If you are deciding how to trade — sole trader, partnership or limited company — read the structure comparison first. It is the decision everything else hangs off, and the one people most often make on a friend’s say-so.

If the structure is settled and you are deciding what to run it on, go to the software comparison. Short version: the best accounting software is the one that connects to your bank and that you will actually open.

If you are deciding who to bank with, the account comparison is the one to read — and read it before you incorporate rather than after, because opening an account is the step that most often stalls a new company for a fortnight.

And if none of that is your question, ask us. A five-minute conversation beats an hour of reading comparisons that were not written about you.