It's critical that you choose the correct legal structure when starting up as it will affect things like the tax you pay, registration and reporting requirements, and your personal financial liability. For instance if you decide to start a business in the construction industry you'll need to be part of the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) for tax purposes.

You can check out our video case study How I decided the best way to set up my business to find out how others went about it.

Our video Choose the right legal structure for your business briefly explains the different legal structures you can choose from and the pros and cons of each. Or you could check out our tutorial How to choose the right legal structure for your business for more detailed information.

The most popular legal structures for start-ups are sole trader, partnership and private limited companies. Our case study Setting up as a sole trader shows how to start a business on your own and the pros and cons of doing this.

Whether you set up as a sole trader or partnership our tutorial Setting up as self-employed explains the benefits of being self-employed and how you can set up your business in this way.

Although they're not legal structures, franchising and social enterprises are popular business models for start-ups.

You might want to check out our video case studies Setting up as a franchise and Setting up as a social enterprise to find out more.

Construction is a popular industry for new businesses and our tutorial Setting up a business in the construction industry explains what you need to do if you're considering starting up in this sector.