A tax wingman for founders building something valuable
There are a handful of moments in the life of a company when tax, shares and structure really matter.
Raising money. Giving away equity. Rewarding key people. Building valuable IP. Bringing in an investor. Selling the business.
Most founders encounter each of these once. Steve has spent 25 years dealing with them.
IP Tax Solutions works with ambitious founders and owner-managers so the decisions made today support the company they are trying to build, rather than becoming expensive problems later.
Tell Steve about a one-off advisory project
Apply for the January 2027 Founder Circle
Founder Circle: next cohort starts January 2027.
The moments that matter
Most tax work is routine. This is not.
Steve is most useful when the decision has meaningful financial consequences, several moving parts, or a risk that only becomes obvious later.
You are raising money
SEIS. EIS. Advance Assurance. Share rights. Investor eligibility. Cap tables. Compliance statements.
The individual pieces are manageable. Making sure they all work together is where experience matters.
You are giving people equity
EMI options. Growth shares. Valuations. Dilution. Leavers. ERS reporting.
Giving someone "5% of the company" sounds simple until you start thinking about what that actually means.
You are building valuable IP
R&D. Patents. Patent Box. Ownership of intellectual property.
Tax relief is useful. Building the right architecture around something that may eventually become extremely valuable is more useful.
Something significant is changing
A new investor. Founder departure. Acquisition. Reorganisation. International expansion. A cap table that needs fixing before a transaction can happen.
These are usually the moments when someone says: "Before we do this, can I just run something past you?"
That is often when Steve is most useful.
You are thinking about an exit
Ideally, Steve meets the company long before heads of terms arrive.
By the time someone is buying the business, many of the important tax decisions have already been made.
Three ways to stay close to Steve's thinking
Notes from Steve
Short, plain-text emails for ambitious founders about tax, equity, funding, AI, ownership and the decisions that matter when you are building something valuable.
These are not monthly newsletters, technical bulletins or corporate announcements. They are notes from Steve, sent when there is something worth saying.
Some weeks there may be one. Some weeks there may be more. The point is usefulness, not a fixed publishing schedule.
One-off Advisory
Steve also takes on a small number of standalone tax projects where the issue is significant, specialist and worth getting right.
Typical work includes SEIS/EIS, EMI, R&D, Patent Box, shareholder matters, restructures, cap table corrections and complex HMRC issues.
This route is for situations with meaningful financial consequences or several moving parts. For routine compliance or straightforward company-secretarial work, Steve may point you to someone else.
Tell Steve about the situation
Founder Circle
A small six-month cohort for ambitious founders who want Steve in their corner while they build the next stage of the company.
The first cohort starts in January 2027.
This is not an outsourced finance department, a generic membership community or an unlimited tax helpline. It is a structured relationship for founders who want experienced judgement around funding, equity, IP, incentives, transactions and the tax decisions that shape a valuable company.
Apply for the January 2027 cohort
I deliberately work with relatively few companies
IP Tax Solutions is not trying to be the biggest tax practice in Britain.
The best work happens when Steve understands the founders, the shareholders, where the company has come from and what they are trying to build next.
That means being selective.
It also means being there before the important decision rather than being asked to repair it afterwards.
Technical Library
The technical articles remain here as the library of Steve's expertise.
If you are dealing with SEIS, EIS, EMI, R&D, Patent Box, restructuring, succession, exits or HMRC scrutiny, the Technical Library gives you detailed guides and analysis to help you understand the rules and the practical traps.
The library is designed for search, reference and depth. Notes from Steve are different: shorter, more personal, and written for the inbox.
Fixed fees for significant work
Where Steve takes on a project, the scope and fee are agreed before the work begins.
No hourly surprises. No vague open-ended engagement. Just clear advice for the moments when the structure really matters.