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How to Start a Business in Derry (city of Londonderry)

Free start-up resources and useful local contacts.

Improve your chances of success!

How to Start a Business in Derry (city of Londonderry)

Starting a business in Derry (City Of Londonderry)

If you are thinking about starting a business in Derry (city of Londonderry) or would like to grow your existing business, we would love to help you.

Start Your Own Business in Derry (city of Londonderry) contains resources and the information that will help give your venture the best chance of success. It also highlights organisations who offer friendly advice and the services that you are likely to need as a new startup or local business owner.

Grants | Networking groups | Business advice | Mentoring | Co-working spaces

Starting a business in Derry (City Of Londonderry)

Free Startup Resources

Getting it right from the start can help to prevent problems later.

To help you with this we have created a vast selection of resources and they are all completely free!

Starting a Business in in Derry (city of Londonderry)

Business advice and support

"Two heads are better than one."

Whether you have been trading for some time, are new to the market or are just thinking about starting a business of your own, it has been proven that your chances of success are considerably improved if you seek support from an experienced business advisor or mentor. You can find out more about both options at Business Advice in Derry (city of Londonderry) and Business Mentors in Derry (city of Londonderry).

Funding and grants

Running out of money is one the most common reasons why businesses fail. This risk of this happening to can be avoided (or minimised) by careful planning and cashflow forecasting. If you need additional funds to start or keep your business going, you can learn more about your options and download our free funding factsheet at: Derry (city of Londonderry) Business Grants and Business Funding

Business networking

Does the idea of business networking fill you with delight or dread? Either way, it can be beneficial for both your business and you as an entrepreneur. See Business Networking in Derry (city of Londonderry) for details of local groups and our free Networking Factsheet.

Business premises

Working from home is appealing to many new business owners but not practical for many others. Even if you are running a business by yourself, you might like to consider the option of 'hot desking' or co-working in one of the many flexi-workspaces that have emerged in recent years. Find out more at: Derry (city of Londonderry) Co-Working and Business Premises.

Finding new customers

Paying customers are the lifeblood of any business. Knowing how to find, satisfy and retain them is vitally important and best achieved with the help of experts in the field.

Accountancy, tax and law

While starting a new business is very exciting, this should not disguide the fact that there are some very important legal responsibilities that must be considered. See: Bookkeeping, Accountancy, Financial Planning and Law

FREE startup workshops

If you are thinking about starting a business, our FREE three-hour ONLINE workshop is definitely for you!

Open to everyone, our sole aim is to increase your chances of success. We do that by explaining:

The reality of running a business; the most common pitfalls and how to avoid them; which legal status is likely to be most suitable; funding, grants and managing your money; business planning and cashflow forecasting; finding and keeping customers.

Free startup guide

Start Your Own Business in 2021

Download the 2024 edition of our Free Start Your Own Business guide

An interactive step-by-step guide which also includes all of the most important subjects covered in an easy-to-read way with links to useful online articles and relevant contacts.

The idea of starting your own business can be incredibly exciting and who can blame you for being tempted?

However, the sad truth is that far too many new enterprises fail in the early stages. Our aim is to make sure that you don’t become one of them.

This guide explains the key start-up subjects in simple English.

There is also plenty of help available in the area and much of it is free - please do make the most of it.

Read more about what our Free guide contains and how you can download it.
Starting a business in Derry (City Of Londonderry)

Key Contacts in Derry (city of Londonderry)

'You don't know what you don't know' is a phrase that is so applicable to starting a new business.

Derry (city of Londonderry) is a great place for start-ups but your chances of success are dramatically improved if you make the most of the support that is available locally. Click on logos to visit their websites.

Advice

Enterprise Northern Ireland
If you are at start-up stage - which can extend from having a busines idea right through to £50k turnover and/or trading for less than 2 years - we have a range of suppport and advice services to get you started or helped into the growth and acceleration stage. Enterprise Northern Ireland manages the Exploring Enterprise 3 Programme, and are delivering the business start-up programme in many Council areas. Both programmes help those with a business idea take the first step - you can find further information on them in this section. We are also the representative body for the network of Local Enterprise Agencies, all of which offer quality business accommodation and advice services. So if you're not sure where or how to start, or you want to connect locally with your nearest Local Enterprise Agency, either click here or visit the blue navigation above to find out what's happening in your local council area ... and then we'd advise you make an appointment, pop by and have a look for yourself!
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Networking

FSB Northern Ireland
FSB Northern Ireland is the local branch of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). It was formed in 1974 as the National Federation of Self Employed and represents the interests of small and medium-sized businesses locally and nationally. They offer a great package tailored to your needs if you are thinking about starting a business in the area. Contact: Mairaid McMahon Development Manager Mairaid.McMahon@fsb.org.uk
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Networking

Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber) is an award winning, quality assured, customer focused membership organisation with over 230 years commitment to the Northern Ireland economy. It is a well-known network for business with a membership of 1,200 businesses representing over 100,000 employees. Address: 4-5 Donegall Square South , Belfast , BT1 5JA
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Advice

NI Business Info
nibusinessinfo.co.uk is the official online channel for business advice and guidance in Northern Ireland. nibusinessinfo.co.uk, a free service offered by Invest Northern Ireland, is the official online channel for business advice and guidance in Northern Ireland. It contains essential information, support and services for you and your business
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Advice

Causeway Enterprise Agency
Causeway Enterprise Agency Limited (CEA) is an independent, business support organisation dedicated to building a strong and sustainable local economy by helping both new and established small businesses in the Coleraine area to maximise their potential.
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IT

Deeie IT Support & Web Design
www.dee.ie is a Computer, IT Support based technology consultancy specialists in technology and web development. We can produce technical specification based on the idea you have which will demonstrate its full requirements. Set up your first meeting today is only a phone call, click or email away.
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Start-up articles

100's of free startup articles

We have created a collection of 100s of startup articles to help anyone with whatever stage they are on with their business journey. Hundreds of thousands of people have gone before you and we can learn from what they got right and avoid the things that have been proved not to work so well.

You can see the full list of 'articles' at: How to start a business