Building your business
Effective business planning will help you to assess where your business is now, where it is going to go in the future and how it is going to get there.
What's on this page?
- eBooks
- Online articles
- Useful links
- Articles and books in the Library collection
Featured article
Unsightly growth
Expanding too rapidly can destroy the profitability of a businesses. To explore the problem, the authors studied 37 retailers whose growth rate had faltered. This article lays out a framework for determining when to switch to a low-growth strategy and how to put it into practice.
You will need to be logged in to the website to gain full access to the range of articles available online.
eBooks
The Library provides full text access to a selection of key business and reference eBooks from leading publishers. eBooks are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users. If you are unable to access an eBook, please see our Help and support advice or contact library@icaew.com.
Grow by focusing on what matters: competitive strategy in 3 circles
(Business Expert Press, 2010)
Presents a model to enhance business growth through four key principles, focusing on the unique values of a business and the needs of its customers.
The growing business handbook: Inspiration and advice from successful entrepreneurs and fast growing UK companies
(Kogan Page, 2008)
"Drawing on a wide range of professional expertise and commercial experience, this book gives a comprehensive insight into techniques and solutions for maximising growth and controlling risks". The book is designed as a practical guide for entrepreneurs and managers.
Online articles
The Library provides access to leading business, finance and management journals. These journals are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users subject to suppliers' terms of use.
Why growing your business could be the worst decision you make
The author argues that survival is more important than expansion. He cites a study of 3,200 startups which found that 74 percent of those businesses failed because they grew too quickly.
Unsightly growth
This article lays out a framework for determining when to switch to a low-growth strategy and how to put it into practice.
Virtual board: Carrie Bate
An expert panel gives Carrie Bate advice on how she can take her £2m-turnover company, Little Coffee Bag Co., mainstream whilst retaining its luxury allure.
Useful links
Information and guidance
Growing your business (GOV.UK)
Information and guidance on a range of topics relevant to business growth.
Start your business (BL)
The British Library's Business & Intellectual Property Centre incorporates services and information on business planning, including a wide range of essential information to help you plan and grow your own business.
Growth Business
Practical information and resources for businesses undergoing expansion.
Small business organisations in UK
Federation of Small Businesses
The FSB publishes the annual Voice of Small Business Survey and the quarterly Voice of Small Business Index. The index looks at employment, revenues and the confidence of small firms and provides information on regional businesses with a breakdown by sector across the UK.
Forum of Private Business
Not-for-profit membership organisation which provides guidance and support to SMEs represents their interests in government.
Institute for Family Business
The IFB is an independent, not-for-profit membership organisation supporting the UK family-owned business sector. It offers courses, conferences and research publications.
British Chambers of Commerce
The website of the network of Chambers of Commerce across the UK provides information on their activities and a tool to find your local Chamber of Commerce.
Atom Content Marketing guides
- Creating a valuable business
Running your business involves taking hundreds of actions every day, whether negotiating a sale, recruiting a new employee or complaining to a supplier. Much of the working day is spent reacting to circumstances, making minor decisions that have a limited, short-term impact.
- Decide if running a business is for you
Starting and running your own business is one of the most exciting choices anyone can make. Millions have done so successfully and found it an exhilarating and rewarding challenge. However, starting a business also has its downsides and its risks.
- Get help setting up and running a business
There is a huge range of help available to help you deal with the challenges of starting your own business and make the most of your opportunities. Making sure you have the right skills, finance and practical support reduces the financial stress and the pressure of having to make all the decisions yourself.
- Running a community organisation
Successful community organisations across the country deliver important services to their communities year-round. And being involved in contributing to your community can be a very rewarding experience.
- Strategic acquisitions
An acquisition could increase the size and profitability of your business overnight. But an acquisition can also bring problems, draining financial and management resources from your original business.
Articles and books in the Library collection
To find out how you can borrow books from the Library please see our guide to book loans.
You can obtain copies of articles or extracts of books and reports by post or email through our document supply service.
ICAEW accepts no responsibility for the content on any site to which a hypertext link from this site exists. The links are provided ‘as is’ with no warranty, express or implied, for the information provided within them. Please see the full copyright and disclaimer notice.
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