Sole Trader using a trding name?

5stringer

Hi,
I am currently a self employed sole trader musician making a very modest profit on top of my full time Employment.
I am planning to branch out a bit and start to acquire more equipment and begin doing some mobile disco work and equipment hire, hopefully leading on to being a sound and lighting engineer for bigger events and big live bands. I will essentially do anything within the Pro Audio sector, getting paid for either being a musician, a DJ, a Sound Engineer or sometimes just hiring out my equipment.
As all these things are linked, I think it should be OK to run one set of accounts and continue to do my taxes as a sole trader under my own name.
However, for advertising purposes, I would like to run separate web sites and separate Facebook pages for each section of the business. So I would have a Disco Web Site, A Pro Audio Web Site and a Musician Web site.
If I gave my disco web site a name, Like "Dove Valley Discos" and my Pro Audio page a name like "Dove Valley Sound and Light Hire" and my Musician page would just be "Will Hart, Bass Player".
Would this get me in trouble with the Tax Man or anybody else? I wouldn't want these to be trade marks or a registered business, I would still do all the paperwork and invoices under my own name rather than a business name.
What are the rules on this? If I advertise my services under various names, am I legally bound to register these names as separate businesses with HMRC?
Any Help would be much appreciated. :-)

MMF007

Simples, so long as you are registered as self empld, complete your tax return as a sole trader.. The form asks you if you have more than one business, then asks the name of the first one. Once you have filled the figures in the form moves on to ask about the other business (es), and you complete those financial details.
Good luck!

antrobus

5stringer wrote: »

...As all these things are linked, I think it should be OK to run one set of accounts and continue to do my taxes as a sole trader under my own name.
However, for advertising purposes, I would like to run separate web sites and separate Facebook pages for each section of the business. So I would have a Disco Web Site, A Pro Audio Web Site and a Musician Web site....

That's perfectly acceptable.

paddyrg

As long as you don't imply a limited company when you aren't one, don't infringe anyone else's IP, keep your books straight, and are transparent that you're "Will Hart trading as ..." I really can't see any objections anyone could have. HMRC just want the tax money, so as long as that's all straight, you'd be good to go.

5stringer

Thanks everyone. I guess that's the key. If I've paid what's owed, even if they quibble the details, I'm not going to end up in trouble. :-)

CKhalvashi

5stringer wrote: »

Thanks everyone. I guess that's the key. If I've paid what's owed, even if they quibble the details, I'm not going to end up in trouble. :-)

My accountant has argued more than once with HMRC about how something should be interpreted.

On one occasion I've offered to pay it, on several I haven't, just keeping records of everything is enough, and being able to justify why, what and how if asked will cause you no problems