Guides and Resources

Tourism

Learn how to start and grow your tourism business, get the right licences, and comply with the necessary regulations.

Find some of the top guides and resources for Tourism:

Start a tourist accommodation business

Tourist accommodation certification

Legal requirements for tourism businesses

Get the right licences for your tourist accommodation business

Quality grading for tourism businesses

Find out more

Creative Industries

Find out everything you need to know about getting support, funding and tax relief for your creative business.

Find some of the top guides and resources for Creative Industries:

Creative industries in Northern Ireland

Creative business support and funding

Creative industry tax reliefs

Music, photography, visual art and comedy

Publishing and broadcasting

Find out more

Food and Drink

Learn all about food safety, exporting, packaging and labelling for your food and drink business.

Find some of the top guides and resources for Food and Drink:

Food Hygiene Rating Scheme

Food packaging

Selling food and drink

Food labelling and packaging for export and import

Starting and running a food business

Find out more

Property Management

Working in property management? There’s lots of useful information and guides for commercial property, energy performance, renting, mortgages and compliance.

Find some of the top guides and resources for Property Management:

Commercial rental property: landlord and tenant responsibilities

Buying business property

Use your home as a workplace

Renting commercial property

Protect your business against crime

Find out more

Construction

Find out all about construction efficiency, employment and environmental standards plus tax and VAT to ensure your construction business is a responsible one.

Find some of the top guides and resources for Construction:

Subcontractors and CIS

Contractors and the Construction Industry Scheme

Get started with VAT

Client's guide to cutting waste from construction projects

Pre-employment checks

Find out more

Manufacturing

There is lots of support around tax allowances and grants, health and safety practices, environmental issues plus guidance on how to grow your manufacturing business.

Find some of the top guides and resources for Manufacturing:

Process efficiency to cut waste

How to keep up to date on chemical regimes

Engineering business solvents and hazardous waste reduction

Innovation in manufacturing

Metal manufacturing energy efficiency

Find out more

Retail

Learn how to start or improve your retail business with guidance around your retail premises, employment, the law, finances and the environment.

Find some of the top guides and resources for Retail:

Start a retail business

Grow your retail business

Choosing business property

Accepting online payments

Recruiting staff

Find out more

Transport

Get advice on fleet management, employment, passenger transport, haulage rules, health and safety and more for your business.

Find some of the top guides and resources for Transport:

Company cars

Setting up and running a taxi service

Operating a bus service in Northern Ireland

How to transport goods out of the UK by road: step-by-step

Safe transport of goods and materials

Find out more

Starting a business

There’s help and support on all areas of starting a business from making a business plan through to applying for local support, managing finances, tax and VAT, hiring employees, and sales & marketing.

Find some of the top guides and resources for Starting a business:

Step-by-step guide to starting a business

600 small business ideas

Northern Ireland business support finder

Managing business finance during the start-up phase

Business Plan Template

Find out more

Finance

Find out how to choose and raise the right finance, rules around borrowing, managing cashflow, and how to attract investment for your business.

Find some of the top guides and resources for Finance:

Choose the right finance when starting a business

Bank finance

Business debt: help and advice

Cost of living: Support and advice for small businesses

Business budgeting

Find out more

Taxes

Everything you need to know about business and self-employed tax regulations, PAYE, HRMC, Companies House returns plus industry-specific taxes.

Find some of the top guides and resources for Taxes:

Your Self Assessment return

Introduction to National Insurance

Setting up as self-employed and tax

Introduction to PAYE and payroll

Change your business structure

Find out more

Employment and Skills

Learn all about recruitment practices, employment checks, pay, conflict resolution and diversity, equality and inclusion for your business.

Find some of the top guides and resources for Employment and Skills:

Pay: employer obligations

HR documents and templates

Know how much holiday to give your staff

Prevent discrimination and value diversity

Advertising a job and interviewing candidates

Find out more

Health and Safety

Find out ways to make your business safer in terms of ways of working and the best ways to ensure your staff and customers’ welfare.

Find some of the top guides and resources for Health and Safety:

Health and safety basics for business

Write a health and safety policy for your business

Set up a health and safety management system

Agency workers' health and safety

Events health and safety

Find out more

Efficiency and Environment

Help and guidance on environmental action you can take to improve your business, including reducing waste, being more efficient, low carbon energy options and environmental business tax benefits.

Find some of the top guides and resources for Efficiency and Environment:

Duty of care for business waste

How to switch to renewable energy

Introduction to waste management

REACH - Registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals

Save money by using energy more efficiently

Find out more

Business premises and rates

Discover how to choose the right property for your business, plus guidance on buying/renting, rates and property management.

Find some of the top guides and resources for Business premises and rates:

Choosing business property

Business rates: The basics

Fire safety and fire risk assessment

Flood protection for business property

Disabled access and facilities in business premises

Find out more

Innovation and R&D

Learn about how design and innovation can lead to business success plus information on product and service development and intellectual property.

Find some of the top guides and resources for Innovation and R&D:

Research and develop ideas, new products and services

7 key advantages of R&D for small business

Intellectual property: the basics

Trade marks

Setting up an innovation start-up

Find out more

Sales and Marketing

Get guidance on the different types of marketing strategies, market research, and ways to maximise your business sales.

Find some of the top guides and resources for Sales and Marketing:

Preparing to sell

Create your marketing strategy

Market research and market reports

The eCommerce Directive and the UK

Develop a digital marketing plan

Find out more

IT

Learn about the basics of I.T. for your business including software and technology solutions, suppliers, E-commerce, and security and data protection.

Find some of the top guides and resources for IT:

Plan your business IT systems

Choose an IT supplier for your business

Set up a small business website

Benefits of databases

UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)

Find out more

Exporting and Importing

Find out about the basics of importing and exporting including tax and international trade regulations, classifying goods, moving goods and the specific regulations for your business sector.

Find some of the top guides and resources for Exporting and Importing:

How to import goods to Northern Ireland: step-by-step

Importing and exporting plants and plant products

Country guides: Exporting to the EU

How to move goods by sea

Export licences and certificates

Find out more