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Growing your business

Use our selection of guides, links, books and articles to find more information on growing your business.
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Latest on business growth

Read our latest features and articles on growing your business.
Spring Budget: is it pro business growth?
  • Article
  • 30 May 2023
The Budget contained tax announcements designed to support business growth. We assess how these measures were received and their drawbacks.
Access to finance: alternatives to high street banks
  • Article
  • 25 May 2023
Traditional banks’ enthusiasm for business lending may be muted, but at a time when the UK economy is hungry for growth, there are still other finance options for companies to explore.
Francesca Lagerberg: growth must be sustainable
  • Article
  • 17 Apr 2023
Baker Tilly International’s CEO Francesca Lagerberg discusses how she is approaching the recruitment challenges facing firms around the world and why sustainable growth needs to be a priority for the accountancy profession.
Help to Grow website unveiled to support businesses
  • Article
  • 06 Mar 2023
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) launches a new centralised website, Help to Grow.
Using your payments strategy to drive business growth
  • Article
  • 03 Mar 2023
This article discusses the importance of developing your payment strategy, as 67% of payers will stop a purchase if they don’t like the payment methods you offer them.
The popcorn business catering for an international appetite
  • Article
  • 21 Oct 2022
Never mind selling coals to Newcastle, Joe & Seph’s has found business growth in selling popcorn to the Americans – and others – as its export strategy pays dividends for the UK-based brand.
Financial Services Regulation: How far could a Big Bang 2.0 go?
  • Article
  • 14 Oct 2022
Dramatic reforms to financial services regulation are a cornerstone of the government’s strategy to meet its 2.5% growth target.
What does it mean to be a challenger audit firm?
  • Article
  • 07 Sep 2022
A people-first ethos, an openness to collaboration and a strong growth strategy are helping Cooper Parry make a distinctive mark in audit.
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Advice and reports

ICAEW BAS
ICAEW’s Business Advice Service puts small and medium business owners in touch with both ICAEW members or regulated ICAEW member firms who can provide a free initial consultation, without obligation, to discuss any business issues the owners are facing.
Exclusive Special report - Growing your business
This report is primarily aimed at smaller businesses seeking to grow and develop and to achieve their full potential through practical guidance and advice.
More reports

Webinars

Factory
How a board should maintain the right culture during periods of fast growth
  • Podcast
  • 21 Nov 2022
  • ICAEW Insights
In the first of two Insights In Focus special episodes an experienced panel discuss a dilemma facing a fictional software company.
How to network your way to success
  • Webinar
  • 13 May 2020
  • Paul Ryan
Key insights and techniques to aid those who want to thrive and grow through the simple art of talking to people.
More webinars

eBooks

The ICAEW Library & Information Service 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.

Exclusive Essential business finance: a complete guide to starting, expanding and selling your business
  • eBook
  • 2009
  • Paul Barrow
  • Kogan Page
An introduction to finance aimed at the average business manager.
Exclusive Good small business guide: how to start and grow your own business
  • eBook
  • 2006
  • Meredith Belbin
  • Bloomsbury
A practical guide for anyone interested in starting a business.
Exclusive Grow by focusing on what matters: competitive strategy in 3 circles
  • eBook
  • 2011
  • James H. Davis, Joel E. Urbany
  • Business Expert Press
Guide to business growth from a US perspective.
Exclusive Growing business handbook: inspiration and advice from successful entrepreneurs and fast growing UK companies, The
  • eBook
  • 2009
  • Adam Jolly
  • Kogan Page
A guide to maximising growth and controlling risk.
Exclusive Winning with partners: a practical guide to international expansion for SMEs
  • eBook
  • 2013
  • David Sellings, Viveka Odlen Persson
  • Me4U
Aimed at managers of small-to-medium size companies (SMEs) interested in establishing a partner-based export business.
Terms of use

You are permitted to access, download, copy, or print out content from eBooks for your own research or study only, subject to the terms of use set by our suppliers and any restrictions imposed by individual publishers. Please see individual supplier pages for full terms of use.

More eBooks

Business press

The ICAEW Library & Information Service 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.
Exclusive When best to scale up
  • Article
  • 01 Oct 2023
  • Hamdi Ulukaya
  • Harvard Business Review
A new study sheds light on the debate into how fast a high-growth company should scale up. From examining job postings from 38,000 start-ups, the researchers found those start-ups that had scaled up in the first year were 20-40% more likely than others to have failed. They also found that using A/B testing software significantly raised a start-up's odds of success.
Exclusive Scale up smarter
  • Article
  • 01 Jan 2023
  • Dave Harutian
  • Strategic Finance
A company's execution strategy should adapt to the circumstances. Here's how to grow your business today with an eye toward tomorrow.
Exclusive The key to a successful business scale-up
  • Article
  • 01 Jan 2023
  • Martin Kupp, Jeffrey F.Rayport, Davide Sola
  • Harvard Business Review
How to master the “extrapolation” stage, when business start-ups begin to focus on profitability, not just growth. The authors share their advice, based on their experience teaching business school courses on scaling up enterprises and their analysis of dozens of rapidly growing start-ups.
Exclusive Show us the money: A guide to raising capital
  • Article
  • 01 Feb 2022
  • Glenn Baker
  • NZ Business and Management
Securing investor funding is the key to accelerating business growth, particularly for fledging ventures. NZ Business magazine shares advice from three of New Zealand's leading funding platforms, including tips on preparing for an equity crowdfunding campaign. As well as venture capital, an emerging alternative is 'venture-debt'.
Exclusive Rethinking how to grow a small business
  • Article
  • 01 Jan 2022
  • Christopher Johnson
  • Strategic Finance
The right finance strategies will help your business be more resilient in the face of challenging market conditions. Christopher Johnson notes some possible adjustments, including rethinking your working capital, protecting cash flow, diversifying your sources of lending, asking your lender the right questions and considering equipment financing.
Exclusive Four basic blunders every new business must avoid
  • Article
  • 06 Sep 2021
  • Stephen Gerard
  • Enterprise Salt Lake City
Launching a business requires deliberate actions and full accountability, versus hope or luck.
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Articles and books in the ICAEW Library collection

The collection of the ICAEW Library & Information Service includes a range of articles, books and reports on business growth. Use the links below to see what we have available to request in our Library catalogue (Libcat).

External resources - Information and guidance

British Library Business & IP Centre
  • British Library
The British Library's Business and Intellectual Property (IP) Centre incorporates services and information aimed at entrepreneurs and small business owners, including expert advisers to talk through your ideas and a wide range of essential information to help you research your market and start your own business.
Business Growth Fund
  • BGF
BGF is an investment partner for growing companies in every sector of the economy, providing tools businesses need to grow, from funding to expertise.
Growing your business
  • GOV.UK
This guide can help you think about how to grow your business. It covers getting extra funding, increasing sales to existing customers, attracting new customers, improving your products and services, developing new products and services, hiring and training staff and working with a mentor.
Growth Business UK
  • Bonhill Group plc
Practical tips and resources for established businesses undergoing rapid expansion.
Help to Grow
  • GOV.UK
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT)'s new Help to Grow website aims to support the UK’s 5.5 million businesses in upskilling, business growth, and boosting profits. It provides guidance and support to take businesses from start-ups, to scaling-up and then exporting their goods and services globally. The website is targeted at helping businesses of all sizes but especially SMEs.
Startups.
  • Startups.
Online resource for those starting or running a small business. The website includes start-up guides for over 50 different business sectors, business start-up news, success stories and advice on finding finance and recruiting and managing staff.
Terms of use

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.

External resources - Small business organisations

British Chambers of Commerce
  • 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.
European Commission: Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs
  • European Commission
Portal for EC information and resources for SMEs, with business-related links and guides to EU legislation and financing programmes.
Family Business United
  • Family Business United
Resources and useful features for family-run businesses, including upcoming events for the sector and The Family Business Top 100, a list showcasing some of the best family businesses across the UK.
Federation of Small Businesses
  • Federation of Small Businesses
The FSB publish the quarterly Voice of Small Business Index which provides a picture of the UK economy from the point of view of the small business owner. 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
  • Forum of Private Business
Not-for-profit membership organisation which provides guidance and support for SMEs and aims to 'represent small businesses views and be their voice in government'.
Institute for Family Business
  • Institute for Family Business
The IFB is an independent, not-for-profit membership organisation supporting the UK family-owned business sector. It aims to 'promote the vital contribution that long-term family businesses make to the UK economy and the issues that family firms face' and offers courses, conferences and research publications.
Terms of use

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.

External resources - Reports

Equitable equity: Increasing and diversifying finance for high-growth SMEs in the UK's regions
  • 2017
  • Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR)
High-growth businesses often struggle to access finance - particularly from investors or crowdfunding. This report investigates how the UK can open up access to all sources of finance for successful SMEs across the country.
The ambitious entrepreneur: Tackling your barriers to growth
  • 2021
  • BDO
A study exploring the various barriers to growth that ambitious businesses in the UK face as they look to build, grow and scale their business. An accompanying hub of articles and resources to support high growth businesses is available.
Understanding the characteristics of high growth companies using non-traditional data sources
  • 2019
  • Data Science Campus
Report exploring how non-traditional data sources and data science methods can be combined with more conventional business data, to help understand the characteristics and behaviours of high growth companies. A follow-up update explores whether firms engaging in certain management practices were more likely to be classed as high-growth.
Terms of use

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.

External resources - Business guides

Creating a valuable business
  • Atom Content Marketing
A LawDonut guide to making strategic decisions that can help create and maintain a valuable business. Running a business often involves reacting to circumstances, making minor decisions that have a limited, short-term impact. In contrast, creating a valuable business is about taking strategic decisions that have a lasting effect.
Decide if running a business is for you
  • Atom Content Marketing
A guide to understanding the implications of running a business. 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.
Get help setting up and running a business
  • Atom Content Marketing
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. This StartupDonut guide covers identifying the support you want, using business support organisations, finding financing and financial support, getting the right advisers, building your network and finding practical support.
Increasing productivity
  • Atom Content Marketing
Building long-term profitability allows you to grow your business and your own personal rewards from it. Creating and increasing profitability depends on doing many little things better than the competition.
Strategic acquisitions
  • Atom Content Marketing
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.
Terms of use

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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