When looking for an accountant people often start looking locally. However, the ways in which we can work and collaborate are constantly changing. Should this affect how you select an accountant?

What factors should be considered ....

Jon Norton

March 3, 2017

What are Trade Debtors?

Jon Norton

March 3, 2017

If Income is the life and soul of the party, Trade Debtors are the damp squib…

Jon Norton

March 1, 2017

Why Is a Simple Job So Expensive?

Jon Norton

March 1, 2017

Upon giving someone a quote, I received the following response:

"Isn't that expensive? Don't you just have to stick in a few numbers?"

Jon Norton

February 26, 2017

The Undercover Social Enterprise

Jon Norton

February 26, 2017

There are possibly many businesses whose customers don't realise they are social enterprises. In some cases the businesses might not know it themselves. After all, some start off commercially minded and then look beyond just making a profit.

Jon Norton

February 26, 2017

What Business Bank Account?

Jon Norton

February 26, 2017

I want to address are the horror stories small organisations have when it comes to opening a business bank account.

Jon Norton

February 26, 2017

How Do You Measure Trust

Jon Norton

February 26, 2017

It's often said that what gets measured improves. What about the more intangible things though? How do you measure those?

What about trust? Is there a metric to measure this? I'd suggest that there is: Turnover.

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How do you show your appreciation for your customers?

What is profit really?

In business, is profit really what you think it is?

What is profit really?

As a small business owner, you probably spend a lot of time thinking about profit. You might be stressing out about the fact that you aren’t making as much as you hoped you would. You might be worried about how quickly your expenses seem to be creeping up. You might spend more time than you’d like looking over the figures.

And, given that I’m your friendly neighbourhood accountant, you’re no doubt expecting me to hit you with some sort of foolproof formula about income minus expenditure.

But not today!

Today, I’m going to encourage you to look at profit a bit differently…

Why is my tax bill so much higher than I thought it would be? The two things that catch out sole traders

As a sole trader you’re pretty sure you’re doing everything right tax-wise: you’re keeping track of all of your earnings and expenses and you’re maybe even putting a little money aside each month to cover your annual tax bill. So you’re not feeling too nervous when your inbox pings to tell you your tax bill is ready and waiting.

Then you open it…and nearly pass out!

Because it’s a lot. It’s way higher than you expected and despite setting aside funds to cover it, you realise that your savings are coming up short.

Sound familiar? If you thought that you were the only one having palpitations at your tax bill, rest assured that it’s not just you. So many sole traders get caught out each January — for two reasons.

When is the right time to get help with your bookkeeping?

When you’re starting out in business it’s natural to put some things off until you hit a certain level of growth. Maybe you’ve promised yourself that you’ll hire a VA when you get three new clients or a social media manager once you hit six figures. But there’s definitely one thing you should get help with sooner rather than later: your bookkeeping.

In fact, I would recommend getting a bookkeeper as soon as you can realistically afford it, for three key reasons.

What is the best accounting system to use?

It feels like there’s a new contender every day — a new software package, a new way of doing things. So how can you decide which is the best system for you and your small business accounts?

I could wax lyrical for hours about features or functionality but actually it usually boils down to one thing…

How much to charge

A question that I quite often get asked is how much should I charge?

It's a bit of an art, as well as a science, getting pricing right.

What expenses should I use in my accounts?

What expenses should I include in my accounts?

When people say this, what they really mean is, is it tax deductible or not? And I've got my own views on this, because I think it shows a real different kind of view towards what you're using your accounts for.

How to choose the right accountant

When it comes to choosing an accountant, you're looking to build a business relationship with someone, who ideally you're going to be with for long haul.

Of course it’s possible to switch and change, but it's not ideal, so it’s definitely worth putting in the groundwork right from the start so you can find the right solution.

Here are some of the main considerations when it comes to choosing the right accountant.

2 common things which catch out sole traders

There are two things which regularly catch out sole traders - Particularly, when it comes to finding out what their tax bill is.

Who regulates accountants?

In the years I've been working as an accountant, I've only actually been asked a couple of times about my credentials, which isn't a problem, it's good that people are doing their due diligence.

But it does raise the question of who actually does regulate accountants?

The one question every business owner should ask themselves

Here’s the one question every business owner should ask themselves.

5 ways to use your accounts better

Let’s have a look at some of the key ways you can use your accounts better to really get the most out of them.

Good habits to get into when it comes to running your accounts

Forming good habits is half the battle when it comes to running your accounts successfully. It keeps stress to a minimum for you and keeps everything ticking over and running smoothly right through the financial year.

What Does a Limited Company Need To Do?

Many people, when they decide to set up a limited company, wonder what they need to do now they’re a director with responsibilities.

I’ll go through each of the main things to bear in mind in this blog, and hopefully make things clearer for you.

Making Tax Digital: What's it all about?

It’s quite likely that you haven’t heard of Making Tax Digital or MTD as it’s affectionately known. It will start being rolled out from April and will eventually affect every business so I thought it would be worthwhile giving you an overview of what you need to consider.

Getting Money out of Your Business

Getting money out of a business is something that confuses a lot of people when they’re new to being their own boss, especially if they’re on their own. We walk you through some of the main ways to do it.