Types of business

You have satisfied your business idea is viable. The next step is to decide what form your business should take. We explore the options.

Franchising allows you to set up a business following a proven formula - although you'll be subject to restrictions. Our guide to franchising.

Market research helps you spot opportunities, reduce risks and make better decisions. How to find the information you need.

Although Friska founders have big plans for their takeaway with a difference, as Mark Williams finds out, profit is not their only goal.

Gandys flip-flops uses some of its profits to help orphans in India – just one reason this fast-growing brand continues to win admirers.

Ian and Joe Syer of MyArtBroker are business partners - and brothers. They share their insights on managing family relationships at work.

Mother and son team Deborah de Maio and Rem Malloy set up Italy4Real in 1995. They reveal the secrets behind the success of their family business.

How do you disrupt a traditional sector like wine-making? João Pedro Montes, of Wine With Spirit, explains how he built an innovative new wine brand.

Aaron Chatterley, founder of feelunique.com, can thank drink for his hugely successful online cosmetics business.

Not many people have been in the Guinness Book of World Records and established their own business. Adam King is still trying to be a world-beater.

Some people prefer to retain full ownership of a business and call all the shots, but having a partner can provide a way to share responsibility.

Buying a business can be less risky than starting one. If the business has customers, then it has income. But it will need upfront investment.

Being an ethical business can reduce the negative impacts on people, animals and the environment. It can also boost your bottom line.

Fiona Graham of the Institute for Family Business explains why it can pay to keep it in the family when starting and running a business.

Employing a relative is quite different to recruiting someone else. There are some important tax and legal considerations which we explore here:

Many of us have a 'big idea': the idea that fuels our entrepreneurial dreams. But how can we make the transition from dream to business reality?

Jane Robson's early career was with top high-street brands, but her own business has given her greater flexibility and a better work-life balance.

Helen Beer of QualitySilver explains how her online business balances the demands of motherhood with the need to generate an income.

For seven months each year, Hester Moore runs Festival Postcards, a unique postal service for those who go to music festivals. Here's how she does it.

Long neglected farm buildings in rural Worcestershire were renovated to provide a home for The Fold Bransford Community Interest Company.

Hedge fund manager, Edwin Lloyd, left the world of finance behind to start his own eco-friendly products business. He tells us his story.

You don't come across many Goths who run their own accountancy practices. Meet Psyche Coderre, owner of London-based Death and Taxes.

Musician, producer and business man Jamie Giarraputo lives by the Italian motto 'vivere senza rimpianti' - live without regrets. He explains here.

Combining the demands of running a business with the responsibility of bringing up children is a demanding task, yet more mums are doing it.

Setting up a business in your 50s, 60s or even 70s can bring a whole set of different challenges, but you will have the benefit of life experience.

Unlike even the most ethical of other start-ups, social enterprises have environmental or social values at the very core of everything they do.

Family businesses represent the most common business ownership model, and yet few survive beyond one generation. We meet a great exception.

More people than ever are setting up their own business. Rachel Miller investigates some of the most exciting new business opportunities.

Thinking of setting up a home-based business? Intended to help you succeed, here are ten tips from one of the founders of StartUp Britain.

Sometimes ideas have seasonal appeal. If you're lucky, you might be able to generate enough profit to carry you through the rest of the year.

At first glance, Bookdonors, a Selkirk-based social enterprise, appears simply to sell books to raise money for good cause. But there's more to it.