IT Equipment for Small Businesses

Every business, no matter how big or small, will need some form of equipment or technology for their day-to-day running. As part of your planning, you should consider what technologies you need to get up and running and what equipment/software would be good to have in the future to help you grow or streamline operations. In this article we will run the basics for most businesses.

1. Hardware – Computers, Laptops, Phones. 

It is likely you will need at least one computer to run your business. Some companies have a BYO technology policy, this may work for you however consider cost to the employee and security issues that may arise. If you do need to buy a device for a member of staff shop around, consider their needs (remote working, going to meetings with clients) and the software that they will need to ensure you get the right one for the best price. If you or an employee needs a phone you can put this on a business plan which will be cheaper than personal plans. Also don’t forget to put purchases for technology through your books to enable you to claim tax back (if you are VAT registered).

2. Software 

This will vary greatly depending on your business and we will go into some essential ones further on in this article. The Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc) will be the most common and can be purchased on a business plan. If you need creative software, like Photoshop, Illustrator etc., this may affect the choice of computer or laptop you decide to buy. Mac’s are great for design software however come at a premium and can cause compatibility issues if other employees are working on PC’s. The Abode Suite including these programs charges a monthly fee of around £40 per user so if you are planning on only using these programs to make marketing material & social media content consider using online template platforms such as Canva which are easy to use and a lot cheaper.

3. Network 

You will need to set up a network if you have several employees working together that need to share documents or use printers. What kind of network you’ll need will depend on how many devices you need connected. For 5 or less users you can set up a simple network, bigger businesses may need multiple routers and large organisations will need to build their network around a server.

4. Accounting System 

Setting up accounting software for your business is essential. It will mean you can easily and quickly keep all your transactions in order making your accountant love you and ensuring you don’t fall foul of the taxman! Accounting software is simple to set up and can be done online in minutes. Quickbooks, Xero and Sage are all designed with small business owners in mind and are great options to get you set up. Larger firms may want more developed software which you can integrate into your systems and customise to your needs.

5. Payroll Software 

There are free versions of this all, alternatively the above mentioned accounting software brands offer payroll software as well. If numbers aren’t your thing, you have many employees or are time-poor having this software can be of great benefit to you. It makes difficult calculations, carries out repetitive tasks and gives you peace of mind when it comes to getting your workforce paid correctly and on-time.

6. Inventory Control System 

As your business grows or if you have lots of stock to manage an inventory control system can help keep you organised. Again, most of the companies that offer accounting software have inventory management systems that can be easily integrated into your business.

7. CRM (Customer Relationship Management) 

This is a system where a business administrates interactions with customers and potential customers. MondayCRM, Pipedrive and Freshworks CRM are some examples of software that can help you build customer relationships, analyse data, and manage client information. As your business grows these systems will become increasingly useful and can be a vital tool when scaling. Some training for staff will be necessary but this will be offset by increased efficiency and streamlined customer interactions.

8. Cloud Working 

Traditionally software such as Office programs would be downloaded individually to each an employee’s computer however now you have the option of having all your company’s documents on the cloud. This is particularly useful for remote working (each person has a log in to access documents from any device), sharing files, reducing initial spend on software and saving space taken up by lots of documents being saved down onto computers.

9. Payment Options for Customers 

Online integrations 

Along with other benefits of having a website, setting your business up so customers can purchase online can add revenue streams, enable you to reach customers all over the globe and allow purchases out of your regular ‘opening hours’. PayPal, Worldpay and Opayo (previously Sage Pay) are some popular examples; some of these can be integrated into your current website and some will need you to build a website with that provider. If you offer a subscription service consider setting up a Direct Debt option for customers, this will stop you from having to bill people constantly and make it easier for customers as their payment goes to you automatically.

Card machines at point of sale 

If you run a shop, restaurant, mobile salon or stall you may want to purchase a card reader. There are many options to choose from; check out details on the most popular ones here.
Plans are different for each one, some have one off payments and some are rental arrangements. Most have a small fee they charge, sometimes it’s based on the transaction amount, number of transactions or overall monthly revenue that goes through the device.

In summary … 

You may not always have a large amount of spare cash to spend on IT equipment and technology when you start your business so build up as you go, shop around for deals and consider finance/leasing as alternatives. Using technology to make it as easy as possible for customers to purchase your product is the priority. Having computers fast enough with enough memory for your employees to carry out their duties effectively is also a must. There are a lot of free or low-cost software’s available to help you run your business more efficiently from accounting systems to social media design and scheduling tools. One last thing to remember when it comes to your businesses data is – have a back-up! Ensure important information & documents are secure and backed-up devices are regularly updated just in case you have a system failure.

5 Things to Consider When Making a Website for your Business

Setting up a website for your business is a great way for customers to find you, showcase your products/services and build your reputation.

1. What kind of website should you choose? 

Depending on what your business does, you’ll need to decide which kind of website is best for you. We’ve listed out the below the basic functions of different businesses, depending which one you fall under will directly effect what your customers will want to see on your website.
Services – information about what you can provide your customers with, where they can find you, how they can contact you and some background information/testimonials or reviews. An enquiry form or simple booking service may come in useful as well.
Products – customers will want to see all of the above but you may consider adding a shopping feature to your website.
Community organisation – information about your current projects and past projects, how people can get involved, contact details and background information about the organisations mission or vision. A blog my be a great way of keeping people up to date and informing them about current events.
Freelancer – this is a great way to showcase your work if you are an artist, creative or any other kind of freelancer. You can add portfolios, examples of your work, projects you’ve worked on, contact details and even a blog to share updates with potential clients or collaborators.

2. Should I use a template to build my website? 

If you are looking for an informative or ecommerce website there are some amazing platforms out there which have easy to use templates. If your business offers something more complex you may consider engaging a web developer to help you build your site from scratch. If you want your site to be constantly updated, you will need a CSM (content management service) these template websites will have this built in and developers will be able to code this into your website too. Some template platforms out there include:
NBR – National Business Register offer a website and email service. This can be paid for yearly or is free when you take out Business Name Registration protection.
Squarespace – this enables you to build a professional looking website quickly. It is intuitive and even has marketing tools to help you maximise your online presence.
Wix – similar to Squarespace it has customisable templates and tools to help you build your site.
Shopify – if you are a product based business this is an amazing way to get your online shop up and running. It has integrated analytics tools, a dashboard and lots of add-on apps available to help you market and grow your business.
Etsy/depop/eBay – you can set up a shop within these sites. Benefits of this include having a well-known name attached to your business however it may look a little less professional to some as you won’t have your business name as the URL. Also there are thousands of users already on these market places so coming high in the search results will require real effort and may take some time. However, if you’re starting small these are a great place to start.

3. Should I have social media accounts for my business? 

Yes! Social media is a great place for people to discover your business, build social proof and showcase your talents. If you’re not keen on social media you can keep it very low key but regular posting and interacting with people will help build your account and reach. Do some research to see which platforms your competition uses, what channels your customers use most and what type of content works best for your offering. Also consider which platform you are personally most familiar with.
You can set up a business account for free and will have basic analytical tools to help you track your progress. We’ve listed out a few below with some advantages to help you decide.
Facebook – having a Facebook page will help people find you and allow you to post photo’s and information about your business. Facebook tends to have a slightly older audience and works well local community and product based businesses.
Instagram – has lots of different ways to present your content. This platform is best if you have a product which is particularly visual.
Twitter – this is prodomitely a text based channel however there are options to add visuals, but not to the same extent as with Facebook and Instagram. Twitter is a great place to re-post articles, share ideas/thoughts and get industry news. FYI Twitter is the only social platform used more by men than women (70% vs 30%).
LinkedIn – this is a great way to build professional connections within your industry. Some people do share personal news through this channel but it is usually connected to business or industry in some way. It’s great for posting news about your business, sharing industry articles, networking and posting job vacancies.
YouTube – ideal if you like producing video content. It’s particularly useful for explaining products/services. Create ‘how to’ video’s for your products or services to maximise this channel.
TikTok – speaks to a younger audience and has yet to be monetised in the same way as the above channels.
This is not an exhaustive list so doing research into which channels your customers use most is essential.

4. What should I put on my website? 

Content is king! Setting up the foundational content for your website is the place to begin. Keep it really simple and clear, outline the basic information you think a potential customer would like to know and make yourself contactable.
Your business name & logo.
Details of your offering.
Full contact details.
Visuals of your offering – this can be photos of products or you can use graphics/stock photos if you provide services.
After this you can start to have some fun! Think about the content your customers enjoy consuming, content that answers questions your customers may Google and types of content that would work for your business. Keeping your website up to date, relevant and engaging is paramount so depending on how much time you have to devote to this, you may want to ask a professional for help. You can draft in agencies, have part-time or fill-time marketing assistants/managers or you can put time aside in your schedule to keep on top of things. Remember you don’t have to reinvent the wheel for your social media, take content & copy from your website and reuse it on the different platforms.

5. Should I use digital marketing? 

As you build your business you want to maximise your digital presence as being online can multiple your reach experientially. We will go into more detail about digital marketing in a separate article as it is an entire industry within itself however these are the 7 main areas you may want to look at.
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
PPC (Pay-Per-Click)
Social Media Marketing
Content Marketing
Email marketing
Mobile Marketing
Marketing Analytics
You will find experts in each of these areas along with some people that have strengths that cross-over. If you are an established business it is worth either engaging an agency or employing a individual specialist through a digital recruiter to ensure you are getting exactly the help you are looking for.

Domains FAQ

AM I ALREADY PROTECTED ON THE INTERNET IF I HAVE A BUSINESS NAME OR A LIMITED COMPANY? 

No, the Internet is totally separate in this regard. The only way to protect your interest is to register a domain name, effectively taking it off the market. Domain names are registered on a ‘first come first served’ basis.

HOW MUCH WILL A DOMAIN NAME COST ME? 

All domain names and access to NBR’s website support service is £30 per annum.

HOW DO I RENEW MY DOMAIN SERVICE? 

Follow this link for our online renewal form.

WHO WILL OWN THE DOMAIN NAME? 

You will be the owner of the domain name as long as you pay the annual fees.

WHAT IF I NEED MORE THAN 5 EMAILS? 

You can purchase more emails at any time in sets of 5 for £15 per bundle.

CAN I PURCHASE MORE WEB PAGES? 

Yes, further web pages can be purchased for £5 per page per quarter.

CAN I SET UP AN ONLINE SHOP? 

Yes, we can offer a shopping facility whereby payments can be received through your website.

WHO WILL DESIGN MY WEBSITE? 

We will design your website for you, but you will have access to your website via a control panel if you wish to edit it in the future or we can edit it for you.

HOW DO I CONTACT YOU REGARDING ANY ISSUES WITH MY DOMAIN, WEBSITE OR EMAILS? 

If you have any queries, questions or complaints regarding any of our services, please contact us via info@start.biz or by calling freephone 0800 069 9090. We will respond to you within 2 business days.