About Readyset Consultancy
UK Customs & HMRC Compliance Specialists
Why Readyset Was Founded
The decision to found Readyset came from a straightforward observation made over years of working in the UK customs sector: most businesses involved in international trade are being underserved. They are either over-relying on freight forwarders who move goods efficiently but are not customs tax advisors, or paying for distant corporate consultancy that produces polished reports but never quite connects with the operational reality of the business.
Readyset was built to occupy the space in between. We are a specialist technical partner that understands both the intricate detail of HMRC regulations and what it takes to implement them inside a real business. We don't deliver a report and disappear. We work alongside you, learning your products, your supply chain, and your specific risk profile, until the job is done.
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The people behind Readyset
Meet the Directors
Angus Hirst
Director & Customs Specialist · 15+ years experience
Angus has spent over 15 years solving complex customs and compliance challenges for UK importers, exporters, and manufacturers. His career has been built entirely in the real world of customs, on the ground, managing high-stakes HMRC applications, tariff classification disputes, AEO certifications, duty relief schemes, and the day-to-day operational realities that keep a supply chain moving.
He founded Readyset after identifying a consistent gap in the market: businesses needed the technical depth of a large corporate consultancy with the responsiveness and commitment of a dedicated specialist. Readyset works with businesses of all sizes, from growing SMEs to established UK importers turning over tens of millions annually. When you work with Angus, there are no junior consultants and no outsourced work, just direct, expert-led advice.
Before founding Readyset, Angus established the UK's first Freeport operation in the North of the UK, a landmark authorisation at the time, and has throughout his career joined HMRC audit processes directly alongside clients, not just prepared them for it. He is a regular speaker on customs compliance at national trade events including Going Global.
Lais Varotto
Director & Trade Intelligence Lead · 16+ years experience
Lais brings over 16 years of commercial data analytics experience to Readyset, with a career spanning logistics, freight forwarding, international trade, and global commercial operations. Her background includes customs bureau work at DHL Global Forwarding, supply chain analytics at a major international logistics group, and commercial data management for businesses ranging from international commodity traders to a global chemical distributor operating across more than 40 countries.
At Readyset, Lais leads the trade intelligence function, building the analytical infrastructure that turns raw HMRC customs data into clear, actionable dashboards and compliance reports. This includes the ongoing verification that duty relief schemes are delivering the savings they should, turning compliance management into a measurable commercial outcome. Her expertise in data visualisation and automated reporting means that for Readyset's clients, compliance evidence is not an afterthought, it is built in from the start.
AS FEATURED IN
What We Specialise In
Readyset provides specialist UK customs consultancy across the full range of HMRC compliance and duty savings services. Our core areas of expertise are:
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Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) applications
End-to-end management of the full AEO-C, AEO-S, and AEO-F application process, from pre-assessment through to HMRC site audit and certificate
Duty suspension for manufacturers and processors importing goods for production or repair, including full application management and ongoing Bill of Discharge compliance
HMRC authorisation for duty-deferred storage, including application, record-keeping framework setup, and ongoing compliance management
Freeport
One of the most underused HMRC authorisations in the UK, offering duty suspension and VAT benefits for businesses operating within UK Freeport zones
Ongoing auditing of your HMRC import and export data, error identification and correction, and on-call operational support to keep your records clean and your business audit-ready
Preparation, representation, and voluntary disclosure management for businesses facing or anticipating an HMRC compliance check
Tariff classification and commodity code reviews
Systematic review of your product classifications to identify overpaid duty, underpaid duty risk, and opportunities for Binding Tariff Information rulings
Bespoke, practical training for your internal team covering everything from declaration basics to special procedure management
The Readyset Approach
Plain English, Always
We know you don't want a 50 page report full of theory. We explain the why and the how behind every recommendation so you stay in control, not dependent on us for every decision.
Evidence-Led Advice
Every recommendation is backed by your actual HMRC data. We analyse your specific declaration history and build the case from facts, not assumptions, not estimates.
We Stay Until It's Done
We work alongside you through implementation, HMRC applications, and post approval compliance. We don't deliver a report and disappear. The job is done when you say it's done.
UK WIDE COVERAGE
Readyset works with importers, exporters and manufacturers across the UK: from London, Birmingham and Manchester to Felixstowe, Southampton, Edinburgh and Belfast.
Contact us
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