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Setting up a business involves complying with a range of legal requirements. Find out which ones apply to you and your new enterprise.
What particular regulations do specific types of business (such as a hotel, or a printer, or a taxi firm) need to follow? We explain some of the key legal issues to consider for 200 types of business.
While poor governance can bring serious legal consequences, the law can also protect business owners and managers and help to prevent conflict.
Whether you want to raise finance, join forces with someone else, buy or sell a business, it pays to be aware of the legal implications.
From pay, hours and time off to discipline, grievance and hiring and firing employees, find out about your legal responsibilities as an employer.
Marketing matters. Marketing drives sales for businesses of all sizes by ensuring that customers think of their brand when they want to buy.
Commercial disputes can prove time-consuming, stressful and expensive, but having robust legal agreements can help to prevent them from occurring.
Whether your business owns or rents premises, your legal liabilities can be substantial. Commercial property law is complex, but you can avoid common pitfalls.
With information and sound advice, living up to your legal responsibilities to safeguard your employees, customers and visitors need not be difficult or costly.
As information technology continues to evolve, legislation must also change. It affects everything from data protection and online selling to internet policies for employees.
Intellectual property (IP) isn't solely relevant to larger businesses or those involved in developing innovative new products: all products have IP.
Knowing how and when you plan to sell or relinquish control of your business can help you to make better decisions and achieve the best possible outcome.
Understanding the sales and marketing rules that apply to your business is essential. Making sure you comply with consumer protection, distance selling and other similar regulations helps you avoid conflict with customers and trading standards services.
Whether you are selling to businesses (b2b) or to consumers (b2c), you must comply with various trading regulations. These regulate what you can say about your product or service and how you behave when making a sale. For example, misleading marketing could lead to an investigation by trading standards and a fine (or even imprisonment). Extra consumer protection regulations apply to selling to consumers (as opposed to business customers), helping to protect consumer rights.
Special regulations apply to distance selling, particularly when you're selling to individual consumers rather than to other businesses. These rules apply to any selling that does not involve face to face meeting - for example, online or mail-order sales. Amongst other things, consumers generally have an automatic right to cancel orders within a cooling-off period.
Special rules also apply if you want to offer credit to consumers. You’re likely to need a license, and must follow rules on credit agreements and the information you provide to customers. You do not need a licence just to accept payment by credit card.
Instead of selling directly to the customers who use your product or service, you might prefer to sell through agents or distributors. This can be a better way to grow your customer base, but you need to be aware of the legal issues. Competition regulations, intellectual property, contract details and your responsibilities to your agent or distributor can all cause problems.
Agents and distributors can be particularly helpful for selling into new markets overseas. If you trade internationally, you will also need to take into account any local regulations in your export markets covering sales, marketing or other aspects of your business.