Business rates help and guidance
Guide
Develop your business idea
Researching your market (video)
This video outlines how to conduct market research to understand if people will buy your product or service.
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Starting a business
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Before you start your business
Start your business
- Local support for start-ups
- Choose your business structure
- Name your business
- Find money to start your business
- Business planning
- Choose and set up your workplace
- Family business
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Running your start-up business
- Manage business finances
- Understand Tax and VAT when self-employed
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Grow your start-up business
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Finance
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Find local finance
Raising finance
- Choose the right finance options
- Borrowing finance for your business
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- How to attract investment
Managing finance
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Taxes
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Business tax
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Keeping records for business
Excise duties
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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
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- 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
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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
- 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
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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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Innovation and R&D
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Product and service development
Design and business innovation
Intellectual property
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Sales and marketing
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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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IT basics
Software and technology solutions
Getting online
Security and data protection
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Exporting and importing
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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
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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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