An Immigrant Founder’s Dilemma
How to stop feeling like a rookie and start building like the high-capacity professional you truly are
Hey,
It’s been a minute.
I’m writing to you today because I’ve been sitting with a specific kind of tension.
It’s the friction between having a brilliant idea and a confusing system.
Between who you know you are, and who moving to a new country makes you feel you are.
It’s a feeling I know well, and I see it echoed in conversations every day.
You’ve built businesses and careers abroad.
You’ve led teams, managed budgets, and navigated complex challenges.
You are, by all measure, a high-capacity individual.
Now the UK makes you feel like a rookie.
Like you’re starting all over - which to some extent may be true, but…
And hey I’m not just speaking theoretically; I’ve lived this personally.
Since moving to the UK, one of my primary challenges has been finding coaches who understand my level of experience.
I’ve hired about four different experts, including a productivity coach, and the pattern was always the same.
They had no data on me, no background, so they approached me as if I were a beginner.
Their advice was consistently mismatched because, as I realized, they were picking me up from a lower place than where I actually am.
I remember a session where I finally had to stop a coach mid-sentence and say, “That won’t work for me.”
I explained my background, the fact that I started creating online as far back as 2005.
The entire tone of the conversation shifted. He was stunned.
After hearing about my two decades of experience, he was unable to provide any further meaningful suggestions.
That’s the feeling. The frustration of knowing your experience is advanced, but being treated as if you’re starting from scratch.
And it’s in that space of doubt that the questions begin to swirl.
I was scrolling through a Reddit thread the other day, and the very first question I saw was one that I know keeps many of you up at night: “Is starting a business a fool’s game?”.
It’s an honest question.
Because from the outside, it looks like a psychological minefield.
You hear stories of people who tried, who poured their soul into a venture, only to have it become the hardest thing they’ve ever done.
You read about the psychological toll, the strain on relationships, the feeling of being a hostage to your own dream.
Then there’s the cultural shift. I talked about that in this video.
There’s a general sense that the UK can be risk-averse, that people might even mock friends and family for trying something new.
It’s not like the US, where failure can be a badge of honour for a “serial entrepreneur”. Here, it can feel like you get only one shot.
And underneath all of that is the practical, frustrating, bureaucratic maze.
The questions I get in my inbox are so specific, and they reveal the real source of the paralysis.
Just last week, someone asked me: “Am I allowed to register a wellness business in the UK without a UK therapy license? Or should I register my tech business?”
Another question: “Is it wise to register my business as me in the UK? So I don’t have conflict of money for all my businesses going into one account. What do you think?”
As you can see, these aren’t beginner questions.
These are the questions of smart people trying to make smart moves in an unfamiliar system.
They are wrestling with the core decision that trips up so many founders at the first hurdle: Structure.
And this is the first thing I want to teach you today.
Most people think the choice is between being a “sole trader” or a “limited company.” But it’s not just a legal choice; it’s a strategic one.
When you operate as a sole trader, you and your business are legally the same entity.
That sounds simple, but it means HMRC sees all your income - from your PAYE job and your side business - as one big pot to collect from.
This can create complexity and, frankly, more scrutiny than you want.
When you register a Limited Company, you create a separate legal entity.
Your business has its own bank account, its own finances, and its own identity.
You deal with Companies House first, and the separation is clean.
It protects your personal assets and, in my experience, is the smarter way to build for the long term, especially if you don’t want troubles with HMRC down the line.
Choosing the right structure isn’t just for paperwork; it’s the foundation of your financial freedom and peace of mind in this country.
But the confusion doesn’t always stop there.
People see the high failure rates of companies, that 90% of new companies close within their first year and a half - and they get spooked.
They hear that the UK is “anti-small business”, that taxes are “crippling”, and that after all is said and done, you might just find yourself “running a charity”.
It’s enough to make anyone stick to the “safety” of their PAYE job.
But here is the thinking I want to challenge you with.
That perceived safety is an illusion.
In a tax-heavy system like the UK, the most dangerous thing you can be is just an earner.
The system is not designed to reward employees; it is designed to reward owners.
You may have heard some people moaning about it (maybe you joined them too), “they don’t tax the rich as much as they tax average people.”
Are you average? Seriously, are you?
If you are, you shouldn’t have been reading this newsletter this far.
So if you decide now to “identify” as average, you can stop reading. See you in the next newsletter.
…
Oh, you’re still here?
I laugh in Xhosa language, mate.
See... The only way to create real, lasting wealth here is through a business you own and control.
A business gives you control over your income.
It gives you control over your expenses.
It gives you strategic control over your tax obligations in a way that being on a payroll never will.
It’s not a fool’s game. It’s the only game for people who want to build something that lasts.
I know this because I’ve lived it.
But more importantly, I’ve seen it work for others.
I’ve personally guided people who felt trapped by their circumstances - stuck in a care job with a 20-hour extra work limit on their visa - to register an agency on the side that now brings in more money than their full-time salary.
They didn’t have more time or fewer restrictions. They just had a clear plan.
And that’s what I want to give you.
The questions you have, about structure, about which idea to pursue, about staying compliant, are too important to be answered by a Google search or a Reddit thread. They deserve a proper map.
That’s why I’m hosting a live, no-cost workshop to map this all out.
It’s called The Basics of Starting a Business in the UK.
This is a 60-minute implementation session where we will move past the fear and get into the practical steps.
We’ll cover the right business structures for your specific situation, how to think clearly about your idea, and the essential financial and regulatory knowledge you need to avoid common, costly mistakes from day one.
This isn’t a theoretical lecture. It’s a strategic session for:
High-capacity immigrants who are new to the UK system and want to set up properly.
Professionals who are finally ready to turn their side business idea into something real.
Graduates who are considering launching a company instead of just job hunting perhaps in order to self-sponsor.
If you are tired of the confusion and ready for clarity, I have a seat reserved for you.
There is no cost to attend, but registration is required to ensure a valuable, interactive experience for everyone.
Starts in 14 days.
It’s time to rise and build.
Live courageously,
Dayo Samuel 💯