Guides for starting small

Practical guides in the order a new owner needs them.

All guides are our own writing. They state no figures about what a business earns or costs and no licence rules.

• Test your idea small firstThe cheapest way to learn is to try a small version before you spend the large amount.
• Questions to ask before you startTen honest conversations teach more than a month of planning at home.
• Start-up costs: what to countMost new owners forget at least a quarter of their costs. A written list finds them.
• Working money: the cash that keeps you openProfit is a number on paper. Cash is what pays the rent on the first of the month.
• Finding out which licences you needRules depend on the kind of business, the place and the size. This page does not state any. It shows
• Records from the first dayA business you cannot measure is a business you cannot improve. Five lists are enough.

Keep going

• The plannerWorksheets

This site states no profit figure, start-up cost, licence requirement or loan scheme: you type your own numbers, and the idea pages list questions to ask and things to measure. Interest rates in the worksheets are typed by you. It is not financial, tax or legal advice. Checked 14 November 2026.