What business advice and guides does Startups.co.uk cover?
Startups.co.uk is a UK-focused small business advice site covering the practical side of starting and running a company: funding, taking payments, pricing, hiring, compliance, and day-to-day operations. It mixes evergreen guides with news, tools, and founder stories. It's most useful if you're launching or running a UK small business and want plain-English explanations of things like card processing fees, POS systems, or new employment rules — not if you're looking for US-specific tax or legal guidance.
The main content areas
Essential Guides and how-to advice
The site's core is its guides section, which walks through common startup tasks step by step. Topics include:
- Funding — finding and applying for finance, grants, and investment
- Taking payments — card machines, POS systems, online payment gateways, and a UK credit card processing fees calculator
- Pricing — how to set prices for a product or service
- Hiring and HR — contracts, employment rules, and staffing decisions
- Business setup and growth — general advice for new and small businesses
News and policy updates
A news section tracks UK small business developments, including regulatory and market changes. Examples from the site include coverage of Employment Rights Act reforms, pension saving among self-employed workers, and shifts in job security and consumer spending. This is where you'd look for "what's changing and what do I need to do about it" pieces.
Tools and calculators
Some content is interactive rather than just reading. The payment processing section includes a fees calculator alongside comparisons of card machines, POS systems, and payment gateways — useful when you're trying to estimate costs before committing to a provider.
Founder stories and expert opinion
Columns and interviews give first-hand perspectives, such as an early-stage founder explaining how he landed on the right price for his product, or a founder reflecting on running a business while parenting. These are experience-based rather than instructional.
Events and recognition
The site runs the Startups 100 index, an annual list of UK startups. Applications for the 2027 index are open, and making the list is positioned as a visibility opportunity for early-stage companies.
What it's good for — and what it isn't
| Good fit | Less suitable |
|---|---|
| UK small business owners and founders | Non-UK businesses needing local rules |
| Understanding payment processing options and fees | Deep technical or legal advice |
| Keeping up with UK employment and policy changes | Personalised financial or legal decisions |
| Practical how-to guides on pricing, hiring, funding | Academic or investor-grade market research |
How to use it
- Start with Essential Guides if you have a specific task — pricing, payments, hiring, or funding.
- Use the calculators and comparisons in the payments section before choosing a provider, so you're comparing on cost rather than marketing.
- Check the news section for UK policy changes that affect employers and the self-employed.
- Read founder stories for context on how others handled the same decisions — treat these as experience, not prescription.
One caveat: the site is editorial and UK-focused, so verify anything time-sensitive (tax rates, legal thresholds, scheme eligibility) against the official source before acting on it.