This guide outlines 7 must-have services that give you a boost when starting a new business.
In 2024, 317,000 new businesses opened across the UK. By the end of their first three years, a significant proportion will have closed. The difference between those who thrive and those who struggle is rarely down to the quality of the idea but often comes down to execution, preparation, and the right support at the right time.
The cost of getting it wrong isn’t always financial either. Time spent unpicking bad processes, rebuilding a neglected digital presence or recovering from easily avoidable tax mistakes is time that could have gone into growing the business.
7 key services for starting a new business
Put these seven services in place from the start, and you’ll give your business the best possible chance of survival.
1. A Dedicated Business Bank Account
Keeping personal and business finances separate is one of the easiest and most impactful things for starting a new business. It makes tax preparation simpler and faster, cash flow easier to read, and your business more credible to clients and suppliers.
There is also a practical urgency to this now. HMRC’s Making Tax Digital for Income Tax initiative, which is already live, requires sole traders and landlords above the
income threshold to keep digital records and submit quarterly updates using compatible software. Many business bank accounts now integrate directly with accounting tools, making compliance much less painful. Getting the right account in place early puts you in a great position going forward.
2. Accounting Software
Before you think about hiring an accountant, set up your accounting software. Tools like Xero, FreeAgent and QuickBooks are designed to track income and expenses in real time, generate invoices, and keep your financial records in order throughout the year.
The reason to do this early when starting a new business is straightforward: clean, structured records make everything easier later. If you decide to bring in an accountant down the line, they can step straight into a system that already works, rather than spending billable hours untangling a year’s worth of mixed-up transactions. Good software is not a replacement for professional advice; it is the foundation that makes professional advice more effective and more affordable.
3. An Accountant
A good accountant is worth every penny, particularly in the early stages when there are more financial decisions to navigate than most new business owners anticipate.
Beyond completing your Self Assessment or filing company accounts, an accountant can advise on the right business structure from the outset when starting a new business, flag when you are approaching VAT registration thresholds, identify allowable expenses you might be missing, and help you plan ahead.
The Government’s Longitudinal Small Business Survey found that in 2024, taxation, VAT, PAYE and National Insurance were cited as the most frequently mentioned obstacles to business success by SME employers, up 16 percent on 2023. Getting qualified support early is one of the most direct ways to take that pressure off.
4. Google Business Profile
If your business serves customers in a specific area, or even if it operates nationally but has a physical presence, a Google Business Profile is one of the highest-return free tools available for starting a new business. It places your business on Google Search and Google Maps, displays your opening hours, contact details and reviews, and makes it straightforward for local customers to find and choose you.
Google itself notes that businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to appear in local search results, with local rankings based on relevance, distance, and popularity. Setup takes under an hour. The visibility it creates can take years to replicate through other means.
5. A Digital Marketing Consultancy
Marketing is one of the areas where new businesses most commonly either overspend without direction or underspend until it becomes urgent. Neither approach serves growth well.
Working with a digital marketing consultancy early means getting your strategy right before wasting money on the wrong channels. A good consultancy will assess where your audience spends time, which channels suit your budget and growth stage, and how to build a marketing strategy that compounds over time rather than generating one-off results.
6. A CRM System
No more post-it notes or overflowing inboxes. A CRM, or customer relationship management system, helps you manage your leads effectively when starting a new business. These tools help you track every prospect, record every interaction, and follow up consistently without anything slipping through the cracks.
Setting one up early also builds a habit that becomes increasingly valuable as your customer base grows. Retrofitting a CRM into a business that has been operating without one is significantly harder than building one into the business from the start. For any business where repeat customers, referrals or a considered sales process matter, this should be a priority.
7. A Professionally Built Website
Everything else on this list for starting a new business points back to your website. Your Google Business Profile links to it. Your digital marketing consultancy optimises around it. Your CRM captures leads through it. A poorly built or neglected website undermines every other investment you make in your business’s visibility and credibility.
A professionally built website does not need to be elaborate — but it does need to load quickly, work on mobile, communicate clearly what you do and who you do it for, and make it easy for visitors to take the next step. With 5.7 million SMEs now operating across the UK, the market is incredibly competitive. A website that actually converts is one of the clearest ways to stand apart from the competition from day one.
Summary
The businesses that scale fastest are rarely the ones with the most resources; they are the ones that were built on solid ground from the start. Bold ideas and large budgets are great, but without the fundamentals, even the strongest concept can struggle to gain traction. Start with the basics and treat these seven tools and services as your foundation.
