[pjc50]

UK company incorporation is especially easy; you use the templates, give them a bunch of personal information, and pay £12. There's an annual filing fee of about the same amount, and for small companies the accounting requirements are very simple.

Employing people: https://www.gov.uk/employing-staff (register with tax office, pay 13.8% of their pay over £166/w as national insurance. Very small employers don't have to register with PAYE: https://www.gov.uk/paye-for-employers

Usually you delegate that to some company like Sage.

Giving them shares or share options is potentially much more complicated, but by that point you'll retain an accountant for the purpose.

The big nightmares are visas (of any kind) and bank accounts. Small business banking doesn't have "consumer protection", and can come with all sorts of fees and predatory lending practices.