Business Advice Aberdeenshire

We're here to help you find the business support you need. We have gathered together information and support for all company sizes and sectors across Scotland. What is FindBusinessSupport.gov.scot? This service was established to help Scottish businesses find the public sector support they need. Information is available for businesses of all sizes – from those thinking about starting a business to large, well established companies. This website is supported by an enquiries and referral service. You can contact us by submitting an enquiry or calling 0300 303 0660. Our lines are open from 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. Landline calls cost up to 10 pence per minute, mobile costs can vary from 3 pence per minute to 40 pence per minute depending on your operating provider (source: Gov.uk). Why was this website created? This site intends to help Scottish businesses find the right information, advice and support at the right time. We will continue to add information and develop FindBusinessSupport.gov.scot and the referral service. We aim to provide all businesses with quick and easy access to all business support services provided by public sector organisations in Scotland. Who runs FindBusinessSupport.gov.scot? This is a partnership service. It started as a collaboration between Business Gateway, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise and Skills Development Scotland. We will eventually include all organisations who receive public funding in Scotland. We currently include services from the following partners.

The National Library of Scotland is one of a number of organisations that are here to help you with your business. We can: Guide you through the COBRA resource. COBRA stands for Complete Business Reference Advisor, and it is an excellent way to find out the basics about running a business. You can even use this resource at home if you register with us, which is free to do and just takes a few minutes Introduce you to our other business information resources and explain what each one can offer, from company data and market size, to market research and trends analysis Guide you towards a very large collection of books and articles all about running a business, marketing and management, and innovation and entrepreneurship. Get in touch by emailing enquiries@nls.uk to find out more.

Business Gateway Aberdeen City and Shire is your gateway to free expert local assistance and advice. There are many ways we can help you, even if starting up still seems a way off. Our website is a great place to begin: we offer a business plan guide to download when you’re ready, market reports as well as handy online guides and articles, video tutorials and podcasts. Take part in our webinars to hone your start-up skills – from how to handle the legal requirements to getting your market research right. Plus use our Planning to Start tool to guide you through the essential steps of starting up. It takes just 10 minutes to complete and then we can then use the details you give us to create your action plan, complete with links to relevant information and support. We’ll also recommend free webinars to help you hone your skills and may refer you to relevant support from our partners. A business adviser from your local office will also get in touch to see how else we can help at this stage and signpost you to a wide range of other support across Scotland. With our help, you could be in business sooner than you imagined. Enterprise Business Centre Broomiesburn Road Ellon AB41 9RD 01538 787393 Crichiebank Business Centre, Mill Road Port Elphinstone Inverurie AB51 5NQ 01224 968 789 Enterprise Business Centre South Harbour Road Fraserburgh AB43 9TN 01346 454712 Burnside Business Centre Burnside Road Peterhead AB42 3AW 01779 867 254

From start-ups, SMEs to major international corporations there are numerous local and national organisations that can offer business support. Both Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire councils provide a range of support and advice for local businesses from those starting out to social enterprises and successful international organisations. Find out more about available support:

Develop your business idea or boost your existing business with LINA online The Library Innovation Network Aberdeenshire (LINA), which has been developed in partnership between Live Life Aberdeenshire library service and RGU, is continuing to offer business toolkit workshops online. Prior to the Coronavirus restrictions, LINA’s co-working spaces and workshop programmes were held in the following libraries: Peterhead, Banff, Fraserburgh and Macduff. Additional programmes were due to be run from Turriff, Rosehearty, New Pitsligo, Strichen and Cairnbulg. All free learning programmes are now available online. LINA Online Business Toolkit Workshop For those interested in starting a business or scaling an existing business this online standalone workshop will help develop your entrepreneurial skills. The workshops will focus on the knowledge and mindset needed to accelerate your ideas, providing you with a toolkit of skills from marketing and viability to pricing and problem solving.

Aberdeen based startups and entrepreneurs take note - here's the lowdown on key startup support and help available where you are... Away from established startup hubs like London, the support for setting up a startup in the UK isn’t always so clear. It’s not a lack of support, just a quieter ecosystem that takes a little more work to unearth. We want to help with this by highlighting what some cities, which might not spring immediately to mind at the mention of ‘startups’, have to offer. Remember when we said that we were touring the UK in no particular order? Well, we’re going back to Scotland today to have a look at startup support in Aberdeen!

Should you join over 10,000 businesses and start and grow your business in this up-and-coming Scottish city? Startups.co.uk, the UK’s leading independent, online resource for anyone starting and growing a business. Established in 2000, we are the UK’s largest, longest serving, and most comprehensive small business advice platform, covering everything you need to know to start, buy, run, or sell a business. You can read more about our track record on our Wikipedia page.

When setting up a business in Scotland, you need to register as a private limited company or a UK branch of your foreign company. Find the professional advice you need around taxes, legal and insurance requirements in Scotland.

Economic Development within Aberdeenshire council exists to benefit business and communities and all those looking to find out about Aberdeenshire or relocating to the area.

myscot.gov has a section dedicated to starting a business which talks you through the first steps, stage by stage.

Information on business planning, registering a company and starting a new business. Setting up - Find information on setting up a business in Scotland. Tax and registering - Find information about registering your business with HM Revenue & Customs and Companies House. Marketing your business - Information on marketing and sales for your business. Intellectual property - Find out what intellectual property is and how to protect it in the UK and abroad. Further help to start a business - Information on organisations or services that can help you start a business or help your staff learn new skills.

Everyone needs a bit of help starting a business. Even the Skyscanners and FanDuels of this world got some support on their way. Thankfully there is a wealth of support organisations in Scotland providing help and advice to entrepreneurs and business founders. TalentSpark look at some of the major players in the startup ecosystem and consider the services and programmes they provide. People are vital to the success of any business. TalentSpark was created to bring together the right people at the right time to support small businesses in Scotland grow.

We believe anyone looking to start or grow a business should have access to support. At the heart of Scotland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, we can support you. Working across Scotland, our belief is that anyone looking to start or grow a business should have access to all the support they need to make it a success.

Digital Buddha is an independent business created to promote the graphic industrys in and around Aberdeen. I am hoping to become a bridge between local business and all forms of web and print media, while ensuring that the right customers are put in contact with the right people within the industry. Digital Buddha has no business partners so no sales or commotion is paid, just a list of the best designers, developers and marketing in Aberdeen, along with the will to help get local businesses the best service for their budget.

Renowned as a Global Energy Hub, Aberdeen is a vibrant, entrepreneurial region in Scotland's North East, home to a unique mix of business opportunities and specialist skills across various sectors including energy, technology, life sciences and food & drink. More than 20% of Scotland’s top business are located in this region which is taking great strides to ensure that it continues to compete on a world stage; the Aberdeen City Region is in the midst of a transformational journey designed to drive an economic renaissance, bringing benefits to the region, Scotland and the UK overall now and for generations to come. More than £10 billion of public and private infrastructure investment is due to be delivered before 2030, marking an exciting time to be part of a genuine world-class business location. The Aberdeen City Region is primed for business and the Invest Aberdeen team is on hand to welcome you here.

Companies from all around the globe have chosen Scotland as their new home because of the incredible opportunities on offer. Find out first-hand from them why they chose Scotland, and why you should too. To help achieve new successes for Scotland, the Scottish Government, VisitScotland, Scottish Development International (the international arm of Scottish Enterprise) and Universities Scotland have come together to form Brand Scotland - an exciting new identity for Scotland. Through the Scotland is Now campaign, the Brand Scotland team will tell the authentic story of Scotland as a bold and positive country, rich in history and heritage but forging forward in a way that is progressive, pioneering and inclusive. We’re waking the world up to the fact that Scotland is a country that is challenging new thinking, inviting new investment, creating new opportunities, supporting new industry and driving technology that embraces humanity around the globe. Please join us and get involved.

Young Enterprise Scotland (YES) is a registered charity that has been working to inspire and equip young people to learn and succeed through enterprise in Scotland for over 25 years. YES is a licensee of Young Enterprise (YE) and the YES history is proudly linked with Junior Achievement Worldwide with YES achieving independent Scottish Charity status in 1992. Our Vision is for Scotland to be a place where all young people are given the opportunity to have a rewarding future in work and life - no matter where they start their journey. Our Mission is to inspire & equip all young people to learn, develop and reach their full potential through enterprise.

The steps it takes to become a small business owner in Scotland Before you get into business, there are a few important things to know about starting a small business in Scotland: Is starting a small business in Scotland right for you? Do you have the tools and the resources to start your small business? Do you have the funding your small business in Scotland will need? What are the next steps to help you startup? Do you need help getting your business started? As a small business entrepreneur you have a lot of step to go though. UK Startups is here to help you each step of the way. Not only do we guide you step by step, but we help you startup, assist you with your business plan, help you find funding programmes that can get you funding for your Scotland business. And more.

If youre considering doing business with Scotland or youre thinking about expanding your company in a new location, Scottish Development International (SDI) is here to help. SDI is the international arm of Scotlands enterprise agencies. Our network of global offices is staffed by industry experts dedicated to helping you make the most of all the opportunities Scotland has to offer.

Starting a business - you may be planning to start a business or perhaps you’ve already begun. Find advice on the essentials, from writing a business plan to intellectual property on the Business Gateway website. It has a section dedicated to business start-up and this includes the opportunity to download your business plan template and guidance on: starting up a business, business support and advice, forming a company or business, intellectual property, naming a business, buying a business or franchise, Create business plan.

Scottish Enterprise is Scotland's national economic development agency and a non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. To deliver a significant, lasting effect on the Scottish economy, we work with partners in the public and private sectors to find and exploit the best opportunities. We support thousands of companies the length and breadth of Scotland, helping catalyse the changes in our economy that will have a long-term positive impact on Scotland's business competitiveness around the world. In doing so, we're creating significantly more, better jobs, helping people fulfil their potential. Starting a business? It can be both exhilarating and challenging getting your business off the ground. Having the confidence to take that next step is often all that’s needed. Access funding, a free business plan template, and guidance on legal requirements.

Elevator is one of Scotland’s leading social enterprises dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs, start-ups and high growth businesses. Elevator works across Aberdeen City and Shire and Tayside to help facilitate the start-up and growth of new and existing businesses. Team Elevator currently engages with over 3,500 start-up businesses and assists around 1,800 organisations to grow annually with advisory support. With the launch of its Centre for Entrepreneurship in Bridge of Don, Elevator aims to support an additional 200 start-ups per year through stimulating interests in launching and growing businesses, as well as welcoming global talent onto the Elevator Accelerator Programme accelerating businesses. Elevator will launch a second Centre for Entrepreneurship with Accelerator Programme in Dundee in late 2016. Elevator supports the entrepreneurs, business leaders and employees of today and tomorrow by providing expert business advice, teaching entrepreneurship and enterprising behaviour.

If you run a start-up business as an entrepreneur, there is a variety of help for start-ups available, and there may be extra support you can access if you come under certain categories. Much of this help takes the form of mentoring and networking - but you should also be able to access targeted advice, support and even apply for loans and grants. This guide will help explain about the sources of funding that might be available to you and where to get help, advice and training.