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Start up business ideas

For a successful business, you need a viable business idea, the skills to make it work and the funding. Discover whether your idea has what it takes.

Set up a business

Forming your business correctly is essential to ensure you are protected and you comply with the rules. Learn how to set up your business.

Skills and wellbeing

Advice on protecting your wellbeing, self-confidence and mental health from the pressures of starting and running a business.

Business planning

Learn why business planning is an essential exercise if your business is to start and grow successfully, attract funding or target new markets.

Start up funding

It is likely you will need funding to start your business unless you have your own money. Discover some of the main sources of start up funding.

Tax and National Insurance

Businesses and individuals must account for and pay various taxes. Understand your tax obligations and how to file, account and pay any taxes you owe.

Business law

Businesses are required to comply with a wide range of business laws. We introduce the main rules and regulations you must comply with.

Sales and marketing

Marketing matters. It drives sales and helps promote your brand and products. Discover how to market your business and reach your target customers.

Business premises

Some businesses need a high street location whilst others can be run from home. Understand the key factors from cost to location, size to security.

Employees

Your employees can your biggest asset. They can also be your biggest challenge. We explain how to recruitment and manage staff successfully.

Business IT

It is likely your business could not function without some form of IT. Learn how to specify, buy, maintain and secure your business IT.

Grow your business

Few businesses manage the leap from start up to high-growth business. Learn what it takes to scale up and take your business to the next level.

Sales and marketing

Marketing matters. It drives sales and helps promote your brand and products. Discover how to market your business and reach your target customers.

Resource topics

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Preparing your sales pitch - checklist

Selling can be intimidating, but our useful checklist will help your prepare a sales pitch that will persuade the customer, overcome objections and close the sale.

Essential guide to negotiating

How to plan your negotiating strategy, conduct a successful negotiation with customers and suppliers and get great deals for your business

Negotiating a sale - checklist

We're not all natural-born salespeople, so we share some simple steps that can help you negotiate better sales.

Q&A: Sales technique

It takes skill, but training, practice and experience can help anyone get better at selling. Andrew Milbourn, sales director of Kiss the Fish, explains.

Q&A: Selling the benefits and dealing with objections

If all you do when selling is list a product's features, you'll bore potential buyers and you're unlikely to get the sale. Try this approach instead.

Essential guide to pricing

Pricing guide: how to get your pricing strategy right to maximise profits, boost sales, keep prices competitive and protect your margins.

How to price goods and services: ten FAQs

Need-to-know answers to ten questions frequently asked by small-business owners when they need to set prices for their products or services.

Essential guide to building customer loyalty

How to improve customer service and build customer loyalty to boost sales and encourage word of mouth recommendation.

Handling customer complaints - checklist

A clear complaints-handling procedure enables you to resolve issues and maintain a positive relationship with customers. Use our checklist to better manage customers' complaints.

How I attract and retain customers

Ross Campbell of the Exercise Club in Clifton, Bristol, explains how he improved his business to attract customers and keep them coming back for more.

Setting up a website - checklist

So you've decided you need a website. Before you go bowling in, following these steps can help ensure you get your site right first time.

Managing your online presence - checklist

The internet undoubtedly brings a wealth of business benefits. But it also poses risks. This checklist explains how to get the most from the internet.

Choosing a domain name

Building a website is an important way to promote your company and sell to a wider audience. Your domain name is how people locate your site.

Sell more to your website customers

Getting people to visit your website is only half the battle. Chris Barling provides tips on how to sell more to customers once they're on your site.