Please be aware that you DO NOT have to register yourself as a Limited Company and can sell your art as a sole trader under your own name.
You will have to keep records though for the Inland Revenue and complete a tax return every year that you trade.
Register your business as a Limited Company:
To register your business, go to http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/ and do a search to make sure that no one has your company name, then go to http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?itemId=1086687162&type=PIP to register your company online.
It's cheaper to do this yourself than to hire a company to do it for you. At the moment it costs £18 with an online payment.
The advantage is that you can stop someone else from using your trading name as a limited company. You can also let the company remain 'dormant' by filling in a form CT41G. You will still have to complete an annual return for Companies House.
Register a Trademark:
I submitted a trademark application for my company logo at: http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/tm/t-applying.htm. I opted for the option where I paid £100 on making the application and then the remainder of the fee - another £100 when the application was passed by the relevant team. The advantage of this method was that had the application failed, I wouldn't have had to pay the remainder of the cost - applications are £200 in total.
 |
 |
|
 |