Support and information for (new) entrepreneurs : who should you contact?

As an entrepreneur, you are alone at the head of your company. This doesn’t mean that your questions and problems have to remain unanswered. Surrounding yourself with a network of professionals who have the skills needed will increase your chances of success considerably.

First-line assistance: the professional company adviser

As an entrepreneur, you can’t possibly be an expert in all fields. That's why it’s important to work with reliable advisers. Their task consists in providing professional advice in their field. For this purpose, you can contact:

• an accountant  who can help you fill in your VAT declarations and publish your annual accounts, among other things. Your accountant also has the knowledge to provide tax advice and to help you negotiate financing and you can entrust them with managing your financial strategy.
• a professional banker will provide you with a precise understanding of the financial situation of your company. You can also contact them about investments, financing options and advice about wealth management.
• an HR service provider becomes essential as soon as you hire staff. By subcontracting your human resources management, you will no longer have to dive into social legislation, payroll, etc. and you will free up more time to focus on your company.
• an insurance broker helps SMEs offer suitable insurance policies to their employees as part of their salary package. This is a win-win situation: it provides a benefit for your employees and is financially positive for you!

Brussels’ larger network of public institutions

In addition to private advisers, there are also many public and related services which (new) companies can count on to help them through the different steps of the company creation process or to meet a specific need, like a market study, a financial plan or a request for funding. Good to know: these organisations are often free or inexpensive.

Here are the organisations available to Brussels entrepreneurs:

• Local Economy Offices
• hub.brussels 
• organisations for the middle classes (Beci, UNIZO, UCM …)
• business cooperatives (Jobyourself, Baticrea, Iles...)
• business schools (Solvay, ICHEC...)
• networks of experienced entrepreneurs
• etc.