Sole Trader? How to Get Customers as a New Business

By James Okafor · Updated 29 September 2026 · 10 min read

You've told HMRC, picked a name, maybe even bought the van. Now the phone needs to ring. Nobody can hire a business they can't find, so this guide covers both halves of the job: getting your business on Google and local directories for free, then going out to win your first customers, within the UK rules on marketing emails.

The short answer

As a new sole trader, you get customers in two moves: make yourself findable, then go and ask. Findable means a verified Google Business Profile, the same details on a handful of good directories, and one clear page saying what you do and where.

Asking means a short list of people and businesses who could need you, a personal message, and a polite follow-up. Most new businesses do only the first half and wait. The ones that get busy do both.

Sole trader business registration: sort this first

Before you chase work, make sure HMRC knows about you. GOV.UK says you must register for Self Assessment as a sole trader if you earn more than £1,000 from self-employment in a tax year (6 April to 5 April). You can register earlier if you prefer.

Watch the deadline. HMRC must hear from you by 5 October after the end of the tax year you need a return for. This year that is 5 October 2026, for the 2025 to 2026 tax year. If you started trading last year and haven't registered yet, do it this week.

• Pick your business name. GOV.UK says you can trade under your own name or a trading name. Use it exactly the same way everywhere, from your invoices to your Google profile.
• Keep records from day one. You need them to work out your profit or loss for your tax return.
• Check what your trade needs. Depending on the work, that can mean a licence, a permit, insurance or a criminal record check.

One more thing GOV.UK is clear about: as a sole trader you are personally responsible for the business's debts. Not a reason to panic, just a reason to keep costs low while you build your customer base.

How do I get my business on Google?

You create a Google Business Profile. Google states that you can add or claim your business at no charge, so ignore anyone cold calling to sell you a "Google listing".

This is the box that appears when someone searches "decorator Bristol" or "cleaner near me": your name, a map, reviews, opening hours and a button to call you.

The steps, in order

• Search for your business name first. A profile sometimes exists already. If nobody has verified it, you claim it through Google Maps rather than creating a duplicate.
• Add your business at business.google.com/add, using your real trading name with no extra keywords stuffed in.
• Choose the most precise category. "Window cleaning service" beats "Cleaning". It shapes which searches you show up for.
• Verify. Depending on your business, Google offers a phone call or text, an email, a live video call or a code by post.

Give it time. Google says verification reviews take up to five working days, and most postal codes arrive within 14 days. Start on your first day of trading, not your third week.

Work from home and visit customers? Google tells service area businesses to remove their address if they don't serve customers there. You can list up to 20 service areas instead, such as towns or postcodes.

How to advertise my business on Google for free

A verified profile that sits half empty won't do much. Fill in everything: hours, phone number, website, a plain description of what you do, and real photos of your work, your van, your finished jobs.

Then ask your first happy customers for a review, and reply to every one, including the grumpy ones. A few honest, recent reviews do more for a new sole trader than a polished profile with none.

Beyond Google: directories and other maps

Plenty of iPhone users search in Apple Maps, and Bing runs its own business listings too. Add the directories people in your trade actually use, whether that's a general local directory or a platform built for your sector.

The rule that matters most: name, address and phone number written exactly the same way everywhere. "Flat 2, 14 Park Road" here and "14 Park Rd" there, or an old mobile number on one site, blurs who you are for search engines and for customers. Keep a simple spreadsheet of every listing and its login so you can update them all in one go.

How to advertise my business locally

Once people can find you online, get seen in real life. For many sole traders, the first paying customers come from their own street, not from Google.

• Introduce yourself to neighbouring businesses and to trades that complement yours. A plumber and an electrician who recommend each other can share jobs for years.
• Join local groups, such as your town's Facebook group, the traders' association or the chamber of commerce. Be helpful before you are salesy.
• Pick one social network where your customers already are, and post regularly: before and after shots, the job you finished today, a quick tip. Regular beats perfect.
• Tell everyone you know, in one clear sentence: what you do, for whom, and how to reach you. It sounds obvious. Most people never do it properly.

How to get client referrals

You get referrals by asking for them, at the right moment. The best moment is straight after a job goes well, when the customer has just said thank you.

Keep it simple: "If you know anyone else who needs this, I'd be grateful if you passed my number on." Leave something easy to share, like a card or a link to your Google profile. And thank the person who referred you, every time. People keep recommending those who remember them.

Other small businesses are a rich source of referrals too. An estate agent meets tenants who need cleaners. A kitchen fitter meets customers who need a decorator. List the trades that see your customers just before or just after you do, and go and say hello.

How to get customers as a new business: go and find them

Waiting for the phone to ring means accepting quiet months. Visibility takes time to work. Direct outreach can start conversations in the first week, as long as you stick at it.

• Define who you're after: what type of customer or business, in which area. "Cafés and restaurants in Leeds city centre" is a target. "Anyone" isn't.
• Build a list of around thirty that fit, each with a reliable way to reach them.
• Write a short message about their situation, not your life story. Three or four sentences, one simple question at the end.
• Follow up once or twice, a few days apart. Plenty of replies arrive after the follow-up, not the first message.

The email rules every sole trader should know

In the UK, marketing emails fall under PECR, and the ICO draws a line that surprises many people. You can email any corporate body (a limited company, a limited liability partnership, a Scottish partnership or a government body) without their prior consent.

But the ICO is explicit: sole traders and some partnerships are treated as individuals. You can only email or text them marketing if they have specifically consented. So if your target is other sole traders, a cold marketing email is off the table. A phone call, a visit or a letter works better there.

Whoever you write to, the ICO says you must not hide your identity and must give a valid address so people can opt out. Keep a "do not contact" list and respect it. For private customers the rule is consent, with a narrow exception (the soft opt-in) for existing customers who bought something similar from you and were given a clear chance to opt out.

How to get clients quickly: the cleaning clients example

"How to get cleaning clients" is one of the most common versions of this question, so take it as the worked example. The fastest route combines everything above, in a single week.

• Monday: Google Business Profile created, service areas set, a few photos of your kit and a gleaming finished kitchen.
• Tuesday: a post in two local groups, with a clear offer and your availability.
• Wednesday: a list of letting agents, offices and holiday lets in your area. Limited companies can be emailed; sole trader landlords get a call or a letter.
• Thursday and Friday: messages sent, follow-ups in the diary, and every past customer asked for a review and a referral.

Swap "cleaning" for your own trade and the week works the same way. Quick results come from doing a little of everything, every day, rather than one big push.

The tool that puts it all in one place

Everything above can be done by hand. But between directories to keep up to date, a prospect list in a spreadsheet and follow-ups on sticky notes, most people lose track within a month. That's why we recommend Kaptor, a platform built for businesses that are just getting started.

Read next: once the money starts coming in, get to grips with tax in Small Business Taxes Explained, and keep an eye on the £90,000 VAT threshold.

FAQ

Official sources

• GOV.UK: Set up as a sole trader : the £1,000 threshold, business name, record keeping and personal liability.
• GOV.UK: Register for Self Assessment if you're self-employed : the 5 October registration deadline.
• ICO: Electronic mail marketing (PECR) : corporate subscribers, sole traders treated as individuals, soft opt-in and opt-out.
• Google Business Profile Help: Add or claim your Business Profile : free to add or claim, steps to create a profile.
• Google Business Profile Help: Verify your business : verification methods and timescales.
• Google Business Profile Help: Service area businesses : removing your address and setting up to 20 service areas.