Gloucestershire is full of incredible growth businesses, creating huge value for the local economy and creating jobs for local people.
But with growth comes responsibility, with lots to consider from staffing and space to legal issues and succession planning. Cheltenham-based Legal 500-rated firm, Willans LLP solicitors, gives SoGlos the lowdown on some important things to consider as your business starts to expand.
Attracting top talent
One of the most obvious ways to grow your business is by recruiting new staff — and there are plenty of ways to incentivise top talent to choose your company, such as EMI share options and performance-related bonuses.
New rules around hiring internationally came into play in 2025, so it's important to be aware of the latest guidelines around visas and sponsorships and be mindful of new TUPE rules when acquiring overseas teams or businesses.
Ensure your employment contracts, company policies and handbooks are all in writing, legally compliant and scalable and make sure you're up to date on the Employment Rights Bill and the latest changes around bereavement, paternity and unpaid parental leave, too.
Office space
With a growing team often comes the need for more space, so it's well worth investigating your current lease agreements to see if you can expand, sublet or terminate your agreement early due to expansion.
As hybrid working becomes more commonplace, it's worth considering how this will impact the space your business needs, with hot desking and flexible co-working spaces providing great alternatives to traditional CapEx office leasing.
Be sure to negotiate the best possible terms if you are acquiring new premises, considering break clauses, rent reviews and repair obligations; and check that existing planning permissions cover how you intend to use the space.

Data protection and cyber security
More customers and clients generally means handling more data.
GDPR compliance is a no-brainer, but having up-to-date privacy policies and data sharing agreements is important, too.
As is cyber security, making sure your systems and networks are as robustly protected as possible. Ensure you have an incident response plan in place, with clear instructions on what to do in the event of a cyber attack communicated across the entire business.
Mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures
If you're expanding your business through mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures, doing your legal due diligence is of utmost importance.
Review contracts, employment terms, liabilities and the IP of the target business before entering into any agreements.
And if you're planning a joint venture, make sure ownership, governance, roles, profit shares, dispute resolution policies and exit paths are clearly and legally documented.

Corporate structure, governance and compliance
When your business grows or expands into new territories, this can often come with new regulatory requirements and legal obligations – from more general issues like compliance with data protection or health and safety laws, to obtaining sector-specific licenses.
So it's important to make sure that your company's legal structure reflects any agreements with fellow business partners — and that there is a shareholders’ agreement, articles of association or partnership deeds in place, if these are needed. These should all be regularly reviewed to ensure they are fit for purpose.
Business owners should also be aware of the new Companies House identity verification requirements, which become compulsory from autumn 2025, meaning that anyone who is setting up, running, owning or controlling a company registered in the UK will have to verify their identity.
Intellectual property (IP)
If your business is on the verge of expansion, protecting your intellectual property (IP) is an important consideration.
Make sure your business has the appropriate protection for all copyrights, domain names, trademarks and patents before you start to scale up, to avoid issues down the line.
And ensure you have it in writing that IP created by your employees, contractors and freelancers belongs or is assigned to your business.

Dispute policies
As businesses grow, disputes become more likely, so it's important to have internal policies in place.
From knowing how to deal with a disgruntled customer to supporting employees who raise a grievance or avoiding potential disputes between shareholders, having clear internal procedures in place allows everyone on all sides of the argument to understand how best to proceed to reach a solution.
It's also best practice to regularly review your contracts and evolve these with your business, ensuring terms like jurisdiction, liability caps and termination clauses align with your plans, to minimise the risk of disputes with contractors, suppliers, distributors and trading partners.
Exit strategy and succession planning
Whether you can already see your retirement on the horizon, or it's far off in the future, creating a succession plan is an important step to ensure the continued success of your business, even after you leave.
With the upcoming changes to Business Relief from April 2026, limiting the previously uncapped BR rate to the first £1 million of investments, there's never been a better time to get your affairs in order.
Businesses which have a solid exit strategy and succession plan in place are more attractive to both buyers and investors, too.
For more information and advice, visit Willans' Knowledge Hub at willans.co.uk/knowledge.