How much it costs to start a business—once you count a business that can sell

Formation is cheap. Being unready is expensive.

A limited company can cost under £50 to register. A year of a vague website, unused ads and no offer costs far more. We put the commercial work first so later spend has something to convert.

The three payments, in plain English

£295 is the decision: profile review, 75-minute session, written Opportunity Decision Brief. £1,100 starts the practical build after you approve the direction. £1,100 is launch readiness after you have seen the core build in private preview.

If you stop after the Launch Plan, you keep the brief. There is no obligation to continue. If you continue within 14 days, the first payment is credited—not added.

What you are paying for

Not a course. Not a junior handoff. Direct work with Joshua to decide the opportunity and build the operational business. Start the Launch Plan when you want a number attached to a real next step.

What this fee does not buy

Ads, stock, staff, custom software, or tax advice. Domain and payment-provider charges are yours. We will name exclusions before you commit to the build. See how to start with little money if the question is leanness rather than the published package.

How much it costs: the published package, not a formation fee

Formation can be tens of pounds. Starting a customer-ready extra-income business is not. If you only needed a CRN, you would not still be reading. The published package is commercial work plus a build: profile review, seventy-five-minute session, written Opportunity Decision Brief, then—if you approve—identity, website, primary journey, operating checklist, launch support, thirty days of guidance. That is what the money is for. It is not a company-formation product wearing a marketing site.

We publish because hidden ‘from’ pricing is how people get surprised. There is no discovery call that turns into a custom five-figure proposal as the real product. The Launch Plan is the front door. You can stop. If you continue within fourteen days, the arithmetic is simple: £2,495 all-in for the defined scope, not £2,495 plus the £295. Read the exclusions before you compare us with a freelancer’s day rate.

£295, then credit toward £2,495: the three published payments

Payment one is £295: direction. Complete when the session has happened and the brief is delivered. Payment two is £1,100: build commencement, after you approve the direction and the standard scope. Payment three is £1,100: launch readiness, after you have seen the core build in private preview and before the final live push. That is the whole published cost of how much it costs, in GBP. No fourth surprise invoice for ‘project management’.

Credit is time-limited on purpose. Fourteen days after the brief, if you continue, the first payment is part of the total. If you wait longer, ask; do not assume. Cooling-off is seven days, before we meet. After we meet, the Launch Plan work has begun. Idea or none does not change the prices. Complexity might change whether we accept the build—custom software and catalogues are out of standard scope—not whether we hide a number.

What the published cost covers and what it leaves with you

Covered: founder-led direction and the standard operational build listed on the offer. Left with you: domain and email, payment-provider fees, any ads you later choose, stock if you insist on retail, accountants, solicitors, trademarks, insurance, and the hours of delivery after launch. Also left with you: tax and formation. We can explain practical steps. We will not file. We will not complete a self-assessment. Budget for those lines separately so the £2,495 is not asked to be every cost of being in business.

Also not covered in the published cost to start: ongoing SEO campaigns, social-media management, lead-gen retainers, or running the company after launch. Thirty days of post-launch guidance is included so you are not abandoned at go-live. It is not a year of free extras. Budget a specialist for those retainers if you want them later. The published cost is already a full extra-income vehicle, not a retainer in disguise. Typical four to six weeks after approval.

Comparing the published cost to DIY, an agency, and a cheap company

DIY costs evenings for a year and often a pile of unused tools. An agency may cost more and still start from a design brief you cannot write because you have no offer. A cheap company costs almost nothing and produces a number. Our published cost sits in the middle: more than a theme, less than a retained studio, and aimed at extra income rather than a brand film. You should compare on outcome—buyable vehicle—not on the smallest invoice.

If the honest need is leanness advice rather than a quote, use the little-money page. If the honest need is UK filings, use the UK start page or the limited-company page. This page exists so ‘how much does it cost to start a business’ has an answer in GBP with milestones you can screenshot. No guaranteed return on the fee. Begin the profile when you want the published path with Joshua, not a rumoured one.

Who this is for

• People comparing DIY, agencies and done-with-you launch
• Anyone who wants the real cost of a customer-ready business, not just filing fees

What you leave with

A published price path you can start—£295, then £1,100, then £1,100—so the cost of a customer-ready extra-income vehicle is on the table, not hidden in a formation fee.

One-to-one with the founder. Start with an idea — or with none. Typically 4–6 weeks after direction is approved. Income goals are ambitions, not guarantees. We help you build a credible business ready to reach customers—not promise specific earnings.

Common questions