It is time to break it down into what steps you need to do to get the business off the ground and running. There are plenty of companies that are offering services to help kickstart your business with ease.

1. ArchOver

ArchOver is a peer-to-peer business lending platform. They connect SME’s that need working capital with investors looking for a favourable return. Through their platform, lenders pledge to your project, providing you with the money you need to achieve your goals.

They carry out rigorous due diligence to ensure they fully understand our borrowers’ businesses, what they’re trying to achieve, and the challenges they face. They get to know them, spending time with them to ensure they get the best loan for their needs.

They have a proven record not only of helping businesses secure funding, but also helping their borrowers when they meet challenges outside their control.

Find out more at archover.com

2. WorkLife

WorkLife coworking spaces provide businesses with everything they need from an office space; whether it’s hot-desking or a private hub, including Wi-Fi, printing, meeting rooms, private phone booths, a reception and a fully fitted kitchen.

WorkLife know that work happiness plays a huge part in productivity, so the community-led spaces are designed to make you feel good, and the membership teams go the extra mile to make your experience special.

Your membership includes networking, unlimited coffee from Redemption Roasters, weekly fitness classes, regular breakfasts, monthly massages with Urban and training sessions with Jolt.

Located across London, Manchester and Reading, the spaces allow businesses to feel part of a wider community. Plus, members get easy access to a network of different skills and services all under the same roof, and the opportunity to share ideas and collaborate across companies.

Find out more at work.life

3. OKI

OKI sells the smallest A3 printer on the market – the C800 series – that can handle all your printing needs, including business cards, pre-cut media, posters, banners up to 1.3m long and beyond. Combining media flexibility, ultra-reliability and OKI’s pioneering digital LED technology, this productivity-boosting device is perfect for creating professional quality customer-facing collateral, as well as day-to-day office documents in-house and on-demand.

The C800 series warms up instantly and conserves energy thanks to OKI’s innovative fusing technology, saving time and creating efficiency, making it the perfect choice for any business workgroup.

Find out more at oki.com

4. Octopus Electric Vehicles

Octopus Electric Vehicles makes it easy for everyone – individuals and businesses – to join the electric vehicle revolution. They bring together everything you need to get you on the road.

They’ve got a team of experts who live and breathe electric vehicles day in, day out, ready to find you the best finance options, unlock government incentives and save you money wherever you can.

They’ve got a handpicked range of the best electric vehicles from all the top manufacturers including BMW, Nissan, Jaguar and of course Tesla. Their hassle-free smart charging solutions mean you’ll be able to wake up every day with a full charge.

They’re even changing the rules of how vehicles are used and energy is consumed, through Powerloop their vehicle to grid product that turns your parked car into a battery for your home. They’ve got the complete EV solution to start saving.

Find out more at octopusev.com

5. Payswell

Payswell can help you and your business with payroll solutions for contractors, temporary workers, recruitment agencies and individuals. Their organisation manages systems such as PAYE, LTD, UMBRELLA and CIS. 

They understand the demands made by contractors and agencies and can assist in mitigating the volume of paperwork and offer an HMRC-compliant payment model, ensuring both agencies and workers are up to date with current legislation.

 Payswell accept that charges can be one of the biggest deal-breakers when it comes to choosing an umbrella solution, that suits you and your company. They believe it is essential to be highly competitive and with the lowest charges in the industry tailored to your needs. Payswell simply puts you and your business first.

All clients are assigned their own dedicated personal account manager who will take care of all your payroll needs efficiently and offer advice whenever needed.

Find out more at payswell.net

6. Rockwool

Energy efficient upgrades to your building with ROCKWOOL with not only make your property more environmentally friendly, but they could also save you up to £600 per year on your energy bills.

Insulating your office is one of the easiest ways to improve energy efficiency, reducing energy usage by up to 70%. Using non-combustible Rockwool stone wool insulation will help you achieve much wider benefits than just energy savings.

There are many benefits to improving your insulation. Stone wool’s superior sound reduction performance will help you to turn noise down. Its insulation regulates internal temperature to make your building cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Plus, as non-combustible insulation, stone wool won’t burn, making your property as safe as it is warm.

Find out more at rockwool.com

7. Pack & Send

For nearly 30 years Pack & Send have been delivering far more than just a simple courier service. They are the UK’s largest network of packing and shipping specialists with huge experience of safely moving virtually anything to all parts of the globe.

Their unique range of secure packing options make them particularly effective in handling fragile and valuable goods. They can also transport medical and laboratory equipment, vehicle parts and engineering machinery.

They understand the concerns of buyers and vendors when moving unique things. Pack & Send apply the same high level of attention to detail in executing the shipment. They are so confident in the security of their shipping services that they offer a loss and damage warranty on anything that they have packed – regardless of its value.

Pack & Send’s flexibility, attention to detail, and premium customer service can be the answer.

Find out more at packsend.co.uk

8. Dehns

Dehns is one of Europe’s leading firms of patent and trademark attorneys, working with SMEs in all sectors over the last 100 years to help increase the value of businesses. Dehns can help identify, obtain and protect your intellectual property, which in turn can help you achieve your corporate objectives.

Two of the most important IP are trademarks and patents. Brand recognition and loyalty are developed in a trademark over time. It can become a highly valuable asset; obtaining appropriate trademark protection early on is important, otherwise third parties may be able to use an identical or similar trademark, in a way that may confuse customers, divert business and/or damage your brand’s image.

Patents protect new inventions. The owner of a patent can generally prevent others from using, making, or selling the invention for a limited period of time.

Find out more at dehns.com

9. Amazon Business

Amazon Business and American Express launched two new products aimed at the small business market.

This allows you to tap into the ability to make of the most of your future spending. In addition to no annual fee in the first year, you will receive a £25 Amazon Gift Card upon approval, and on top of that, the freedom to choose between 1.5% Amazon Rewards or deferred payment for 60 days on UK purchases at Amazon Business, amazon.co.uk and Whole Foods Market.

Find out more amazon.co.uk

10. Hampshire Trust Bank

When it comes to saving, opening an ISA is a great start. That’s where Hampshire Trust Bank can help.

Basically, it means you can save up to £20,000 a year, tax free. They offer a range of cash-ISAs available for new subscriptions and transfers from both cash, stocks and shares ISAs.

And, when you choose Hampshire Trust Bank, you have the added peace of mind that comes from knowing your money is protected up to a total of £85,000 by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, the UK’s deposit guarantee scheme.

Find out more at htb.co.uk

To see your company in any upcoming features we are arranging please email laura@hurstmediacompany.co.uk or editorial@hurstmediacompany.co.uk

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Most people at some point in their lives will need legal help. Whether this is for a divorce, employment issue or the passing of a family member. Many of us wonder if we can afford it? Legal representation and support aren’t cheap, but there are many ways in which you can get free or affordable legal help if you really need it.

1. Legal Aid

Legal aid can help meet the costs of legal advice, family mediation, and representation in a court or tribunal. You’ll usually need to show that your case is eligible for legal aid, the problem is serious and you cannot afford to pay for legal costs

There are many reasons why someone would want to request legal aid. You or your family may be at risk of abuse or serious harm, for example, domestic violence or forced marriage. You may be facing the prospect of being made homeless or losing your home. Whether you have been accused of a crime, are being discriminated against at work, or need family mediation. You may even want to bring a case under the Human Rights Act. Check whether you are entitled to Legal Aid, which can help with your legal costs.

You’ll need to show that you cannot afford to pay for this help yourself. You may have to pay some money towards the legal costs of your case or pay costs back later.

Check if you can get legal aid to get help with civil cases. Your legal adviser will usually apply for legal aid on your behalf.

Find out more at gov.uk

2. Citizen’s Advice

The first port of call for any free expert advice should be Citizen’s Advice. With so many experts available, they can give you free legal advice on a number of subjects, but you will need to book an appointment with your local office so be prepared to wait to be put in touch with someone who can help you.

Citizen’s Advice offers confidential advice online, over the phone, for free. Whether you want legal advice regarding debt, housing issues, immigration, health, you will be put in touch with a professional who will be able to give you impartial advice on your situation and guide you on your situation. Make sure you have all of the information to hand to prepare for your call and be very clear as to what the problem is so they can work with you to find the best solution.

Find out more at citizensadvice.org.uk

3. Law Centres

Law Centres are a great way of being able to get a free legal appointment with a trained solicitor who usually offers their time pro bono. You will need to book an appointment, and many Law Centres are incredibly busy. Each one should cover a wide range of issues such as benefits, discrimination, employment, family and housing issues. All Law Centres offer face-to-face legal advice to local residents, and some run a telephone advice line.

If you are going to ask for legal advice from a lawyer, then document all of the facts regarding your query ahead of your call. Make sure they are informed of your situation, with specifics including dates to maximise the effectiveness of your call. They can only give you advice based on the facts of your situation, and will often help draft a legal response or guide you as best they can. Further legal counsel will often be at a cost to you.

Find out more at lawcentres.org.uk

4. Trade Unions

Trade Unions will need you to be a member to be able to help you, and most often you can’t join with a pre-existing problem asking for free legal advice. However, they are really helpful when you need help and can offer you free legal advice when you need it.

You have a legal right to join a Trade Union in the UK. More than 5.5 million people are in a union – from nurses to checkout assistants to lorry drivers to airline pilots. Trade Unions are designed to stop workers from being treated unfairly and often campaign to get a better deal from their employers. Unions make sure working people get a voice at work, which has proved beneficial for many people who have struggled with employment issues.

Check out if there is a Trade Union already affiliated with your workplace, as it makes sense to join the same one. If you are unable to find this information out, then you can search by industry to understand which one represents you. BECTU for example is a union for staff, contract and freelance workers in the media and entertainment industries. While the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers represents workers in the retail, distributive, manufacturing and service sectors. Each Trade Union will ask for a small monthly subscription fee.

Find out more at tuc.org.uk

5. Check your banking and insurance policies

Sometimes your banking and insurance policies will include free legal advice and help. Look at the policy documents for your car, home and other insurance policies to see if any have legal cover. It’s worth checking all of your household insurance and other policies to see if they offer free legal advice or cover.

Sometimes banks will offer legal cover policies to pursue or defend things like personal injury, employer or property disputes. Banks such as TSB offer Legal Services Insurance which covers a household rather than individual members and other such as Starling’s Business Insurance will offer legal advice and protection, should you run your own business.

To see your company in any upcoming features we are arranging please email laura@hurstmediacompany.co.uk or editorial@hurstmediacompany.co.uk

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Getting early advice from a solicitor means you’ll have the support of a trained legal professional who will understand your circumstances and work to obtain the best possible outcome for you.  

Solicitors charge for their time and services. If you’re getting legal advice or representation from a solicitor, you’ll probably need to pay for these services.

The Law Society is the professional association that represents and governs solicitors. You can find the right solicitor for your particular legal needs through their website; here are some legal professionals you can call upon.

1. Lloyd Platt & Co

Have you decided whether your marriage or relationship has come to an end? Or maybe you are considering moving in with a partner and do not know what steps you should take to protect yourself? Lloyd Platt & Company Divorce & Family Lawyers have been leading the way for matrimonial work during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Get help with all matters relating to assets and finances, as well as difficulties concerning the children. The team also deals with disputes over pets, having written the world’s first pet-nuptial agreement.

Going through a divorce can be a stressful experience for all the parties concerned. Lloyd Platt & Co solicitors identify the most efficient strategy to make what can be the difficult divorce process easier.

Lloyd Platt & Co are one of the UK’s leading divorce lawyers and family law firms. Based in London, they pride themselves upon their caring approach to all their clients.

Find out more at divorcesolicitors.com

2. Bird & Bird

Cyber security is an arms race, with criminals and companies locked in a continuing battle to stay one step ahead of each other – and the pandemic has made it worse.

Research carried by Opinium, in partnership with international law firm Bird & Bird, found that in London three out of five companies (60%) say remote working has increased the risk to their IT infrastructure. Just under half (46%) say there’s been a rise in cyber-attacks since March 2020. And more than half (55%) report a significant increase in the number of customers saying they’ve been targeted by online or remote scammers since the pandemic began.

Businesses’ response to the Covid-19 pandemic has given cyber attackers all kinds of new vulnerabilities to exploit, and lots more time to exploit them. With people likely to choose to continue to work from home, companies need to change the way they think about cyber security.

Find out more at twobirds.com

3. Hugh James

Planning for your retirement is imperative for making sure that you can sit back and relax after your working days are done.

But how secure is your pension? If you’re one of the thousands of people across the UK who transferred their company pensions into self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs) in the hope of gaining promised high returns and are now unsure if it was the right thing to do, then Hugh James can help.  

Hugh James has a team of solicitors who specialise in financial mis-selling cases. They can check your investments and advise whether you should have been sold them in the first place. If you have been mis-sold an investment, such a specialist solicitor is best suited to help you reclaim your money.

So far, the Financial Mis-selling team at Hugh James has recovered millions of pounds for unhappy investors.

Find out more at hughjames.com

4. National Will Writers

It’s never been so important to ensure wills, trusts and powers of attorney are up to date. There have been a lot of changes over the last few years and a lot of these documents could be out of date or even invalid leaving peoples’ finances and estates in tatters.

Unbelievably two-thirds of the adult population still don’t have a Will, let alone a trust or a power of attorney. The law currently dictates that without a will a spouse may only inherit the first £250,000 and 50% of what’s left. If not married, the partner may not inherit anything!

National Will Writers has been specialising in protecting their clients’ assets for years. Their expertise comes from using STEP qualified solicitors and estate planning professionals who are also all members of the Institute of Professional Will Writers, which is approved by Trading Standards.

Find out more at nationalwillwriters.co.uk

5. B P Collins

There have been numerous changes to immigration rules over the last 10 years and they’re about to get tougher due to Brexit. As a result, UK businesses face many challenges when looking to employ migrants to work and live in this country.

B P Collins can help your business and individuals looking to live and work in the UK by navigating the maze of immigration rules and developing a strategy that protects you, your family and your business.

We can help: a UK employer of international workers, a migrant looking to start a business or invest in the UK, a migrant who wants to live and work in the UK and their families, and a business wanting a UK presence.

B P Collins are a cross-practice firm, so if you need advice from other specialist lawyers, they can involve them straight away.

Find out more at bpcollins.co.uk

6. Penningtons Manches Cooper

The coronavirus pandemic and lockdown measures have hit hundreds of thousands of UK businesses and caused massive economic damage. If you run a business and have insurance, you may be able to claim under your policy.

A test case has recently been brought in the Supreme Court to resolve key contractual uncertainties in this area and challenge some insurers over non-payment of claims for business interruption insurance.

Penningtons Manches Cooper’s specialist solicitors assist businesses and individuals in making a variety of claims for business interruption insurance.

They are recognised for being highly effective at challenging insurers through group action claims, having a strong track record in securing successful results for claims of this type.

Find out more at penningtonslaw.com

7. Money and Me

In his poem, ‘Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College’ in 1742, Thomas Gray famously said: “Where ignorance is bliss, ‘tis folly to be wise.”

Were you ‘blissfully happy in your ignorance’ after you were advised to transfer your Defined Benefit or Final Salary pension scheme? Did you take some tax-free cash to pay off the mortgage? Buy a new car? Go on that holiday of a lifetime?

Were you fully informed about the decision to transfer, completely understand the guaranteed benefits you’d be giving up and appreciate the risks and charges your pension pot would be exposed to?

Claims management company Money and Me highlights the Financial Conduct Authority’s report that financial advisers have given unsuitable pension transfer advice to huge numbers of customers which could result in losses of up to £20 billion in client guarantees over the next five years. Could part of the £20 billion be yours?

Find out more at moneyandme.co.uk

8. Juno

Conveyancing should be clear, convenient and reliable – that’s what the lawyers say at Juno. Specialists in residential property law, the team helped hundreds of people move home last year, and are set to grow in 2021.

“When people think of lawyers, they think of complicated jargon, delays and Byzantine bills,” says Etienne Pollard, co-founder of the firm. “We knew we needed to be different.”

With transparent quotes, simple online sign-up and a commitment to plain English, it’s clear Juno are focused on clients.
Clients don’t need to ring up to find out what’s going on. Instead they get sent an update whenever something important happens on their case, and a weekly report that lays out how things are going overall.

It’s not just about customer care. Their qualified and experienced conveyancers are supported by world-class software too – built by a dedicated in-house team.

Find out more at juno.legal

9. Neves Solicitors

The 2020 Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act is now in force. It means that parties will no longer have to attribute blame to their partner to obtain a divorce where they haven’t been separated long enough. You will be able to just say in the divorce petition that the marriage has irretrievably broken down and that will be sufficient for a judge to say you are entitled to a divorce.

The aim is to reduce conflict in family breakdown, but the emotional pain and stress of divorce proceedings is not going to change and there will still be conflict between parties and matters to resolve which you may not feel you can handle yourself.

Neves Solicitors cannot stress enough the importance of taking legal advice from a family law specialist before you divorce. It is crucial that you understand its impact.

Find out more at nevesllp.co.uk

10. Sears Tooth

Because of the pandemic lockdowns and the embargo on socialising, some cohabiting couples may have been locked in disharmony, either resulting in, or intensifying, already existing domestic abuse or coercive conduct. The police have recorded an increase in offences flagged as domestic abuse during the pandemic, and similarly, there has been an increase in demand for domestic abuse victim services.

The family courts understand that domestic abuse is not limited to physical violence, but also encompasses emotional, coercive or controlling, and economic abuse.

The most important thing to do, for anybody who has suffered, or is at risk of suffering domestic abuse, is to call the police for your immediate protection. It is then strongly advisable to seek support services and contact a firm of specialist family law solicitors, such as Sears Tooth, who can provide you with invaluable legal support.

Find out more at searstooth.com

To see your company in any upcoming features we are arranging please email editorial@hurstmediacompany.co.uk

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