We're in business ourselves and, over the years, we've gained experience of numerous products that we feel confident about recommending.

Microsoft Office Live - www.better-business.co.uk/officelive

Microsoft Office Live Basics is a set of services and tools designed to help you get your business online as quickly and easily as possible. The basic package (Microsoft Office Live Basics) is totally free to use - there are no hidden costs - and Microsoft even provides free support.

Randalls Office Furniture - www.randallsoffice.co.uk

Supply a range of office furniture which are available to buy or lease.

Best Health - www. besthealthuk.co.uk

Health is vital; these brokers will scour the market and find the right policy for you.

FSP - www.fsp-ltd.co.uk

Finding suitable people: construction, driving, industrial, pickers, packers, stackers, IT and production. These people really care about getting it right for you.

Portland Apartments - www.portlandapartments.co.uk

Sick of staying in a hotel? Well, these people do boutique serviced apartments for less than the price of a decent hotel in Bristol.

Credence Finance - www.credencefinance.co.uk

When you need to raise finance, you may find it in your house. These guys are specialists in mortgages for people who normally have problems getting one, such as self-employed people with no proof of earnings. Recommend them highly.

DOSH - www.dosh.co.uk

Commonsense accounting software made to make your life easy. Keep on top of your company's financial administration, from business planning to book-keeping, running your own payroll, and more.

Network Box - www.network-box.co.uk

These guys have kept us at Better Business well protected from viruses and spam for several years. This is ultimate network security solution for SMEs - an all-in-one firewall, intrusion detection and prevention, anti-virus, anti-spam, virtual private networking and content filtering, automatically ensuring your network is totally secure all the time.

Atradius - www.atradius.com/uk

Credit insurance, giving you peace of mind at home and abroad.

Icon Insurance - www.icon-insurance.co.uk

Small business insurer provides a range of cover for home-based businesses and office-based businesses.

Barton Hatcher Ingram - www.bhi-limited.com

Provides a range of financial services and advice covering mortgages, investments, savings and pension planning.

Alliance Communications - www.alliancecoms.com

Provide advice and guidance on a range of communications needs including VoIP, mobile, fixed line and broadband.

NRG - www.nrg-networks.co.uk

They run business networking events for independent business professionals to build better business relationships.

BNI - www.bni-europe.com

The early-bird networkers who meet over breakfast once a week. Their philosphy: 'givers gain'.

Ecademy - www.ecademy.com

The online networking forum for SMEs. Their philosphy: 'winning by sharing'. A great place to find help, advice from peers and good contacts.