There are two main routes to your own company: founding a new s.r.o. from scratch, or buying a ready-made firm that already exists. Both have their place — they differ mainly in time, cost and the degree of certainty. Let us compare them factually.
Speed Here the ready-made wins. A ready-made firm is already registered in the Commercial Register, has an IČO and paid-up capital. Handing over the signed documents usually takes about 24 hours, so you can act almost immediately — sign a contract, open a bank account, bid in a tender. Registering the change of owner then takes a few days, but the company exists the whole time.
Founding a new s.r.o. is faster today thanks to digitisation, but it is still a process: drafting the founding deed (at a notary), depositing the capital, registering the trade licence, filing for registration and waiting for the registry court. In a simple case that is a matter of days to weeks, longer in a complex one. Until the company is registered it has no IČO and cannot operate fully.
Cost Founding a new s.r.o. is usually cheaper today than buying a ready-made firm — the share capital can be from CZK 1 and the fees (notary, trade licence, registration) are relatively low, especially with direct registration by the notary. A ready-made firm costs more because you pay for readiness, paid-up capital and saved time, and possibly for VAT registration or an older registration date.
In other words: if only the purchase price matters and you are not in a hurry, a new s.r.o. is cheaper. If time matters, or you need specific parameters (VAT, history), a ready-made pays off despite the higher price.
Certainty and risk With a ready-made firm, being vetted is key. Our ready-made companies have never traded, have no liabilities and no history — you take over a clean entity. The risk of "inherited" debts with a vetted ready-made from a reliable provider is close to zero. Buying a random existing second-hand company (with a real history), by contrast, carries that risk — so distinguish a ready-made from the acquisition of a trading company.
With a new s.r.o. the certainty lies in building the company from zero and knowing exactly what is in it. The downsides are the time and the fact that you handle capital deposit and all the formalities yourself (or via an intermediary).
Tailoring A new s.r.o. gives you a company exactly as you envision it — name, seat, business activity and shareholder structure from the start. A ready-made firm can also be adapted (change of name, seat, activity), but those changes require a notarial deed and add to the price. If the brand and exact parameters are crucial to you and you are not in a hurry, founding makes sense.
When to choose which Choose founding a new s.r.o. when you are not in a hurry, want the lowest possible purchase price and a fully tailored company from the start. Choose buying a ready-made when you need an IČO right away, want the certainty of paid-up capital, are looking for a company with VAT registration or an older registration date, or do not want to arrange all the formalities yourself.
Conclusion The ready-made is faster; a new s.r.o. is usually cheaper to acquire. The best choice depends on what is more valuable to you — time, or the upfront price. Both routes lead to a fully functioning company. You will find our offer of ready-made firms and a turnkey founding option on rpop.cz.