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Sole Trader Setup
Start your business as a Sole Trader.
Know Exactly What To Do Next.
Plus a clear plan and ongoing support so you stay compliant and start winning customers, without guessing.
set up as a sole trader
Takes about 5 minutes.
Where sole traders go wrong
You’ve decided to work for yourself. That’s the easy bit.
What trips people up is everything that comes after. HMRC, tax, names, websites, compliance. No one tells you what actually matters first.
You Google it. One article says register immediately. Another says wait. Checklists are long, conflicting, and impossible to prioritise.
So the visible stuff gets done first. Logos. Social profiles. Maybe a website. The important admin is delayed or done incorrectly.
Then you start earning money and realise you’re not sure if you’re set up properly. Deadlines approach. Uncertainty creeps in.
What you get
£197 upfront gets you properly set up as a sole trader, with a protected company name for future use and a clear plan to move forward.
Renew yearly to keep your name protected and your support active.
Your address, protected from day one
The moment you start trading as a sole trader, you'll need a business address on your invoices, your website, and any official correspondence. For most people, that means using their home address.
With us, it doesn't have to.
A Privacy Business Address is included in your package. Use it on your invoices, your website, and anywhere your address must legally appear. Your home address stays private.
- A real business address, included in your package
- Meets the legal requirement for sole traders
- Use it on invoices, your website, and business correspondence
- Your home address stays off the public record
Your online presence, ready to go
- Domain name that matches your business
- Professional business email
- Mobile-friendly website with contact and booking
- Live within 48 hours
Registered with HMRC, done correctly
- Registered for Self Assessment with HMRC, done correctly first time
- Your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR), which arrives directly from HMRC, typically within a few weeks
- Clear guidance on what records to keep and which deadlines matter
Your business name, held securely
- Your chosen business name is registered at Companies House and held entirely by Duport, so you never appear on the public register
- Nobody else can register a limited company using your business name
- Trade now as a sole trader, with your name protected
- Upgrade to a limited company at any time and the name is ready when you are
Help when you're stuck, and help to stay on track
- AI assistants available any time for tax, admin, and compliance questions. Plain English, no jargon, and no per-question fees
- Monthly tax updates so you are always current with what has changed
- Your sector's Industry Insights guide: what to charge, what the market looks like, what others in your field typically do
A clear path to your first customers
- Access to the Marketing Hub
- Step-by-step guidance on finding and winning customers
- Scripts and templates you can copy and use
- Designed as a 12-week programme, go at your own pace
Ongoing support, year after year
- Continued access to the Marketing Hub, AI support, and monthly updates
- Your Privacy Business Address remains active (if it lapses, your home address goes back on your invoices and website)
- Your business name stays protected at Companies House
- Your domain and hosting remain live
- HMRC registration is yours permanently, whether you renew or not
What your £197/year renewal covers
- Address protection
- Name protection
- Domain and hosting
- Marketing Hub and AI support
How it works
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1
We get you registered
You give us a few details. We register you with HMRC as a sole trader and reserve your chosen company name at Companies House for future use. You’ll receive your UTR and confirmation you’re set up properly.
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2
We set you up (48 hours)
Your domain, business email, and website are set up and published. Your dashboard is ready, showing your first tasks and where to get help if you need it.
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3
You follow the 12 week plan
You work through a clear set of steps covering:
- What you need to do legally
- What actually matters early on
- How to start finding paying customers
The Marketing Hub and AI assistants guide you as you go. One thing at a time. No guessing.
Your 12 week checklist
A clear plan covering the core admin and early marketing tasks every new sole trader needs. One legal task and one growth task at a time.
Week 1-4
Get set up properly
- Receive your UTR and confirm HMRC registration
- Set up a simple way to track income and expenses
- Understand what records you must keep and why
- Get your website live and contactable
At the same time:
- Get clear on who you’re selling to
- Write a simple explanation of what you offer
- Start real conversations with potential customers
By the end of week 4:
- HMRC registration confirmed
- Admin basics in place
- Website live
- Talking to real prospects
Week 5-8
Stay compliant, start earning
- Understand allowable expenses
- Know when VAT does and does not apply
- Set reminders for key tax deadlines
- Make sure your website and comms are compliant
At the same time:
- Refine how you talk about your service
- Turn conversations into paid work
- Deliver your first jobs confidently
By the end of week 8:
- Compliance under control
- First paying customers
- Clear on what’s working and what isn’t
Week 9-12
Build the system
- Prepare for your first Self Assessment return
- Know how and when you’ll pay tax
- Put simple systems in place to stay organised
At the same time:
- Build a repeatable way to find new customers
- Improve what converts interest into work
By the end of week 12:
- Confident you’re set up correctly
- No surprises at tax time
- A system to find and win customers consistently
The Complete Checklist Guarantee
Our checklist covers the essential setup and compliance steps every new UK sole trader needs in their first year. If something important is missing that we agree should be included, we’ll refund our service fee and you’ll keep full access for the full 12 months.
This doesn’t cover industry-specific requirements or bespoke tax or legal advice.
What it costs
DIY
Doing it yourself
Industry
Paying professionals
Included in the price
HMRC registration (UTR)
£0 + risk of mistakes
£100–200
- Included
Company name protection
Not possible
£100–150 per year
- Included
Domain + business email (12 months)
£30-50
£50-100
- Included
Website
£150–300 + your time
£800-2,000
- Included
Help with tax and admin questions
Google (30+ hrs)
£150/hour
- Included
Help finding customers
Google (40+ hrs)
£2,000+ coach
- Included
Ready-to-go business website
A professional website set up quickly so you can start trading with confidence and look credible from day one.
Who is this for
This is for you if:
- You’re setting up as a sole trader for the first time
- You want to trade properly and avoid early mistakes
- You don’t know what order to do things in and want a clear plan
- You want guidance and structure, not just a form to fill in
- You may want to move to a limited company later
This isn't for you if:
- You’ve done this before and already know the process
- You just want the cheapest possible setup
- You want someone to run your business for you
- You’re ready to form a limited company right now
If you already know what you’re doing and just need HMRC registration, we offer a registration-only service.
What we can’t do
Ready to know exactly what to do next?
£197 upfront gets you registered with HMRC, your business website live, and your company name protected for future use. Plus a clear 12-week plan and ongoing support, so you always know what to do next.
One thing at a time. Help when you need it.
Takes about 5 minutes. No commitment until you're ready.
What you get:
- Privacy Business Address: use it on invoices and your website, your home address stays private
- Registered with HMRC as a sole trader, done correctly first time
- Your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR)
- Your business name protected at Companies House (held by Duport, you never appear on the register)
- Mobile-friendly one-page website, domain, and professional business email, live within 48 hours
- Filing notifications and monthly tax updates
- AI assistants for tax, admin, and compliance questions: any time, plain English, no per-question fees
- Your sector's Industry Insights guide
- 12-week plan: one task at a time
- Ongoing access to guidance and support
Most first-time sole traders have too much to do and no clear place to start. This fixes that. £197 today. One thing at a time. Guidance when you need it. And a clear path to move forward, without guessing.
Looking for registration only? We offer a standalone option for experienced sole traders, costing £53 .
Need some help?
If you need a little advice on the best options for you, or have a question that's not in our FAQ, Duport's expert team are here to help. Give us a call during office hours or email us any time and we'll help you out.
Popular FAQs
Still have questions? Here are the answers to some of the most common questions people ask about Sole Traders.
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You have 14 days from the date of purchase to cancel your order.
If we have already submitted your HMRC registration or incorporated your limited company at Companies House, your right to a refund is waived for those elements of the service. Both are irreversible once submitted, and the statutory fees cannot be recovered.
If we have registered or renewed your domain, or carried out an identity verification check, those fees are also non-refundable once incurred.
If no work has begun, a full refund will be issued. If some services have been carried out, a proportionate charge will apply.
To cancel, please contact us.
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Not much. You'll need your name, address, and a few basic details about your business.
Because your package includes a Privacy Business Address, we're required to carry out an identity verification check. You'll receive a link by email when you place your order. It takes a few minutes to complete on your phone and is straightforward.
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Your renewal is £197 a year and keeps everything active.
It covers your Privacy Business Address, your business name protection at Companies House, your domain and hosting, and your continued access to the Marketing Hub, AI support, filing notifications, and monthly tax updates.
Your HMRC registration is a one-off. It is yours to keep regardless of whether you renew.
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When you register with us, we incorporate your chosen business name as a limited company at Companies House and hold it entirely, so you never appear on the public register. This prevents anyone else from registering a limited company using that name.
For stronger protection, you can trademark your business name. A registered trademark gives you legal standing to challenge anyone who tries to use it. If you'd like to explore this, we can point you in the right direction as it's outside our service scope.
