Your first 30 days after registering a company
The excitement of seeing your company appear on the Companies House register fades fast once you realise there’s a list of things that genuinely need doing in the weeks right after.
Week one
Open your business bank account if you haven’t already. Register for Corporation Tax with HMRC, there’s a window to do this once you’ve started trading, and it’s easy to forget since nobody reminds you. Set up your basic bookkeeping system, even something simple.
Week two
Sort your invoicing setup so you’re ready the moment work starts coming in. If your work carries any real risk, get quotes for professional indemnity or public liability insurance now rather than after your first client.
Week three
Have an honest conversation with an accountant, even a short paid one, about how you’ll pay yourself, salary, dividends, or a mix, and what that means for your personal tax situation.
Week four
Note your filing deadlines properly, your confirmation statement and first annual accounts dates are set based on your incorporation date. Put them somewhere you’ll actually see them, not just in an email you’ll forget about.
The thing most people skip
Actually going out and finding your first client or sale. All of the above is infrastructure. Don’t let a month of admin become a comfortable way to avoid the harder, more important work.