Start a Small Business in the UK: Idea to First Sales

What's inside

1. Level 1: Is Your Idea Worth It? Problem, Customer, Cheap TestFree
   States that this course is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice, and shows how to check that an idea solves a real problem for a defined customer and how to test demand cheaply before spending money, using a home baker as the worked example.
2. Level 2: Researching Customers and CompetitorsFree
   Shows how to gather evidence about who will buy, what they pay now and who already serves them, using short interviews, desk research and a simple competitor comparison table.
3. Level 3: Writing a One-Page Business Plan
   Turns the test results and research into a one-page plan covering offer, customer, channels, pricing assumptions, costs, milestones and risks for the worked example business.
4. Level 4: Sole Trader, Partnership or Limited Company
   Compares the three main UK business structures on how profits are taxed, who is personally liable for debts and how much paperwork and filing each one involves.
5. Level 5: Registering with HMRC or Companies House
   Walks through registering for Self Assessment as a sole trader or partner, or incorporating with Companies House, and shows when the £1,000 trading allowance means you may not need to register, all checked against current GOV.UK guidance.
6. Level 6: VAT Thresholds in Outline
   Explains in outline what VAT is, the current £90,000 registration threshold measured on a rolling 12-month turnover, the forward-looking 30-day test, and the effect that voluntary registration has on prices.
7. Level 7: Pricing for Profit, Not Just to Cover Costs
   Builds a price from direct costs, a share of overheads and a fair rate for your own time plus a profit margin, then checks it against the competitor research and what customers are willing to pay.
8. Level 8: Startup Costs, Funding and a Business Bank Account
   Estimates one-off and running startup costs, outlines funding options (savings, government-backed Start Up Loans and grants), and covers opening a separate business bank account.
9. Level 9: Keeping Records from Day One and Making Tax Digital
   Sets up a simple system for recording income, expenses and receipts from the first sale, and explains Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, which applies to qualifying income over £50,000 from 6 April 2026, with lower thresholds planned for later years.
10. Level 10: Business Insurance: Public Liability and Indemnity
    Explains what public liability and professional indemnity insurance cover, which risks each one addresses, and how to choose cover suited to the worked example business.
11. Level 11: Data Protection and Consumer Rights
    Covers the core UK GDPR duties for handling customer data, how to check whether you must pay the ICO data protection fee, and the main consumer rights that apply to goods and services sold to the public.
12. Level 12: Food Hygiene, Trademarks and Working from Home
    Covers registering a food business with the local council where relevant, the basics of trademarks, and the planning, mortgage, tenancy and business rates points to check before running a business from home.
13. Level 13: A Name, a Website and Social Profiles
    Chooses a business name that is available and lawful, then sets up a simple website and consistent social media profiles that show the offer, prices and how to buy.
14. Level 14: Finding and Winning Your First Customers
    Builds a practical plan to reach the first paying customers through your own network, local channels, online platforms and referrals, and to turn interest into confirmed sales.
15. Level 15: Getting Help: GOV.UK, Growth Hubs and Support
    Shows where to find reliable free help, including GOV.UK, HMRC guidance, local growth hubs and other business support services, and how to judge when to pay for professional advice.
16. Level 16: Final Challenge: Launch Plan for Your Business Exam
    Reviews the whole course by taking the worked example business from idea to first sales in one integrated launch plan, and repeats that the course is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.

Access

The first 2 levels are free with a free account. Every level, the podcast edition and the AI tutor come with All Access at £4.99/month or any Creator plan — see pricing.

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