Accountancy

The hidden costs of being too helpful to clients

At Minerva Accountants we are fortunate to have the best clients. This is a deliberate strategy on my part as I feel that we do our best work for people we like. I often…

Accountancy

A double workload ahead?

I’ve been speaking on the topic of MTD for 10 years now. Initially to our own clients, then to other accountants and bookkeepers, and now to business owners. One of the reasons I’ve been trying to encourage people to…

Accountancy

Les bons comptes font les bons amis

It’s a French saying that means that keeping good accounts makes for good friendships.   Usually this means that debts should be settled promptly. I’ve written before about how important this…

Accountancy

Accountant: therapist or dentist?

When I set up my first accountancy business one of my old school friends, now living in USA, told me that a visit to her accountant felt like a visit…

Accountancy

The Club Tropicana business model

Apologies, I’ve forgotten where I first heard this description, but according to Wham, at Club Tropicana drinks are free!  And many businesses appear to be adopting the same model. We…

Accountancy

Why we love Xero

At Minerva Accounts most of our clients are on Xero. I chose this back in 2012 after an abortive attempt to move to the cloud with another software provider. Back…

Accountancy

The importance of delegation

Some people find it easier to delegate than others. I’m one of the former, perhaps because I find it easier to find people who are better than me? 😉 But…

Accountancy

Cyber security tips for small businesses

When we do a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis for our business cyber security is pretty high up our list of risks. As accountants we hold a lot of…

Accountancy

Does 2% feel like nothing?

It’s a pretty small increase but increasing your prices by 2% will increase you turnover, your profits, and your cash. Reducing your costs by 2% will increase your profits and…

Accountancy

Limitations of AI

At risk of sounding like a luddite: AI is not the answer to everything. AI has the potential for so much good but people really don’t understand the limitations. The…