Scottish Enterprise

Services

• Accounts management and bookkeeping

  As the business owner, you’re responsible for ensuring your business keeps accurate financial records and accounts.

• Agreeing the terms and conditions of funding raised from shares

  Information on term sheets and agreeing terms and conditions for money you raise from selling shares.

• Borrowing against something you own or plan to buy (assets)

  Information on asset finance – where you can raise money for an idea or business by borrowing against something you own or plan to buy.

• Borrowing from banks to fund your business

  Information on what banks look for if you want to borrow money for an idea or business.

• Budgeting

  Keep your business and finances on track with a business budget.

• Business bank accounts

  Information on setting up a bank account for your business, including sole trading and online banking.

• Buying or renting premises

  Information on buying or renting business premises, including government or council property.

• Check whether your products or services are ready to export

  Help from Scottish Enterprise to improve at exporting products and services.

• Checking your suitability for funding (due diligence)

  Information on the different types of due diligence you'll need to prepare for if you want to get funding for an idea or business.

• Crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending

  Information on crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending including choosing a platform.

• Develop your business skills

  Find out what training and information is available to help you develop your business skills.

• Employee training

  Information on the options and schemes available for training your employees.

• Events, training and support for exporters

  If you want to learn how to export there is training for businesses of all levels, from beginners to experienced companies.

• Export market research

  Find out about the help available to businesses looking to research an export market.

• Find business events

  Find and register for business events, workshops, seminars and conferences in Scotland.

• Find new business opportunities

  Find out about innovation challenges and opportunities to sell your products or services.

• Find research and information on businesses in Scotland

  Find research and information on businesses in Scotland.

• Find training for businesses

  Find help and support to train your staff.

• Funding to export products and services (export or trade finance)

  Information on finding funding to export products and services, including what support is available from UK Export Finance.

• Get advice on communicating with clients and customers abroad

  Get advice on working with clients and customers based in other countries, including language training, translation and interpretation.

• Get advice on developing new products and services

  Get advice from Scottish Enterprise on developing new products and services.

• Get advice on manufacturing

  Get help to improve your business's manfacturing processes from the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service.

• Get advice on trading with Scottish businesses

  Find out how Scottish Development International can help you if you're looking to trade with Scotland.

• Get exporting help and support

  Find the organisations and websites you need to support your exporting journey, from starting out to growing your export business.

• Get help to employ staff

  Get help from Talent Scotland to recruit new staff.

• Get help to visit an overseas market, attend trade shows and exhibitions

  Find information on how Scottish Enterprise can help businesses to visit an overseas market, or attend a trade show or exhibition abroad.

• Grant funding for businesses in Scotland

  Information on grant funding with some examples of grants available in Scotland to create jobs and new products or services.

• Growing your business

  Find out about growing your business - planning, deciding whether to grow, and the challenges of growing.

• Help for food and drink businesses

  Find information on how Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise can help food and drink businesses.

• Help for life science businesses

  Find information on how Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise can help life science businesses.

• Help for management teams looking to buy their business

  Information for management teams looking to buy their business including writing business plans, agreeing terms and conditions and arranging funding.

• Help for the creative industries

  Find information on how Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise can help creative businesses.

• Hiring staff in other countries

  What to consider when you are employing staff in other countries.

• How a corporate finance advisor could help you get funding

  Information on how a corporate finance advisor could help you get funding for an idea or business.

• How an accountant could help your business get funding

  How an accountant can help you get funding for an idea or business. Includes how to find an accountant.

• How corporate governance can help you get funding

  Information on what corporate governance is and how it can help you get funding

• How incubators or accelerators can help develop ideas or businesses

  Information on how business incubator and accelerator programmes can help you develop your idea or business.

• IT and running a business online

  Information on IT and how to run a business online.

• Intellectual property

  Find out what intellectual property is and how to protect it in the UK and abroad.

• Legal documents you'll need to review if you get funding

  Information on the legal documents you'll need to review if you're successful in getting funding for your idea or business.

• Make improvements to your business

  Get advice from Scottish Enterprise on making improvements to your business.

• Making sure your idea works

  Information on judging whether an idea is worth developing, including judging costs, customers and competitors.

• Managing your cashflow

  Managing your cashflow is vital for business survival and growth. Every business needs cash available to pay their bills and expenses on time.

• Online and distance selling

  Information on the regulations for online selling and how to accept online payments.

• Organisations that can help you develop your idea

  Information on organisations who can help you develop your idea.

• Organisations that can help your business

  Information on government organisations that can help businesses in Scotland.

• Pitching your business, products or ideas

  Information on pitching your ideas for businesses, products or services.

• Planning to sell your business (succession planning and exit readiness)

  Information on selling your business when you plan to leave or retire.

• Planning your finances (financial projections)

  Information on creating profit and loss accounts, balance sheets and cash flow statements.

• Scottish Growth Scheme

  A £500 million package of financial support which aims to help Scottish businesses grow and is backed by the Scottish Government.

• Search for business funding or advice

  Search for business funding, including grant and loan options available in Scotland.

• Selling shares in your business (equity finance)

  Information on equity finance – which allows your business to raise money by selling shares.

• Set up a business in the UK

  What you need to do to set up a business - registration, licenses, banking, NI and VAT, employing people.

• Setting up a business in Scotland if you live abroad

  Find more information on setting up a business in Scotland if you're based overseas.

• Setting up a social enterprise

  Start a business to help people or communities.

• Starting a business: first steps

  For people thinking about starting a business or becoming self-employed.

• Using unpaid invoices to raise cash (invoice finance)

  Information on invoice finance – which helps your business to raise cash using unpaid invoices.

• Writing a business plan

  Information on what to include when writing a business plan if you're looking to raise funding or develop an idea.

• Writing an export plan

  Find out about the help and advice you can get when writing an export plan.