Getting advice

There are hundreds of business advice services, yet many people are still unaware of the wealth of knowledge and experience available to help them set up in business, much of it free. Business advisers help potential, new and established businesses. They can offer general advice based on their experience and knowledge of business matters, as well as focusing on specific areas of expertise such as finance or marketing.

Hot topic

The Institute of Business Advisers (IBA) has announced that it will take accreditation by the Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative (SFEDI) into account when making decisions on new members. SFEDI's licensed centres aim to ensure the quality and consistency of business support, and the IBA has said that, in the main, it will only accept advisers who have been assessed via the centres. IBA chief executive Mike Horner said: "Proving one's competence through a quality assessment against the four core SFEDI standards is the foundation point for a professional adviser."