Running your business
Money, tax and legal basics, in plain English.
Plain-English guides to the money, legal and admin side of your first year: pricing for profit, keeping business and personal money apart, HMRC and Companies House deadlines, marketing on a small budget, legal setup, and data protection and licences. Every figure links to its official source, such as GOV.UK, the British Business Bank or Start Up Loans.
Free guides
Pricing for profit
A plain-English guide to pricing for UK new businesses: fixed and variable costs, break-even, margin, and why you should never price below cost.
Read the guide →Free guideSeparating business and personal money
Why UK limited companies must keep business money separate, why it is strongly recommended for sole traders, and simple steps to set it up.
Read the guide →Free guideHMRC deadlines and Companies House basics
Key dates for UK new businesses, checked on GOV.UK: Self Assessment registration and filing, the £100 late penalty, VAT threshold, Corporation Tax and Companies House.
Read the guide →Free guideMarketing on a small budget
Low-cost and free ways to market a new UK business: a simple website, local networking, social media, reviews and PR, with a plan to measure what works.
Read the guide →Free guideLegal setup
How to set up a new UK business legally: sole trader vs limited company, registering with HMRC or Companies House, business names, and what to show on paperwork.
Read the guide →Free guideData protection & licences
What new UK businesses must do about data protection, whether you need to pay the ICO data protection fee, cookies, marketing consent, licences and business rates.
Read the guide →Want to check the numbers? Try our card reader fee calculator or take the Find my card reader quiz. Is there a guide you need that isn’t here? Tell us.
No links in this guide are paid. We are not affiliated with HMRC, Companies House, the ICO, the British Business Bank or Start Up Loans; we link to their free guidance because it is reliable.
Not financial advice: this guide is general information to help you understand the basics. It is not financial, tax or legal advice. Rules and figures can change, so check the linked official pages, and speak to an accountant or adviser about your situation.