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Considering starting a business
Guidance to help you decide if you have the right business idea and importantly if you have what it takes to start and run a business
Find money to start your business
Guides to help you through the tricky issues of finding and securing finance to start up your business
Trade with other countries
Guides on exporting and importing when starting up a business and the support available for trading internationally
IT for start-ups
Guides on how to integrate the right IT systems and infrastructure to help your business through the startup phase
Selling or closing your business
Guidance on how to go about selling or closing your business including company strike-off and dissolving a company
Paying HMRC
Guidance for Northern Ireland businesses on how to pay HMRC using various payment methods for specific taxes
Making changes to your business
Guidance on making changes to your business including how to report changes to HMRC and Companies House
Understand Tax and VAT when self-employed
Guides which can help ensure you understand your responsibilities when it comes to tax and VAT for your startup business
Manage business finances
Guides on why managing finance is an important part of starting and running your business
Family business
Understand the benefits and issues that affect family-run businesses, employing family members or financing from friends and family
Start-up business ideas
Guides and tools to help you find and develop ideas for ways to start up your own business in Northern Ireland
Hire professional services
Guides on how and why to hire professional service providers to help your business in the startup phase
Business planning
Guides on how to create a business plan for your startup and how business plans can be useful at different stages of your business
Record-keeping
Guidance on record-keeping for businesses including how to set up a basic system and free templates
Claim VAT refunds in Northern Ireland or the EU, if you’re established in Northern Ireland or in the EU
How Northern Ireland and EU businesses can claim refunds of VAT incurred on goods in the EU and Northern Ireland using the EU VAT refund system.
If you cannot pay your tax bill on time
You must arrange to pay your tax bill with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) if you either miss a payment or know you cannot pay on time
Starting a business - find a case study
A range of case studies from local entrepreneurs who have started successful businesses
Business premises and rates - find a case study
Insight into how real businesses deal with premises and property issues on a practical level
Sales and marketing - find a case study
Examples of businesses in Northern Ireland who have overcome sales and marketing challenges
Starting my business from home - Angels and Butterflies Jewellery Designs (video)
Debbie Todd, owner of Angels and Butterflies Jewellery Designs, discusses how she started her business from home