Access to business support
This page details a range of local and national organisation that encourage and new, young and existing businesses. Just click the headers for details of some of the most useful organisations who can help your ideas become a reality.
Brighton and Hove Chamber of Commerce
A Brighton and Hove network, for helping local businesses reach their full potential. A majority of their events are open to the public, but you can receive discounts and many other benefits if you join as an annual member.
Brighton and Hove City Council Services to Business
Brighton Business Forum & Economic Partnership
An information resource for Brighton & Hove's business community offering a central point of contact for the exchange of current awareness on local business issues.
DIAL
DIAL (Drop-in Action Learning) is a free and informal networking group (that meet monthly in Brighton) where members support and motivate each other to create a set of actions to help each other move their careers, ideas and businesses forward.
Eastbourne Chamber of Commerce
Eastbourne and District Chamber of Commerce Ltd (EDCC) is a business-led membership organisation, owned by East Sussex businesses. They operate on a similar membership deal to the Brighton and Hove Chamber of Commerce.
Edeal
EDEAL is a not for profit agency offering a range of practical and cost effective business solutions to small and medium sized enterprises across the South East.
Enterprise Works
A not-for-profit business who help new and second-phase manufacturing businesses by providing them with a space in a newly refurbished factory in Newhaven.
Federation of Small Businesses (East Sussex Region)
Federation of Small Businesses (Surrey & West Sussex Region)
The Federation of Small Businesses is the UK's largest campaigning group promoting and protecting the interests of the self-employed and owners of small firms. Membership is just £150 for sole traders, and key benefits include 24/7 access to legal advice and support from tax experts.
Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce
Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce for business in Hastings, St Leonards, Bexhill and East Sussex. Operates on a similar membership deal to the Brighton and Hove Chamber of Commerce.
Let’s Do Business Group
This organisation offers one-off advice, bespoke training, access to finance and run the largest business to business exhibitions across Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings.
Profitnet
A unique business development programme, designed by University of Brighton researchers, which aims to help businesses grow by members finding solutions to real business problems and helping each other to seek new opportunities.
Wired Sussex
Wired Sussex is a Brighton-based membership organisation for companies and freelancers operating in the digital, media and technology sector across Sussex.
Emerge Social Venture Lab
A nationwide programme that provides seed funding and mentoring to UK student entrepreneurs with promising social venture ideas.
Flying Start
FlyingStart is dedicated to getting student and graduate businesses started, through their own social network and programme of free webinars focussed on a range of business start-up issues.
National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education (NCEE)
Aims to raise the profile of entrepreneurship and the option of self-employment as a career choice amongst students and graduates.
Prince's Trust
The Prince's Trust Business Programme provides money and support to help people (aged 18-30) start up in business.
Prowess
The key website for UK women in business, start-ups and social enterprise, with valuable business information, tips and support.
Shell-LiveWIRE
This site is the UK's biggest online community for young entrepreneurs (aged 16-30) who are starting or running their own business. The site offers free business advice, a social network and an awards scheme for new business ideas that makes four prizes of £1000 to winners on a monthly basis.
StartUp Britain
StartUp Britain is a national campaign and web platform supported by the Government aimed at supporting new and young businesses. They have a large variety of resources on the site and the only UK wide enterprise events online calendar.
Skills Hive
The Skills Hive is a place where businesses can find and manage a virtual team of workers. We are working with the Hive and hope to develop and promote a group of Brighton-based student and graduates to a wide variety of businesses across the UK.
Better Business
A UK magazine for smaller businesses and independent professionals. Includes an online library of ‘how to guides’ on setting up and running a business.
Inspiresme
Inspiresme Hosts a range of articles, guides and case studies offering guidance and advice from industry experts for small and start-up businesses in the UK. The site also features a number of resources focused specifically on the issues affecting students and graduates.
GOV.UK
This is the government's online resource for businesses, covering essential information, support and services for new and existing ventures.
My StartUp Plan
My StartUp Plan takes readers through the nine key areas they need to consider when planning for a new or existing venture, with each chapter containing a series of prompting questions which encourage development of ideas and plans for the new venture. The guide is easy to read and understand, and there’s no complicated business jargon! Not only will My StartUp Plan enable readers to build their business plan quickly and pain-free, but it will also help them avoid making common mistakes typical of business start-ups. The book also gives access to a number of template downloads, so that small businesses have everything they need to get their business plan organised.
Prospects – self employment
The graduate website contains a comprehensive section on self-employment.
Smarta
Smarta.com is a business support and advice network for start-ups, small business owners and entrepreneurs, which contains free practical guides, tools and video interviews.
Start ups
For everything you need to know about starting up and running your business, and includes some interesting case studies.
YHP Magazine
Your Hidden Potential (YHP) is a new UK platform dedicated to promoting and showcasing young entrepreneurs and the hottest start-ups from around the world. YHP wants to encourage, educate and motivate young entrepreneurs to set targets, be more dynamic and reach higher goals.
a-n selfemployment for artists
A brief introduction to self-employment for visual artists.
Ideas Tap
IdeasTap is a creative network and funding body for emerging arts talent, which highlights key opportunities in across the creative industries. The organisation also has funding opportunities for a range of projects, many of which are applied for by writing 100-word project summaries.
Care Co-ops
This organisation provides serviced offices, desk hire, meeting and training rooms, events space and a social enterprise resource centre all for the benefit of the local community.
se2
The Social Enterprise South East Partnership is a unique overarching organisation that is made up of all organisations and networks that support the development of social enterprise is the South East.
UnLtd
UnLtd is a charity that supports social entrepreneurs with mentors and two levels of grants, for individuals or groups of individuals who want to run a project that will benefit a local community somehow.
Companies House
Companies House is the organisation that records details of all registered limited companies in England and Wales. If you want to set up a limited company, it’s the best place to quickly see if the named you’d like to use for your business is already in use. Should you want to register a new business, it costs just £15.00. Access the online registration form and background information here.
HM Revenue and Customs
For tax advice associated with starting and running a venture.
Simply-Docs
Simply Docs is a specialist company providing a whole range of template business contracts including legal document templates, terms and conditions and employment contracts. Access to their templates is charged at £35.00 + VAT per year, and could help you save money when using solicitors to help create bespoke legal documentation for you, as you can provide them with a base to work from.
UK Intellectual Property Office
Your ideas, creativity and innovation – known as ‘Intellectual Property’ (IP) - can be owned in the same way that you can own physical property. The UK Intellectual Property Office is the body that registers new trademarks, patents and designs and provides information on the benefits of each type of protection and what might be eligible. You can also find information on copyrights here.
British Franchise Association
Non-profit making organisation offers help in choosing the best franchise opportunity.
Freelance Advisor
Detailed setup advice and ongoing help that even the most experienced freelancers and contractors will find useful.
Global Entrepreneurship Week (UK)
This is the UK site for the entrepreneurship celebrations that takes place in November each year across the globe. The 2011 UK campaign reached out to 213,000 participants, through 2,300 events and 914 partner organisations.
GNU Cash
This site offers free open source software for personal and small-business financial-accounting that operates on the double-entry accounting principal, which can help you monitor and analyse income and expenditure. It is available for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, BSD and Solaris.