Completely new business - HELP!

Starting a new business is exciting but also can be a little daunting. For example, you’ve always loved cooking and chatting with people and so you’ve decided to take the brave step of opening a café. Great! You’ve found a property that you can rent, you know some people who will want to work for you and you know what you will want to serve.

But wait! Did you know you may need to:

• Apply for a licence to sell alcohol
• Have food hygiene training
• Comply with guidance when putting standing advert signs on the pavement (A boards)
• Apply for a licence to have chairs and tables on the pavement
• Pay business rates
• Complete yearly tax return
• Have a contract with your employees
• Complete a fire risk assessment

But don’t worry – your local District and County Council deal with all of this on a daily basis and they want to help you succeed.

Regardless of what your business is, any new business needs to:

• Contact the District Council (before you start!) to find out what regulation(s) applies to you - perhaps registering or getting a licence
• Arrange for waste to be collected (if you have business waste)
• Complete a fire risk assessment (if you have business premises)
• Understand health and safety obligations
• Understand Trading Standards law (all businesses selling products are advised to contact the Trading Standards team for guidance)