Becoming an entrepreneur can be daunting, with numerous different factors to consider – not only relating to your business in and of itself, but also in keeping all of your business activities in line with the relevant regulations.
Untangling what can often be a confusing, complicated world of newly applicable rules can be tricky without the right type of support and advice. Luckily, regulators, and the government at-large, have provided a wealth of different resources for entrepreneurs to find out more on the regulations that apply, and how to abide by them.
In being able to access such valuable advice from such authoritative sources, entrepreneurs can build compliance into their businesses from the very start, which has been found to not only alleviate some of the stresses that can come from starting a new business, but could also be considerably cheaper for them, helping entrepreneurs to avoid costly pitfalls along their startup journey.
Useful Sources on Business Regulations:
There are a number of useful resources offered up by regulators to help entrepreneurs better comply with regulations. Below is a list with just some of these great resources to take advantage of:
- The Planning Portal – https://www.planningportal.co.uk/
On a mission to transform planning and building, The Planning Portal was created as a joint venture with TerraQuest ltd and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Through it, entrepreneurs can access general information as to whether their building projects need any sort of permission to go ahead, their responsibilities with the building work, and more useful advice.
- Trading Standards Business Advice – https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/business-and-consumers/trading-standards/business-advice/get-help-from-us/your-business-advice-options
Entrepreneurs can also contact their local Trading Standards office to make sure they are trading in compliance with the applicable regulations. For example, Buckinghamshire & Surrey Trading Standards (linked to above) offers a range of different support options to help businesses operate efficiently and within the regulatory limits.
- The FCA’s Handbook and Guidance – https://www.handbook.fca.org.uk/
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have created a handbook detailing the rules that businesses in the financial services industry must follow – including banks, investment businesses and insurers. This handbook helps businesses within the industry to make sure they are in-keeping with the relevant rules and regulations that apply to them as enforced by the FCA. The FCA also offer useful guides and a video tutorial explaining how to navigate the handbook.
- Health & Safety Executive Guidance – https://www.hse.uk/guidance/index.htm
The Health & Safety Executive is a government agency in the UK, responsible for regulating and enforcing health, safety and welfare throughout the workplace. On their website, the agency have a page offering up guidance to business owners to help them keep compliant – including how to assess risks throughout the workplace, the welfare facilities needed for a workplace, details of The Health and Safety at Work Act, criminal and civil law and more.
- HMRC Starting Up – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/help-and-support-if-youre-self-employed
HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) is a government department in the UK. It is the UK’s authority for tax, customs and payments. On the gov.uk website, HMRC have written up a page all around help and support for those who are self-employed, including advice on setting up your business, record keeping, self-assessment and more. On this page is also listed a number of webinars and video guides helping to explain a range of relevant, need-to-know topics for entrepreneurs, including how to complete an online tax return, how to pay a Self Assessment tax bill and more.
Something missing from this page? Please contact us to suggest other relevant sources of information and support for entrepreneurs.
