Blog
Mindfulness for Beginners
Posted 6th April 2020 at 2:21 pm
In these troubled times, many of us are feeling stress and anxiety in a way that we haven’t experienced before. The practice of ‘mindfulness’ can help to alleviate and cope with stress and anxiety symptoms, but where is the best place to start to become more mindful? Headspace Headspace is an extremely popular app which teaches you how to meditate. It has many different courses depending on what type of meditation you want to try, and what problems or challenges in your life you want to overcome. It also has a sleep section with calming music and sleepcasts if... Read more
Working from Home: Protecting your employees’ mental wellbeing
Posted 25th March 2020 at 8:46 am
With the Government recommending those that can, work from home, it is important to note that this is not an ideal situation for everybody. While some will relish the autonomy, and the freedom of ditching the daily commute, for others working from home can put their mental health at risk. They may experience feelings of isolation and disconnection, leaving them with low mood. Conversely, they may feel pressure to “to appear busy” or to be online throughout the working day, causing stress. Put simply, working from home doesn’t work for everyone. So, what do the experts recommend? Provide advice about... Read more
Government help for SMEs coping with Coronavirus
Posted 15th March 2020 at 2:25 pm
This information was last updated on Friday 27th March 2020 at 10.30am. Further updates will follow as new measures are announced. Please join our mailing list here to receive updates straight to your inbox. In the Spring Budget, new Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced £30bn of measures to shore up the UK economy against the coronavirus crisis. In this blog we look at the help being offered specifically to Small Businesses and the Self-Employed to insulate them from the economic impact of the pandemic. Support for workers & employers dealing with sickness absence Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will be... Read more
Up, up and away with Cloud Accounting!
Posted 11th March 2020 at 8:47 am
What is Cloud Accounting? Cloud Accounting is a web-based software which you can access anywhere, anytime and through any device, giving you more flexibility to run your business than traditional bookkeeping processes. Who HAS to use Cloud Accounting? If your business is VAT registered with a turnover above the VAT threshold then you have to file your VAT digitally. Manual records and spreadsheets are no longer accepted, and these businesses must keep digital VAT accounting records in order to comply with current legislation. Why should other businesses use Cloud Accounting? The benefits of Cloud Accounting include real-time reporting... Read more
Capital Gains Tax on Residential Property: Changes you need to know!
Posted 4th March 2020 at 8:58 am
Until now, reporting property disposals and paying any resulting capital gains tax (CGT) was not due until the self-assessment deadline, which for UK-residents could be up to 22 months after the disposal took place. However, with effect from 6 April 2020, disposals of UK residential property on which CGT is due will have to be reported and the tax paid within 30 days of the disposal completion date (not the contract exchange date). Second homes or rental properties owned by individuals will fall under this new deadline, however the deadline does not apply to gains that are covered by Principal... Read more
Boost your sales as the tax year changes
Posted 26th February 2020 at 9:21 am
We often think of the period leading up to Christmas and into New Year as a sales boom, but there’s another change of year that can reap similar rewards if handled right. As the old tax year ends on 5th April and the new one starts on the 6th, there are real opportunities to be had across all sectors. Many customers align their budgets to the tax year, meaning that there may be surplus to be spent in March, and new money to be spent in April. Create bespoke deals for March surplus budgets Your customers may well be... Read more
Top 5 organisational tools for entrepreneurs
Posted 19th February 2020 at 9:02 am
Being an entrepreneur means being constantly on the go, juggling multiple balls, and wearing multiple hats! If you’re a business owner struggling to stay organised, here are our 5 top recommendations for tools to help you keep on top of your life! 1. A diary But not just any old diary. You need a journal-style diary in which you can capture not only your day to day meetings, but also your tasks in order of priority, your overall goals and aims for your business, and which has plenty of space for taking notes in meetings. If you can find a... Read more
Marketing for Valentines and beyond
Posted 12th February 2020 at 9:00 am
Valentine’s Day is approaching this week, sending couples into a frenzy of romance-themed shopping (unless your other half is an accountant in which case they will most likely tell you they’ll buy you twice as many roses for half the price next week!) If you sell chocolates, wine or flowers, or run a fancy restaurant, you may not need to create a special marketing strategy to see an upturn in sales. But how can the rest of us capitalise on the holiday spirit? Mothers’ Day Everyone knows a mum, has a mum, or is a mum, so this holiday... Read more
Coping with Snow Days as an SME
Posted 5th February 2020 at 4:02 pm
Remember when you were a child and your school got closed for a snow day? The elation! The freedom! The sledging! Unfortunately like many things that thrilled us as children, snow days don’t tend to evoke the same emotion in adulthood, especially if you are a small business owner! So far this winter we’ve mainly avoided snow disruption, but as the climate becomes more unpredictable, we should be prepared for anything to happen between now and the Spring. It’s important to have a plan in place that can be actioned at short notice to ensure that your business is impacted... Read more
Which way next with Brexit?
Posted 29th January 2020 at 9:36 am
Both the UK and the EU need to ratify the withdrawal agreement by 31 January 2020. There will then be an implementation period until 31 December 2020 while the EU and UK negotiate new arrangements. Until this implementation period ends, there is no easy answer as to how Brexit will affect UK businesses! However there are some ways that your business can prepare now for the UK’s exit from the EU. For information on what to do if you import goods from the EU, visit this link: https://www.gov.uk/prepare-import-to-uk-after-brexit If you export goods to the EU there is advice here: https://www.gov.uk/prepare-export-from-uk-after-brexit... Read more