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The essential role that creating and using a business plan plays in starting a new business
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What you need to include in your business plan and how to create one step-by-step
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Guides
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Find guides by theme
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Starting a business
Starting a business homepage
Before you start
- Things to consider before starting your business
- Business opportunities
- Where to start your business in Northern Ireland
- Start-up support in Northern Ireland
Business planning
Forming your business
Running your start-up business
- Choose and set up your workplace
- Business sales and marketing
- IT and e-commerce for start-ups
- Use professional services
- Become an employer for the first time
- Protect your business ideas
- Mentoring and networks
Self-employed and tax
- Tax and National Insurance for self-employed or partners
- Understanding Corporation Tax
- Getting started with VAT
- Tax and payroll for employers
Go for growth
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Finance
Finance homepage
Find local finance
Raising finance
- Choose the right finance options
- Borrowing finance for your business
- Shares and equity finance
- Grants and government support
- How to attract investment
Managing finance
- Expert financial advice
- Financial planning and accounts
- Manage your cashflow
- Improve your cashflow and business performance
- Managing suppliers and payments
- Debt recovery
- Business banking
- Insurance
Financial difficulty
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Taxes
Taxes homepage
Business tax
- Self Assessment
- VAT
- National Insurance
- Corporation Tax
- Construction Industry Scheme
- Capital Gains Tax
- Stamp and property taxes
- Tax reliefs and allowances
- Tax help
Self-employed and tax
PAYE and payroll
Keeping records for business
Excise duties
Industry-specific taxes
Complying with European law
Contact or deal with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
Companies House returns, accounts and other responsibilities
- Starting a company or partnership
- Running a company or partnership
- Company registration for overseas and European companies
- Companies House annual returns and accounts
- Filing company information using Companies House WebFiling
- Companies House forms
- Find company information using Companies House WebCHeck
- Companies House complaints and appeals
Business changes
Selling, closing or restarting your business
Accountants and tax advisers
- Accountants and tax advisers - HMRC services and content
- Tax agent authorisation
- Online tax services for accountants and tax advisers
- Help and support for accountants and tax advisers
- News and communications for accountants and tax advisers
- Compliance checks for accountants and tax advisers
- Appeals and penalties for accountants and tax advisers
- Tax agents and advisers forms, manuals and reference material
- Working with HMRC - joint initiatives
- Money Laundering Regulations
- Business tax
- Self-employed and tax
- PAYE and payroll
- Keeping records for business
- Excise duties
- Industry-specific taxes
- Complying with European law
- Contact or deal with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
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Companies House returns, accounts and other responsibilities
- Starting a company or partnership
- Running a company or partnership
- Company registration for overseas and European companies
- Companies House annual returns and accounts
- Filing company information using Companies House WebFiling
- Companies House forms
- Find company information using Companies House WebCHeck
- Companies House complaints and appeals
- Business changes
- Selling, closing or restarting your business
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Accountants and tax advisers
- Accountants and tax advisers - HMRC services and content
- Tax agent authorisation
- Online tax services for accountants and tax advisers
- Help and support for accountants and tax advisers
- News and communications for accountants and tax advisers
- Compliance checks for accountants and tax advisers
- Appeals and penalties for accountants and tax advisers
- Tax agents and advisers forms, manuals and reference material
- Working with HMRC - joint initiatives
- Money Laundering Regulations
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Employment and skills
Employment and skills homepage
Recruitment
- Advertise a job
- Taking on staff
- Contract types and employer responsibilities
- Employment checks
- Employment agencies
Employment documents and policies
Pay, pensions and minimum wage
Manage people
- Brexit support for employers
- Working time
- Engaging with staff
- Staff health and wellbeing
- Staff motivation
- Equality and diversity
- Redundancy, restructures and change
- Trade unions
Holidays, statutory leave and time off
Performance, training and development
Resolve conflict and staff leaving
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Health and safety
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Efficiency and environment
Efficiency and environment homepage
Environmental action to improve your business
- Environmental obligations and support
- Environmental performance of your business
- Environmental business tax benefits
Reduce, reuse, recycle your business waste
- Reducing business waste
- Reuse and recycle business waste
- Preventing pollution
- Hazardous substances and waste
Resource efficiency
- Saving energy and cutting costs
- Saving water and cutting costs
- Process and resource efficiency
- Packaging and the environment
Reducing your environmental impact
- Generating energy for your business
- Carbon emissions and climate change
- Business transport and the environment
Environmental guidance by business sector
- Chemical industry
- Construction and building trades
- Electrical and electronic equipment manufacturing
- Engineering and metalworking
- Food and drink production
- Furniture manufacturing
- Metal production and processing
- Offices, retail and hospitality
- Paper and cardboard manufacturing
- Printing industry
- Waste and recycling industry
- Environmental action to improve your business
- Reduce, reuse, recycle your business waste
- Resource efficiency
- Reducing your environmental impact
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Environmental guidance by business sector
- Chemical industry
- Construction and building trades
- Electrical and electronic equipment manufacturing
- Engineering and metalworking
- Food and drink production
- Furniture manufacturing
- Metal production and processing
- Offices, retail and hospitality
- Paper and cardboard manufacturing
- Printing industry
- Waste and recycling industry
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Business premises and rates
Business premises and rates homepage
Choosing the right business property
- Choosing business property
- Buy business property
- Rent business property
- Use your home as a workplace
Rates for non-domestic properties
Property management and costs
- Security, fire and flood protection for business property
- Insurance for business property
- Tax breaks and finance for business property
Adapting and improving your property
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Choosing the right premises
- Commercial property finder
- Choosing business property
- Renting business premises
- Commercial property: landlord and tenant responsibilities
- Business leases: renewing and ending
- Use your home as a workplace
- Buying business property
- Commercial mortgages and lenders
- Access and facilities for disabled people
- Tax breaks and finance for your business
- Protecting your premises
- Insure your premises
- Managing property
- Improving energy performance
- Rates for business properties
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Innovation and R&D
Innovation and R&D homepage
Product and service development
Design and business innovation
Intellectual property
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Sales and marketing
Sales and marketing homepage
Marketing your business
- Market strategy and planning
- Traditional marketing
- Digital marketing
- Social media
- Branding and design
Know your customers
Maximise your sales
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IT
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Exporting and importing
Exporting and importing homepage
Basics of importing and exporting
- Tool: Get export ready
- Importing and exporting basics
- Tax and international trade
- Starting out in international trade
Choosing a market
Procedures and licences
- Authorised Economic Operators (AEOs)
- Export Control Organisation
- Classifying your goods
- Importing controlled goods
- Import and export procedures
- Customs IT systems
Sector overviews and regulations
Moving your goods
- Transport options for moving your goods
- Taking lorries abroad
- Transporting dangerous goods
- Freight forwarding
Customs declarations
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Grow your business
Grow your business homepage
Prepare for growth
Strategies for growth
- Growth through product and service development
- Growth through sales
- Growth through technology
- Growth through strategic sourcing
- Growth through strategic partnering
- Growth through international trade
- Tendering for contracts
Finance and logistics
Managing growth
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Buy or sell a business
Buy or sell a business homepage
Acquiring a business
Selling your business
- Considering selling a business
- Selling your business
- Floating on the stock market
- Capital Gains Tax when selling your business
Exiting and transferring your business
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Starting a business
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