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How to Start a Business in City & County of Swansea

Free start-up resources and useful local contacts.

Improve your chances of success!

How to Start a Business in City & County of Swansea

Starting a business in City & County Of Swansea

If you are thinking about starting a business in City & County of Swansea or would like to grow your existing business, we would love to help you.

Start Your Own Business in City & County of Swansea contains resources and the information that will help give your venture the best chance of success. It also highlights organisations who offer friendly advice and the services that you are likely to need as a new startup or local business owner.

Grants | Networking groups | Business advice | Mentoring | Co-working spaces

Starting a business in City & County Of Swansea

Free Startup Resources

Getting it right from the start can help to prevent problems later.

To help you with this we have created a vast selection of resources and they are all completely free!

Starting a Business in in City & County of Swansea

Business advice and support

"Two heads are better than one."

Whether you have been trading for some time, are new to the market or are just thinking about starting a business of your own, it has been proven that your chances of success are considerably improved if you seek support from an experienced business advisor or mentor. You can find out more about both options at Business Advice in City & County of Swansea and Business Mentors in City & County of Swansea.

Funding and grants

Running out of money is one the most common reasons why businesses fail. This risk of this happening to can be avoided (or minimised) by careful planning and cashflow forecasting. If you need additional funds to start or keep your business going, you can learn more about your options and download our free funding factsheet at: City & County of Swansea Business Grants and Business Funding

Business networking

Does the idea of business networking fill you with delight or dread? Either way, it can be beneficial for both your business and you as an entrepreneur. See Business Networking in City & County of Swansea for details of local groups and our free Networking Factsheet.

Business premises

Working from home is appealing to many new business owners but not practical for many others. Even if you are running a business by yourself, you might like to consider the option of 'hot desking' or co-working in one of the many flexi-workspaces that have emerged in recent years. Find out more at: City & County of Swansea Co-Working and Business Premises.

Finding new customers

Paying customers are the lifeblood of any business. Knowing how to find, satisfy and retain them is vitally important and best achieved with the help of experts in the field.

Accountancy, tax and law

While starting a new business is very exciting, this should not disguide the fact that there are some very important legal responsibilities that must be considered. See: Bookkeeping, Accountancy, Financial Planning and Law

FREE startup workshops

If you are thinking about starting a business, our FREE three-hour ONLINE workshop is definitely for you!

Open to everyone, our sole aim is to increase your chances of success. We do that by explaining:

The reality of running a business; the most common pitfalls and how to avoid them; which legal status is likely to be most suitable; funding, grants and managing your money; business planning and cashflow forecasting; finding and keeping customers.

Free startup guide

Start Your Own Business in 2021

Download the 2024 edition of our Free Start Your Own Business guide

An interactive step-by-step guide which also includes all of the most important subjects covered in an easy-to-read way with links to useful online articles and relevant contacts.

The idea of starting your own business can be incredibly exciting and who can blame you for being tempted?

However, the sad truth is that far too many new enterprises fail in the early stages. Our aim is to make sure that you don’t become one of them.

This guide explains the key start-up subjects in simple English.

There is also plenty of help available in the area and much of it is free - please do make the most of it.

Read more about what our Free guide contains and how you can download it.
Starting a business in City & County Of Swansea

Key Contacts in City & County of Swansea

'You don't know what you don't know' is a phrase that is so applicable to starting a new business.

City & County of Swansea is a great place for start-ups but your chances of success are dramatically improved if you make the most of the support that is available locally. Click on logos to visit their websites.

Funding

Development Bank of Wales
The Development Bank of Wales helps businesses get the capital they need to start up, strengthen and grow. There’s funding available for businesses at every growth stage. If you’re eligible and ready for investment, you have lots of options. Finance ranges from £1,000 up to £5 million with both loans and equity available. And you can repay the money over periods of up to 10 years, giving you the time and space you need to reach your potential. Over the next five years, the Bank will invest over £400 million. It will also treble the availability of micro finance. When private sector investment and the funding available to homebuyers through Help To Buy – Wales is taken into account, the Bank is aiming to have a billion-pound impact on the Welsh economy. Welsh translation: Ychydig amdanom ni Mae Banc Datblygu Cymru yma i helpu busnesau i gael y cyfalaf sydd arnynt ei angen er mwyn gallu dechrau, cryfhau ac ehangu. Gyda chefnogaeth Llywodraeth Cymru, bydd y Banc Datblygu yn buddsoddi dros £400 miliwn mewn busnesau yng Nghymru yn ystod y pum mlynedd nesaf. Wrth ystyried buddsoddiadau yn y sector preifat a’r cyllid sydd ar gael i brynwyr tai drwy gynllun Cymorth i Brynu - Cymru, bydd y Banc Datblygu yn cael effaith gwerth biliwn o bunnoedd ar economi Cymru. Mae ein neges i fusnesau yng Nghymru yn syml: cysylltwch â ni. Rydym eisiau eich helpu i gael y buddsoddiad a’r cymorth sydd eu hangen arnoch i lwyddo. Pan fydd eich busnes yn ffynnu, bydd Cymru yn ffynnu. Ewch i bancdatblygu.cymru i ddarganfod mwy.
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Networking

The Lonely Middle Club - From Startup Hive
Starting a business is exciting, and succeeding is rewarding, but what about the bit between? You know, that bit that’s full of self-doubt, endless repetition and feelings of being out of your comfort zone? We call it ‘The Lonely Middle’ and it’s one of the hardest parts of creating a successful business. We know, we’ve been there. So, we created The Lonely Middle Club to help you through it. Each month you get exclusive content to help give you the knowledge and inspiration to succeed. Plus, you get access to a private members-only Facebook group where you can get advice and network with small business owners who are going through similar challenges to you. If you want even more, you can download our 51 worksheets, guides, and journals all designed to do one thing, and one thing only… help you get through ‘The Lonely Middle’ and achieve your business goals. Visit our website today to join the club and benefit from our members price lock and full no questions asked money-back guarantee.
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Advice

Venture Wales
Venture Wales is the leading business support organisation in the country. We have an unmatched record in achieving success for SMEs and entrepreneurs alike, providing assistance and advice to over 1000 different companies every year. With access to one of the best support networks in Wales, and a variety of start up programmes and consultancy schemes aimed at improving performance, we specialise in helping businesses overcome challenges and to realise their full potential.
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Advice

Start-Up Wales
Start-Up Wales provides both useful and practical information on starting a new business in Wales. Start-up Wales is focused towards those people who are setting up a business for the first time and those with existing operations who are looking for fresh ideas on how to expand their services and reach an increased proportion of the Welsh marketplace.
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Advice

Welsh Government - Business and Economy
The Welsh Governments vision for economic renewal is of a Welsh economy built upon the strengths and skills of its people and natural environment; recognised at home and abroad as confident, creative and ambitious; a great place to live and work.
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Advice

Venture Wales
Venture Wales is the leading business support organisation in the country. We have an unmatched record in achieving success for SMEs and entrepreneurs alike, providing assistance and advice to over 1000 different companies every year. With access to one of the best support networks in Wales, and a variety of start up programmes and consultancy schemes aimed at improving performance, we specialise in helping businesses overcome challenges and to realise their full potential.
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Advice

Business in Focus
Business in Focuss mission is to help new business start ups and established businesses to succeed through providing an extensive range of expert and practical business support services that are either totally subsidised, part subsidised or paid for by the client. These services include business mentoring, financing business growth, business consultancy, business training and business accommodation.
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Advice

Denbighshire Enterprise Agency
STARTING A NEW BUSINESS? Then let the team at Denbighshire Enterprise Agency help you get started. We are able to provide FREE advice, support and training to give you the best chance of success. We provide impartial advice through the Welsh Development Agencys New Business Starts Programme.
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Mentoring

Barry Finnis Business Mentor
As a Business Mentor I specialise in helping Start ups and Small and Medium Size Businesses to increase sales, build their customer base with sales advice and training, marketing guidance, business networking skills, social media presence and general business advice. How I help varies depending on the need but may include: Sales advice Sale Training Marketing guidance Getting your website right Using video Social Media presence Social Media advertising How to manage your campaign Monitor your conversion rates Business networking skills General business advice. At prices you can afford today!
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Start-up articles

100's of free startup articles

We have created a collection of 100s of startup articles to help anyone with whatever stage they are on with their business journey. Hundreds of thousands of people have gone before you and we can learn from what they got right and avoid the things that have been proved not to work so well.

You can see the full list of 'articles' at: How to start a business