What Steps do I Take to Start My Own Business in Surrey?

Whether it’s making good on a New Year’s resolution or a plan that has been in the works for a while, a lot of people will be using 2022 to either start or plan their own company. Surrey is an excellent place to open your own enterprise because it has an active and inclusive business community that includes a variety of industries. Every new entrepreneur or business owner will benefit from as much advice and information to help them throughout the beginning of their journey.

At WH Cox & Son, we were once in a similar position. We’re always happy to assist people in realising their ambitions, and we hope this guide is a good starting point. You’ll learn some vital pointers on how to start your enterprise, with links to valuable resources. Our team are champions of the business community in Surrey, and we make excellent partners for things like local distribution and affordable workspaces.

How Do You Start Your Own Business in Surrey?

Starting your own business will take lots of research and planningv, but the following points will give you a decent foundation to build from:

• Begin saving up enough start-up capital while you’re still working
• Find an affordable place to work from and avoid any expensive investments
• Create a business plan which includes a modest budget

Although you might be keen to make a go of your new business idea now, it’s wise to plan this several months or even years ahead. So, don’t quit the day job just yet. You’ll need to deduct a percentage of your current monthly wages for start-up capital. Small business loans are available, but you can’t rely on them solely. Having your own funds might be the difference between ending your first year with losses or breaking even.

You’ll need somewhere to work from, and it’s also worth noting that this can become a significant monthly expense. That’s why many savvy entrepreneurs use storage as an alternative office or workspace. They’re easy to set up – it’s just a desk, chair, computer, and router. Furthermore, self storage is much cheaper than commercial rental rates. Additionally, there’s no minimum rental period or lease to worry about.

Your business plan is the master document for your venture. In it, you assess risks, cost everything in detail, consider competition and see areas for growth. You can update as you make progress, so it’s not a static document. It’s wise to consider using a business consultant if this is new to you, although there’s lots of information to work with online.

Are There Removals Services That Can Help?

When people think about removals and storage companies, they might not consider how these services have other applications. For example – if you don’t have a car or van but your new enterprise needs some form of transportation, a man with a van service is the ideal solution. While this does add to your outgoings, it’s more affordable than buying or renting a vehicle.

Let’s look at this in more detail to understand better how this would work. A man and van service provide you with access to a vehicle which also comes with two WH Cox and Son employees to do all the loading. You can coordinate any collections and deliveries while we do the heavy work. And if you rent a storage unit from us, it’s even easier to streamline the loading and unpacking.

To elaborate on our previous point, storage units are ideal for an alternative office or stock room. It might not be glamorous, but this is your first year of trading, and it’s no-frills until you’re enjoying sustainable growth. You can do your paperwork on one side of your unit and leave the rest for tools, equipment, and products.

What’s Available in Surrey for Start-Ups?

You’ll need to find resources and increase your knowledge before starting trading, not to mention finding investment. Surrey County Council is an excellent place to begin your journey into the world of business ownership. They can connect you with networking events, workshops, and potential funding opportunities. They’ll also advise you on the trickier legal and regulatory side of things.

Next, it’s time to find some useful guides and step-manuals that are relevant to your sector or ‘niche’. You can read more from Leapfrog here that goes into detail about the ins and outs of creating an enterprise. Guildford has their own start-up centre, and they’re worth going over your plans with. Start with these suggestions and perform further research within your local area.

If you have a library nearby – see what reference books and related materials they have for you are to borrow. Sign up for some networking events and workshops when they’re available. Within a short space of time, you can have an enterprise up and running. And let’s not forget about online businesses and the nearly infinite sources of information on Google.

Is There Affordable Workspace Options?

You’ll no doubt make inroads from the suggestions in the previous section. While you’re working away to gather the necessary knowledge and sort out networking opportunities, let’s turn our attention to another practical consideration. Does your business require a building to work out of? Will you have physical stock or equipment? Can you work remotely from home, and are you happy doing so?

Ideally, you want somewhere to work without distractions. See if there are co-working spaces in Surrey within thirty minutes commute. If you need to utilise your house or apartment – see this previous article on setting up a home office. It’s possible to do this, even with a smaller property, with some simple partitions and furniture rearranging.

Alternatively – why not rent a self storage unit? Several people use our storage spaces for a no-frills set-up. This is especially suitable for e-commerce, where people segregate the unit for stock and then use the other side for admin duties. All you need is a desk, chair, and router, and you have yourself an affordable workspace where you can retain stock and do your paperwork. 

What if my Enterprise Needs Distribution?

If your business idea requires logistics, you’re in luck because we have an affordable way to realise this. Keeping costs down is vital, but there’s a caveat to doing everything yourself. It might appear that you’re cost saving by doing this in-house, but that means taking someone off their role. There’s always the danger you aren’t saving money by doing this.

You must evaluate costings thoroughly before making decisions about how to collect and deliver stock or goods. This involves seeking quotes to see if you can outsource local distribution. WH Cox has everything you need to enact this without performing this in-house. Our Man & Van service is ideal for collecting and delivering most products.

We make all our packages so that they’re interchangeable, which is handy if you can attach this with the last option of using self storage. Link both services to create the ultimate affordable workspace and distribution workflow. We can also handle smaller scale stock and warehousing duties after discussing this in detail. You can lower costs from the outset and form a logical business model.

Partner with a Reliable Removals Provider – 

It should now be apparent that WH Cox & Son has the attributes and services to make your business a success. Moreover, you can now see some of the obstacles to becoming a business owner disappear. It’s often a case that people avoid taking the leap due to self-doubt. You’ll soon see problems as opportunities to apply your newfound problem-solving.

You can’t do every duty yourself, and you might need a team to push your idea into a successful company. Outsourcing is something people avoid, but in most circumstances, at their peril. It’s all about the ability to delegate so you can do more important tasks. Then you leave things like distribution to the pros with the available resources.

Using Google Reviews and Trustpilot, you can vet any potential service providers before committing. With a few simple clicks, you’ll find their overall ratings out of five. We also suggest reading the reviews from previous customers to get a better idea about their customer service. You soon see why so many companies work with us when you go through the testimonials from our current and former clients.

WH Cox & Son – Helping Promote New Business in Surrey – 

WH Cox & Son are always happy to offer advice to anyone who takes the brave step of starting their own business. It’s not an easy journey, and there will be obstacles and hurdles to overcome. That’s why it makes sense to do two things: maintain a budget and partner with reputable companies. And there’s no better company to work with than us.

At WH Cox, we offer affordable removals and storage packages to help you keep costs to a minimum. We believe in providing the best customer service possible, which is why we’re Surrey’s number one for small business customers. Our team know how difficult it is to start a company from scratch. And we’re confident that our services can add value to your new venture.

We’re always happy to pass on any information or advice that helps our customers. And we’re just a phone call away if you have any questions about our range or business services.