Is this for me?

Starting a business can be an exciting, but at the same time rather daunting, experience. There can be enormous pressure involved in running your own business. However, good planning and detailed research can remove some of the pressures and help you get your new venture up and running.

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Opportunities are increasing for people setting up businesses that trade with a social purpose, the best-known example of which is The Big Issue magazine. Social enterprises now employ nearly half a million people in the UK, and account for trade worth £18 billion, according to research published by the Government's Small Business Service (SBS). They differ from the typical small business or sole trader, however, in that they have an average of ten employees. Health and social care is an important sub-sector of social enterprise, followed by real estate and renting, and community or social services.