I'm adverse to giving any advice beyond the need to get an accountant on board as it seems that your business plan has a fundamental flaw in assuming that the meals are claimable for tax purposes.

The site itself is geared towards financial professionals helping each other rather than providing information to business owners and potential business owners. Whilst the advice that you get there may be incorrect you are probably looking for a site such as UK Business forums where directors mislead each other. That aside, as I say, get an accountant. Many practices may be willing to chat with you for an hour for free in order to gain your business. Just be sure that you are really going to be setting up before popping along to the accountants and bank.

Its that last part of the above paragraph that encouraged me to give you the snippet of information about meals as, as I say, there may be a big hole in your business plan (there must be much more to it, the business cant be just about arranging staff lunches and getting kick backs from a handfull of restaurants?).

If you do go ahead with it remember the old saying

"Turnover is vanity, profit is sanity"

The figure that matters is the bottom one.

Also be careful about cashflow.Many a business that on paper is a runaway success goes bankrupt because you can't spend promises and issued invoices are not cash in the bank. You mention that the client is not paying for these meals up front. Who is? How do you know that you are going to get paid by the restauant? If the restaurant expects to get paid directly by the client how do you get your cut? If the client doesn't pay the restaurant does the restaurant then come to you for payment? If the client pays you and you pay the restaurant what happens if the client is late paying / doesn't pay? If a client catches food poisoning and you arranged the meal who is responsible for the employee's time off work?... Do a swim lane diagram a look to gaps and disconnects at lane boundaries for potential holes in the chain of events. Where can things go wrong? If they can go wrong assume that they will go wrong. If they do how do you handle the issue? What insurances are available to you? Does insurance make the venture unviable. How much do you need to make to turn a profit?

I don't want to put you off starting a business but make sure that the idea is viable before risking your money (with either up front investment or future potential loss commitment).

Also try some business networking events... Take what others business owners say at those things with a pinch of salt but the good thing is that you will get to chat with some accountants without first commiting to a meeting on their turf which I know can seem to first time business owners a little like stepping into Shelobs lair.

Right, first few snippets were free. But thats now it and really you need to go the UK business forums rather than dally here amongst the finance professionals.

Good luck,

Shaun.

"Whatever happened to good old fashioned businesses that actually made stuff rather than just trying to make easy money off the back of other businesses."

I have nothing to add - I just wanted to quote that paragraph, because this sort of thing annoys me.