Hey
Just wondering, has anyone registered their business? If yes, can you advise where I might be able to start?
I have looked on Citizens Advice, but what I typed in didn’t yield many results.
Unless you’re operating as a limited company (most of us are sole traders) you don’t need to register your business with Companies House, you only really need to register on the HMRC website so you can complete annual returns for tax purposes. Hope this helps 
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I did the same as @feelfeltfound but I did get good advice through Business Gateway which was a redirect from HMRC. I now have a business advisor who I can ask any silly questions and that’s dead handy. He is going to help me with my first tax return and gave me a template spreadsheet to keep my records. What was also very nice was he commissioned me to make a quilt as a present for his wife so that was a strange way to get a customer!
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@feelfeltfound @KirstyMacdonaldQuilts
Thank you both. I will have a look tomorrow and see how to get the ball rolling 
Not sure if I will make £1000 in a year, but I have other plans with other parts that will need sorting out, so I think working it all out this Summer will be a good idea.
Kirsty, that’s a great way to have a customer!
As I understand it if your turnover is less than £1000 you should still register with HMRC and just confirm your turnover is less than this threshold when making the annual return (one of the first questions they ask) and they don’t ask you to provide a lot of further details. If you consistently take in less than £1000 per year they eventually tell you that you don’t need to make any further annual returns until your turnover exceeds £1000.
Way to go on customer generation @KirstyMacdonaldQuilts
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I didn’t realise that… then all the more important foe me to get it done x
I Registered with HMRC the day I started my business, I rang them to discuss it and got a lovely man who was really helpful, I was told as soon as you start to sell for profit you have to register regardless of how much you make. My first 2 years made a huge loss as I didn’t charge enough plus a huge layout purchasing stock I still had to fill a tax form in with the negative values.
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Like you I’m a sole trader with a small turnover but I’ve registered my business name ‘Richard’s Gallery’ with a company called ‘The National Business Register’.
It’s £99/year (I think) and precisely because I’m not a Ltd company I wanted to protect my name.
The website is https://www.start.biz so perhaps have a look and see if you think it’s worth it
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Hi
Sorry not responding until now, have had a busy couple of days.
I really appreciate this information. I found a number today to ring on the HMRC website, rang them when I got back from work but the hours are different what it says online, so will try tomorrow at lunch