible. Here you will find some points to consider when [...]
The basic ways to structure your business are as a sole trader, in a partnership, or as a limited company. If you trade as a Limited Company you are said to be an “incorporated business” any other structure is called “unincorporated”. There are advantages and disadvantages whichever structure you chose so when deciding on the [...]
Everyone knows that starting a business is risky but once over that stage most entrepreneurs look to the next challenge – growing the business. In many ways this is much more of a risk as if you get it wrong – and the line between success and failure can be a very fine one – [...]
