Archive for the ‘setting up a company’ Category

Setting up a public ltd company (PLC)

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

In this article, we are going to discover the process that is associated with setting up a public limited company. However, before the formation process begins, it can be incredibly important to remember that once the status of public limited company has been achieved, the suffix ‘PLC’ needs to be placed on the end of the company’s trading name and all future official correspondence.

If you are in England, Wales or Scotland, the process of establishing a public limited company is done through an independent body from the Government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. If you were not aware already, this organisation is known as Companies House, and will be one of the main authorities that you are dealing with during this process.

There are two main types of management that can be vital when setting up a public limited company. They are the directors and secretaries who are at the helm of the organisation. Most people can be a director pending that they are not disqualified because of certain factors that can include bankruptcy, and the fact that a director is not a British citizen. Additionally, there also has to be at least two directors in a PLC.

Meanwhile, the secretaries of a company need to have experience in the capacity they are working under, and this can be established by the way that they have accreditation from an official organisation such as The Institute for Chartered Accountants, or an equivalent.

The intricacies of a PLC can vary depending on the types of shares which are being used within the company, as well as the distribution of shares amongst shareholders. Regardless of this structure, the process for setting up a public limited company is more or less the same.

If the process is being done offline, the same forms need to be filled in as with a private limited company. This means that Forms 10 and 12, the Articles of Association and the Memorandum of Association all need to be filed with Companies House.

In recent times, Companies House have enabled the process of filing to become a public limited company to be completed online, saving a significant amount of time and reducing the amount of paperwork which needs to be filed by the business. For example, those who use an online route will no longer require to fill in Form 12, or to have a witness in order to acknowledge the declaration which has been made.

By going to the website, the process of boosting the profile of a company can be established. Once a company is a public limited company, there is no reason why shares can’t be distributed amongst the public and why shares can’t be traded on the stock markets. For this reason, it could be argued that the advantages of being a PLC can begin to show themselves as soon as the documentation has been filed with Companies House and everything has been fully completed.

Sole traders vs limited companies — everything you need to know

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

When you are about to foray into the world of business, it can be very confusing to know where you should turn. One of the primary differences can be between sole traders and limited companies, and there can be a number of implications to choosing either one of these. In this article, we are going to look at both of them separately, and conclusively decide which circumstances should determine the option you go for.

As the name suggests, a sole trader is a businessperson who runs their business alone. Once tax and national insurance has been taken out of the way, the profits (or indeed, the losses) that they make are theirs and theirs alone. This means that any debt which is accrued through a business’ activity is the responsibility of the sole trader, and they are liable for the repayment of what is due.

If you are itching to get started with a brand-new business, sole trading can be an excellent option for you because it can be quick to set-up, with there being few regulations to take into consideration before you begin transacting with your clients. It can also be easy to conclude your business if things don’t go the way you expected them to.

If you are looking to make progress into your business without having to take into account the thoughts and opinions of other people, this is certainly a route for you to consider. However, there can be a cap to how much you can do with sole trading, particularly if your business gets too big for you to handle.

Should your company become more ambitious, the risks that you may be taking could be too high for you to justify on your own. At this stage, undergoing the transition into a limited company could be wise – or, if you are starting out and don’t want to be liable on your own, going through the paperwork in order to make this happen could be wise.

In contrast to the amount of sole traders there are in the UK, limited companies are certainly in the minority. There are an estimated 1,150,000 limited companies in the UK – yet there are 2,800,000 sole traders.

If a limited company has to undergo legal action, the risk that the owners of the business may have are significantly reduced. This is because of the way that a shareholder’s personal assets cannot be touched when worst comes to worse.

There is certainly a lot more paperwork to be considered. For example, a limited company has to register with Companies House, the body which regulates all activity of businesses in England and Wales. The taxation used is Corporation Tax, whilst sole traders use self-assessment in order to determine how much money is owed.

Taking some careful consideration into which method is best for you before you start your business can ensure that you don’t have any nasty surprises during your time of set-up. If you believe a limited company could be better for you, it could be better to endure the paperwork early on instead of putting it off until later.

Setting Up Your Business

Monday, February 1st, 2010

So if you are setting up your own business, no matter what it may be, and you’re really excited about the future.

You know your trade and the business seems to be coming in nicely, but how do you control it all at your end from a business point of view? Do you declare yourself “Self Employed”, or do you set up a Ltd Company?

Can you simply pay cheques from an employer into your bank account? Is that even legal? And all the time this is happening you’re getting advice from people left, right and centre who aren’t really qualified to be doing so and have on occasions got their wires crossed!

So let me spell out a few facts and examples for you so we all know where we stand!

The most straight forward and simple way of setting up your new business and a small quantity of formalities is by becoming what we call a “Sole Trader”! The only people you need to inform of this is the Inland Revenue, just tell them that you are self employed and they will pass you the relevant information through their booklets which are easy to swallow. The only reason why you have to declare it to them is because they need to know what is happening with your tax and national insurance issues. You need to contribute to this (as long as you are earning) and the Inland Revenue need to keep track of where you are up to.

So if you decide to set up as a sole trader you are then fully in control of your business and you are responsible for everything that your business incurs. All of the management decisions will be yours. And every single penny of the profits will be yours. You need to keep accurate and legitimate records of all of your incomings and outgoings for your tax and Value added tax too but these records are for your eyes only. They are not for anyone else to look at (or in other words, it’s not compulsory to have them on any kind of public display!)

This may sound great, but the downside is: Any problems are yours too. Which means if your business does not go to plan or fails even, then you are liable for any debts that have mounted up and your property can be seized in order to repay those debts.

This is all assuming of course you are in business on your own as a sole trader. You could always form a partnership if there were two, or even several of you involved. This is in essence totally the same as being a sole trader only you share the responsibilities and profits amongst yourselves. (You also share the debts of this partnership too and again, all partners of your business will be liable should any debts mount up. Sometimes you can make this a bit more formal by drawing up a “Deed of Partnership” as an official document.

This is not a legal requirement in any way but if it is place then it can be amazingly useful to resolve issues or maybe disputes that happen between partners. (This is a regular occurrence in terms of the profit shares!)

Company Formation – should you set one up now?

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

setting up a company right now is tough.

many commentators say its only getting harder.

The UK government is billions of pounds in debt, as are UK consumers and residents. Businesses are going bust everyday, and the media coverage of the pain is casting gloom over the public.

So should you incorporate your UK small business today? Surprisingly, the answer is yes. There has never been a better time to set up your new company.

Firstly, it couldn’t be cheaper. You can buy a company registration for as little as £15.

Secondly, its extremely simple. Formation agents make the process extremely easy – just enter your information and, provided you pass the basic checks at Companies House, you will be able to register your new company, and start trading within a few days.