Useful Start-up Information
There are a lot of things to think about when
starting and running a business. Useful information on a range of
relevant topics is shown below.
Please Note: The Prince's Trust cannot take
any responsibility and makes no warranties, representations or
undertakings about the content of any website accessed by hypertext
link and links should not be taken as an endorsement of any kind.
The Prince's Trust has no control over the availability of the
linked pages.
The Prince’s Trust has published its first business start-up
guide, "Make it Happen: The Prince’s Trust Guide to Starting your
own Business". The book captures some of The Trust’s 27 year
experience of supporting young people to start their own
businesses. It is a practical and accessible guide that
provides advice on everything from defining your business idea to
writing a business plan.
Start Up Donut
A wealth of information, written in bite-sized chunks, to help
explain everything you need to know in the critical pre-start and
early trading phases. All the key areas are included – validating
the business idea, business planning, finance and tax issues,
premises and law, sales and marketing, employing people and
managing IT. And if you want to explore more areas you can access
the other Donuts, IT, Marketing and Law from the homepage. Access
it here - http://www.startupdonut.co.uk/
Health and Safety
The Health and Safety Executive provide lots of useful
information and free leaflets on their website www.hse.gov.uk. One
of the most relevant leaflets is an introduction to health and
safety in small businesses, you can access it
here.
HMRC
You must register as self employed with HMRC (HM Revenue
and Customs) within three months of starting your
business. Information on registering, plus lots of other useful
information relating to topics below can be found on their
website www.hmrc.gov.uk
- Self assessment tax returns
- VAT
- National Insurance
HMRC also offer lots of free workshops on topics such as:
- Becoming self employed
- Taking on your first employee
These can be
booked here
Horsesmouth is a social network for informal mentoring, where
you can give and gain advice on lots of different topics -
business, relationships, health, beliefs and many more. You can
search for a mentor, be a mentor, or simply browse the
inspirational profiles and stories on the site. It's safe and it's
free.
The Small Business Journey, created and endorsed by the Small
Business Consortium helps small businesses to benefit through
behaving responsibly. You can read up on business principles
like:
- Creating a sustainable business
- Making your business green
- Embracing equality and diversity
Lots of other useful information and guidance can be found
on their website as well
as tips on where to go for further advice in your region.
If you’re thinking of setting up a Social Enterprise or just
want to find out more about what being a Social Enterprise means,
this website can
tell you more about the business model, the benefits of being a
Social Enterprise and where to go for support, advice and
events.
Understanding Credit Scores
Credit scores can be confusing to understand but they are very
important when you are trying to access start up funding. We have
produced this
factsheet to help you understand what they are, how they are
calculated and how you can try to improve your score.
Citizens Advice Bureau
Citizen's Advice Bureau provides benefits, debt and employment
advice in British Sign Language which can be found on
their
website.