How to start a Business

It’s an exciting time in any entrepreneur’s life when you decide to start a business, but what exactly needs to be considered when setting up a business and what to do? The National Business Register helps to take away any confusion with this and make things simple by giving you the essential facts and all the tools and support you need.

We have helped many thousands of entrepreneurs over the last 30 years with choosing an identity for their new enterprise. By keeping things simple, we can make setting up a business a joy rather than a confusing process.

Setting up a Business

One of the very first steps to look at when setting up a business is its name. The last thing you want is a situation where you choose a business name that is already taken and end up in a ‘passing off’ scenario where you have inadvertently copied another trading name. Our unique search facility makes choosing a business name very simple and will save you valuable time and expense.

Another consideration when starting a business is whether the name you want contains any restricted words or expressions. We have compiled an easy to use list of these so you can see at a glance what you cannot use within your business name, for example, ‘international’ amongst many others. We also have a list of novel names to give you an example of existing, creative and unique names currently out there.

If for some reason the business name you select is already in use or does contain any restricted words or phrases, then we will help search for alternatives at no extra cost. We can also help gain permission to use any restricted word on your behalf if need be on approval from the relevant body or organisation.

What type of Business?

As well as choosing that all important business name, you will need to decide on what type of business you want it to be. If you’re not sure, we have plenty of information to help and we have colour coded sections above to make it easier. You can register as a sole-trader, partnership or a limited company, depending on what’s best for you, if you are unsure contact us. You may want to register as a limited company or PLC due to the prestige that comes with this at the end of the company name and benefits from any debts being the company’s and not yours personally. You’ll find the information you need within the submenus above regarding limited companies, as well as further information if you are looking to register a trademark or a domain name alongside a business name.

Getting Help with Starting a Business

We have experience in providing the information entrepreneurs need to start out with a new business and our detailed database of over 10 million UK companies will give you the right footing when deciding on that all-important business name. Read through our business tips which we have compiled as well as our FAQs that can answer the majority of your questions and get you thinking about different areas of setting up a business.

Of course, if you have any questions regarding any of the information provided, please don’t hesitate to contact us by email on sales@start.biz or call us on our freephone number 0800 069 9090.