Running a small business of any sort can be a challenging experience. With a world that changes almost by the minute, you have to be on top of the business world each and every moment of the day. The competition you could once see coming as they built their new store front down the street from you is no longer the only threat. In a split second a new company can appear on the Internet and cut prices beneath you so low that your head nearly spins. To make matters worse, your current customers may also find them as easily as finding your front door. None the less, as entrepreneurs we must do all we can to compete, and choosing where to have office space or a store-front to do that business is a huge part of our success.

Starting a business in the UK, and in particular Sheffield, certainly has its benefits these days. Recent advances in the city's goals have begun to convert Sheffield into a hub for today's entrepreneurs doing business in the UK. In fact, in September Sheffield will be hosting the MADE Festival which will draw more than 2,000 entrepreneurs from all over the UK. The event is being put together to give information and ideas to businesses from some of the leading minds in the private and public sectors of commerce and will include not only some of the top business icons in the country, but some of the most prominent politicians heading the areas of business in the UK.

Sheffield is home to numerous types of business that supply various products and services. There are IT companies that service businesses internationally, to local craft businesses that have even taken the spotlight recently in the Sheffield Telegraph because of expanding international sales of their handmade textiles. According to the Telegraph, one of these Sheffield craft businesses, 'SOCK monky' "began by making hats and fascinators just a few years ago, and now sells their products not only in the UK, France, Spain, Canada and even as far away as Singapore." Such craft businesses are often eligible to take advantage of another additional benefit being offered to small businesses by Sheffield as well.

That other great benefit being offered and giving reason to consider Sheffield as a place for an entrepreneurial start-up is their Small Business Rate Relief program. According to the latest government news, "The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced at the Budget extra help for small businesses." This help includes giving rate relief that may equate to little or nothing for you as a business owner. It's best to simply get hold of a bookkeeper in Sheffield, or even a chartered accountant in Sheffield to give you a hand in finding out how you can take part in and benefit from using the new Small Business Rate Relief program. Such chartered accountants in Sheffield can even continue to work with you and give you advice on how to take full advantage of Sheffield's latest list of entrepreneurial incentives. There are also bookkeepers in Sheffield that can provide you with similar benefit information. The bottom line is that by locating your organization in a centre with thriving companies, and simultaneously taking advantage of various government programs to help your business grow, it's becoming obvious why Sheffield is on the way to being a name amongst the best of names in the world of business, and in particular, in the UK.