Start a business
If you’re 18 or over, have the right skills and a great business idea, you might be thinking about starting a business.
Starting a business can be exciting, but it’s also challenging. You should think about it carefully before you decide.
What to consider
Choosing to start a business can be a hard decision to make.
To help you decide, you may want to think about how you'll:
- pay for housing, bills and food until your business takes off
- get the funding you need to pay for your business expenses
- research to see if your business idea is possible
- create a business plan
If you’re not sure whether starting a business is the right choice for you, you can speak to a careers advisor.
Skills you’ll need
Before you start a business, it’s a good idea to look at some of the skills that can help you succeed.
You can get help identifying your skills and developing your skills if you need to.
To start a business, you’ll need skills in:
- finance
- marketing
- communication
- time management
- leadership
- business planning
Funding
If you’re aged 18 to 30, you can apply for the Prince’s Trust Enterprise programme. They offer funding from £1,000 to £5,000.
There are also government-backed schemes offering financial help. Some of these schemes are open to 18 year olds, but not all.
Resources
The Prince’s Trust has a wide range of resources and tools to help you get started, including:
- business plan templates
- finance advice
- hints and tips
Next steps
If you think you’d like to start a business, what you need to do next will depend on:
- the type of business you want to start
- where you'll work
- if you want to hire employees
Combine work and study
Study
A levels
Higher education
Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs)
Vocational technical qualifications (VTQs)
Work
Supported internships
School leaver schemes
Get a job
Start a business
Speak to an adviser
Wherever you are with your decisions, you can call us on 0800 100 900 during our opening times.
You can also use webchat to talk online.