Starting a business

So, you’ve decided to start a business! Well, that’s the hard bit out of the way then...

They’ll be different things to consider depending on the type of business you’re looking to set up however we’ve put together a quick list of the things to think about:

  1. Where to work

A lot of our client’s tend to work from home when they’re first starting out. Their overheads are lower and, with internet and phone lines already available, the business is much quicker to set up. However, beware that there can be a real clash between home and work – you could end up working more hours than you were when you were working full time! Worse still, you could find yourself sitting on the sofa watching too much daytime TV. Make sure you strike the right balance.

  1. Business names and structures

Think about the name of your business properly – it needs to be catchy, relevant to the business that you’re running and useful for online use. That is, make sure it’s something that people can easily search for online. Regarding structure, there’s a number of different routes to go down. For more information, have a look at our Sole trader or Limited Company or download our free guide to starting a Limited Company. To form a limited company click on the link to the left of this page.

  1. Taxes, payroll and returns

Here’s the complicated bit – the way you pay taxes will inevitably be affected if you set up a small business. There are different procedures for both Limited Companies and sole traders so you’ll need to get specialist advice about how you pay tax. However, in basic terms, if you own a Limited Company you’ll need to complete an annual return at the end of your tax year and send a set of your accounts to HMRC. From there, things get a bit complicated. You need to think about whether to register for VAT and whether you need to set up payroll. For more information, ask us a question.

  1. Managing your business

How are you going to get business? Think about where you can find work and where potential clients might be. Setting up a website and joining local business meetings are good places to start. We've put together some advice on finding work as a freelancer.

  1. Appoint an accountant

If you’re planning on running a Sole Trader or Limited Company, you’ll need an accountant to help you with your tax. If you already have a personal accountant, contact them and they’ll be able to help you set up your company. If you don’t yet have an accountant, contact us, call us on 0500 234111 / 01442 275767 or email nikki.hanlon@easyaccountancy.co.uk

Easy Accountancy

Easy Accountancy is the UK’s only national specialist accountancy firm for freelancers, sole traders and small businesses

If you’ve just started out as a freelancer or run a small business, you’ll definitely need a small accountant and there are plenty of options out there! However, most accountants will charge you every time you get in touch with them; for every phone call, email or meeting.

We don’t want our clients to be scared to contact us and potentially lose out on valuable tax saving advice. It's even more important when you first start out as you really need to set your business up in the best way possible. As a start up you’ll probably have loads of questions and will really appreciate the fact you can call your accountant as many times as you like without the fear of racking up large bills.

Our low cost, all-inclusive fixed-fee accountancy service includes unlimited access to your own accountant throughout the year, so you never need to worry about picking up the phone and then receiving a bill afterwards for the privilege, and covers all your business and personal tax affairs needs. All clients additionally receive: 

We’ve saved our clients up to half on their accountancy bills – if you’d like a quote, click on the quote me button to the right of this page. Alternatively, call us on 0500 234 111 / 01442 275 767 or email nikki.hanlon@easyaccountancy.co.uk

We also have a money-back service guarantee - all of your telephone calls and emails will be answered on the same day, or we will refund your monthly fee (another first within the accountancy world).

To appoint us as your accountants, please fill in our Client Agreement Form online.

If you are a contractor working through a limited company then visit SJD Accountancy (our sister company) who specialise in providing tax advice and accountancy services for Limited Company contractors.

For more information or a general chat about your business plans please Ask us a question, call us on 0500 234111 / 01442 275767 or email nikki.hanlon@easyaccountancy.co.uk

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