Did you know that Menter Môn offer free business advice to people in Gwynedd? They have a number of sessions that they run, with each focusing on a particular aspect of running your own business. The sessions are held on different days and at different times to try and make them easy for you to access.

Fran (your local Community Catalyst for Gwynedd) recently attended a session on Business Start-Up Essentials and Accounting for Start-Ups. Both sessions were well run and really informative.

On the Business Start-Up Essentials course, they looked at creating a business plan and using SWOT analysis. Anna Openshaw who was running the session explained it is vital to have a plan in place so that you can measure your progress and see what has worked well and which areas need more focus. The session also covered legal structures to help you identify whether you will be a sole trader or a limited company. Anna made sure to engage those on the session to discuss their business idea so the support could be tailored to meet their needs.

The Accounting for Start-Ups course was equally as useful. It was ran by Max Thomas who has over 20 years’ experience in accounting. Max discussed what needs to be retained, what is being claimed against tax, and how to register with HMRC. Again, those on the session were encouraged to discuss their business idea so the support and advice was useful.

This support and advice can be really useful when you are setting up your own community micro-enterprise, so if you would like to find out more, take a look at the Enterprise Hub website to see that’s available.

If you would like to talk to Fran about setting up a community micro-enterprise, you can contact her via email at fran.lowden@communitycatalysts.co.uk, or call her on 07435 943887.