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How to Start a Business in Nottingham

Free start-up resources and useful local contacts.

Improve your chances of success!

How to Start a Business in Nottingham

Starting a business in Nottingham

If you are thinking about starting a business in Nottingham or would like to grow your existing business, we would love to help you.

Start Your Own Business in Nottingham 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 Nottingham

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!

If you're considering starting a business or expanding your existing venture in Nottingham, this is for you!

Nottingham, located in the heart of England, is a vibrant city known for its rich history, thriving business community, and diverse opportunities.

Demographics

Nottingham is home to a diverse population, with a mix of ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds. This diversity creates a dynamic consumer base and opens up possibilities for businesses across various industries.

Major Suburbs

Nottingham encompasses several major suburbs, each with its unique character and opportunities for businesses. Here are some notable suburbs:

  • West Bridgford: Located just south of the city centre, West Bridgford is known for its leafy neighborhoods, vibrant high street, and excellent transport links.
  • Beeston: Situated southwest of the city, Beeston is home to a thriving business park and a bustling town centre, making it an ideal location for retail and service-based businesses.
  • Arnold: Located to the north of the city, Arnold is a popular suburb with a mix of residential and commercial areas. It offers a range of amenities and a strong sense of community.
Local Authority

Nottingham City Council is the local authority responsible for governing and supporting businesses in the city. Their website provides essential resources and information for businesses, including licensing, planning, and economic development initiatives. You can access the business section of their website for specific guidance and support:

Nottingham City Council - Business

Business Support Organisations

Nottingham offers a range of organisations that provide support and resources for entrepreneurs and businesses. Here are some notable organisations you can turn to for assistance:

  • Nottinghamshire Business Growth Programme: The Nottinghamshire Business Growth Programme offers support and funding opportunities for small and medium-sised enterprises in the region. Nottinghamshire Business Growth Programme
  • Nottingham City Business Club: The Nottingham City Business Club provides networking events, business advice, and opportunities for collaboration among local businesses. Nottingham City Business Club
  • Nottingham Technology Growth Hub: The Nottingham Technology Growth Hub offers support and expertise to technology-focused businesses, including access to funding and specialist advice. Nottingham Technology Growth Hub

These organisations are dedicated to supporting businesses in Nottingham, providing valuable resources, guidance, and networking opportunities to help your business thrive.

Within this comprehensive guide, we will explore various aspects of starting and running a business in Nottingham. From understanding local regulations and licensing requirements to tapping into the vibrant business community, we will provide you with the knowledge and tools necessary to embark on your entrepreneurial journey in Nottingham, England.

So, let's get started and discover the exciting opportunities that await you in the thriving business landscape of Nottingham!

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 Nottingham

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 Nottingham

Key Contacts in Nottingham

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

Nottingham 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.

Marketing

Zest Innovation
We generate new business leads for small businesses and only charge for the leads you convert! This means we effectively become stakeholders in the success of your business - so the better you do, we do. To maximise your returns, we will also conduct a free audit of your business and those of your competitors, aimed at maximising the sales opportunities for your business. Our new revenue generation service is aimed at medium to enterprise businesses. We work with you to explore the potential for introducing new products or services to existing customers, or taking existing products to new markets. What really sets our service apart is our ability to understand what changes may need to be applied to your business in order to effectively realise the potential of such introductions.
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Web design

Hello Online
Hello Online are a talented team of digital marketing professionals based in Nottingham. We offer bespoke website design, SEO (Search engine optimisation) and PPC (Paid Search). We are a forward thinking digital marketing agency with an obsession for achieving the very best for all our clients across Nottingham and beyond. Whether you need modern website design, a paid search campaign or search engine optimisation (SEO), we do it all!
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Web design

H22 Solutions Limited
Providing stunning, affordable website design and graphic design services for clients in Nottingham, Birmingham and the rest of the UK. Building clean, SEO friendly website designs that are easy for you and your visitors to use. We specialise in developing Magento and WordPress applications.
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Advice

First Enterprise
A leading business support organisation in the heart of Nottingham, established to support the needs of pre-start and existing business owners in Nottingham and throughout the East Midlands. FREE, impartial and confidential one-to-one support, including the provision of business advice, training, access to finance, help with business plans, help with research and identifying sources of funding and information and sign-posting to other useful organisations. FEBA can help you to take your idea from concept to reality and provide follow-up and ongoing support as your business grows.
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Advice

Nottingham City Council - Business
Nottingham City Council supports business growth, employment and investment in the city through our economic development service. Their website contains a section dedicated to helping local business. This includes links to useful business support organisations in the area.
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Directory

Geo Green Power
Geo Green Power help residential and commercial clients in the UK achieve their renewable energy goals. Whether you are investing in solar panels for your home, your office premises, warehouse or agricultural land, we are the expert energy consultants, system designers and installers for you.
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Accountancy

Seagrave French - Accountants
At Seagrave French we treat our clients the way we would like to be treated ourselves. As your accountants, chartered accountants or personal tax accountants, we will of course take care of your bookkeeping, accountancy services, Business Audits, bookkeeping and accounting, Business support services, payroll management, tax accountant, vat services, and anything else you may require
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Advice

Nottinghamshire County Council
Starting and growing your business. Start-up or grow your business in Nottinghamshire by accessing support and advice from the County Council and its partners, providing your business with a competitive advantage to successfully develop and compete on a local and global basis.
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Networking

FSB Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire
FSB Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire 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: Natalie Gasson Development Manager Natalie.Gasson@fsb.org.uk
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Advice

NBV
NBV are a full member of the NFEA (National Federation of Enterprise Agencies), committed to encouraging the formation and growth of small businesses in England. All full members of the NFEA have achieved both organisational quality standards and individual standards (for their advisory staff).
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Advice

D2N2 Growth Hub
The D2N2 Growth Hub provides businesses in Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire with a single point of access to business support. Our team of Growth Hub Business Advisers and our dedicated telephone enquiry service have the knowledge, skills and expertise to signpost you to the right initiatives and resources to support your business growth.
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Advice

East Midlands Chamber Start-Up Support
The Chamber, as the regions leading business support organisation, offers a huge amount of guidance, support and to advise those looking to start or that have recently started a new business. Business Start up support - becoming self-employed and starting a business can be extremely rewarding and profitable but obtaining the right guidance, support and advice is essential in order to turn ideas into reality and turning that reality into profit and business growth.
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IT

Foxcube IT
Were a Managed IT Support provider working primarily in the Nottingham, Derby areas. Weve been helping businesses get their IT systems up and running for over 5 years, and were still going strong. Our team of experts can handle everything from server maintenance to cloud computing and more.
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Law

Secure Inheritance Legal Services Ltd
Protective Wills, Trusts and Lifetime Planning
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Directory

Crucial Environmental Ltd
Crucial Environmental are experienced in providing clients across the UK with a range of asbestos services. Working from bases in Sussex and Nottinghamshire, the team works everywhere from private homes, commercial and industrial premises, providing asbestos surveys, testing, removals and more.
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Networking

The Lonely Middle Club - From Startup Hive
Starting a business is exciting, and succeeding is rewarding, but what about the bit between? You know, that bit that’s full of self-doubt, endless repetition and feelings of being out of your comfort zone? We call it ‘The Lonely Middle’ and it’s one of the hardest parts of creating a successful business. We know, we’ve been there. So, we created The Lonely Middle Club to help you through it. Each month you get exclusive content to help give you the knowledge and inspiration to succeed. Plus, you get access to a private members-only Facebook group where you can get advice and network with small business owners who are going through similar challenges to you. If you want even more, you can download our 51 worksheets, guides, and journals all designed to do one thing, and one thing only… help you get through ‘The Lonely Middle’ and achieve your business goals. Visit our website today to join the club and benefit from our members price lock and full no questions asked money-back guarantee.
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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