Six easy steps to set up a UK business – Part Six

So, this six-step guide to setting up your own business has come to an end and I hope it’s proved useful to those of you thinking of jumping into the entrepreneurial breach.

The feedback to date has been extremely positive and it seems there are a large number of people out there who have been deterred from setting up by themselves by the perceived lack of information out there. Thanks to all of you for your kind words. Continue reading

Six easy steps to set up a UK business – Part Five

This is the fifth episode in the six-step guide to setting up your own business and, as a Cat Stevens song once explained, we’ve come a long way.

We have already spoken about how easy it is to get started and how these straitened and austere times mean that becoming an entrepreneur is not only a good option, it can sometimes be the only option. Employment really isn’t what it used to be and probably never will be again. We are no longer a country of shopkeepers; we are a nation of businessmen. Continue reading

Six easy steps to set up a UK business – Part Four

Hello again and after teasing you for a couple of weeks this episode will tell you about what you have to pay and what you can claim for as your new business takes hold.

The first thing to do is not to become too carried away when those invoices are finally paid. It may look like a lot of money compared to your previous salary when you had a regular job, but those invoices are gross revenues. Continue reading

Six easy steps to set up a UK business – Part Three

So, you’ve incorporated your company, you can tell everybody you’re a CEO and the gigs are starting to come in, what do you do next?

The first and most important thing is don’t expect to be paid on time. It is galling that for much of the time you’ll be waiting for money, you’ll be expecting money on a certain date and it won’t be forthcoming. That’s why people stay in jobs, the money is regular and the bills can be scheduled. When you run your own business there will be uncertainty as well as glorious freedom and entrepreneurship. Continue reading

Six easy steps to set up a UK business – Part Two

There’s nothing like setting up a company for making you feel good. Instead of describing yourself as a consultant or between jobs or even freelancing, knowing that you are a founder and CEO does wonders for self-esteem and those awkward dinner parties.

Moreover, as the Bard once said, necessity is the mother of invention and running your own business does mean that you have to take everything seriously and take every opportunity to bring in business. Continue reading