Startups.co.uk launches the Startups Business Toolkit

For 25 years, Startups.co.uk has been asked the same question by budding entrepreneurs: how do I actually start and run a business?

We know the answer isn’t simple. Finding the time to ensure you’re visible online and secure new customers whilst also putting in the hours needed to both maintain and grow your business is something almost all businesses struggle with.

That’s why we’re launching the Startups Business Toolkit: a suite of tools, powered by small-business platform Paydough, that will help you get found, get booked and get paid while you focus on the running and growing.

Today, being visible on Google, Apple, Maps, Siri and ChatGPT, collecting reviews and sending proper invoices are non-negotiables – which is why it’s all the more shocking that only 74% of micro-businesses and 65% of sole traders have websites. Being able to do all three of these things, from one place just makes everything easier. Here’s a little intro to what we’ve got on offer for you.

The Startups Business Toolkit is Live

Get found, get chosen, get paid – try it free for one month, no card required.

Create Your Free Account

One dashboard, three jobs

The first pillar, Get Found, syncs a business’s details – name, address, phone, opening hours – to more than 50 online directories at once, including Google, Apple Maps, Bing, Facebook and the emerging AI search tools.

Update once, and the change pushes everywhere, closing the gaps that quietly send customers to a competitor.

Paydough’s Get Found feature pushes your business details to over 50 online directories.

The second, Get Chosen, helps owners collect and manage reviews automatically, building the kind of public reputation that turns a search result into a booking.

The third, Get Paid, lets them send branded, professional invoices with a payment link built in – so a client can settle up by card in a couple of taps, instead of being asked to dig out their banking app and type in a sort code.

In the platforms ‘Get Paid’ toolkit, businesses can use financial analytics to track invoicing trends, expected vs actual revenue, and more.

We’ve always believed great advice should lead to real results. The Startups Business Toolkit is the natural next step for us, as it puts practical tools in the hands of the people who need them most. Whether you’re a freelancer sending your first invoice or a tradesperson who wants more customers finding you online, this platform is built for you.

Zohra Huda Editor, Startups.co.uk

Built for the smallest businesses, not the biggest

The timing reflects a hard truth about the UK economy. Micro-businesses – those with fewer than ten people – account for the overwhelming majority of the country’s firms. Yet most business software is designed, priced and named for much larger businesses with enough cash to stump up hundreds of pounds for subscriptions.

The toolkit is designed as a deliberate departure from this. We know how cash flow problems impact smaller firms, so we’ve ensured you can try the software for free – no credit card details are required. There are paid plans you can choose from once your one month trial is over, as well as a completely free plan that includes invoicing and payment functionality.

Importantly, the toolkit lets you act on that advice in the same session they read it – registering as self-employed on one tab and setting up your listings and invoicing on the next. Payments in the toolkit are processed by Stripe, which is FCA-regulated, so the money side meets the same standards a founder would expect from their bank.

Having spent 25 years as the UK’s go-to library of guides on winning customers, managing cash flow and building an online presence, this is a really exciting next step for us – and your business, too. Sign up for the Startups Business Toolkit today, and let us do the heavy lifting.