Start Your Own Business In The UK

If you are starting a business in the UK, this site is full of FREE resources, useful information and local contacts to help you start and grow successfully.

Start Your Own Business (now over 15 years old) contains information and advice but, unlike other startup sites, it also contains details of LOCAL organisations who can help you.

Search for your local area to find free business advice, networking groups, funding and local grants.

England

N Ireland

Scotland

Wales

Start typing location in search box or select from list below.

Start-Up Steps

The sad truth is that far too many new businesses start-ups fail in the early stages and our aim is to try and make sure that you are not one of them.

To help with this, we have broken down the start-up process into simple steps which highlight the things that have worked for other start-ups and the pitfalls that you need to avoid.

You can see the full list of 'steps' at: How to Start a Business Step-by-Step

How to Start a Business in The UK

If you are thinking about starting a business, you are not alone! As you will see from the statistics below, small businesses make up a major part of the economy.

A suprisingly large number of all businesses are what are described as SMEs (small to medium sized businesses) or individuals trading by themselves.

Starting a business is easy!

Keeping it going profitably it an entirely different matter.

The real challenges come when you have to find customers who want to buy your product or service at a price that makes it worth your while, keep them buying or finding more, and at the same time keeping on top of the administration whilst complying with the various laws and regulations.

We have designed this site to make sure that you know what to expect.

Image of phone showing message of advice

Business Status

Before you start trading you need to choose the right legal status for your business. You do have a number of choices and they will depend on your circumstances and the service that you plan to offer. It is important to tackle this as soon as possible as it could affect your legal staus, the tax that you have to pay and your exposure to personal liability.

Taxes

When you start a business it is too easy to concentrate on all the various immediate tasks and delay thinking about tax sometime later. This is a common trap and will make the task so much harder when you do finally get around to it. Planning in advance so you know that you are aware of how much you will have to pay and when, will ensure that you have enough money put aside and the correct records in place to show how you arrived at the final figure.

Business Support

“You don’t know what you don’t know”. There are so many different aspects to running a business, you are unlikely to be an expert in all of them nor can a few hours of Internet research possibly give you all the answers. We strongly advise you to seek the advice and guidance of someone who can differentiate between what is important and what is not. This could be a business support organisation, business advisor, or mentor. In each case, they will have the benefit of having worked with many other people who have trodden this path before. This means that they can show you what has proven to work in the past and the pitfalls that you need to avoid.

Add Your Business (Free!)

If you offer a product or service which can help local startups and small business owners, we would be delighted to promote the fact (free of charge) - Add Your Business.

Latest Listings...

London Business Training & Consulting (LBTC)

Located in the heart of London just outside Kings Cross station, London Business Training & Consulting (LBTC) is the UK’s premier business and management training and consulting service provider. We cater to both individual and organizational clients from all over the world. LBTC’s services are delivered by practicing business and management consultants who possess extensive multi-sector and global knowledge and experience. A key feature of LBTC’s service delivery model is that it is entirely paperless, in keeping with our core value of sustainability. Consequently, all course material, documentation, and communication is delivered electronically which further adds to the efficiency of the operation and the clients’ learning experience. At LBTC care is taken to understand our clients’ specific needs, and the service delivery is accordingly customized to tackle the unique nature of a client’s requirement. We continually strive to establish and nurture long-term business relationships. LBTC’s positioning statement is to serve as our clients’ partners in progress, by resolving their business and management issues. Our vision is to meet the business and management training and consulting needs of all individuals and organizations the world over. LBTC’s mission statement is to deliver an innovative, sustainable, and accessible service of premium quality that provides solutions for our clients. We offer a portfolio of open courses which includes 500 business and management courses in London. The open courses are of durations between 1-day and 2-weeks and are repeated every 4 months thereby affording prospective clients the opportunity to select a course date that suits their respective schedules. For those clients who are facing more complex business and management issues, LBTC also offers bespoke training and management consulting services. These service options are highly tailored to address the specific nature of the challenges our clients are facing.

Startup Hub Guernsey

Guernsey’s Startup Hub has been established by the Digital Greenhouse and the States of Guernsey to provide free and inclusive support for new business and entrepreneurs. It is a combination of online services, face to face support and accelerator programmes, all designed to provide entrepreneurs with a one-stop-shop to connect them with the rich and diverse expertise of Guernsey innovation ecosystem. The purpose of the Startup Hub is to be a focal point on Island, for the delivery and development of Guernsey’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, providing space and facilities, advice and mentoring for start-ups and businesses looking to grow. This new virtual space has something for every stage of the new business cycle with a wide range of multimedia content, case studies to inspire and links to help you begin your journey. Free and impartial advice can be found on our Business Essentials section with topics ranging from clarity on navigating jargon-heavy legal, finance and insurance matters, to successfully developing a brand and planning marketing. The Startup Hub provides free and impartial information for new business and entrepreneurs that includes one-to-one support meetings to answer any questions and sign-post to other services. Working together with our key partners, we can help connect you to the expertise you need to grow your business. Early stage, new or fledgling business ventures can take advantage of our business accelerator programmes and networking events with Barclays Eagle Lab. Access free expert mentor support and structured sessions to accelerate from business idea to reality! For those already established and looking to grow further, access international markets or diversify your business, Scale-up support from Blenheim Chalcot might be the perfect route for you. Apply for personalised mentoring from the hugely successful venture builder via the SMART Guernsey Economic Development programme. The Startup Hub’s online services are complemented by a well established annual programme of events, workshops and networking on offer bringing an exciting mix of innovation, creativity and business growth specific events. Series such as Digital Marketing Meetup, Lunch && Code and the Innovation Lab provide opportunities for special interest groups to meet, develop networks and exchange advice on a regular basis.

Adience

Adience is a B2B market research agency that is built for clients.

Konsileo (Trading) Limited

When you choose a Konsileo Broker, you choose a risk partner. We take the time to understand your business, recommend a tailored insurance programme and provide risk management advice. With our broking technology, we present a holistic image of your business risks to insurers and search the whole market for the best price and coverage. Simplified and transparent processes that offer the coverage you need. We know your company is unique. And we've got your back!

Croften Limited

For 25 years I have been helping small businesses and start up's to make more money. Want to know more? Take the first step with me and sign up to my free online training - https://croften.jetwebinar.com/results Steve Mills

We are a small friendly team and always welcome enquiries from anyone who is planning to start a business or from anyone who can offer help and support. Contact us.