How to register/ start your own business?

[0u73rh34v3n]

Hi All,

I was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction or even guide me on how to start/ register my own business.

I want to start my own software development company, making digital applications that will be sold online.
I don't have an office so I'll probably have to work from home.

I've been reading a whole load of guides on the internet, but it's all very convoluted so I just want to know what I need to do to get my business registered.

Thanks a lot

[Richard.curran]

Pretty much nothing,

http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg...type=RESOURCES

Good luck with your business. There are a lot of bits of info on here which you will notice if you take part in discussions, a thread by rebecca just a few down, for instance.

[0u73rh34v3n]

Thanks for that Richard, that's incredibly useful.

I'm going to tack on a few q's to Rebecca's thread

[simonr]

The short version is "start trading and tell HMRC". If you're in doubt about the details, the best way is (YMMV) to find a good local accountant who can advise you and/or do much of the stuff such as dealing with Companies House if you decide to go for Ltd rather than Sole Trader.

[ethanhunt]

hello guys, thanks richard very useful information.

[Richard.curran]

No problem0!

[ryan88]

the best way is (YMMV) to find a good local accountant who can advise you and/or do much of the stuff such as dealing with Companies House if you decide to go for Ltd rather than Sole Trader.

[addydawn9]

Nice to see your post

[amac]

Originally Posted by 0u73rh34v3n

Hi All,

I was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction or even guide me on how to start/ register my own business.

I want to start my own software development company, making digital applications that will be sold online.
I don't have an office so I'll probably have to work from home.

I've been reading a whole load of guides on the internet, but it's all very convoluted so I just want to know what I need to do to get my business registered.

Thanks a lot

the best way is (YMMV) to find a good local accountant who can advise you and/or do much of the stuff such as dealing with Companies House if you decide to go for Ltd rather than Sole Trader.

Good advice re. contacting and using an accountant.

I think you should look at setting up yourself to be a sole trader starting out. This means you'll not be earning more than circa £1000 a month, otherwise you'd be looking at setting up a limited company.

In terms of gaining clients, you can network locally but also use online talent websites such as elance, odesk etc to get started. You'll need to think about becoming certified in certain areas, and you can also do this online which will help to win clients. A good part of being a consultant is winning work and delivering, so you'll need to focus on ensuring your programming/design ability is solid whilst also making sure you market these abilities effectively.

[taylorgibbs81]

I got my business advice from kimptonconsulting they do there best in every effective way.

[water4ethiopia@gmail.com]

Registering a business has just got so so so much easier!!

Companies House now do on-line registrations, rather than the old paper format, and it honestly took me no longer than 15minutes to register Mini-Sports School Limited.

When I registered Water4Ethiopia Enterprises Ltd (for which we won a Shell LiveWIRE Grand Ideas Award), Companies House sent me back the paperwork no less than 4 times, including for one where I had put a single letter in lower case rather than upper case! It is just so much easier now, costs £18 (cheaper than before), I registered it on a Sunday evening, I had an email to confirm the company was set up by 11am on the Monday and the Tuesday saw the official incorporation letter arrive.

Good luck registering your companies - the link is https://ewf.companieshouse.gov.uk/3a...e?page=welcome and if you have any questions, just ask on here!

[James Smith]

Forming a limited company is all well and good, but is quite unnecessary for most start-ups who ought to be looking at getting a working business model running well and THEN thinking about forming a limited company once its making money. My rule of thumb is that you are simply too small with less than £20-30k of profit per annum to warrant the cost of all the compliance and filing. Company accounts are simply not DIY activities so most people will need an accountant, unlike a sole trader which you can if you want file yourself as its a simple tax return.

I hope that helps,

Regards,

[madmike133]

You could also try www.yourbusinessservice.co.uk they provide pretty much all you need to know

[Clare M]

I speak to several startup companies each day and the vast majority are not planning to set up a Limited company in the short term. If you are starting off as self employed then I agree with the comment about registering with HMRC. You can do it online and the link is:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/selfemployed/...er-selfemp.htm

An Accountant will be able to offer you plenty of advice but that could wait a few months if you are short of cash. Just keep good records of your expenses and any invoices.

Good luck.

Clare

[Lucille89Hall]

Thanks for the info.