Bucks &amp; Oxon


<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/03/woman-at-desk.jpg" alt="Start-up business" class="wp-image-103903" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/03/woman-at-desk.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/03/woman-at-desk-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/03/woman-at-desk-720x480.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/03/woman-at-desk-150x100.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>At Muddy, we&#8217;re all about the indies and love nothing more than getting to know a fresh-faced start-up from Bucks &amp; Oxon &#8211; hey, they&#8217;re the Muddy Award winners of the future! But we also know how challenging it is to get things off the ground. You&#8217;ve had your lightbulb moment, you&#8217;ve got your talent; next comes the tricky bit &#8211; dotting the i&#8217;s and crossing the t&#8217;s, and &#8211; let&#8217;s admit it &#8211; grappling with the boring bits. Once you have begun life as a start-up what does it take to get on the next rung of the ladder as a more established business? What else does your business need to grow?</p>



<p><a href="https://lightfoots.co.uk/legal-services-for-businesses/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lightfoots Solicitors</a> have been our Bucks &amp; Oxon Muddy Awards partner for the last three years but their commitment to helping local businesses goes much further than awards season, with the company providing legal services for businesses, including Employment Law and Corporate &amp; Commercial, and working with a range of businesses from start-ups to major corporates<em>.</em> So if you&#8217;re thinking of starting your own business, read on for their advice on how to give your dream the best chance of success. Over to you, Lightfoots! </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hire-no-1-the-number-cruncher">HIRE NO.1: THE NUMBER CRUNCHER</h2>



<p>Unless you&#8217;re a bean counting whizz, an accountant is essential from the early days for opening and filing your tax returns, keeping track of invoices and generally being tax smart, so you if you don&#8217;t already, make a great accountant part of your team. There is some fantastic accounting software out there to help automate invoices and keep track of your pipeline, but a real life accountant is worth their weight in gold when it comes to tax efficiency.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BE A SAVVY EMPLOYER</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/08/Woman-working-at-computer.jpg" alt="Laptop worker start-up business" class="wp-image-75030" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/08/Woman-working-at-computer.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/08/Woman-working-at-computer-150x100.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/08/Woman-working-at-computer-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/08/Woman-working-at-computer-720x480.jpg 720w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Whether you are selling a service or a product, resource is something that every business has increasing needs for as demand spreads and the business grows. This might mean committing more of your time if you’ve previously been running the business as a side hustle, or you could need to recruit. If you are going to hire employees then it’s essential that you understand and comply with UK employment law. This includes adhering to minimum wage regulations, providing employment contracts, and following fair employment practices.</p>



<p>Employment law can be a rapidly changing and often complex area of law, just take the whole furlough scheme shenanigans in March 2020. It&#8217;s also unfortunately relatively easy for employers, dealing with redundancies or other forms of dismissal, to get things wrong without the right guidance, leaving them at risk of tribunal claims. It&#8217;s absolutely worth a call to a solicitor to make sure you&#8217;re legally covered. We&#8217;ve helped many small businesses get started with employment law at Lightfoots, and we&#8217;re always happy to advise.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">TIME TO SIZE UP</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="629" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/08/Mill-House-Woburn-Green-co-working-space--1000x629.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-148884" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/08/Mill-House-Woburn-Green-co-working-space--1000x629.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/08/Mill-House-Woburn-Green-co-working-space--800x503.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/08/Mill-House-Woburn-Green-co-working-space--400x251.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/08/Mill-House-Woburn-Green-co-working-space--835x525.jpg 835w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/08/Mill-House-Woburn-Green-co-working-space-.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption>Mill House in Woburn</figcaption></figure>



<p>Next on the wish list for most small businesses is space. Have you been running things from your spare bedroom and now need a dedicated workspace? From desks in co-working buildings (Muddy&#8217;s monthly co-working <a href="https://www.millhousewooburn.com/">Mill House</a> near Beaconsfield for example) to your own shop or factory, the options can feel overwhelming and a big drain on resources. Talking to other small business owners to get their recommendations on what has and hasn’t worked for them is a good start. When the time comes, we can assist with commercial leases, having decades of experience on everything from farms and factories to shops and offices.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">COMPLY OR DIE</h2>



<p>If the phrase &#8216;General Data Protection Regulation&#8217; gives you the heebie jeebies then you&#8217;re not alone. Most of us don’t come into this world knowing about GDPR, compliance and regulatory needs. That’s where good legal advice comes in. Depending on the type of business you&#8217;re running you&#8217;ll have differing client data to manage. Fail to comply with the GDPR and other relevant data protection laws when handling customer or employee data and you&#8217;ll be smacked with a hefty fine. So you have to obtain the right consent and implement security measures to protect sensitive information. You can&#8217;t plead ignorance &#8211; there&#8217;s no exemption for small businesses, so this is one area you want to get right from the very start. The <a href="https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/sme-web-hub/checklists/assessment-for-small-business-owners-and-sole-traders/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Information Commissioners Office (ICO)</a> is responsible for GDPR in the UK and has produced a self-assessment checklist specifically for small business owners and sole traders, so it&#8217;s a good place to start but if you need some extra hand-holding in this tricky area of law, we&#8217;re here. </p>



<p><a style="font-style: italic" href="https://lightfoots.co.uk/legal-services-for-businesses/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lightfoots Solicitors</a><i> has offices in Thame </i><em style="font-style: italic">(Tel 01844 214 984</em>) <em>and Princes Risborough (Tel: 01844 397 020)</em>. </p>



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How to build a business: 4 things every start-up should know

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