Business start up advice

[Hedgehog Toys]

O.K. i guess this is closing the stable door after the horse has bolted but i get a feeling i'm doing things in reverse order here....
I started my business in early Dec 05, started building a website, opened a business bank account in late Dec and now i haven't a clue what else i need to do.
I registered with Data Protection as i will be retaining customer details on the pc....can anyone let me know what else i need to do or who else i need to contact....

Thanks

[bwglaw]

I am lost here...

what else i need to do or who else i need to contact....

Regarding what..? the legal stuff, raising finance, marketing the business, finding new clients...?

For a start...do you work from home or an office? Do you have adequate insurance in place? Do you employ or sub-contract staff?

Tell us a bit more about your business and we may be able to make comment.

[Hedgehog Toys]

OK.

I run an e-commerce site retailing wooden toys. The business is run from home and we hold very limited stock.

We have a business bank account and have registered with Data Protection but other than that who else do i need to inform that i am in business and what legal issues are there regarding running the business from home.

I did have one supplier who would not supply me due to the business being run from home and not a shop or office.

We do not have callers to the house other than invited reps.

Hope this helps.

[bwglaw]

I am not able to advise without a thorough audit of your business, so I will comment on the basis of your postings.

As you are running a e-commerce website, it would be useful for you to become accustomed to the regulations surrounding distance selling/electronic retail. I can get the links for you later.

Your site should also have b ut not limited to up to date terms/conditions, including privacy policies, security policy, returns policy. These should be clear on your website.

I don't know the full extent of your business and how it may come into affect with a residential property. This said, a 'business' operating from a residential property usually requires permission from your Local Authority, especially if you go beyond 'business administration' suhc as holding stock, frequent visitors etc. May not be your case, but worth checking the Local Authority website.

Not sure if you are actually a Limited Company, if you are, this should be stated on your website somewhere, including the Registered Office address if you are selling goods online because consumers are entitled to know where to serve legal notices etc.

If you are a sole-trader, you should mention this in your terms/condition and provide an address for serving legal notices, complaints etc.

A supplier can choose who he supplies to and there is an element of risk in supplying to a home because it is not a bona-fide business address. Many suppliers feel assured to supply to a Ltd Company and suppliers tend to adopt a more stringent criterion for sole-traders who have little history with them.

'Invited representatives' as you state are associated with your business and therefore you will require 'Public Liability Insurance' because your household insurance may not cover visitors visiting on business. You also need to check with your insurance company about who and what is covered that is associated with the business.

I used to work from home and still do nowadays and I always meet clients at our office or at a cafe, purely because it is more professional and no insurance issues arise.

Hope the above is useful...I trust you have informed the Inland Revenue...?! ;)

[VeryMark]

Your business/website name is also your trade mark. Trade mark registration also provides a monopoly over everything else, business name, website/domain name, company name, brand name, the lot.

Using a name without checking it out as a trade mark means that you are running an unknown risk - we've just had to sort out someone who had to change his product name a month before a major show because of a threat of legal action.

[thekitchendesigner]

Have you thought about contacting your local business link? I used them when starting out and found them very valuable for all my little questions! I still contact them now and again. They can point you in the right directions and have a wealth of info available, and its free!

Good luck

[Hedgehog Toys]

Yeah, i went to business link initially but they didn't give me much more info than i already knew.

My main concern was not breaking any laws with regards e-commerce and if there are other agencies that need to be informed apart from Inland Revenue and Data Protection.

[cjd]

Concentrate on making sales (and profit). If you behave reasonably you will overcome issues as you find them. If you worry too much about regulation at this stage you'll never get anything done.

Think first about products, customers, competition and markets.

[fastfences]

Concentrate on making sales . . . If you worry too much about regulation at this stage you'll never get anything done.

Think first about products, customers, competition and markets.

Huh? But if you're breaking regulations and get sprung you may not even have a business! Things like insurance and permits just cannot be overlooked. 'Hedge' is quite correct in wanting to cover his butt! :wink:
Cheers, Nigel

[bwglaw]

Well said Nigel, as e-commerce is a whole new arena covered or not so covered by regulations etc.

[VeryMark]

Yes, there is a list of things which any new business should go through of what it should do to be safe.

There are also some things which can help a lot - like get a good book-keeper.

As the same questions are starting to come up on the forums, can I suggest it might be useful to have, for example, a set of FAQS which any new business needs to look at, with links perhaps to particular threads?

[cjd]

Huh? But if you're breaking regulations and get sprung you may not even have a business! Things like insurance and permits just cannot be overlooked. 'Hedge' is quite correct in wanting to cover his butt! :wink:
Cheers, Nigel

Detail, detail :-)

Of course don't break laws and don't do stupid things. But we seem to have here someone who has missed ALL the reasons for being in business and now wants to think hard about about data protection issues; what's next to worry about flood insurance?

O.K. i guess this is closing the stable door after the horse has bolted but i get a feeling i'm doing things in reverse order here....
I started my business in early Dec 05, started building a website, opened a business bank account in late Dec and now i haven't a clue what else i need to do.
I registered with Data Protection as i will be retaining customer details on the pc....can anyone let me know what else i need to do or who else i need to contact....

What about the business? What about customers, service, products, ideas, marketing?

[fastfences]

True cjd, I acknowledge your point :( .

Quite often one gets swept away with the enthusiasm of starting a business, or indeed any venture, and may neglect to do a 'few' things or not prioritise correctly. This appears the situation with 'Hedge' (as he's actually confessed to it). What we should be aspiring to do is help and guide him through the trauma to get him up and running in the quickest and smoothest way possible.

Hence my detail :wink:

Cheers, Nigel

[bwglaw]

Isnt ensuring your business is complying with legislation (etc) a start to building a good foundation to give you strength to develop and prosper your business. It is best to do this at the early stage.

My legal knowledge has kept me in good stead and anyone who develops some legal experience will find themselves in an equal position. Although I practice law for a living, have some knowledge will still be beneficial to avoid any pitfalls.

[cjd]

Isnt ensuring your business is complying with legislation (etc) a start to building a good foundation to give you strength to develop and prosper your business. It is best to do this at the early stage.


Of course, but lawyers and accountants and health and safety advisers and consultants and rat inspectors and and and ........ are all aids to business (or a necessary evil depending on your perspective) they are not THE business.

Until Hedgehog tells us that he's got his business model worked out and he's now just tying up all the loose ends I'm going to bang on about business focus.

[bwglaw]

Was not referring to lawyers exclusively but that having *some* knowledge of law before going in the deep end is crucial for the business to prosper, especially when the business that is in operation is not straight-forward. Lawyers/accountants etc can be the lifeline of a business.

Not all businesses are 'plug and play' and a perfectionist is likely to ensure his ground is solid before walking it. Someone new to business may well jump in the deep end and get his fingers burnt, some may take their time and be cautious. I have completed both routes to business.

There is no right or wrong way of doing it, but a matter of good business sense and practice.

[JaneOwen]

Hi!

Have you checked out that your products meet toy safety and general product safety requirements? Don't just assume that the manufacturer has taken care of that side of things - especially if you are importing the products.
For general product safety see http://www.vitalproductsolutions.co.uk/general_product_safety.htm for more info - if you need advice re: toy safety requirements, please PM me (still haven't got that page up on my site - really must get that done...)
Product liability insurance also ought to be a priority considering the category of products you are selling.