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Starting a new business
Where can I find business opportunities within the area?
Setting up a new business can be a harrowing experience and expert advice can be difficult to find and expensive.
North Herts has a high rate of business starts and wants to maintain the level enabling a thriving economy to be sustained. A Business Plan is essential for your new business. It is an important document when you are looking to raise finance, whether it is a bank loan or overdraft or funding from potential investors. The Business Plan will explain your business and help people to understand your vision for the future.
We have links to organisations which can help you through this formative period often for free. In addition we have shown a number of web links to other organisations which can provide the types of service, advice and support you will need to make a success of your venture.
- SBI Provides a whole range of business advice for the local community
- Business Link A range of free business development services are available in the area from Busines Link. For more information on events taking place in the local area, please visit the Events Booking website. Business Link also produces a monthly newsletter, 'The Loop', which is available on their website.
- AGRE Support for local rural business
- Incredit Provides support and training for disadvantaged groups who face barriers to success. These include women, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and young people aged 16 - 30.
- Prime Support for the over 50's
- The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) The UK's largest organisation lobbying on behalf and working for small businesses. They offer many benefits to their members including legal protection, insurance services, discounts for banking, credits cards and factoring.
- Local contact: maree.atkinson@ntlworld.com, 01462 451124
- NWES Advance is a business loan fund available to new and existing businesses within the East of England. It exists to help those who are unable to access mainstream finance. For more information please contact NWES on Tel: 0845 491 8735 or Email: advance@nwes.org.uk
Where can I find business opportunities within the area?
To look for businesses for sale in the area you can look in the local press, or visit some of the many websites that deal with the sale of businesses. A small selection are below
Franchises
There are around 600 businesses in the UK that are franchised but what is franchising and would it be suitable for you?
It's a way of setting up in business for yourself but not on your own. With a franchise you run the business, but using methods that have been already tried and tested by another company, called the franchisor.
It is a way of being your own boss without many of the risk factors. However, you are ultimately answerable to the franchisor and this approach may not be for some people.
There are a large number of websites that deal with selling franchises a small number are listed below:
Can I get any financial support, grants or loans?
Various funding streams are available for business start ups.
Finding the appropriate grant can be difficult and guidance is provided by HERN the Hertfordshire External Resources Network.
This is available from www.hertsdirect.org/hern
New deal for people starting their own business
New Deal is a government initiative that offers help for people who want to set up and run their own business. Help with a business plan and a test trading period is available as well as a jobfinders grant. For more information visit the website www.newdeal.gov.uk/default.asp
What taxes will I have to pay?
The Inland Revenue have put information on their website especially for people starting up their own business www.hmrc.gov.uk/startingup/index.htm
There is also a help line run by the Inland Revenue for newly self employed people. Telephone 0845 9154 515, which is open 8am - 8pm.
Do I need planning permission?
Planning holds a balance between the need for new development and the need to protect the environment and tries to ensure all development is environmentally sustainable. Construction methods also need to comply with the Building Regulations for which there is a separate set of approvals. More information can be found on the Building Control page.
Working from home
You do not usually need planning permission just to work from home but sometimes you do. The key test is whether the residence has changed because of the business. If the answer to the following questions is "yes", then you probably need permission:
- Is your house no longer chiefly a private residence?
- Will your business result in a marked rise in traffic, people calling or working around or in out buildings?
- Will your business involve obvious activities not usual in a residential street?
- Will your business disturb your neighbours because of noise or smells?
Basically you need to ask yourself if the house is still mainly a home or has it become business premises? This is whatever the business, including using a room as an office, hairdressing, repairing cars, storing goods, using part of the house as a bedsit, running a "bed and breakfast", providing childminding or music teaching.
Will I need to pay business rates?
Business rates collected by North Hertfordshire District Council are the means by which businesses make a contribution towards the cost of local services. For further information visti our business rates pages.
