Registering and Running a Business Legally

Running a business legally is not only about avoiding fines. A properly registered business can open a business bank account, sign contracts, supply larger companies and government, apply for funding and protect its owner's personal belongings. Many young entrepreneurs stay informal for years simply because the rules seem confusing. They are much simpler than most people think. This course explains the difference between a sole trader, a partnership and a private company, and how to register a company with CIPC through BizPortal. It covers income tax, turnover tax and VAT, what you must do when you employ your first worker (contracts, the minimum wage, PAYE, UIF, SDL and COIDA), and the other rules every small business must follow, from municipal permits and consumer law to POPIA and B-BBEE. The course is fully online and self-paced. Each lesson has a short activity in your workbook. You finish with a practical task, in which you set up a new business legally on paper, and a final assessment, and you receive a MetaCo Certificate of Completion that you can add to your CV. Figures such as fees, tax thresholds and the minimum wage change from time to time. This course gives the figures that apply in the 2026/27 tax year and shows you where to check the current ones.