Turn Your Craft Into A Proper Business

No-nonsense guides to starting and scaling a UK home business — written by someone who's actually done it.

I'm Billy. Over the last decade I've built three businesses from my front bedroom in Lancashire — an eBay reselling side hustle, a workwear company, and a wax melt brand that's still going today. Combined turnover: £180,000+. No loans, no investors, no gurus. This site is everything I wish I'd known when I started.

The Makers Lab

Step-by-step project guides and honest equipment reviews to help you make high-quality products.

Enter Lab

The Ops Room

Handy tools and resources for tracking your business activities and maximising your efficiency

View Ops

Graphic showing the HMRC self-employed sole trader registration process, with a deadline reminder to register by 5 October.

How to Register as a Sole Trader with HMRC: A Straightforward UK Guide for Makers

A practical, plain-English guide to registering as a sole trader with HMRC for UK makers. Covers the £1,000 trading allowance, deadlines, NI, and Making Tax Digital.

Billy Giles

1 day ago8 min read

A clean, organized home office desk with an open laptop, a notebook, a pen, and a cup of coffee.

Sole Trader, Partnership or Limited Company: Which UK Business Structure Is Right for You?

Thinking about starting a business in the UK? Going sole trader is the fastest, cheapest, and simplest way to launch, but it comes with unique risks. In this guide, I share my personal experience starting an eBay and wax melt business, the honest truths about liability, and the essential things you need to set up to protect yourself from day one.

Billy Giles

2 days ago7 min read

Collage of professional team uniforms, high-vis safety gear, and industrial workwear embroidered logos for GoTo Workwear Ltd.

How to Start a Workwear Company: The Supplier-First Sourcing Guide for Garment Decorators

Learn how to start a workwear company with this supplier-first blueprint from an engineer with 30 years of shop floor and garment decoration experience.

Billy Giles

3 days ago18 min read