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Setting up a business involves complying with a range of legal requirements. Find out which ones apply to you and your new enterprise.

Every business needs to be aware of its obligations under minimum wage and equal pay laws, as well as recent pensions auto-enrolment changes.

What particular regulations do specific types of business (such as a hotel, or a printer, or a taxi firm) need to follow? We explain some of the key legal issues to consider for 200 types of business.

While poor governance can bring serious legal consequences, the law can also protect business owners and managers and help to prevent conflict.

You must comply with legal restrictions on employees' working hours and time off, or risk claims, enforcement action and even prosecution.

The right employment policies are an essential part of effective staff management. Make sure any policy is clear and well communicated to employees.

Whether you want to raise finance, join forces with someone else, buy or sell a business, it pays to be aware of the legal implications.

While sick employees need to be treated fairly, you need to ensure that 'sickness' is not being used as cover for unauthorised absence.

Marketing matters. Marketing drives sales for businesses of all sizes by ensuring that customers think of their brand when they want to buy.

Most pregnant employees are entitled to maternity leave and maternity pay, while new fathers are entitled to paternity leave and paternity pay.

Commercial disputes can prove time-consuming, stressful and expensive, but having robust legal agreements can help to prevent them from occurring.

As well as undermining morale, illegal discrimination can lead to workplace grievances. Employee discrimination is covered by the Equality Act 2010.

Whether your business owns or rents premises, your legal liabilities can be substantial. Commercial property law is complex, but you can avoid common pitfalls.

Home, remote and lone workers are becoming increasingly commonplace. Key issues include communication and how to manage and motivate people remotely.

With information and sound advice, living up to your legal responsibilities to safeguard your employees, customers and visitors need not be difficult or costly.

The right approach to consulting with and providing information to your employees can improve employee motivation and performance.

As information technology continues to evolve, legislation must also change. It affects everything from data protection and online selling to internet policies for employees.

Disciplinary and grievance issues can be a major burden to employers. Putting in place and following the right procedures is essential.

Following the right dismissal and redundancy procedures helps protect your business and minimise the risk of a legal dispute at tribunal.

Intellectual property (IP) isn't solely relevant to larger businesses or those involved in developing innovative new products: all products have IP.

Employment tribunal claims are a worrying prospect for any employer. A tribunal case is a no-win situation – even if the claim is unjustified.

Knowing how and when you plan to sell or relinquish control of your business can help you to make better decisions and achieve the best possible outcome.

From bereavement, wills, inheritance, separation and divorce to selling a house, personal injury and traffic offences, learn more about your personal legal rights.

Small firms and self-employed need more business support

27 July 2021

A new report has warned that the government's levelling-up agenda will fall short unless more is done to provide business advice to smaller firms.

Open for Business, a report from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), has found significant gaps in business support for small firms and the self-employed. The report has looked at how business support advice was used by small firms during the pandemic; it has found that while it helped some, others were left with little support.

The findings show that:

  • 84% of small firms received some sort of business support advice during the pandemic;
  • But only 45% of small firms say the advice they received helped their business survive the pandemic;
  • And most sole traders said that business support advice for them was not helpful.

Martin McTague, FSB national vice chair, said: "We've endured almost 18 months of this terrible pandemic which has wreaked economic chaos for small businesses all over the country. That's why the support and advice available to them has never been more important.

"If small firms are to compete on fair terms with larger businesses, if regions are to step out of the shadows and if all businesses can thrive after the pandemic, then an element of levelling up is critical to success. Even when times are good, gaining access to the right support at the right time can be tricky."

The FSB says improving support for SMEs must be part of the next Spending Review - because small firms are found in every local community, they are crucial to balancing-up productivity, innovation, jobs and opportunities across towns and rural areas as well as cities.

"For too many, knowing where to look, who to speak to and what to do leads to a dead end and that needs to change," said McTague. "Every day, small firms ask themselves how can I manage my debt? How can we achieve Net Zero without breaking the bank? Or how can I attract more staff? It's these sorts of questions where the right advice can make huge differences.

"Our findings show that existing business support advice already helps small firms when it comes to taxation and regulation, but as our post-EU journey continues and while we continue to weather the economic COVID-19 storm, there is plenty more government could be doing to help make things easier."

The FSB is calling on the government to simplify and streamline how and where small firms can access critical business support advice, building on what currently works. "You can only level up local economies by backing small businesses … If the right advice can be accessible to all, then small businesses can thrive, our economy can bounce back and everyone benefits," said McTague.

Written by Rachel Miller.

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