I want to start my own business
A list of first steps: self-employment or sole proprietorship, tax rates, registration and common beginner mistakes.
a reference guide to careers and running your own business
Ladiescode: careers and your own business without the myths
This guide is written for women and for anyone who could use calm, practical explanations about work and running a business. It brings together general rules: how self-employment differs from being a sole proprietor in Russia and what taxes apply in each case, how to choose a professional community, conference or mentor without overpaying for promises, how to prepare for negotiations and public speaking, what rights the Russian Labour Code gives working parents, and how to read success stories without mistaking them for instructions. Rules differ in other countries. We do not write about specific people or companies, publish rankings or reviews, or sell courses: only verifiable facts and questions that help you make your own decision.
Good career advice rarely sounds like "do what I did". More often it sounds like "here is what to check before you decide".
Where to start
I'm choosing a community or conference
A step-by-step article on how to tell whether a community, event or mentor is really right for you.
I'm combining work and family
Short answers about maternity leave, parental leave and protection from discrimination.
I'm getting to grips with the terms
A glossary: professional income tax, the simplified tax system, employment contracts, mentoring, survivorship bias and more.
Guide sections
- Guide sections
A map of the guide: your own business, career and negotiations, communities and events, work and family.
- Practical articles
How to choose a professional community, conference or mentor, step by step. The article catalogue is here too.
- Questions and answers
Short answers about self-employment and sole proprietorship, careers and negotiations, and working parents' rights.
- Reading lists
Reading routes: first steps in your own business, before a conference, returning to work.
- Reference
A glossary: your own business and taxes, career and negotiations, employee rights.
- New publications
A dated feed of the guide's publications.
- Archive
All materials by date and topic, plus a note about the domain's former addresses.
Your own business from scratch: five steps
Define what you sell and to whom
Describe your service or product in one sentence and name your customer: individuals, companies or both. This shapes both your price and the tax regime that suits you.
Test demand before you invest
Talk to a few potential customers, take a trial order or make a small batch. It costs far less than renting premises or buying equipment straight away.
Choose how you will work
In Russia, self-employment suits you if your income stays within 2.4 million roubles a year and you have no staff on employment contracts. If you plan to grow and hire people, consider registering as a sole proprietor.
Register and work out your tax
Self-employed people in Russia register in the "Moy nalog" app and pay 4% on income from individuals and 6% on income from companies and sole proprietors. A sole proprietor registers with the tax service and can choose the simplified tax system.
Keep simple records
Separate personal and business money, record income and expenses, and keep contracts and receipts. Orderly paperwork saves time and stress whenever you are checked.
Frequently asked questions in brief
Is this the Ladies Code website?
No. Ladiescode is an independent reference guide. It is not the website of the Ladies Code business community or conference and has no connection with the former website that ran on this domain.
Do you run conferences or meetings?
No. We do not run events or sell tickets and courses. The guide includes an article on how to assess any conference or community yourself before taking part.
Where can I find interviews with women entrepreneurs?
We do not publish interviews or write about specific people. Instead, we explain how to read critically any interviews and success stories you come across in other publications.
Is this legal or tax advice?
No. The guide describes general rules. If a lot depends on the decision, such as registering a business, a dispute with an employer or choosing a tax regime, consult a lawyer, an accountant or the tax service.
About the project
Ladiescode is an independent reference project. This domain previously belonged to a business community and conference; the current guide has no connection with them, does not reproduce their materials or interviews, and does not present itself as the former project or its organisers.
We write about what is useful to anyone building a career or their own business: general rules for self-employment and sole proprietorship in Russia, choosing a community and a mentor, preparing for negotiations and public speaking, and employee rights under the Russian Labour Code. The examples on the site are hypothetical, not stories of real people.
Sources
- Federal Law No. 422-FZ (professional income tax)
- Federal Tax Service of Russia: "Moy nalog", simplified tax system
- Labour Code of the Russian Federation (Arts. 3, 255, 256)
- Encyclopaedic sources
Information is current as of the date of preparation. Tax rules, rates and labour law change, so check the latest details in the primary sources: the website of the Federal Tax Service of Russia and the current wording of the laws.