Setting up as a sole trader

Special pricing option!
We’ve introduced a ‘voluntary fee’ pricing policy for this course. If you’re self-funding you can pick your fee, pay no fee at all, or delay payment until your finances are on a firmer footing. No questions asked.
If your employer is paying for training as part of your redundancy package, or if you’re getting a large payment, we ask you to pay the full price. More details on the booking page.

Jump straight to course dates below >

Who’s it aimed at?

If you’ve been employed, are going through redundancy and want to set up as self-employed, this is the course you can’t afford to miss.

It’s particularly aimed at creative people, production folk and anyone who feels like running for the hills when they hear the words ‘tax return’.

Each course is limited to a small number of people so that there’s plenty of interaction and time for questions.

No previous knowledge of self-employment is necessary. And it doesn’t matter what kind of business you’re setting up. It could be anything from consulting to dog grooming, production work to jewellery making.

What’s the focus?

Setting up on your own is daunting when you’ve not done it before. So we go through ways to organise yourself, how to get to grips with the big changes coming up in  taxation, and plenty of short cuts so that you can hit the ground running.

Areas covered include:

• why self-employment is different from employment
• why a sole trader is different from a limited company
• separating out your personal and business finances
• what is tax and national insurance, and the new Health and Social Care Levy
• paperwork you need to keep (and how to keep it without going mad)
• getting ready for Making Tax Digital: digital record keeping and the new ‘cloud accounting’
• how not to run out of cash
• understanding your market
• motivating yourself
• how not to work too hard and look after physical and mental wellbeing

What resources will I get?

You’ll get templates and downloads aplenty so that you’re not wasting your precious time and can focus on being great at the fun stuff.

Everything’s online for you to access at any point, and you get free email and phone support after the course.

Who’s the trainer?

David Thomas has been running his famous ‘setting up as a sole trader’ courses for redundant staff for nearly 20 years. Clients include the BBC, ITV and indies. David understands what you’re going through. He set up his own small business after 22 years of employment at the BBC. It can be done!

Great! How to get on it?

Available dates are listed below.

Click here to see a list of all our current courses >