As one of our clients you could be a start up or an established business. We believe we can add most value to businesses that have been trading for 3 or more years have 5 to 50 employees with sales of £200k a year upwards and are keen to grow further.

We are ready to answer any questions you may have.  Scenarios we are familiar with include:

 

What Do I Need To Do To Set Up In Business For The First Time ?

Answer: Have a good idea, lots of energy, a little luck, get help and advice and complete a business plan.

We can help you with the last two. You can get initial advice by phone for up to 30 minutes by ringing 02083438558 or 02085042457.

 

 

We also provide you with hands on help in producing a business plan. Working with us your business plan will be tailor made by professionals. 

 

You may well need start up finance. We have strong links to finance providers for all industries, at all levels and stages. You may need to form a limited company and we would be happy to deal with this on your behalf.

 

 How do I form a Company?
 
The legal status of your business is of vital importance. To discuss your specific situation or for general advice  on sole trader, partnership, versus limited company phone 02083438558 or see our fact sheet.
When registering a limited company or starting any business, it is advisable to think of the future and consider registering any associated internet domain name that might be relevant. The sooner this is done the better.

 

            What does it cost to set up a Private Limited Company ?                 
     
We have two levels of service:                                                             
 
   1. Economy Service                                                                 
 

A. In our office:

 

Confirmation of name availability, advice and assistance with completion of  form 10 and form 12, Memorandum and Articles of Association. Copies of these documents.

For visitors to our offices, when the company can be formed in your own names in about half an hour, the fee is £100 plus £20 Companies House fee.
 
Note : every company requires two officers who will both need to sign form 10.
A proposed director also needs to sign form 12 and this must be done in our presence as an authorised witness, to be legally valid, for direct formation. Once supplied by Companies House we will forward your Registration Certificate.
 
2. Standard Service
 

  A. In our Office:

 

In addition to the points covered in the Economy service above, we provide advice on how to handle the running of a limited company. You will be given copies of the registers you need to keep, shown the forms you will be sent and how to deal with them and given an explanation of the tax regime applying to limited companies and the type of accounts you will need to prepare if trading or not trading.

 

This service cost £175 plus £20 fee for Companies House.

 
Can I be my own Company Secretary?

 

Yes you can, but, if you wish, we can arrange for one of our affiliate accountancy practices to act as your Company Secretary. They will handle the basic annual administration for an all inclusive fee from £150. This includes keeping the registers of shareholders, directors and secretary, completion and return of the annual shuttle return and notifying up to one change of director, one change of address and one change in shareholding per annum. Additional related services will be charged at around £50 an hour. Full details on request.
 
What do I do about Annual Accounts?

 
You can prepare them yourself but we recommend you use one of our affiliate accountancy practices, as we ourselves do, to help you complete your accounts, calculate your tax liability and send the completed forms and accounts to the Inland Revenue and Companies House on your behalf from information you provide.
 
Fees start at around £200 for companies that have not traded and from £400 for businesses with transactions. A fixed fee can be provided after an initial free consultation. Full details on request.

Should I get help with my Business Plan?

 

You can produce your own business plan in the same way that you could pull out your own teeth,but  expereience shows you are generally better off if you seek professional help.
 
Over the years we have helped hundreds of people clarify what they want to do and the implications of doing it. In some cases they have changed their minds and not gone ahead, in others they have gone ahead with a much better understanding of what is likely to happen or have modified their plans to work within a budget or operational restrictions.
 
The process of producing the business plan can bring confidence and increased determination to succeed.
 
Plan Format

The finished document generally involves providing information about: 

  • The structure and legal form of the business, the source of existing funds, ownership.

  • The key personnel and organisational plan.

  • A description of the products or services provided

  • Market research covering an outline of the market and test marketing.

  • Marketing plan addressing type of customer, competitors and pricing policy.

  • Sales forecast for one or more years.

  • Operational statement covering premises, materials, suppliers, work force, administrative and operational equipment, transport, insurance and licenses.

  • Profit forecast.

  • Cash flow forecasts.

  • Funding Proposed. 

The plan for a start up business can run from 10 to 40 pages with an average of around 25 pages of text and spreadsheets. The format and standards we follow are tailored to the needs of  banks, Business Links, Business Angels as appropriate. In addition we can provide balance sheets, training plans and ancillary information.

 

 In all cases we will discuss with you the precise purpose of your plan and the target audience, so that a tailor made plan can be produced.

 

Standard Business Planning Service

We specialise in business plans. The adviser who will help you prepare your plan is a member of a professional body, the Institute of Business Advisers (IBA), committed to continuing professional development and covered by professional indemnity insurance. The adviser is also recognised as a professional business consultant and is on an approved register of consultants monitored by Business Link. To view the CV’s of our associate advisers, click on the link.

There are four main stages in the business planning service you are offered.

Stage One 

You get a 30 minute free phone call for both of us to decide if we want to work with each other.

The we arrange a one hour face to face meeting at one of our offices to discuss your requirements. Alternatively we can agree a time for us to phone you for an extended discussion. If you wish, we can visit you at your home or office in the London area or meet at the Institute of Directors in Pall Mall. There is a fee of £100, which is retained. The adviser making this contact then becomes your dedicated business planning adviser.  

 

 

 

 

 If you like what you see and hear and you wish us to assist, the adviser will indicate a fee at that meeting and a deposit of 50% will be payable then, with the balance on completion.

Stage Two

The meeting may continue for around one to two further hours (or a separate meeting may be arranged) until you have provided your adviser with full details. Most of what is required is provided through written information already in your possession and your answers to a series of questions we have developed that help in making sure all the information generally needed for a business plan to be successful, is covered. Any gaps will also be identified at this stage.

Stage Three

Unless there is a need for you to provide additional information, your initial involvement is now at an end. Your adviser will then spend time doing research and producing a draft plan.

Each plan is designed individually for your own business proposition. Normally a plan runs to between 12 to 30 A4 pages and will generally include an Executive Summary, Funding Proposal, Introduction, Business Details, Description of Products and Services, Mission Statement, Objectives, Personnel Details, Organisational Structure, Market Research, Marketing Plan, Information on Customers and Competitors, Sales Forecast, Operational Details covering premises, staff, equipment, suppliers, subcontractors, transport, insurance, licences, Profit Forecast, Cash Flow Forecast and Assumptions and other sections specific to your project. There are also likely to be appendices provided by you directly.

Our experience indicates a comprehensive plan is more likely to get funding and is of more help in making sure every aspect is fully thought through. However, most funders do not have time to read long, rambling plans with irrelevant information.

This draft plan can generally be sent to you within 7 days of stage two.

Stage Four

You will be asked to read the draft plan, make any additions or amendments and provide any appendices agreed. Your adviser will phone you to explain any unusual sections and answer any questions you might have.

If necessary a further meeting will be held before additional revisions are done and the final version of the plan is produced. The balance fee is then due.

In all the process involves several days work by your adviser in order to ensure all aspects are fully covered.

Fees

 

The price for a plan is based on the time involved, the materials used and the overheads in our own business that need to be paid for. You will find that similar professionals like accountants and solicitors will generally charge an hourly rate of anything from £100 to £450 an hour, £700 to £3,000 a day.

As we work from low cost offices, our main costs are marketing, phone and fax bills, professional indemnity insurance, membership fees of professional bodies, our labour and keeping up to date, through training courses and reading, with everything necessary to give professional business advice and produce a successful business plan.

The process of producing a business plan normally takes several days. Expect to pay around £1,000 as the base fee for a start up and prices may rise to £3,000 or more, if the project is complex, or the amount sought substantial. An individual estimated price will be agreed with you at the end of stage one.

Our own research indicates our fees are very competitive for the quality of service provided.

If you have any questions please phone, fax or email..

We are confident that by working with you we will together produce a more professional business plan than you could on your own and a plan that is more likely to identify and raise the finance you need.

Over the last 10 years we and our associates have:

Helped prepare almost 3000 plans, adding value based on experience and knowledge

    Helped raise £ millions in finance through loans and grants

    Developed close relations with several banks and sources of  angel and venture capital.

    In addition to business plan preparation we offer active assistance with raising finance and general business consultancy.

    In all cases you will receive practical advice from people running their own business who work closely with a number of other businesses on an ongoing, regular, hands on basis. Over the years we have taken clients through various stages : producing a business plan, raising initial finance, developing the business, then raising additional funding and for further expansion.