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Help for new small businesses announced
- Published: Monday, 1 November 2010
The government has published a package of support to ease the problems of small businesses and to encourage unemployed people to move into self-employment.
Small businesses in the UK
Currently there are five million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK, providing 60 per cent of jobs and half of the UK’s gross domestic product (GDP).
The government says that starting up a business should be quick, simple and a viable option for everyone. Reducing the burdens associated with getting started allows new businesses to enter markets faster and in better shape. It will also encourage other would-be entrepreneurs to seriously consider starting up.
The government plans to tackle any ‘institutional bias’ that work against people on Jobseeker’s Allowance or in social housing from moving into self-employment.
Measures to support new businesses
Read the full report from BIS
The proposals include:
Simpler registration for new businesses
The government will introduce a simple incorporation service (the process of legally creating a business) in April 2011. It will reduce the number of forms needed to register a business in Autumn 2011.
New Enterprise Allowance scheme
The new Enterprise Allowance scheme will provide access to mentors and small loans to help unemployed people start a business. Early testing will start in January 2011 before a full roll-out from April 2012.
There are currently barriers that prevent social tenants from applying to start up a business based in their home. The government says that it will remove those barriers by working with social landlords to encourage their tenants to develop entrepreneurial skills.
Housing Minister Grant Shapps said: “Tenants should have the same opportunities as anyone else, and landlords have the key to unlocking this untapped entrepreneurial talent. I want them to get the message out loud and clear to their residents that wherever possible, and in the majority of cases, they will be able to set up and run their new businesses from home.”
Tax relief for household expenses when working at home
If you are employed specifically to work at or from home, and have no alternative but to do so, you may be able to get tax relief on some of your household expenses. You can go back several years to get the relief – the time you’ve got depends on whether you’ve previously sent in a Self Assessment tax return.
When you can get tax relief for household expenses
If you have to work from home you can get tax relief for the extra household expenses that you have to pay. Typically these extra expenses include:
- the extra cost of gas and electricity to heat and light your work area
- business telephone calls
You won’t be able to get relief on domestic expenses that you’re paying anyway – like your mortgage or council tax. You also won’t be able to get relief for expenses that relate to both business and private use – such as your telephone line rental, or Internet access.
How much relief you can get
You can get either:
- a flat rate deduction of £3.00 per week (from 2008-09) for each week that you’ve got to work at home, this doesn’t include the cost of business telephone calls
- a larger amount if your extra expenses are higher than £3.00 – but you’ll have to show how you’ve calculated the figure
The rate for 2007-08 and earlier is £2.00 per week.
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http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/
Starting a new company
To start a company, you will need to have the following information ready:
- Company Name and Address
- Officer Details (Director and Secretary)
- Share Capital and Shareholder Details
- Payment
You can start a company in one of three ways:
- Using the Business Link / Companies House Web Incorporation Service
(for a private company limited by shares, with model articles)
Access the Business Link / Companies House Web Incorporation Service - Using a Formation Agent
You can use a formation agent to incorporate any type of company and they can also provide you with specialist advice.
Access the list of Formation Agents - On paper by completing the forms and sending them directly to Companies House
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http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/index.htm
HMRC
Includes information about the UK’s customs and tax department and includes the
prototype on-line VAT (Value Added Tax) returns system. Forms and publications for employers · HMRC employer email alert service · Rates and thresholds for employers ·
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http://learn.linkedin.com
What is LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 100 million members and growing rapidly. LinkedIn connects you to your trusted contacts and helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals.
Establish your professional profile
LinkedIn gives you the keys to controlling your online identity. Have you Googled yourself lately? You never know what may come up. LinkedIn profiles rise to the top of search results, letting you control the first impression people get when searching for you online.
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http://ninite.com/
About Ninite
Thankfully, I’ve found salvation in the form of Ninite, a new service that automatically downloads and installs popular software.
All you do is scroll through Ninite’s list of 70-odd apps, check-marking the ones you want. The service offers the most current versions of nearly every popular mainstream program, including Firefox, Skype, OpenOffice, iTunes, Picasa, Steam, and Revo Uninstaller.
Ninite was founded by Patrick Swieskowski and Sascha Kuzins. Investors include Y Combinator and a small collection of helpful angels.
We believe in simplicity. You can contact us via email
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Founded in 2003, LogMeIn’s world headquarters are located just outside Boston, Massachusetts, with European headquarters in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Asia Pacific headquarters in Sydney, Australia, and development centers in Budapest and Szeged, Hungary.
- Our passion: Delighting customers and users of our technology
- Our mission: Maximize mobility, connectivity and business productivity
- Our vision: Worldwide connectivity for mobile work and life styles
Whether you require personal or business remote access, remote support or remote administration, we have a product designed specifically to meet your needs.
Consumers and mobile workers use LogMeIn solutions to access and back up their remote computers online. Users have multiple options for remote desktop control, including access from a Windows PC, laptop or Pocket PC; a Macintosh computer; their iPhone or iPad – and even from their Ford 150 truck – to maximize their mobility and productivity.
Businesses and IT service providers rely on LogMeIn to remotely support, manage and back up hundreds or thousands of desktops, laptops, servers, kiosks, POS machines and the applications that run on them. Cross-platform capabilities include support for Windows PCs, Macintosh computers and smartphones, including BlackBerry, Symbian, and Windows Mobile devices.
https://secure.logmein.com
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We didn’t like invoicing and couldn’t find anyone who did. So we created Billable…
Billable: Billing Made Simple. Period.
Billable is currently in beta and we’ve got a lot of plans for the future. We’re doing this for the creators, for the people who are trying to make something great, but have to pay for noodles in the meantime.
Dabbleboard is an online collaboration application that’s centered around the whiteboard. With a new type of drawing interface that’s actually easy and fun to use, Dabbleboard gets out of your way and just lets you draw. Finally the whiteboard enters the digital age!
http://www.dabbleboard.com/
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Here’s how Thoughtboxes makes your life easier
All of your lists on one screen
Thoughtboxes lets you have as many lists as you want, all on the same screen. You can give each of them a name, color code them, and move them around wherever you like.
Structure and flexibility
There’s a method to our madness!
Thoughtboxes gives you the simplicity and structure of lists with the flexibility of mind maps. Use Thoughtboxes for whatever you like, you can’t go wrong.
Simplicity and function
Everything works just like you’d expect!
Drag and drop thoughts and boxes anywhere you like. Mark important thoughts with a star, and check them off when they’re done. We get out of the way so you can get things done.
From Around the Web
- “I can safely say that I was unprepared for experiencing such a leap in UI design for web applications. I’ve never seen such attention to detail in a web app’s UI – and the best part is, the interface is still so responsive, unlike most hefty JS apps (try, for example, using Google Presentations). I sincerely hope this sets a new standard for all of us web developers for usability in our web applications. Thanks 280 for pushing us forward.” – Matthew Moore
- “280 Slides is a very impressive presentation app that … runs smoothly and seamlessly. On Mac OS X, it’s easy to forget that it’s running in a browser and not directly on the desktop.” – Chris Foresman, Ars Technica
- “280 Slides, turns making beautiful, web-based presentations into quick work.” – Brett Terpstra, TUAW
http://280slides.com/index.php
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American Dollar Converter