One company, several trade names

The cheapest option is to register every brand as a trade name of one company. It is quick to arrange and needs little administration. All brands then share one legal name, one address and one set of annual accounts. Anyone who reads the register can see that the brands are linked.

This works for brands that may be linked to each other, such as a channel and its shop, or a name and its newsletter.

Separate companies, one holding

If the brands must stay apart, give each brand its own operating company, with your holding above them. You then have:

  • Separate legal names, registrations and annual accounts for each brand.
  • Risk in one brand kept away from the assets of the other.
  • The option to sell one brand and keep the rest. See selling your channel or brand.

Each company needs its own bookkeeping and filings, which costs extra. From a certain size, this is well worth the cost.

Traces that link your brands

  1. The address. Two companies at the same visiting address are linked at once. See deciding your address for the options.
  2. The director. Your name appears with both companies. This trace is the hardest to remove, so full anonymity is rare.
  3. Payment details. If two brands use one bank account, every invoice shows the link.
  4. Technical footprints. Shared analytics identifiers, one contact address, the same photo across sites.

What separation can realistically achieve

With separate companies, the link between the brands is harder to find. In most cases, it can still be found. Plan for this. Keep the brands apart for casual visitors and ordinary clients, and assume that a determined researcher will find the link. If you separate your brands for your safety, also read if you have a stalker.