Business Advice
STANTA advisors provide general business advice, and can help new and existing businesses with most aspects of starting and running a business. STANTA can also provide some specialist advice through its legal and finance surgeries.
New Businesses
Many of us have dreamed of “being our own boss” and starting a business. But the first steps you take in setting up your business are often the most daunting and most important. STANTA can help you at every stage including:
- understanding whether setting up your own business is right for you
- deciding whether you should be a sole trader or set up a limited company
- understanding the things you need to do, such as insurance, tax and regulation issues
- deciding how to make the most from your business idea
- developing a business plan, for yourself or for a bank or finance provider
- helping you manage the financial and legal requirements you will face including sources of finance
- getting from planning to actually starting
- opening a shop or taking on premises
- contacting other specialists who can help you
- and on any other issues STANTA will be able to help to some degree
Existing Businesses
Sometimes it is difficult “to see the wood for the trees” in your own business. Talk to an impartial adviser about your business issues and get an independent view on:
- business strategy and customer targeting
- developing a marketing plan
- taking on staff and handling employment issues
- taking on premises
- delegating
- dealing with legislation
- financial planning
- reviewing your plan annually
- succession planning - who will take over when you retire?
- selling your business
- and on any other issues STANTA will be able to help to some degree
STANTA initial advice sessions usually last around two hours and can be as broad or specific as you need. But, once a member of the STANTA Community, you can come back as and when you need to for the next 12 months, so there is opportunity to review both the broad strategic issues and the specific problems that may be worrying you now. It is usually essential to look at the strategic picture as, if the strategy changes, then your current concern may prove to be unimportant.
We recommend that businesses renew their membership with the community and use that membership to undertake an annual review of their business plan and performance against it. This helps ensure you stay focused and use your energies productively.
The STANTA Community - Accessing Free Business Advice
STANTA provides one-to-one counselling sessions tailored to your needs. We work in partnership with Business Link. By bringing Business Link vouchers to STANTA, you become a member of the STANTA Community, giving you free one-to-one advice from STANTA advisors for 12 months, unlimited (at STANTA discretion), as well as access to other STANTA services, including free legal and finance surgeries, free fact-sheets, free e-newsletters, networking opportunities and low-cost seminars. STANTA also provides on-line training with learndirect Business eCourses (these are available at a significant discount to community members) and intensive telephone-based development training programmes with Certain Change (link).
Business Link vouchers are available for start-up businesses and businesses that have been trading for up to one year. Businesses that do not meet Business Link criteria for vouchers can join the STANTA Community for a fee of £70 per year (link).
