Nine questions
Not sure where to begin?
Plan my start: nine questions, and the whole order is drawn.
Explore the shelves.
The visual collections and detailed coverage, together. Search and filter the library
At a glance
The same records, drawn: what it costs, how long it takes, where it is written — and one to try.
As a sole trader£7,475 income tax£6,250 Social Security£36,275 yours
As a company£2,275 income tax£3,750 Social Security£23,975 yours£20,000 kept in the company
£7,700 less paid this year as a company — the kept money is taxed when it is paid out.
g
- Jersey£490£200 to startthen £290 a year
- Guernsey£360£100 to startthen £260 a year
- The UK£150£100 to startthen £50 a year
hgv- The Registry decidesFive business days, on the standard service
- The business licenceAbout five working days
- The data protection charge falls dueRenewed every January to February
- A bank account opensA bank: one to six months
Forming the company, compared
- Alderneythe same day
- Guernseywithin 24 hours
- The UKusually within 24 hours
- Jerseyfive business days — or two hours, for more
66 checked31 partly written — each says what is missing47 being researched
| Place | Start a company | Sole trader or company? | Work for yourself | Choose a registered office | Appoint a company secretary | Get a business licence | Employ someone | Your company’s year | Keep the company’s records | Social Security, as an owner | Shares, plainly | Register for data protection | GST and VAT | Take card payments | Build it yourself, first | Get online | Written | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Channel Islands | Jersey | 16/16 | ||||||||||||||||
| Guernsey | 11/16 | |||||||||||||||||
| Alderney | 8/16 | |||||||||||||||||
| Sark | 7/16 | |||||||||||||||||
| Herm | 11/16 | |||||||||||||||||
| UK | England | 11/16 | ||||||||||||||||
| Wales | 11/16 | |||||||||||||||||
| Scotland | 11/16 | |||||||||||||||||
| Northern Ireland | 11/16 | |||||||||||||||||
| Places | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | ||
Point at any square to read it; press it to open that journey for that place.
5 journeys
Start something
A company, working for yourself, and what has to happen first.
2 of 6
Written for 4 places
Start a company
Form a limited company: who it needs, its office, its rules, the application — and everything that follows, in order.
Jersey · Guernsey · Alderney · United Kingdom
6 journeys
Run it properly
Registrations, tax, data and the yearly things that are easy to miss.
- Your company’s yearEvery date that falls due once the company exists — and the changes that must be reported when they happen.Written for 3 places
- Keep the company’s recordsThe registers, minutes and paperwork a company must keep — and what goes on every invoice.Written for 1 place
- Social Security, as an ownerWhy owners pay Class 2, why it follows your income from two years ago, the bill you get by doing nothing — and the ways to pay less while you start.Written for 1 place
- Register for data protectionIf you hold customers’ names or emails, you register with your regulator — and you have duties after.Written for 5 places
- GST and VATWhen a sales tax applies to you, and when it does not apply at all.Written for 4 places
- Take card paymentsA payment account in your business’s name, with a provider that takes businesses where you are.Written for 4 places
3 journeys
People and roles
Who a company needs, what each role is — and what it is not.
- Appoint a company secretaryWhat a company secretary is, who can be one, whether you need one at all — and what the role is not.Written for 4 placesOpen
- Employ someoneThe registrations and the monthly return that come with a first employee.Written for 1 placeOpen
- Shares, plainlyWhat a share is, what to decide before you apply, the certificates and the register — and what happens when shares change hands.Written for 1 placeOpen
2 journeys
Get online
Your address, your email, your hosting and how people find you.
- Build it yourself, firstThe order for founders who build their own product: the address, email, hosting and credits — before the company, before the first sale.
- Get onlineYour web address, your email, your hosting and your Google profile — each in your own name.
16 kinds
Your kind of business
What only it needs — a food registration, a liquor licence, a badge, a register.
- IT, software and AI1 place
- Food and drink2 places
- Selling alcohol3 places
- Building and trades2 places
- A business with a building1 place
- Renting out homes1 place
- Holiday accommodation2 places
- Childcare2 places
- Care and health1 place
- Beauty, tattoos and piercing1 place
- Taxis and transport1 place
- Animals1 place
- Events and entertainment1 place
- Finance, law, property sales and other regulated work1 place
- Farming, fishing and waste1 place
- Charities and not-for-profits1 place
6 shelves
The shelves
The same facts, found another way.
- Words · 25Words, explainedCompany secretary · Director · Member · Registered office · Occupier · Nominated person …
- Forms · 19Every formWho fills it in, when, what it costs, and where the official copy lives.
- ToolsToolsSole trader or company, what it costs, how much you need, am I ready.
- TeachTeach with itFor schools, colleges and groups: every journey as a lesson, a kit and a test.
- Sources · 100All sourcesEvery page the Guidebook cites, and every line that rests on it — filter by place and kind.
- Checked 6 November 2026Updates and correctionsEvery edition, its version and the day it was checked — and what changed.