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How to Start a Business in York

Free start-up resources and useful local contacts.

Improve your chances of success!

How to Start a Business in York

Starting a business in York

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

Start Your Own Business in York 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 York

Local help for startups

There is plenty of help for startups in York but where can it be found?

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Local partners

We are happy to promote anyone who is prepared to offer friendly support to local start-ups.

Our local partners have been kind enough to help us and are keen to help you too.

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!

Latest articles

You don't know what you don't know!

The prospect of starting a new business can be incredibly exciting but should be approached with care. You have probably heard scary stories about how many start-ups fail in the early stages. You can make sure that you are not one of them by learning as much as possible before you launch. Over the years, we have collected lots of articles which will show you what has worked well for other start-ups and the putfalls to avoid.

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 York

Key Contacts in York

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

York 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.

Funding

Wattsford Commercial Finance
Wattsford Commercial Finance is an Independent Specialist Consultancy, providing Commercial Finance and Business support to clients throughout the whole of the UK who wish to access finance and funding to grow their business. Whether your business is well established or a new start we can help you with Commercial Mortgages, Property Development Finance, Business Loans,Short Term ‘Bridging’ Finance, Factoring, Equipment Leasing and advice on Grant Funding and how to secure funds via the Government Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme (EFGS). Wattsford Commercial Finance are genuinely independent, wholly impartial and offer straightforward honest advice, given freely and without obligation. Through our established Lender Partner Network we manage senior level relationships with over 250 alternative lenders’ and offer our clients a true whole of market proposition. Our lending and funding partners rely on us to introduce new and well qualified business opportunities for underwriting approval. These include High Street Banks, Merchant and Challenger Banks, Private Funding Groups, Investment Trusts and high net worth Personal Investors who are all keen to lend on the right proposition. When your own Bank has been unable to offer the finance or at the terms you need, then Contact Us. We will quickly assess all the available options for you and do everything possible to find a workable and affordable business solution, tailored for your business. Time and again we prove to our clients that we can secure funding where others fail and in the majority of cases our advice and support will save you significant amounts of money over the course of the loan. The vast majority of specialist lenders in the current marketplace only accept qualified and packaged mortgage and loan proposals from Specialist Brokers who are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority such as ourselves.
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Advice

Make It York for Business
At Make It York we are committed to finding you the right support to help your company start up, grow or locate in York. We offer start-ups, growing, established, and relocating businesses access to a wealth of information, advice and support, including start up and growth, access to finance and funding, skills and training, property search, international trade and much more. Starting-up? Launching your own business requires careful planning, research and preparation. There are a multitude of websites, organisations and businesses out there to lend a helping hand but navigating them can prove difficult. We can help you identify the help you need and make introductions to the right people to get you started. Make us the first people you talk to for business advice across the city of York. For more information go to www.yorkmeansbusiness.co.uk – email business@makeityork.com – or call on 01904 554400
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Web design

Liam Pedley Design
Expert web design and results-driven digital marketing across Yorkshire. Expand your online audience through responsive website design, content marketing, SEO, PPC and digital design. All tailored to your business and delivered through an honest and personal service.
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Web design

HarryAdney Internet Services
Reliable, professional and affordable web design, hosting and domain name registration. We have a package to suit every budget - if nothing seems to fit, just get in touch and well build a personalised package just for you! Our infrastructure uses fast SSD to make your website display faster on Dell and Cisco hardware. 99.99% Uptime Dell & CISCO Hardware OnApp Cloud-Powered UK Hosted servers Daily Backups Firewall Security Protection SSD-Powered Packages from
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Coaching

Developing Business Excellence Limited
We provide discerning businesses and individuals with bespoke, values-based, person-centred, and cost-effective solutions through consultancy, coaching and mentoring. We promote an atmosphere of trust, mutual respect, authentic leadership, accountability, and good humour in order to enable others to succeed. 1. We are more experienced, better qualified, better educated, and better regulated than most other SMEs in York. 2. Our business offer is available to view on line at www.developinbgbusinessexcellence.co.uk, from where you can also access our latest feedback. 3. We offer a bespoke garden office for confidential, unbiased consultations, in a safe and non-threatening environment. 4. If, after conducting our virtual free Suitability Assessment, we fail to convince you of our person-centred, values-based, and authentic approach, you will have a much clearer understanding of your requirement. Please give us a call today.
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Advice

Business Starts North East and Yorkshire
Business Starts provide a well-qualified and accredited business advisor to business owners who want to start, grow, access funding, manage projects and plan for success. Some of our programmes are government backed and structured, others are independent, flexible and tailored to you. Business Starts will not only help you access funding but will help you use and manage if for the best interests for your business. Based in Birtley and Northallerton, we work with local clients across the North East and North Yorkshire, including Durham, Darlington, Northallerton, Hartlepool, Peterlee, Saltburn, Redcar, Thirsk, Bedale, Catterick and Harrogate. We also work on government funded programmes across England, Scotland and Wales.
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Property

Bradley Mason LLP
Bradley-Mason LLP are an experienced team of commercial property surveyors operating across all areas of the UK, offering a wealth of specialist building consultancy and project management skills for commercial property transactions and building projects. Visit the website for full details of our services and get in touch to find out how we can help.
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Accountancy

Inglis Chartered Accountants
Inglis Chartered Accountants are a proactive, professional and practical firm of accountants based in York. We specialise in taking the pain of numbers away.
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Advice

Harrogate Business Advisors
Harrogate Business Advisors aim is to help small to medium size companies to increase their sales and increase their profit. They are among the best at what they do - being a friend and trusted advisor, working side by side with business owners. They can provide all the hlpe you need to start your own business.
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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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Online Marketing

Marketing Dynamo
Im Diane, I live in between York and Selby. I am a business owner and I love to help other local business owners to promote their businesses online and increase sales. I know what its like to juggle demanding roles of business and personal life and still get out there and promote your business. I have worked in on-line business development and social media management since 2006, I have tried and tested, failed and succeeded and I know which strategy will work for you and your business. I have the answers to your questions about how to get your business found online and how to get your customers and clients to buy your products and services. I have a no-nonsense approach and Im passionate about helping local businesses to succeed and thrive.
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Education

First Aid & Safety Training
First Aid and Safety Training provides high quality and regulated First Aid, Mental Health First Aid and Health & Safety Training Courses at your place of work or an external venue. With over 20 years experience in education and training, we deliver regulated courses to HSE standards in First Aid, Mental Health and Health & Safety, including mini Medics for children. First Aid and Safety Training offers a comprehensive catalogue of qualifications, which are accredited by OFQUAL and regulated by First Aid Awards Ltd (FAA) or we can tailor bespoke training courses to suit your specific requirements or environment. We pride in delivering high quality training in a professional and supportive environment. We are passionate about these courses and the impact that an awareness of these subjects can have upon people in their everyday lives.
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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