It’s easy to get excited in the early days of starting a business. You start thinking about names, logos, posts, sales. All of that matters.

But if you want this to feel real and sustainable, the admin has to come first. Not because you’re trying to be perfect. Because the right setup makes everything else easier. Pricing is easier. Tax is easier. Even replying to customers gets easier.

If you want a genuinely useful support resource alongside this, the QLegal toolkits from Queen Mary University are worth keeping in your admin folder: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/centre-creative-collaboration/resources/toolkits-reports–research/qlegal-toolkits/

Step 1

Choose your legal structure and write down why

Most people start as a sole trader because it’s simpler to run day to day. Some people choose a limited company, usually because of the way they want to operate or the level of risk involved.

There’s no prize for choosing the most complex option. Choose what fits how you’re working right now, and what you can realistically manage.

Weekend task

• Write one paragraph that answers: What am I starting as, sole trader or limited company, and why does that fit my life right now?

Growth opportunity

• If you’re stuck between two options, book a mentoring session and talk it through. You’ll get to a decision faster when you can say it out loud.

Step 2

Get clear on HMRC, early, not when it’s urgent

If your gross trading income goes over £1,000 in a tax year, you must tell HMRC and register for Self Assessment.

If you’re new to Self Assessment, HMRC says you must tell them by 5 October following the end of the tax year you need to report.

Weekend task

• Add two lines to your notes: (1) Tax year this business started trading in. (2) Reminder date for HMRC, set it now.

Growth opportunity

• Get in touch with us to discuss upcoming workshops especially to see if we have ones focused on tax and admin. Even one session can stop months of uncertainty.

Step 3

Separate your business money

If you do one thing that makes everything easier, make it this.

When business money and personal money are mixed, founders lose track of costs, miss expenses they could claim, and spend hours trying to unpick things later. A separate business account is ideal, but even a separate account used only for business is a strong start.

Weekend task

• Pick one: open a business bank account, or open a separate account you use only for business income and costs.
• Write one rule for yourself: all sales go into this account. All business costs come out of this account.

Growth opportunity

• Once your money is separated, it’s much easier to take on paid work confidently, because you can see what you’re earning and what you’re spending.

Step 4

Set up record keeping you’ll actually stick to

You don’t need a complex system. You need a habit.

A simple tracker and one place for receipts will take you further than a fancy app you never open.

Weekend task

• Create a folder called Business admin. Inside it, make subfolders: Receipts, Invoices, Quotes, Insurance, HMRC.
• Create a tracker with five columns: Date, What it was, Money in, Money out, How it was paid.
• Put a weekly 20 minute check in in your calendar.

Growth opportunity

• When your records are clean, you can make better decisions, like whether you can afford stock, whether to raise prices, or whether to invest in a new income stream.

Step 5

Basic protection, so one problem doesn’t wipe you out

Insurance is one of those things people leave until later. Later is often too late.

Start by matching your cover to how you trade and what you handle. The goal is not to buy everything. The goal is to cover the obvious risks.

Weekend task

• Answer these questions in writing: Where do I trade? Who do I work with? What would be hard to replace?
• Shortlist the insurance type you might need and get quotes next week.

Growth opportunity

• Once you’ve got basic protection in place, you can say yes to more opportunities, like markets, pop ups, and bigger client work, with less stress.

How we can support you

If you’re setting these foundations up now, you don’t have to do it alone. We can help you make decisions, build routines that last, and keep things moving.

We run practical workshops, and we offer one to one mentoring that meets you where you are.

Contact us to find out how we can help.

For mentoring, workshop waitlists, and general queries, email april@treeshepherd.org.uk

Worksheet 1

Weekend Business Setup Checklist

Saturday

• [ ] Legal structure: I chose my starting structure, sole trader or limited company
• [ ] Legal structure: I wrote down why this fits my situation right now
• [ ] HMRC: I confirmed whether I need to register for Self Assessment if my trading income goes over £1,000
• [ ] HMRC: I set a reminder to register on time, and noted the 5 October deadline after the tax year ends if I’m new to Self Assessment
• [ ] Banking: I opened a business account or a separate account for business only
• [ ] Banking: I set one rule, all sales in, all business costs out

Sunday

• [ ] Record keeping: I created a Business admin folder with subfolders
• [ ] Record keeping: I created a simple tracker with date, item, money in, money out, payment method
• [ ] Record keeping: I put a weekly 20 minute check in in my calendar
• [ ] Protection: I answered the three risk questions, where I trade, who I work with, what I need to replace
• [ ] Protection: I listed the insurance cover I need to look up next week

Next small growth step

• [ ] I booked mentoring or joined a workshop waitlist
• [ ] I picked one opportunity to move towards next, market, pop up, or first paid client