The curtain recently closed on the 2010 season of FreelanceStudents’ favourite – Dragon’s Den. We were thoroughly entertained as we witnessed manufactured Iberian pig feed, rotating washing lines, submarines and of course Kirsty Henshaw’s tear-jerker. However, it was Royal Holloway student Jessica Ratcliffe’s failed pitch for her computer games exchange website that caught our interest.

Jessica was articulate and presented immaculately (perhaps a wee bit robotic). The Dragon’s were in awe, but no investment was forthcoming. The pitch stumbled on the fact that Jessica had not done research into understanding the physical cost of handling games as the business scales up. Yet, it occurred to us that programmes like Dragon’s Den are clearly inspiring some young people to deviate from the usual route of chasing student jobs and internships and to go into business. This is fantastic and to ensure you don’t slip up we’ve compiled a handy list of the top 5 online resources that will equip you with all the information you need to kick start (and indeed grow) your student business.

BusinessLink

BusinessLink is a government funded agency that provides information, advice and support needed to start, grow and maintain a business. BusinessLink is often the first port of call for many would-be entrepreneurs and perhaps the daddy of straight-up business information. We’ve used the service to seek guidance on such thorny issues as grants, growing a business, marketing and employment.

Website: www.businesslink.gov.uk
Twitter: twitter.com/businesslinkgov

Startups

Startups.co.uk is one of the UK’s leading independent online resources for anyone starting and building a new business. The site is easy to navigate and has a wealth of resources to help you successfully start a business, and has a useful ‘Female Entrepreneurs’ section. The site has a very active forum where readers often candidly exchange ideas… FreelanceStudents may even have popped up on the forums in its early days.

Website: www.startups.co.uk
Twitter: twitter.com/startupsfeed

Smarta

Smarta is a new entrant and touts itself as a “…support platform for business owners and entrepreneurs”. Their aim is to provide a one-stop-shop where business owners can connect, learn and actually do business. The website is very modern and easy to navigate. Smarta also has serious support and partners (e.g. Natwest, Vodafone, Theo Paphitis and Deborah Meaden). Most importantly, the site has an excellent dedicated section to student business.

Website: www.smarta.com
Twitter: twitter.com/smartahq

BusinessZone

BusinessZone.co.uk provides independent editorial content and community interaction for small business professionals. They deliver practical advice and guidance with daily news updates, blogs, expert interviews and podcasts through the website and in regular email bulletins. The site’s strength definitely lies in its business editorial content, which is thoughtful and informative. A section that we often like to follow is ‘The Start Line’, which profiles the UK’s newest and most exciting businesses.

Website: www.businesszone.co.uk
Twitter: twitter.com/businesszone

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)

We can hear a quiet murmuring and a few cries of ‘boo’ at this choice. Yes, as students we do our best to avoid the dreaded taxman and indeed all mention of the word ‘tax’, simply because, well… they want to take our money! However, if you’re going to run a business this is an invaluable source and does a great job of breaking down the intricacies of self-employment, VAT returns, and other such sleep-inducing topics, into bite-size chunks.

Website: www.hmrc.gov.uk/businesses/tmastarting-up-in-business.shtml
Twitter: N/A

Have you started (or did you start) your own business as a student? What resource did you find most useful? Do you have any other resources that you can recommend to our readers?
Provide Website and Twitter Address

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