There are more than 310,000 retail businesses in the UK, which is 5.7% of all businesses, with SMEs accounting for more than 99% of them. Many UK retail businesses, especially those in the high street, have had a very tough time in recent years, having battled Covid and a record inflation-fuelled cost-of-living crisis that’s left consumers much more careful when it comes to spending their cash. So, is it still worth starting a small retail business and if so where do the best opportunities lie? Should you take on premises or stay strictly online? How do you set yourself apart and create a winn ..read more

In 2019, tired of their daily commutes and living for weekends, Charlie Low, then head of analytics for an adventure travel company, and design consultancy engineer Dale Comely decided to leave the nine-to-five behind by converting an old DHL delivery van into an off-grid mobile home, so they could live a simpler life and travel around Europe. They wrote a best-selling guide to converting vans into campervans, and launched their award-winning business, Nohma (at the time of recording called Climbingvan), which helps others with their campervan builds and provides an off-grid electrical system ..read more

The pros and cons of the main business formation options and how to legally register your new business. In this episode, we speak to expert Carl Reader, who talks through the main options for forming a business, how to register and the steps you need to take before reaching that point. He also touches on whether you need to register for VAT, business bank accounts and working with an accountant. Carl Reader is a serial entrepreneur, a trained accountant and author of business book, Boss It, which is currently in the WHSmith best-seller charts. He regularly appears as a small business tax and f ..read more

Dawn White battled eczema while growing up and when her own struggles showed just how sensitive human skin can be to normal detergents, she decided to do something about it. Dawn set out to create a detergent that was kinder to skin and contained no nasty chemicals. Soon she invented her own pioneering, eco-friendly detergent pellets, but they also needed a container so that they could be placed directly into washing machine drums, which is why her game-changing reusable Laundry Egg was also developed. In this new Start-Up Story, Dawn explains how she developed her products, started her busine ..read more

If you don’t have a well researched business plan, you may still be able to start and grow a reasonably successful business – but it may never achieve its full potential. To do that, you need goals and a successful strategy that enables you to achieve them. Essentially, that’s what a sound business plan offers you. So, what are the key components of a successful business plan, how do you use it to grow your business and what are the classic business plan mistakes you need to avoid? Nicola McKenzie, co-founder of AI-enabled business plan platform Venture Planner, provides the answers to these a ..read more

What does the future hold for small businesses in the UK in the next five to ten years? Which businesses are most likely to survive and succeed? How will customer wants and needs change and how might small businesses market their products and services to them? Will online sales continue to grow and is that likely to bring about the demise of the high street? What about managing, and, could AI actually be a good thing for small-business owners? Applied futurist, speaker, writer and consultant Tom Cheesewright, explains how the small-business world is likely to change in the next five to ten yea ..read more

Many new small independent retailers buy their stock wholesale, often from small suppliers, makers and craft businesses. It can really set you apart by providing you with high quality, exclusive stock that’s superior to the mass-produced options sold by others. But where do you find such suppliers and how do you negotiate good deals? Consultant and wholesale and retail expert Therese Oertenblad answers these key questions, while also providing tips for micro makers that want to sell their wares to small retail businesses.    Show notes for the episode can be found on the Start Y ..read more

The best start-up advice usually comes from the best-placed experts of all – those who’ve actually been there and done it. In this start-up story episode, we speak to Troy Johnson, co-founder of Sweet Dee's Jerk (Juici Jerk at the time of recording), award-winning Caribbean food brand, kitchen and meal-kit maker, which is based in Tooting, South London. Sweet Dee's Jerk also sells its delicious sauces online, as well as mouthwatering Caribbean delights from locations in London, including Selfridges, while also providing private and corporate catering services. In 2017, Troy started the busines ..read more

Starting your own business is challenging. If you haven’t done it before, you’ll inevitably lack know-how, while there are common pitfalls to avoid. So, what key tasks do you need to complete when setting up your own business, if you’re to get off to the best possible start? Start-up and small-business content expert, journalist Mark Williams, answers this and other key questions. Visit Start Up Donut and sign up to the Donut newsletter for more free start-up news, advice and special offers to help you save time and money ..read more

While some businesses grow steadily over many years, others achieve significant growth in a far shorter time and are started with that key aim. This episode looks at what types of start-ups are most scalable and in which sectors they’re usually to be found. The guest expert is Guy Rigby – AKA The Entrepreneurs’ Adviser – SME mentor and author. He explains how to start a scale-up and how to overcome key scale-up challenges. Visit Start Up Donut and sign up to the Donut newsletter for more free start-up news, advice and special offers to help you save time and money. This series is brought to yo ..read more