3 Unglamorous Lessons Around Forming a Business

This week will be the first week of December! That means Christmas lights, rewatching classic movies, Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, and mince pies.

2025 has flown by! But, it may also get you thinking that 2026 may be the year you begin or scale your startup journey.

And that is why I wanted to take a moment in this week’s newsletter to peel back three overlooked lessons when starting a business that have stuck with me even as years gone by.

No QoD (Questions of the Day) this week, so instead I wanted to share a few lessons with the end of the year and academic term coming upon us. It may feel a bit different than the usual newsletter, but let’s dive into a few not-so-glamorous items to consider investigating before you become a full-fledged business as a new founder. (Some of these were a few lessons I have learned the hard way…)

Caveat as my disclaimer and very important note: I am not a lawyer or accountant. Please do not take my thoughts as legal or financial advice. I always recommend to consult an expert if you have any questions or queries, and/or seek legal counsel around your individual situation.

Registering a business is not the same as registering a website. There’s a lot of governance involved.

Once you register a business, i.e. forming it as a legal entity, there are new responsibilities for you as a business owner. The eyes of Companies House (if you are in the UK) or the IRS do not care if you are 18 or 81 when you start your business–there are now expectations of you in terms of filing taxes, potentially permits, licenses, etc.

Being a company director is exciting, but it also takes governance and unlocks new questions like: “What type of company formation will take on, where will you operate, what must you do as a director, when must you file taxes or reports, etc.” 

As an American who started my first company in the UK, this was all new to me (and some of it felt like I was learning a whole new language and tax schedule). I was so confused starting out! But, I knew what I did not know, so I asked a lot of questions to mentors and experts, and I did a good deal of research before ever hitting that formal ‘submit’ button.

To anyone else on this path, do your research before you register formally as a legal entity,  so you are the most informed for your company formation and responsibilities.

Check your immigration status and any guidance around that before registering a business.

Like mentioned above, I started my first venture in the UK, and I was as hyped as about eight espressos.  My thoughts were “Amazing, let’s get legally registered and start being able to sell with a brand new business bank account!” 

That was all until a wise mentor pulled me aside, and she told me I should not register a business in the UK on my international student visa at that time. 

Me: 🥺

What I did not know was that being a company director on my student visa would be in breach of my visa rules and could be detrimental if I wanted to stay in the UK longer or switch visas later. So, my cofounder and I waited until after I graduated before we hit submit on Companies House.

Would I ever have known this unless for that one moment with my mentor (who is amazing and still my mentor today)? No–because that was definitely not at the top of my mind at that time. But for me, it was an important lesson—it was the value of stepping back and doing my own research before rushing into anything.

If you are on a student visa, please, once again, do your research to see if there are any rules or guidance around registering a business given your current immigration status. Every country, situation, and visa are different!

Investigate if your business is tied to the university/your research, and if so, what to do around commercializing your idea.

Over the past year, I have worked with quite a number of PhD founders. One is literally working on a cure for cancer, and he mentioned spinning out of his university. (Which, if you have not heard the term, it is taking academic research and creating a commercial venture from it.)

I asked him, “So have you started talking to your tech transfer office yet then?” To which I got a headshake no.

Now, if your venture has ties to your academia journey–perhaps the lab where you do your experiments, your PhD thesis, your work placement on campus, etc., I recommend you take a look at your tech transfer office (TTO) guidance or commercialization pathways early. 

Why? These things—like IP ownership— can be not as cut and dry as sometimes they seem.

Every university and even academic programme is different when it comes to commercialization; it is best to be informed (early and often). So, if you are or could be in a situation like this founder, researching the guidelines, communicating with the relevant parties at your school, and navigating your IP strategy could be advantageous (even for just the beginning seedling of your venture!)

Just some food for thought.

Hopefully these are a few nuggets of knowledge.

If you already have been researching these thing, then amazing. I would give you a gold star! But if not, don’t worry— I hope these stories and lessons can highlight a few items you may want to deep dive into during the time off in the holiday season. (Strong recommendation, hot cocoa makes business admin and research so much sweeter!)

Do share any insights you found useful on your journey in the comments too.

If you have questions you want to see answered in a subsequent newsletter know, please complete the Question of the Day because my goal is to tailor this content to you and your needs!

If this has been useful to you or if you have feedback to improve, please drop me a quick line. Or share with a friend!