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Writing a business plan: 5 top tips
Five key steps that can help you to prepare a successful business plan when you're starting a business.
Support for protecting your ideas
Get professional help from intellectual property advisers, a patent attorney or a trade mark attorney to protect your intellectual property in an invention
Find manufacturers to build a prototype
Sources of information on product designers and manufacturers who can help you develop your invention
Support for product safety and testing
How to arrange product safety assessment, and where to find testing laboratories, services and product certification in the UK
Support for developing your ideas
Where to get help to develop new product ideas if you're looking to manufacture, market, sell or license your inventions
Start a business from home
Guidance and practical tips on starting a home-based business and local support to help establish your home business
Checklist: set up as a sole trader
A checklist of things you must do, and organisations you must make contact with, to set yourself up as a sole trader
Business plan: dos and don’ts
A list of things you must do when creating your business plan and things you don't want to do in order to avoid mistakes.
Business exit strategy: float your business on the stock market
Characteristics your business will need to attract venture capital investment or for a stock-market flotation.
Social enterprises as registered charities
Charitable purposes, features of charities, governing documents and registration
Starting a business
Guides, tools, videos, resources and support to help you turn your business idea into a startup business reality in Northern Ireland
Shares and shareholders
Working out shares, issuing shares and setting prescribed particulars for shareholders of your limited company
Memorandum and articles of association
You must have a memorandum and articles of association in order to register a limited company in the UK
Register for Corporation Tax
How to register for Corporation Tax including information you need to provide and how to get a Unique Taxpayer Reference
Company addresses
What types of addresses can be used as your registered company address including your home address or a PO Box
Appoint directors and a company secretary
Rules for appointing a company director and a company secretary and an overview of their legal responsibilities
Business exit strategy: close your business
Overview of the circumstances in which you may close your business and the practicalities of how to go about it.
Funding support for creative businesses
Sources of funding support for creative businesses in Northern Ireland.
IP rights: copyright
What is copyright, when does it apply, and how you can use it to protect your intellectual property
IP rights: trade marks
What are trade marks, and how to register trade marks to protect your brand, products or business