Are you thinking about starting up your own business? Want to know ‘how to’ get everything up and running? Or maybe you have launched your first business but are not sure ‘how to’ take it to the next level?

The All About Business panel of SME contributors and advisors have written a number of ‘how to’ articles which will point you in the right direction!

Here is our top ten “how to” articles from the starting up toolkit but there are many more articles on the site which you can check out here:

Starting up toolkit:

1. How to make the leap from employee to entrepreneur by Liz Barron Read article
2. How to start a business in Ireland – just what does it take? By David Quaid Read article
3. How to write a business plan by Alan Gleeson Read article
4. How to create the ‘perfect pitch’ by Johnny Beirne Read article
5. How to find the right type of customer for your business by Anthony Byrne Read article
6. How to price your product by Gerard Tannam Read article
7. How to make the right first impression by Veronica Canning Read article
8. How to manage your time effectively in three easy steps Liz Barron Read article
9. How to Overcome Your Fear of Marketing by Gillan Horan Read article
10. How to build (and manage!) and loyal customer base by Jenny Taaffe Read article

Let us know what you think of the articles above and which were the most useful for you and why? And if you’d like to see another ‘How to’ article on the site, just leave the title of your proposed article in the comment box below!

For small businesses growing beyond one outlet can be difficult and expensive. The more you grow the more capital you need. Franchising your business can be a good way of expanding yet keeping costs minimal.

So how does franchising work? Well, to start with, your business needs to be successful. Nobody will want to franchise a business from you if it doesn’t make money. A franchised business needs to generate enough profit to make money for both the franchisee and you. …