Confident Contractor Lunch Accelerator

Intro

Hi, welcome. I am Neil Neil Millard, a confident contractor — and you can be too. I'm going to talk about the Lunchtime Accelerator. This is coming to you next in January.

Schedule options

It runs in two options. Option one: Tuesdays and Thursdays at lunchtime, about 12:00ish, for about an hour each — two sessions a week. Option two: a single Sunday evening session — an omnibus edition that combines the two.

What we'll cover

We're going to cover company setup. We'll also talk about what else is in the course: how to search for a contract, cash flow (invoicing, recording, calculating how much to pay yourself and everyone else), compliance and tax reporting, insurance, and some other related topics. When you come to the end of your journey — hopefully not abruptly — you'll want to close down the company and consider retirement.

The course is structured over four weeks. Depending on which cohort you join, it's the Tuesday and Thursday lunchtime sessions or the Sunday evening omnibus.

Week 1 — Contracts

We cover the contract: the what-ifs, where, when, who; liability — because a contract protects you and your customer so everyone knows where they stand. We cover what you're selling — your product and services — and practical nitty-gritty such as start dates, end dates, and whether it can end early.

Week 2 — Compliance

Compliance means complying with rules and regulations. If you're running a UK limited company, you must file a confirmation statement once a year — an update to Companies House with any changes. When you set the company up it asks you questions that may change over the life of the company.

Compliance also covers accounts and record-keeping: money flows in and out, invoices going out and coming in (sales and expenses), and other money movements like getting invoices paid, paying yourself, setting aside VAT, and paying corporation tax. You also need to consider your personal income tax. All of this needs to be recorded so you know what to report at year end. You might also need other compliance such as insurance and ICO registration.

Week 3 — Cash flow

Cash doesn't all come in or go out at the same time. There's usually a quarterly pattern with VAT reporting and payments once a quarter, and you might choose to pay dividends quarterly. Corporation tax goes out once a year.

Week 4 — Confidence

This brings it all together. You don't attend all three weekly options — you choose either the Tuesday/Thursday sessions or the Sunday session. We focus on what you need to be a confident contractor: understanding compliance, contracts, cash flow, and having the confidence (communication and knowledge) to hit the ground running.

Where are you right now?

Have you got a contract, or one in mind? Has someone offered you a contract and you want to know what to do about it? What about IR35, taxes, and your slush fund or war chest?

Limited company essentials

You'll need a limited company to start. That means choosing a name, opening bank accounts, having draft contract information, and registering for VAT if you think you'll go above the threshold (around £80–90k in the UK, subject to change). If your day rate is ~£500 or more, you'll likely need to register for VAT anyway.

You might need ICO registration if you're handling sensitive information, and you'll definitely need insurances specified in contracts (professional indemnity and public liability). These are often bundled for IT contractors. On the course I can put you in touch with people who can sort this quickly.

Wrap up

Want to know about contracts, cash flow, what to do with excess cash, and how to stay compliant so the right amounts go to the right parts of government? Take the quiz to explore what you know and what you don't. If you ask nicely, I can send you a copy of the book, which covers the material in detail — but the live course is where you can ask questions, live, and get support when you don't understand something. Confident Contractor — I'll see you there.