Business Toolkit

The documents in our toolkit are designed as a tool to understanding what it entails to set up and begin your business.  There are fact sheets and guide documents to assist you with your Financial forecasting and writing your business plan, as well as marketing and researching your business idea. 

A Guide to setting up a Business

This guide will give you an outline of what you need to do to set up your business.  It covers everything from researching your business, to putting together your financial forecast and business plan.

A Guide to Setting Up a Business [369.0KB]

The Business Plan - An Outline

This document is to assist you with thinking what detail/information you would need before you write your Business Plan.  It will give you the opportunity to think, redo, research and think again before you start writing your final Business Plan.

The Business Plan - An Outline [330.71KB]

Researching Your Idea - Quick Notes

Here you will find a bit more detail than in the overall guide document.

Researching Your Idea - Quick Note [154.3KB]

Business Plan Financials - How to

This financials document gives you a step by step guide on how to complete the Business Plan Financials Worksheet.  The last page of this document explains what each part of the spreadsheet is i.e. a Tab, a Cell to make it clearer when completing it.

Business Plan Financials - How To [299.28KB]

Business Plan Financials Worksheet

The various tabs on the Financial spreadsheet, enable you to concentrate on each aspect of the various stages you must take when setting up a business. Starting at the bottom left tab, Personal Finance, and progressing through each of the tabs in sequence will ensure that you end up with a profit and loss statement, acceptable to most finance providers.

Business Plan Financial Worksheet [42.69KB]

Business Insurance Fact Sheet

This document provides a quick overview of various types of insurance that may be required for your business.

Business Insurance Fact Sheet [224.51KB]  

Marketing Methods - Hints and Tips

You will need to have some idea of what marketing is, why you need it and how to go about finding what works best.  This will give you an idea of how to approach your marketing plan.

Marketing Methods - Hints and Tips [331.96KB]

Marketing Action Plan

In order that businesses can start with a clear and concise workable marketing plan, it is essential that every aspect of the plan is documented. Never leave something as important as marketing to chance

Marketing Action Plan [207.98KB]

Business Continuity - Guide and Template

A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is to assist you in recording how you will respond to an emergency or a disruption.  Here we have provided you with a guide on what you should be thinking about and putting into your plan and also we have provided a template for you to use to complete it.

Business Continuity - Guide and Template [69.59KB]

For more information from other partner organisations who can assist with more in-depth advice on starting a business and other funding options please visit our Starting a Business - Partner page.