ADVICE needed: Researcher+Mom@home wants to sell digital products +have others sell

[Miracle]

Hello,

My name is Elizabeth and I am new here.
I've been a researcher at Uni, but three small kids with health challenges made it impossible to continue this path. I am now a mom at home with mufti-faced interests planning to have a small business. I am a complete novice in this area.

I want to sell a variety of products: digital and real via websites created by myself.

1. RESEARCH-BASED products:
-- software code / ebooks / training classes (video) / consultancy at a later stage(?)
2. COACHING-BASED products (I am a coach too):
-- ebooks / advice / coaching
3. HOME-BASED products:
-- home-made cookies for special occasions, locally.
-- herbs /herbal tinctures / home-made creams

LEGAL ADVICE NEEDED:
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The research-based products originate from the research done with my colleague and are created together. He is based in the Netherlands, now retired. We will have a website and a digital shop. We should split the costs and profits, say 50-50. Other products will be solely mine with separated websites.

In addition, in the future I want other researchers to sell their code via our website (so a type of a shop for them ) and earning say 10% from their sales. The profit would only be for me.

I am now in the darkness of how it should be done legally & well. I want a simple construction. My idea is that each of us is a one-person company / sole traders in our countries, esp that I hope to continue it for years and my partner for some time only.

Perhaps the best idea would be to set up everything as my business and pay a percentage of the sales say 45% to my partner, as if he was the one selling through "my shop". He will agree to it. What do you think?

If this is the case, how should it be done automatically? (i.e. when a product sells that a part of the money goes to my account and the other part to his account? Any possibility?)


SOLE TRADER VS LLC
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What is the best strategy to start for myself? I guess it will take months before I earn 100-200 pounds. Hopefully not years .
The market for the research code is v small and I don't assume this will make a decent profit. I would like to see a bigger profit from the coaching / cookies side of the business.


ADVICE ON SELLING (DIGITAL) PRODUCTS
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I would like to sell through websites but I may also consider ebay/amazon for ebooks and cookies.

1. What is the best (=simple, inexpensive) strategy to choose a merchant account + internet payment provider? (e.g. HSBC + paypal?)
I will have multiple cheap products of less than 5-10 pounds, and a few trainings say 100-200pounds.

2. Is VAT required on the digital products? Is it profitable to have VAT?

3. Are the costs of domain name, dedicated web hosting, dedicated servers etc operational costs that can be deduced from the total input money (I don't know the jargon)?

4. What a transparent accounting software helping me to run the business (either online or on Mac)?

Can you recommend websites / ebooks to learn from for the starters? I know that a good structure is essential for a smooth business.

Many thanks for your time.

Best wishes,

Elizabeth

 

[HOFB]

Hi Elizabeth

2. Is VAT required on the digital products? Is it profitable to have VAT?

VAT is not required, I believe if you are going to sell 70k a year then you would need to be VAT registered. Under that amount you dont need to be.

3. Are the costs of domain name, dedicated web hosting, dedicated servers etc operational costs that can be deduced from the total input money (I don't know the jargon)?

Yes you can use those costs as expenditure against your profits.

4. What a transparent accounting software helping me to run the business (either online or on Mac)?

Im still looking for one myself seen Quickbooks but I too am looking for a cheaper / free solution