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How to Start a Business in Ballymena

Free start-up resources and useful local contacts.

Improve your chances of success!

How to Start a Business in Ballymena

Starting a business in Ballymena

If you are thinking about starting a business in Ballymena or would like to grow your existing business, we would love to help you.

Start Your Own Business in Ballymena contains resources and the information that will help give your venture the best chance of success. It also highlights organisations who offer friendly advice and the services that you are likely to need as a new startup or local business owner.

Grants | Networking groups | Business advice | Mentoring | Co-working spaces

Starting a business in Ballymena

Free Startup Resources

Getting it right from the start can help to prevent problems later.

To help you with this we have created a vast selection of resources and they are all completely free!

Starting a Business in in Ballymena

Business advice and support

"Two heads are better than one."

Whether you have been trading for some time, are new to the market or are just thinking about starting a business of your own, it has been proven that your chances of success are considerably improved if you seek support from an experienced business advisor or mentor. You can find out more about both options at Business Advice in Ballymena and Business Mentors in Ballymena.

Funding and grants

Running out of money is one the most common reasons why businesses fail. This risk of this happening to can be avoided (or minimised) by careful planning and cashflow forecasting. If you need additional funds to start or keep your business going, you can learn more about your options and download our free funding factsheet at: Ballymena Business Grants and Business Funding

Business networking

Does the idea of business networking fill you with delight or dread? Either way, it can be beneficial for both your business and you as an entrepreneur. See Business Networking in Ballymena for details of local groups and our free Networking Factsheet.

Business premises

Working from home is appealing to many new business owners but not practical for many others. Even if you are running a business by yourself, you might like to consider the option of 'hot desking' or co-working in one of the many flexi-workspaces that have emerged in recent years. Find out more at: Ballymena Co-Working and Business Premises.

Finding new customers

Paying customers are the lifeblood of any business. Knowing how to find, satisfy and retain them is vitally important and best achieved with the help of experts in the field.

Accountancy, tax and law

While starting a new business is very exciting, this should not disguide the fact that there are some very important legal responsibilities that must be considered. See: Bookkeeping, Accountancy, Financial Planning and Law

FREE startup workshops

If you are thinking about starting a business, our FREE three-hour ONLINE workshop is definitely for you!

Open to everyone, our sole aim is to increase your chances of success. We do that by explaining:

The reality of running a business; the most common pitfalls and how to avoid them; which legal status is likely to be most suitable; funding, grants and managing your money; business planning and cashflow forecasting; finding and keeping customers.

Free startup guide

Start Your Own Business in 2021

Download the 2024 edition of our Free Start Your Own Business guide

An interactive step-by-step guide which also includes all of the most important subjects covered in an easy-to-read way with links to useful online articles and relevant contacts.

The idea of starting your own business can be incredibly exciting and who can blame you for being tempted?

However, the sad truth is that far too many new enterprises fail in the early stages. Our aim is to make sure that you don’t become one of them.

This guide explains the key start-up subjects in simple English.

There is also plenty of help available in the area and much of it is free - please do make the most of it.

Read more about what our Free guide contains and how you can download it.
Starting a business in Ballymena

Key Contacts in Ballymena

'You don't know what you don't know' is a phrase that is so applicable to starting a new business.

Ballymena is a great place for start-ups but your chances of success are dramatically improved if you make the most of the support that is available locally. Click on logos to visit their websites.

Accountancy

TaxAssist Accountants Ballymena
TaxAssist Accountants Ballymena provides a wide range of accountancy services including tax returns, annual accounts, payroll and bookkeeping. TaxAssist Accountants in Ballymena are a part of the largest network of accountants who offer a wealth of experience and expertise to over 65,000 small businesses right across the UK. We help a diverse range of small businesses including start-ups, sole traders, limited companies and landlords who operate in many industries. Ian Aiken FCMA is a TaxAssist Accountant with many years experience in industry offering clients a personal service. Clients benefit from the core accountancy services plus other additional services which help clients build their business and gain good contacts locally. TaxAssist Accountants offer: 1) Personal Service - Visiting clients at home or business in or out of normal working hours, both for initial meetings and collection of books etc. 2) Customer Satisfaction - Business standards in place to ensure deadlines always met and clients always happy. 3) Value for money - An agreed fixed price, no hidden charges or surprises and the option to pay monthly with no interest charges. In summary, providing a high quality, fast reliable service at a competitive price. Taxassist Accountants are located on Linenhall Street between the Merchant Fish and Chip shop and Samuel Cummings Solicitors. Parking is free in front of the shop for 30 minutes only or in local pay car parks eg on Galgorm Street. Ian Aiken and Taxasssit are menbers of the Ballymena Chamber of Commerce and Ian sits on the Management Committee. Taxassist Accountants have been established in Ballymena since 2012 and have been on Linenhall street since 2013. We serve the local area including the towns or villages of Ahoghill, Antrim, Cullybackey, Broughshane, Cargan etc. Address: 41 Linenhall Street, Ballymena, County Antrim, BT43 5AJ
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Advice

Enterprise Northern Ireland
If you are at start-up stage - which can extend from having a busines idea right through to £50k turnover and/or trading for less than 2 years - we have a range of suppport and advice services to get you started or helped into the growth and acceleration stage. Enterprise Northern Ireland manages the Exploring Enterprise 3 Programme, and are delivering the business start-up programme in many Council areas. Both programmes help those with a business idea take the first step - you can find further information on them in this section. We are also the representative body for the network of Local Enterprise Agencies, all of which offer quality business accommodation and advice services. So if you're not sure where or how to start, or you want to connect locally with your nearest Local Enterprise Agency, either click here or visit the blue navigation above to find out what's happening in your local council area ... and then we'd advise you make an appointment, pop by and have a look for yourself!
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Advice

Enterprise Northern Ireland
Enterprise Northern Ireland (ENI) is the organisation representing the network of Local Enterprise Agencies in Northern Ireland. Local Enterprise Agencies (LEAs) are independent, locally based not-for-profit companies set up to support small business development and to undertake economic development activity. ENI has thirty-two member agencies, with coverage across all local council areas in Northern Ireland. ENIs vision is to contribute to the development of the Northern Ireland economy in partnership with other key economic development stakeholders through the provision of a high quality, value-added continuum of support that complements local and national government strategies for entrepreneurship, enterprise and economic development.Aghanloo Industrial Estate, Aghanloo Road, LIMAVADY BT49 0HE
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Start-up articles

100's of free startup articles

We have created a collection of 100s of startup articles to help anyone with whatever stage they are on with their business journey. Hundreds of thousands of people have gone before you and we can learn from what they got right and avoid the things that have been proved not to work so well.

You can see the full list of 'articles' at: How to start a business