Business Set Up Articles
Expert articles and practical legal guides on business set up for uk businesses.
How To Incorporate A New Company In The UK: Step-By-Step Guide
When you’re ready to take your business idea seriously, choosing to incorporate a new company can be a big milestone. For many startups and SMEs, incorporation isn’t just a “paperwork” task -...
17 February 2026
What Is a General Partnership in the UK? Key Risks and Setup Steps
If you’re building a business with one or more co-founders, it’s completely normal to look for the simplest way to get started. For many UK small businesses, that “simple start” ends up...
17 February 2026
Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV): What It Is, Why Use One, And How To Set Up
If you’ve ever looked at buying a property through a separate company, raising investment for a specific project, or ring-fencing risk from your main trading business, you’ve probably come across the idea...
16 February 2026
Holding Company Benefits In The UK: Advantages And When To Set One Up
If you’re growing a business (or thinking about buying another one), it’s normal to reach a point where your current structure starts to feel a bit “messy”. Maybe you’ve launched a second...
15 February 2026
The legal force awakens: What every startup founder needs to know
A long time ago, in a business not that far, far away, a founder did what founders do best: built fast. The product was improving every week. Customers were signing up. Deals...
15 February 2026
How To Set Up An Estate Agency In the UK: Legal Checklist
Setting up an estate agency can be a brilliant small business move. Property keeps moving even when the market slows down, and if you’re good at building trust and closing deals, you...
15 February 2026
How To Start A Marketing Agency In the UK: Legal Setup Essentials
Starting a marketing agency can be an exciting way to turn your skills (and your network) into a scalable business. Whether you’re offering social media management, paid ads, SEO, content production, brand...
13 February 2026
How To Set Up A UK Subsidiary: Legal Steps And Key Documents
Expanding into the UK can be an exciting growth move - new customers, new talent, and a new base for international operations. But if you’re doing it through a UK subsidiary, you’ll...
13 February 2026
What Is a Sole Proprietor in the UK?
If you’re starting a small business, one of the first legal decisions you’ll make is choosing your business structure. It might not feel as exciting as branding or landing your first customer,...
13 February 2026
When To Hire A Lawyer For Your Small Business In The UK (And How To Choose One)
Running a small business means you’re making decisions every day that affect your cashflow, your reputation, and your risk. Some of those decisions are “business as usual” (pricing, marketing, hiring, suppliers). But...
13 February 2026
Legal Checklist For Opening A Cafe In The UK
Opening a cafe is one of those business ideas that feels both exciting and slightly daunting at the same time. You’re not just selling coffee and pastries - you’re creating a space...
11 February 2026
Inside the micro-startup boom: How tiny teams are building profitable new businesses - legally
Growing headcount doesn’t necessarily mean growing profit. For a long time, business growth followed a familiar formula: more customers meant more work, and more work meant more people. Scale looked like bigger...
9 February 2026How To Start A Carpentry Business In The UK: Legal Essentials
Starting a carpentry business can be a brilliant move. Demand is steady, word-of-mouth can travel fast, and once you’ve built a reputation for quality and reliability, you can grow from solo jobs...
5 February 2026
Sole Trader Liability: What You’re Personally Responsible For And How To Reduce Risk
Running your business as a sole trader can feel like the simplest option - fewer admin tasks, fewer formalities, and you can get started quickly. But there’s a trade-off many small business...
5 February 2026
Buying A Shelf Company In the UK: Legal Risks And Due Diligence
If you’re trying to launch quickly, you’ve probably seen ads offering a shelf company for sale (sometimes called an “off the shelf company”). The pitch is simple: buy a shelf company, take...
4 February 2026Do I Need A Business Formation Lawyer?
Starting a business is exciting - but it can also feel like there are a thousand “small” decisions to make, and each one seems like it could have long-term consequences. One of...
2 February 2026
Companies House £13 Fee: What It Covers And When It Applies
If you run a UK limited company (or you’re about to set one up), you’ll probably come across the Companies House £13 fee at some point. It’s small enough to seem like...
2 February 2026
What Is A Company, Anyway? (2026 Updated)
If you're starting (or scaling) a business in 2026, you've probably heard people say "just set up a company" as if it's a quick admin job. But what is a company actually...
31 January 2026Phantom Share Option Plans - 6 Things You Need To Know (2026 Updated)
If you're trying to attract (and keep) great people in 2026, you've probably heard the same advice a hundred times: "Offer equity." But what if you're not ready to give away real...
31 January 2026
What Are Franchising Royalties? (2026 Updated)
Franchising can be a great way to grow a business without personally funding (and managing) every new location. But if you're looking at franchising your business - or buying into a franchise...
31 January 2026Advantages Of Franchising: Key Benefits For UK Businesses
If you’re weighing up whether to start a business from scratch or buy into an existing model, franchising can sometimes look like a “safer” option. In many cases it can reduce some...
30 January 2026
What Is Unlimited Liability In Business? (UK Guide for Small Businesses)
Unlimited liability is one of those legal terms that sounds abstract - until something goes wrong. In simple terms, it means you are personally responsible for the business’s debts and legal claims....
27 January 2026
Redeeming Shares: A Step-by-Step UK Guide to Share Buybacks
If you’re running a UK limited company, there comes a time when you might want to “clean up” the shareholding. Maybe a co-founder is exiting. Maybe an early investor wants out. Maybe...
27 January 2026
These legal myths are going to cost you big
Legal myths can cost business owners a lot of money - sometimes even derail a business entirely. We’re not being dramatic; there’s no Loch Ness Monster lurking under a legal document. But...
27 January 2026
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