Starting Your Business

Transcription

1 THE SMALL BUSINESS START-UP SCHEME The Small Business Start-Up Scheme. 2 The Course... 3 Financial Assistance... 5 Eligibility... 6 Summary... 7 Disclaimer... 8 Application Form... 9 Questions... 9 Starting Your Business Department of Economic Development

2 The Small Business Start-Up Scheme If you are either thinking of starting a business or have recently started a business the Department of Economic Development s Small Business Start-Up Scheme could offer you just the help you are looking for. The scheme is made up of several elements: A 5 day course which will: help you decide whether self-employment is really right for you help you think through the viability of your business idea train you in basic business skills such as marketing and keeping financial records give you the know-how to prepare a business plan and cash flow forecast the vital blueprints for your business Financial Assistance Available from the department on a discretionary basis, financial assistance may be provided to help get your business off the ground. If your application is approved and you are awarded funding, you may qualify for: a weekly allowance for up to the first 30 weeks a grant to help you purchase equipment. You may qualify for 50% of the price of your intended purchase Assistance from a business adviser At the end of the course, if you successfully apply for financial assistance, you will be allocated a business adviser who will help you refine your business plan and provide you with support during the initial 18 months of your business. Your business adviser will be familiar with your business and will visit you on a regular basis to monitor the success of your venture and provide further advice where necessary. However, it is your business and the business advisor will not become involved in decision making; his or her role will be supportive and for guidance only. In order to take full advantage of the Scheme, and all the benefits, the only thing required from you is commitment. 2

3 The Course All applicants to the Scheme will be given the opportunity to prepare themselves, through free training and business advice, for the day to day running of a small business. The training will take place on pre-determined dates giving you sufficient notice to arrange attendance. If your business has already started trading it may seem impractical or even unprofitable to attend five days of training, however, the training should be regarded as an investment, providing your business with a firm foundation on which to build. The course is split into two parts, a three day introductory course & a more in depth two day follow up. Part 1 All applicants are required to attend Part 1 of the training. This acts as an introduction to the scheme and to running your own business. During this initial part of the course you will be made aware of the implications of running your own business & acquire the basic skills needed for success. Part 1 takes three days & will: allow you to ask any questions you may have regarding the Scheme help you decide whether self-employment is really right for you provide an initial introduction to the financial aspects of starting a business help you think through the viability of your business idea assist you in understanding how to raise finance for your business guide you in business record keeping & financial statements provide you with the tools to undertake the necessary market research There will be a few weeks break during which time, if you wish to proceed to the Part 2, you will be required to undertake some preliminary work towards developing your business plan. 3

4 Part 2 The second part of the course will cover all aspects of business management including: legal issues credit control VAT, tax, NI staff premises market research customer relations competitors business growth business record keeping profit & loss break-even cash-flow forecast professional assistance selling skills insurance issues The Business Plan Day The final day of the course will be a one-on-one session with a personal business adviser to discuss your business plan. Your business adviser will be an experienced business person who will help you develop and refine your business plan. Once complete, your business plan can be submitted to a bank for a business loan. You may also want to submit it to the DED for consideration for funding. 4

5 Financial Assistance Although financial assistance is available from the Department, this is on a discretionary basis and we cannot guarantee that you will be awarded funding. If, from your business plan, the Department feels that you have a viable business proposition you may be eligible to receive discretionary funding in the form of a grant and/or a weekly allowance. The Grant The Department can offer a grant to help you purchase equipment for your business. The grant may be up to a maximum of 1,500. In order to qualify for this you will need to fund half of the purchase cost yourself with the Department funding the other half up to the maximum award of 1,500. The Allowance You may also be eligible for a weekly allowance of 50 for a maximum of 30 weeks. The Contract You will be required to sign a legally binding contract with the Department before receiving funding. The contract will run for a term of 18 months after which you will be released from any obligation to the Department in relation to your financial assistance. 5

6 Eligibility To be eligible to be considered for funding you must meet certain criteria: Individual Eligibility Criteria All applicants must be: over 18 resident on the Isle of Man for income tax purposes an Isle of Man worker as defined under the Control of Employment Acts OR hold a valid work permit in respect of your intended business activity committed to working not less than an average of 30 hours per week in control of your business Ineligible persons Applicants must not: be an undischarged bankrupt have outstanding debt judgements / executions have income tax, national insurance or value added tax arrears have a criminal record, where the nature of the offence may make it inappropriate for the Department to support the applicant Ineligible operations The application will normally be rejected if you intend to operate a business which is the same as or substantially similar to a business you have operated within the last five years operate a labour only service predominantly or exclusively to a single contractor buy into an existing business operate a franchise operate a business which is contrary to the laws of the Isle of Man or which may bring the Department or the Scheme into disrepute 6

7 Summary Your step-by-step guide Complete the application form & return it to the Scheme Administrator Your application will be screened by the Scheme Administrator to ensure you meet the basic eligibility criteria You will be invited to attend Part 1 of the course to learn more about the Scheme & gain the basic skills necessary to run your own business You complete a marketing plan & attend Part 2 of the course during which you will learn how to produce a business plan The Scheme Administrator will put you in touch with an experienced business adviser. Your adviser will help you refine your business plan and compile your application The Scheme Administrator will forward the completed submission, along with a recommendation, to the Department A senior officer from the Department will make a final decision as to whether your application should be supported. There is an appeals procedure if you disagree with the Department s decision If your application is supported, you will be invited to sign an agreement with the Department Your business adviser will visit you at three monthly intervals (or more frequently if necessary) to monitor your business and provide further guidance where necessary. The monitoring will last for 18 months from the date of the agreement 7

8 Disclaimer Acceptance onto the Small Business Start-Up Scheme does not mean that either the Department or the business advisers (who are independent contractors) consider your business a sound and viable proposition. The Scheme is to provide guidance and assistance only. Neither of these two parties can be held responsible if the business fails and will not meet any debts or liability incurred. 8

9 Application Form Please complete the application form and return it to: The Small Business Administrator DED 1 st Floor, St George s Court Upper Church Street Douglas IM1 1EX Questions If you have any questions or need any help with any aspect of the Scheme, you can contact us at the above address or by sbsus@ded.gov.im by phone (01624) / or you can visit our web site You may view the Tynwald Scheme by requesting a copy from us at the above address or from our web site 9