How to use this checklist: Click each item to mark it done. Work through it section by section — don't skip ahead. Most new businesses fail not because of bad ideas, but because of things they didn't know they didn't know. This checklist exists so you don't learn the hard way. Start with Section 1 and work forward.
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Choose your business structure Do First
Sole trader is simplest and cheapest to start. Company (Pty Ltd) costs more but limits personal liability. Get advice from an accountant before you decide.
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Register for an ABN at abr.gov.au Free
Takes 10 minutes online. You need this before you can legally invoice anyone. Required if you expect to earn over $75,000/year — or just get it now anyway.
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Register your business name with ASIC (if you're trading under a name that isn't your own)
~$39/year or ~$92 for 3 years. You don't need this if you're trading as "Jane Smith" — but you do if you're "Smith Creative Co."
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Check if your business name is available as a domain AND on every major social platform ASAP
Do this before you fall in love with a name. Search simultaneously at namechk.com.
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Search IP Australia for trademark conflicts before committing to your name
Free to search at ipaustralia.gov.au. Finding out your name is trademarked after you've printed 500 business cards is expensive.
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Consider a trademark application if your brand name is your main asset
~$250 per class. Not essential at day one, but worth doing before a competitor copies you.
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Research your industry's specific licencing requirements
Trades, food, health, financial services, real estate — most regulated industries require state licences. Check your state government website.
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Apply for a Director ID if forming a company Required
New legal requirement. Every company director must have one. Apply at abrs.gov.au — free and quick.
The number one mistake new business owners make: running business money through their personal account. The ATO expects clean separation, and your accountant will charge you extra to untangle it. Open a business account before your first invoice.
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Open a dedicated business bank account — never mix personal and business money ASAP
ANZ, NAB, and Westpac all have business accounts. Qonto and Tyro are solid digital alternatives with lower fees.
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Set up accounting software from day one
Xero (~$35/mo) or QuickBooks (~$25/mo). Both connect to your bank and automate most of your bookkeeping. The time you save is worth more than the subscription.
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Register for GST if your projected turnover exceeds $75,000 (or just do it now)
Once registered, you add 10% GST to your invoices and claim it back on your expenses. Registering early signals that you're serious. You have to lodge BAS quarterly.
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Set BAS reminders in your calendar Required
BAS is due quarterly: 28 Oct, 28 Feb, 28 Apr, 28 Jul. Missing it gets you an ATO fine. Set the reminders now.
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Set aside 28–30% of every invoice payment into a separate "tax savings" account
Open a second savings account. Every time you get paid, transfer 28–30% straight in. Do this religiously and tax time will never hurt you.
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Apply for a business credit card for expenses
Easier expense tracking, earns points, and gives you a buffer. Pay it in full each month.
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Set clear payment terms on all invoices — and a process for following up late payments
14 days is standard in Australia. 7 days if you're doing project work. Have a polite but firm follow-up email ready to send on day 15. Most people just forget.
No contract = no protection. One nightmare client without a signed agreement can cost you more than a year's worth of clients paid. Get these documents sorted before you take your first booking.
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Client Service Agreement / Contract — signed before any work begins Required
Covers: scope of work, payment terms, revision limits, cancellation policy, ownership of work, dispute resolution. If you don't have one, your client makes the rules.
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Proposal template (the offer — what you'll do, how, when, and for how much)
This is what you send before the contract. A good proposal wins the job. It should show the problem, your solution, deliverables, timeline, and price.
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Invoice template — with all legally required fields Required
Must include: your full name/company name, ABN, invoice number, date, description of work, subtotal, GST amount (if registered), total, and your bank BSB/account number.
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Quote / estimate template (different from invoice — this is the offer, before agreement)
Include an expiry date on all quotes. Prices change. A quote without an expiry is a quote you might be held to forever.
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Client onboarding welcome pack — what happens after they say yes
Sets expectations, collects what you need (logo, passwords, brief), and makes you look professional from the very first touchpoint.
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Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) template
Needed when sharing confidential information — pricing, processes, client data, IP. Simple one-pagers are fine for most situations.
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Refund / cancellation policy — in writing, before your first difficult client
Decide now: do you offer refunds? Under what conditions? How much notice for cancellation? Write it down. Add it to your contract and website.
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Privacy Policy for your website Required
If your website has a contact form, you're collecting personal data. The Privacy Act 1988 requires you to tell people how you'll use it. Free generators exist, but get it reviewed by a lawyer if you handle sensitive data.
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Website Terms & Conditions
Limits your liability, sets the rules of engagement for people using your site, and protects your content from being copied.
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Get an accountant Worth It
Their fee is tax-deductible, and a good accountant saves you more than they cost. Find one who specialises in small business. Interview two before you decide.
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Keep all receipts for 5 years ATO Law
Digital is fine. Take a photo the day you receive the receipt and upload it to your accounting software. Don't let them pile up — it takes 30 seconds now vs 3 hours at tax time.
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Know what's tax-deductible — and start claiming from day one
Home office, phone (business %), internet (business %), equipment, software subscriptions, marketing, professional development, accountant fees, business travel, and more. If in doubt, ask your accountant.
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Register for PAYG Withholding before you pay any employees or some contractors Required
Do this at ato.gov.au before you process a single payment to staff. Failure to withhold = personal liability.
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Pay superannuation on time: 11.5% of gross wages, due quarterly Required
Late super payments attract a Superannuation Guarantee Charge that costs significantly more than the original amount. Due by 28th of the month after each quarter.
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Understand the employee vs contractor distinction before you hire anyone
Getting this wrong has cost Australian businesses millions in back-payments and fines. The ATO has a decision tool at ato.gov.au — use it for every person you bring on.
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Register for Single Touch Payroll (STP) if you hire employees Required
Your payroll software should handle this automatically, but you need to be registered with the ATO. Xero and QuickBooks both have STP built in.
Insurance feels like money for nothing — until you need it. One lawsuit, one accident, one data breach without cover can end a business. Get the ones marked Required before you take your first client.
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Public liability insurance ($5M–$20M cover) Required
Most venues, events, and corporate clients will ask for proof of this. Covers injury or property damage caused by your business. Budget ~$500–$1,500/year depending on risk level.
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Professional indemnity insurance — essential if you give advice, design, or consult
Covers you if a client claims your advice or work caused them financial loss. Designers, consultants, accountants, marketers, coaches — you need this.
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Product liability insurance — if you sell physical products
Covers claims that your product caused injury or damage. Required in most retail arrangements and e-commerce platforms.
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Workers compensation insurance — mandatory if you hire anyone in Queensland QLD Law
Register with WorkCover Queensland before your first hire. Non-compliance can result in penalties up to 3× the premium you should have paid.
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Income protection insurance — for yourself Critical
As a business owner, you have no sick leave. If you can't work for 3 months, income protection pays you a percentage of your income. Talk to a financial adviser — premiums are often tax-deductible.
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Check your home and car insurance policies cover business use
Most personal policies exclude business activity. If you work from home or drive for work, call your insurer and check. You might be uninsured and not know it.
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Register your .com.au domain — and grab the .com as backup Do Now
.com.au requires an ABN. ~$20–$30/year. Don't wait — domains get taken fast and squatters are real.
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Set up a professional email address: you@yourbusiness.com.au Do Now
Gmail or Hotmail looks amateur. Google Workspace starts at ~$8/month. It's the cheapest credibility upgrade you'll ever make.
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Claim and verify your Google Business Profile Free
Critical for local search. When someone Googles your business name, this is what shows up on the right side. Set it up at business.google.com. Add photos, hours, and your first post.
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Secure your handle on every major social platform — even the ones you won't use Free
Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, X, YouTube, Pinterest, Threads. Takes 20 minutes. Prevents someone else from taking your name later.
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Get a basic website live — even just one page
A well-designed one-pager beats a half-finished five-page site every time. At minimum: what you do, who you help, how to contact you.
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Install Google Analytics on your website from day one Free
You can't optimise what you don't measure. Even if you don't look at the data yet, having historical data from day one will matter later.
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List your business on relevant directories: True Local, Yellow Pages, industry-specific sites
Free citations help your local Google ranking. Spend an afternoon doing this once and it pays off for years.
Your brand is your first impression — and you only get one. People decide whether to trust you within seconds of seeing your materials. Inconsistent branding makes you look small. Consistent branding makes you look like you've been doing this for years.
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Design a logo — or commission one
It doesn't need to be expensive, but it needs to be intentional. A DIY logo made in Canva with default fonts looks like a DIY logo made in Canva with default fonts.
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Lock in your brand colours (HEX codes) and fonts — and use them consistently everywhere
Pick 2 main colours and 1 accent. Pick 1 heading font and 1 body font. Write them down. Use them on every single touchpoint.
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Create a professional email signature with logo, title, phone, and website
Every email is a branding touchpoint. A professional signature takes 10 minutes to set up and makes every email look polished.
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Get a professional headshot — or at least a well-lit, high-quality phone photo
People buy from people. A great headshot on LinkedIn, your website, and Google Business profile builds trust before you've said a word.
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Write your bio in two lengths: a 50-word version and a 200-word version
You'll be asked for both constantly — conference programmes, directory listings, guest blog posts, podcast intros. Write them now so you're never scrambling.
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Design branded social media profile images and cover photos (consistent across platforms)
Use the same profile photo across all platforms so people recognise you. Match your cover photos to your brand palette.
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Start an email list from day one — even if you have 5 subscribers Start Now
Social media platforms can disappear, get banned, or change their algorithm. Your email list is the only audience you actually own. Start now, even with a free Mailchimp account.
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Set up a CRM — even a spreadsheet counts to start
Track every lead and client: name, contact details, status, last contact, next action. If it's not written down, it doesn't exist.
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Create a client onboarding checklist — the same process every time
From "they said yes" to "work begins." Every step. A consistent onboarding process prevents miscommunication and makes you look established even if you're brand new.
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Set up a calendar booking link so clients can book without the back-and-forth
Cal.com is free. Calendly is free up to 1 calendar. It makes you look organised and saves hours of "does Tuesday work for you?" emails.
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Set a weekly "CEO hour" — review revenue, invoices, and upcoming deadlines
Pick a time each week: Monday morning, Friday afternoon. Sit down and look at your numbers. Know exactly what's owed, what's overdue, and what's coming.
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Write out-of-office and late-payment follow-up email templates
Templated emails take 5 minutes to personalise and send, vs 20 minutes to write from scratch every time. Set boundaries on response times from day one — it's much harder to change later.
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Build a referral ask process — your first 10 clients come from people who already know you
After every successful job, ask: "Do you know anyone else who could use this?" Most people need to be asked. They won't send referrals unprompted, even if they loved your work.
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Ask your first clients for Google reviews — while the experience is fresh
Send a direct link to your Google Business Profile review page. Make it one click. Ask within 48 hours of finishing the job. Social proof compounds over time.
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Set a monthly revenue target — and actually track it
You can't hit a goal you haven't set. Write a number down. Track it. Adjust your activity if you're behind. This is the difference between running a business and hoping.
Next Step
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