It should be easier now that ever because all the information you'll ever need is freely available on the internet. That's probably why we have far more small businesses these days than in the past. If you think it's hard now, think about how it would have been 50 years ago without the internet, and without the telephone even. You'd have been stuck with having to have meetings with bank managers, accountants, solicitors, etc to get even the most basic information, and then meetings at the Town Hall for permits etc. Virtually everything would have need "person to person" meetings which would have taken far more time and cost far more than today. How do you think it would have been 50 years ago to source stock, import/export, advertise etc - all far slower and more costly! The thing is that in the old days, your meetings would have probably been far more fruitful with proper advice from specialists - compare that to now when even the Govt's Business Link website contains fundamental errors in their advice! OK, we have more laws and regulations in some areas these days, but in theory, the info is freely available on the internet.
At the end of the day, starting a small simple business really is simple. The only law is a requirement to register for SA tax. Of course, some businesses need more, i.e. indemnity insurances, permits, licences, qualifications, etc., but often these are optional extras rather than legal requirements - it all depends on what business you are starting. Also, some businesses require more start up funds than others. Of course, if you're going to employ someone, or are processing food or hazardous waste etc., then things get even more complicated. Likewise if your turnover is high enough, then you have VAT to worry about. If profits are likely to be high, then maybe limited company is right for you - again more complicated, but still voluntary.
I really do believe that people "over-think" their business ideas. Far too many people think that they must have a limited company to trade, or don't understand the difference between a limited company and sole trader. Some think that you must register for VAT, or that you must register as an employer (even with no employees), or that business insurance is obligatory, or than a 25 page business plan is essential, or that you must have a business bank account, or whatever. Some of the biggest and best businesses started tiny with no capital, no "management qualifications", sometimes illiterate proprietors. Time and time again, potential new clients come into see me and are amazed at just how little/easy they have to do to start up. A lot of it comes from people working in the public sector or large private firms, where they're literally lost in a mist of bureacracy and administrative routines which they think as being necessary but aren't. I also think that a lot of the time, people are surfing the net for information but aren't actually very good at being able to read and understand the information they see.
At the end of the day, I can start a new business in the next half hour. I can register as a seller on Ebay, buy some stock online, and start selling it within an hour. As long as I tell HMRC relatively quickly, and as long as I'm not selling anything illegal or controlled, then that's all I need to do. That is simple, no question about it. Whether it will work is another matter, i.e. can I actually sell enough at the right price to cover my costs and make a profit - but that's a separate matter and it's nothing to do with whether or not it's simple to set up a business.
I've said it many times, but I still tell potential clients wanting to start a business to go out and start/buy something small and simple as part of the learning curve, i.e. a burger or ice cream van, a small leasehold shop, or a small cafe, or likewise. Something that doesn't take up too much capital and more than anything, something that will be easy enough to sell on again after a year or two. OK, not much money will be made, but the learning experience will be priceless, i.e. learning to deal with banks, HMRC, local authorities, suppliers, customers, learning about stock control, accounting, marketing, etc etc - all relatively risk free as long as they don't ruin the business. Far more fruitful than 3 years at Uni learning about the theory!! Far better to make mistakes and learn from them on a relatively safe small scale than when you take the plunge into something big!
