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Thinking about starting a business? Have an idea to explore – or ready to launch? The MEC Resource Centre is here to support you

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For a successful business, you need a viable business idea, the skills to make it work and the funding. Discover whether your idea has what it takes.

Forming your business correctly is essential to ensure you are protected and you comply with the rules. Learn how to set up your business.

Advice on protecting your wellbeing, self-confidence and mental health from the pressures of starting and running a business.

Learn why business planning is an essential exercise if your business is to start and grow successfully, attract funding or target new markets.

It is likely you will need funding to start your business unless you have your own money. Discover some of the main sources of start up funding.

Businesses and individuals must account for and pay various taxes. Understand your tax obligations and how to file, account and pay any taxes you owe.

Businesses are required to comply with a wide range of business laws. We introduce the main rules and regulations you must comply with.

Marketing matters. It drives sales and helps promote your brand and products. Discover how to market your business and reach your target customers.

Some businesses need a high street location whilst others can be run from home. Understand the key factors from cost to location, size to security.

Your employees can your biggest asset. They can also be your biggest challenge. We explain how to recruitment and manage staff successfully.

It is likely your business could not function without some form of IT. Learn how to specify, buy, maintain and secure your business IT.

Few businesses manage the leap from start up to high-growth business. Learn what it takes to scale up and take your business to the next level.

Start up business ideas

For a successful business, you need a viable business idea, the skills to make it work and the funding. Discover whether your idea has what it takes.

Resource topics

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Innovating isn't a luxury, but an essential if you don't want to be left behind. How to use innovation to improve and expand your products.
Are you coming to the end of your degree and wondering what's next? Starting a business is a popular option for graduates, but is it right for you?
Most owners learn from practical experience, so what's the value of a degree if you want to set up your own business? Three business owners discuss.
Use this checklist to help to develop new products, from developing new ideas to setting budgets, deciding on product specification and prototyping.
Franchising allows you to set up a business following a proven formula - although you'll be subject to restrictions. Our guide to franchising.
Many successful people acknowledge that luck is a factor in business, including Sir Richard Branson as he states in his autobiography.
Sometimes ideas have seasonal appeal. If you're lucky, you might be able to generate enough profit to carry you through the rest of the year.
Buying a business can be less risky than starting one. If the business has customers, then it has income. But it will need upfront investment.
Taking an idea from concept to a fully working, product is a massive challenge. Beau Spinks of TiiPii beds tells us how they developed their product.
Adam Butwilowski spotted a gap in the market for a website for web, ecommerce and social media jobs. So how did he turn his idea into a business?
Business inspiration can come from anywhere. Adam Ewart of Send My Bag explains how an unpleasant journey sparked his business idea.
Potato farmer Will Chase started the gourmet snack brand Tyrrells Crisps in 2001 and since 2008 he's been making vodka from his potatoes.
Michael Parker has recreated an old-fashioned sweet shop online, selling more than 600 varieties to satisfy the demand for retro sweets. Find out how he did it.
After being made redundant, Allie Astell decided starting a business was preferable to finding another position in an uncertain jobs market.
Leo Scott Smith was inspired by personal circumstances to develop an intelligent personal safety device - the world's first, in fact. He tells us more.
In this article, Henry Virgin of London-based Green Boar OrganicTea takes a look back to explain how he came up with his idea for a new business.
At first glance, Bookdonors, a Selkirk-based social enterprise, appears simply to sell books to raise money for good cause. But there's more to it.
Long neglected farm buildings in rural Worcestershire were renovated to provide a home for The Fold Bransford Community Interest Company.
Nick Telson and Andrew Webster came up with an idea for a night-life price comparison site. But how did they test it and refine it before launch?
Nick Edmonds is a gardener who knows a lot about "one of the best kept secrets of nature": the awesome pollination activities of the solitary bee.