HSBC Bank Malta has launched the Knowledge Centre, a free online resource for entrepreneurs, managers and business owners, offering practical help to people seeking to establish new ventures or in managing operations.

The Knowledge Centre, at www.knowledge.hsbc.com.mt, provides a free, user-friendly check list for business owners. It invites them to honestly appraise their strengths and weaknesses and analyse whether they have the skills and determination required, as well as the support they need to achieve their goals.

HSBC’s Knowledge Centre provides hands-on information on how to design a business plan and how to research the market. Other features include articles which can help people determine where to set up their firm, the size and the type of the office, the different types of tenure and the costs and factors involved in the search process.

There are also tips on adoption of sales strategies and practical information on all aspects of finance, including profit-and-loss accounting, the balance sheet, cash flow statements, profitability and budgeting, and advice on how to select an accountant.

Other facilities within the Knowledge Centre focus on recruitment advice, marketing tips on planning and strategy, measurement and competitiveness.

“Sound and reliable advice is a necessary tool for business owners,” HSBC Malta’s head of commercial banking Michel Cordina stressed. “HSBC Bank Malta, with its trained experts and international expertise, is well positioned to offer such advice to prospective business owners and enterprises.

“The Knowledge Centre is our way of offering more practical and readily available information to enterprises.”

The Knowledge Centre’s management and start-up briefings and checklists are provided by BHP Information Solutions, a network of 400 leading experts providing independent information of premium quality.