im currently trying for a start up business grant and part of the money has to be used on getting my own website designed, built and put on the world wide web. Q does any one know any such people who could be of assistance, i'd sooner have the dosh for tools and equipment but the grant stipulates i need a website.

also is it best to have an accountant or a book-keeper to help me?

can anyone recommend a company that does printing, stationery and van graphics...


many thank you's chaps-chappesses, i hope to advertise on the bunker to soon as im up and running hopefully early may

What sort of business? the website could be crucial.

i have a friend who is a website designer part time

he did this site - ecommerce the lot

if you like - let me know i'll pm you the details

http://www.katefearnleyboutique.co.uk

he did it over 2 weeks - and as a guvy job

Pretty good that Katcha. I too am hoping to be applying for grants in the next few months to a year, setting up a company and my own website so am interested in anything that comes up here.

It's very good for 2 weeks graft after work as well.

Good lad too, knows his stuff and now is starting to get bits of work coming in after this was done. He does plan to spend more time on it as well to get it 'shoit hot' as he says - pride in his work - i like that

Our kid's music teacher, who's also an IT graduate, has set up a company which designs web-sites. She's called Catalina Greggains and her address is: http://www.e-catpartners.co.uk.

Don't know anything about her IT business, but she's a nice straightforward lady and if her tuition fees are anything to go by, very reasonable price-wise

Hands up all those who clicked on the link and delved deeper into the site looking for the underwear section and couldn't find it!!!!

no why do you ask?

Must just be me then!!!!

gas services, plumbing and heating. installation, repairs and servicing of gas appliances, plumbing and heating systems.

the grant is through emerge and to get the grant you have to prove you will be doing 60% of your work through contract work ie work for builders. the trouble is the guy i spoke to about the grant says out of the 3k grant i gotta use 1250 quid towards a website which sounds a hell of a lot to me. a electrician friend of mine who is applying for the same grant is only using 500quid of his on a website, i cant understand this like.

i can spend the money on equipment which would get me more cash in then sort out website but this is the stipulation of the grant

Then I suspect that initially you're better off spending your money on tools etc. One website you do need to get onto is Yell.com. I'm not saying considering it, just do it. It's the single most important website you need to be on. These days it's more important than the yellow pages.

You can build your own website to be honest and oscommerce is so easy to set up its untrue. Building the website is not where the skill is, getting it up the rankings is the thing. The actual website could cost you from a hundred quid upwards but 'web obtimisation' or in other words making sure that when someone searches for Plumber in hartlepool they are directed to town end timmy and his 9/16th spanner.

As far as book keeping is concerned; as a small business a decent boook keeper should suffice but there are other considerations. We have Mr Cowboy and Mr Pervert from the East who can advise you far better than I.

Printing: plenty about and if you search for online business cards you'll find a range of sites where you can design them online and get them really cheaply. I'm talking less than £20 for a couple of hundred. Most of the other business stationary you can do yourself on ms word.

As for van graphics, I know quite a few but none round your way but stick on livery is the cheapest way to go rather than a signwriter.

You are indeed right Mr I, but if you are concentrating on building up your business the small outlay (which is free remember it is a grant after all) would be well worth spent on letting someone crack on with - I'm sure if TET felt capable enough to do it on his own then he would have done so, but one thing is sure now tho - we all have a plumber now who we can easily contact should the need arise!!!

Fair point, if its a grant purely for building a website then you probably need to build a website.

i would be interested in getting one of these new biz grants mind for a new project in a year or two - may as well get a grant for it instead of blowing me own coin.

we all have a plumber now who we can easily contact should the need arise!!!

as soon as im up and running no doubt you will all know about it, but i draw the exceptions at travelling to china or nottingham sorry guys

yell.com is an excellent idea cheers mr I, i got this local site for stationery and graphics i may use http://www.createthatimage.co.uk/

Typical English tradesman, everythings too much trouble.

It's an electrician we need today, the bu ggers gone down twice already. Oh, no we're alright, he's turned up in twenty minutes and fixed it!!