Growth & Strategy

Business Planning

Business planning checklist

Checklist covering all the pre-trading planning steps from validating your idea through to registering your business.

Choose a business model

Understand the main business models and choose the right one for your skills, market, and financial situation.

Understand your competition

Learn how to research and analyse your competitors to identify market opportunities, set competitive prices, and position your business effectively.

Start a product-based business

Sector-agnostic guide to starting a product business covering sourcing, stock management, storage, packaging, labelling, product safety, and pricing.

Test your business idea

Validate your business concept through market research, competitor analysis, and customer testing before you invest time and money.

Conduct business research

How to research a business opportunity, market, or acquisition target using free and paid sources to make informed decisions before committing capital.

Start a service-based business

Sector-agnostic guide to starting a service business covering qualifications, insurance, client contracts, pricing models, and capacity planning.

Build a minimum viable product (MVP)

Create the simplest version of your product or service to test whether customers will pay for it before you invest significant time and money.

Export market research and selection

How to research overseas markets, assess demand, understand competition, and evaluate market entry costs.

Write a business plan

Step-by-step guide to writing a business plan that will help you secure funding and stay focused.

Define your business proposition

How to articulate what your business does, who it serves, and why it is different from competitors.

Marketing

Email marketing: PECR and UK GDPR requirements

How to send compliant marketing emails under PECR and UK GDPR. Covers consent requirements, the soft opt-in exception for existing customers, unsubscribe mechanisms, B2B marketing rules, and the increased penalties from 5 February 2026.

Electronic marketing rules (PECR)

How to comply with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 when sending marketing emails, texts, and making marketing calls. Covers consent requirements, the soft opt-in exception for existing customers, telephone preference screening, and ICO enforcement powers.

Identify your intellectual property

Discover what intellectual property your business owns, from brand names and creative content to inventions and designs. Understanding your IP assets is the first step to protecting them.

Develop your brand identity

How to create a professional brand identity that builds customer trust and business value. Includes guidance on core brand elements, working with designers, copyright ownership, and protecting your brand.

Secure web domains for your business

How to choose, register, and protect your business domain names. Includes guidance on domain extensions, defensive registrations, dispute resolution, and connecting domains to trademark protection.

Marketing and advertising law

Legal requirements for promoting your business.

Social media for business

Advertising rules for promoting your business on social media.

Innovation

Protect your intellectual property

How to identify, protect, and enforce your intellectual property rights. Includes guidance on trademarks, patents, copyright, and design rights.

Apply for innovation funding

Access Innovate UK grants and competitions for research, development, and game-changing technologies.

Business Change

Competition law compliance for UK businesses

How to comply with UK competition law and avoid breaches of the Competition Act 1998. Covers the Chapter I and Chapter II prohibitions, cartel offences, CMA enforcement powers, penalties of up to 10% of worldwide turnover, director disqualification, and the leniency programme for whistleblowers.

Financial Difficulties

Director disqualification - what you need to know

How company directors can be disqualified under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986, the grounds for disqualification (sections 2-10), disqualification periods from 2 to 15 years, and the serious consequences of acting while disqualified.

Check before appointing company directors

How to verify a person is eligible to be a company director before you appoint them. Covers the disqualified directors register, bankruptcy restrictions, sanctions checks, and other legal eligibility requirements.

Exit & Succession

Keep business records after closing

Record retention requirements that continue after your business closes. Covers how long to keep tax records, employment documents, contracts, and company accounts after ceasing trade, with penalties for non-compliance.

Close a solvent company using Members' Voluntary Liquidation

How to close a profitable limited company using Members' Voluntary Liquidation (MVL) to distribute remaining assets to shareholders with tax-efficient capital treatment. Covers the declaration of solvency, liquidator appointment, tax implications, and when MVL is better than strike-off.