New business support

Get your business idea off the ground

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Business planning

Your approach

Market research

Plan (and plan some more)

A business plan is where you’ll put your strategies, sales figures and forecasts. It’s what most banks and investors want to see if you’re looking for investment. You can also use it to think about how you’d cope with any business disruption (hello, 2020) and plan for whatever the future might hold.

Business planning tips

Write and put together your business plan in six easy-to-follow steps. It’ll form the foundations of your business future, and you’ll be ready if any opportunities come your way.

Write your business plan

Coping with business disruption

What can you do to make your business more resilient at times where you have no control? Our toolkit helps you understand resilience and how it works for you and your business.

Build a stronger business (PDF, 313kB)

Your business, your way

You are the greatest asset to your business. From the start, you’ll need to think about your approach to running your business and what support you might need to make it happen.

Think like an entrepreneur

Developing how you think and behave are important to the success of your business. Our tips for a business mindset could help you and your business to grow.

Set your business mindset

Join our online community

Our Business Builder programme can give you the confidence to take your business further. There’s free online events and learning modules to discover.

Help from Business Builder

Research the market

A little market research can help you define your business goals, look at your competitors and see what they’re doing well, and work out your markets too. It’s easier to do than you think.

Market research

Good research gives you results that can focus your business. It can even help you with your products, or to find new customers or markets.

Read about consumer trends

Location, location...

Every business needs a base – read our hints and tips for everything premises-related that you might (and might not) have thought of.

Put yourself in the best place

Green initiatives for business

Adopting green practices is crucial in tackling climate change, and it could also help your business be more efficient and gain positive recognition from customers and investors.

Steps you can take

Setting up your business

Find out about all the important legal aspects of starting a new business, and how to manage your business finances.

Set up for success