Getting started

Starting your own trade business: what it actually involves

Thinking about going out on your own? Here's the honest version of what it takes, without the jargon, and without pretending it's harder than it is.

Most tradies who start thinking about going out on their own get stuck on the same question: where do I even begin? The individual steps are manageable. The hard part is knowing which ones matter for your situation, doing them in the right order, and not losing weeks of evenings juggling registrations, licensing, insurance, quoting and getting customers to find you.

Starting a business isn't one big decision. It's a handful of small, ordinary tasks, done in the right order.

What it actually involves

1
Decide how you'll operate.Most tradies starting out on their own choose sole trader, it's the simplest option. If you're going in with someone else, that's a partnership. A company suits more complex setups. More on this below.
2
Register your ABN and business name.Done through the government's own service, takes about 15 to 20 minutes. This is the one step nobody else can do for you, it's tied to your identity.
3
Check licences and insurance for your trade.Varies by trade and state, your trade association or state licensing body has the specifics.
4
Set up how you'll get paid.Invoicing, a way to take card payments, and somewhere to keep records for tax time.
5
Look properly set up to customers.A website, a business email, a Google listing, the things that make a new business look established rather than makeshift.

Will I need help?

You can complete many of the basic setup tasks yourself. It's sensible to get qualified advice anywhere a decision affects tax, legal responsibility, insurance or regulated trade work, an accountant for your structure, a broker for insurance, and your state's trade regulator or your trade association for licensing questions.

The part most people actually want help with isn't any single step, it's doing all of them at once, in the right order, without losing weeks of evenings to it. That's the gap Build your Biz fills: you answer 15 questions, register your ABN (the one step that has to be you), and we help organise the practical launch work in parallel, your website, business email, invoicing, payment setup and Google Business Profile. Build your Biz doesn't replace legal, tax, licensing or insurance advice, that's still worth getting from the right professional for your situation.

Do I need an ABN before I take on my first job?

In most cases, yes, especially once you're invoicing other businesses. Whether you're entitled to one depends on whether you're genuinely carrying on a business. Check the official Australian Business Registry Services for your circumstances.

How long does it actually take to get set up?

Registration itself is 15 to 20 minutes. Building everything else around it, a website, invoicing, payments, a listing, traditionally takes weeks if you're doing it piece by piece. Done in parallel, it's typically 2 to 3 business days.

Is it expensive to start a trade business?

Government registration fees are small, a business name is roughly $45 to $105 depending on the term. Where the real cost creeps in is everything else, an agency website, separate invoicing software, a consultant to walk you through registration, that can run into the thousands before you've traded a single day.

Answer 15 questions. We build the rest.

See how it works →