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How to Start a Business in Swindon Bc

Free start-up resources and useful local contacts.

Improve your chances of success!

How to Start a Business in Swindon Bc

Starting a business in Swindon BC

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

Start Your Own Business in Swindon Bc 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 Swindon BC

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 Swindon Bc

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 Swindon Bc and Business Mentors in Swindon Bc.

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: Swindon Bc 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 Swindon Bc 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: Swindon Bc 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 Swindon BC

Key Contacts in Swindon Bc

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

Swindon Bc 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

Work Wiltshire
Visit our one-stop website, containing a huge amount of education, employment, training and apprenticeship information
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Advice

Wiltshire County Council
Wiltshire county Councils website contains a section dedicated to business advice and support. Here youi will find information about business raters, health & safety, licenses and permits, CSE, trading standards, commercial waste, food safety, economic, DBS. There are also links to relevant support organisations and sources of business funding. It is run by the Economic Regeneration. Economy Regeneration Wiltshire Council County Hall Trowbridge Wiltshire BA14 8JD
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Networking

Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce - Swindon
The aim of the Swindon Chamber Council is to set down the key issues of concern to members and to outline the Chamber’s plan to lead, debate and action change. We aim to ensure that Swindon remains a sustainable environment for businesses and continues to be one of the most productive towns in the United Kingdom. This will be achieved by creating a partnership with large and small businesses, local government, all sectors of the community and the education sector. These partnerships support the commercial growth of the town and the economic improvement of all sectors of the community. Swindon Chamber of Commerce Old Bank House 5 Devizes Road Old Town Swindon SN1 4BJ
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Advice

The Enterprise Network
The Enterprise Network (TEN), a £5.2m initiative led by Wiltshire Council with Government and EU funding, is nurturing new and growing small and micro businesses in Swindon and Wiltshire by supporting them right from the first ‘light bulb’ moment.
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Advice

Swindon & Wiltshire Growth Hub
The Growth Hub is an exciting new online community developed exclusively for the businesses of Swindon and Wiltshire. The Hub directs you to a wide range of impartial business support and advice, as well as providing valuable insights, access to events, specialist programmes and funding to help your business thrive. The Swindon and Wiltshire Growth Hub provides you with a single gateway through which to access support, whether you are starting, running or growing your business. Using the Growth Hub you can find direct support from our telephone helpline or arrange a face-to-face meeting with an experienced and impartial Business Adviser. Their business support helpline number is 01225 402096
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Advice

Starting a Business in Swindon
You can visit this page on the Swindon.gov.uk website tlo find details of local support and advice, licenses and permiotys, planning permission, business rates, business waste and recycling, employing staff, selling to the council, tax and national insurance, business support service
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Marketing

SouthWest Business
A good place to keep up to date with business news for Swindon and Wiltshire. They have a free newsletter and opportiunities to advertise your business.
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Advice

Starting Up - Swindon & Wiltshire LEP Growth Hub
A great start-up resource which includes: * An introduction to Business Regulations and Starting Up * Business Opportunity Factsheets * Choosing the Right Legal Structure * Selling Goods Online * Starting a Business in Wiltshire * Talent for Wiltshire Employers * Start Up Resouirces
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Property

Rombourne-Swindon
Rombournes serviced offices at Swindon’s Kingston House are conveniently located on the Lydiard Fields Business Park next to junction 16 of the M4. Offering immediate access to the Thames Valley corridor, this is a superb location for businesses needing easy access to London, South Wales, Oxford, Bristol, Bath & Cheltenham. Our modern and contemporary air conditioned offices come fully furnished with flexible IT solutions including high speed broadband and leased line options. Three impressive meeting rooms are available as well as a breakout area which can be enjoyed by all of our clients. A professional reception team will greet your guests and answer your incoming calls and onsite car-parking is included with all rental agreements. Kingston House Lydiard Fields, Swindon SN5 8UB
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Advice

Inspire
Inspire is the trading name for the Wessex Chambers of Commerce, a not for profit organisation representing SME businesses across every sector of the local economy. Our mission is to inspire, motivate, inform and support businesses throughout their life cycle, from Start up, to growing enterprises and right up to our large corporate success stories. We are funded from our partner and member subscriptions and from service contracts with the Department for Business Communities and Local Government. There are a number of ways in which your business can engage with us. We offer a range of business services from discounted or free products and networking opportunities through LEGACY MEMBERSHIP, as well as our CLIENTS. There are also opportunities to join us as PARTNERS to work with us on delivering the above to the business community. Our experienced team come from diverse and varied business backgrounds and, between them, have a wealth of knowledge and expertise together with an enviable hub of contacts to put at the disposal of your business. Whats more, our services are heavily subsidised, confidential and impartial.
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Networking

WiltsHour
Welcome to the directory website of the #WiltsHour - a free weekly networking event for Wiltshire businesses held on Twitter every Monday evening from 8-9pm. Bulldog Websites founded and sponsor the #WiltsHour and WiltsHour.co.uk to offer local free marketing to local businesses, helping you to promote your Wiltshire business and gain new followers and friends. This is a great new networking event - take part from the comfort of your sofa after a hard days work. Come along and join us - simply tweet about your business, new products, offers, or just say hi! using the hashtag #WiltsHour and well do the rest!
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Grants

SWEF Business Grants
Are you 18 -30 and self employed, running a business or thinking of starting one? Wiltshire Community Foundation is working in partnership with the SWEF to provide grants of 2,000 to young people in Wiltshire and Swindon who are, self-employed, running a business or thinking of starting one in the next 6 months. As part of the programme there is the opportunity to join a network of peers who are also in the early stage of starting their business to share ideas, experiences and learn. To be eligible to apply individuals need to be: aged 18 to 30 living in Wiltshire or Swindon planning to start their business within the next 6 months or if they are already running one have been trading for no more than 2 years. Grants can be used towards capital items and running costs such as stock, equipment or materials, rent or business-related bills Our application process is simple and straightforward, and many previous applicants have told us that it helped sharpen their business plans and gave them the confidence to succeed. For further details and to apply visit our website www.wiltshirecf.org.uk/grants-and-support/individuals/south-west-enterprise-fund/ If you have any further questions please contact us on 01380 738985.
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Advice

Business West
Starting a business is a rewarding, challenging experience. But its one that you don’t have to face alone. Whether you’ve got a business idea that you would like to explore further, or you’ve been trading for up to a year, we can help you gain the advice, knowledge and funding needed to improve your chances of success. From one-to-one support, to workshops, to helping you apply for a start-up loan, we are here to help.
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Networking

Wiltshire Chamber of Commerce
Wiltshire Chamber of Commerce connects businesses from across the county and works in partnership with charities, the public sector and Government to help your grow your business and stimulate local economic growth. Under the directorship of Ian Larrard, who is also Director of the Swindon Initiative, Governor of Swindon College and Chair of Swindon BID, Wiltshire’s businesses are brought together to collaborate and profit from sharing knowledge, goods and services. Wiltshire Chamber members enjoy a number of benefits including: * Raise your profile online, in the press and among your peers * Opportunities to find new business and advance your sales pipeline * Network with experienced and influential business leaders in the local area and beyond * Have your views represented at a local and national level to decision makers who listen * Gain preferential access to training, advice and support services to help your business grow Plus, as part of Business West, Wiltshire Chamber provides a local access point to government funding, business services and support, as well as other business opportunities available via your fellow members.
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Accountancy

AMS Accountancy Ltd
We are a firm of Chartered Accountants based in Swindon. We work with all small and new businesses in the local area and with Freelance Contractors throughout the UK. We are approachable and technically up to date so you can rely on us for good practical advice that is jargon free. Good luck with your business and we hope to meet you.
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Co-Working

Wood Street Cowork
Wood Street Cowork provide flexible coworking space in Swindon, Wiltshire
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Online Marketing

Enterprise Online Marketing Solutions
In todays connected world Digital Marketing and the World Wide Web forms an essential part of business marketing. You need to be easy to find in all the places that your existing and potential customers are likely to visit and make sure that you are professionally representing your business. You want more sales, more leads, phone calls and enquiries, more newsletter subscriptions andor more downloads! To achieve these ambitions, you need an effective website, effective Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) to make sure that you appear in Google, Bing and Yahoo search results as well as an active presence on all the Social Media sites that your clients are likely to be using Using a range of affordable and effective Digital Marketing I can ensure that your business is easy to find by your customers.
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Mentoring

Liift pitch deck design, coaching and mentoring consultancy.
Tony is a 30-year commercial veteran, international award-winning CEO and product designer, and the founder of Liift and Elevateyourpitch.co.uk. He founded Liift after a career in sales and as a leading UK coach, working with start-ups and scaling companies on their sales, business skills, IP and investor pitches. He noted a failing in the support available for these innovative businesses. Whilst there are many agencies offering great designs, or coaching, few places have the commercial sales and first-hand investor, CEO/director and sales pitch experience to blend into an effectively communicated sales presentation or pitch deck. With their in-house design team and Tony's three decades of business acumen, you are in safe hands at Liift. Whilst they focus on investor pitching, they also offer bespoke quotes on request for UK leading mentoring and coaching services. Contact them through their site for more information and to obtain a quote. Tony worked in Swindon for YTKO and Outset supporting Swindon start ups and now also works as a Scale Up Director nationwide, on a flagship programme for Innovate UK. IUK are the UK governments lead on public funded high growth support to scaling technology companies with multi-million-pound turnovers. Through this and his consultancy work, Tony has nurtured many of the most innovative and disruptive technology companies in the world. He has also negotiated license and distribution deals with leading global brands and successfully pitched for grants and equity investment. As part of Liift's mentoring and design processes, they will require additional information, which will be discussed with you during your free consultation. They always adhere to GDPR and are happy to sign an NDA. Part of their role requires you sharing your intellectual property and businesses plans and financial data with them. They may also request images, artwork, prior decks, and an up-to-date business plan. They do not research or provide financial modelling or forecasting as part of their services. Please see their sites terms and conditions page for payment terms. They also have our incredibly talented in-house graphic design team. One of their designers has over twenty years of brand design, Logo design and commercial experience. They were founder of an award-winning manufacturing business, with products stocked in global chains and supermarkets. They also ran their own graphic design firm for a decade. A pitch that does not resonate with your audience is just noise! You can have innovative ideas and products, but if you can't deliver them in a way that connects with people and is understood, you won't get results. Understanding your audience and being understood by them is fundamentally important to effective communication and any start up or growing business. That is why at Liift your mentoring, coaching and pitch decks are delivered and designed by a team with hands on commercial experience! They believe getting to know you and the "WHY" behind your brand is key to supporting you in creating and presenting an incredible business to win you fresh sales or that all important investment! They are based in Bristol, but can work hybrid, either via Teams or face to face. Call the Liift team now on 0800 7797010 Or email Groundfloor@elevateyourpitch.co.uk Quote code SYOBLIIFT for a 15% discount on mentoring, coaching or pitch deck support.
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HR

Crafnant HR
When it comes to the challenges facing business owners, people management is one of the toughest. There’s such a variety of things to deal with: from recruitment through to grievances, training to employment law. And of course, there’s never enough time… Crafnant HR provides business owners with all the HR help and support they might need, including: * Employee contracts and handbook– avoid future problems by ensuring these are ethical, legal and clear. * HR policies and procedures – that are up to date and legal, with no nasty loopholes! * Sickness absence– supporting you in managing any sickness related issues. * Discipline and grievances– helping you resolve these potentially stressful issues using best practice and appropriate legal frameworks. * Updates– when there are changes to employment law that you need to know about. Why use us? Where possible, you will get the same consultant working with you who will get to know you, your staff and the particular HR challenges your practice faces. - We give you pragmatic and sensible advice. - We will walk with you through every step of the particular staffing challenge. - We are a friendly, approachable group of really experienced HR consultants who understand that budgets and resources are tight. Our hourly rates vary from £65 to £85 per hour plus vat depending on the type of HR advice that you are looking for. If you’ve struggled with any of these issues, or you have concerns going forwards, talk to our friendly team by ringing us on 07899 665506 or emailing us at support@crafnanthr.co.uk There’s no obligation, and we just might be the perfect solution.
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Web design

Swindon Web Development
Swindon Web Development excels at custom design and front end development. We love taking on challenging projects that require full-on content strategy, thoughtful design, demanding development, and ongoing marketing.
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Networking

Swindon & Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership
The Swindon & Wiltshire LEP has been formed to develop the economy of the sub-region. Its primary focus is to create wealth, jobs and new business opportunities by forging a meaningful partnership between the private and public sectors. Their initiatives will be driven by business through their engagement in the partnership.
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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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Coaching

MONKHOUSE & COMPANY
Monkhouse & Company are a team of UK-based business consultancy experts led by Scale Up founder Dom Monkhouse. Get in touch with them today to help your business grow consistently year on year.
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Networking

Swindon Womens Business Club
Connect over lunch with successful, authentic like-minded Swindon business women over a healthy lunch with our top class business talks that will leave you inspired and raring to go. If you are a home worker or a professional woman trapped in an office, you will find our Business Lunches a breath of fresh air. Our businesses lunches are designed to connect, support and empower entrepreneurs and executives locally in Swindon as well as through our national network giving you friendly, local support and connections as well as access to a wider national network of business contacts and opportunities.
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Networking

Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce Group
Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce Group represents the Swindon area and provides business information and advice, details of training courses, lobbying services and information on local trading and networking.
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Networking

Forward Swindon
The Forward Swindon Team drives initiatives that support Economic Growth in the Swindon area.
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Networking

Fore Business Swindon
“FORE” Business are delighted to welcome you to our Swindon Group which is hosted at the The Wiltshire, Royal Wootton Bassett, Swindon. The business networking event in Swindon has been established since April 2017 and business and friendship within the group is flourishing. If you would like to attend a “FORE” Business golf event at our Swindon Group, please click on the below link. We have members eagerly waiting to pass referrals and at the same time enjoy an amazing round of golf at The Wiltshire.
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Marketing

Total Swindon
You can help you make the most of all Swindon has to offer. On Total Swindon, you will find everything from jobs in Swindon, Restaurants, Sport and Events in Swindon.
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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