Personally, I hate them. The caller doesn’t know what I’m doing. In a business that often requires intense thinking that means that the phone usually interrupts my train of thought.…
Should I be a limited company?
There are all sorts of reasons for incorporating and most of these are unchanged but two things have changed or are about to change. 1.Corporation tax increases combined with National…
Becoming a proactive accountant
Many accountants promote themselves as being proactive but what does that mean? To me it entails regular conversations with our clients to ensure that they are getting the best out…
How to buy yourself more time
Having taken over a small practice I have been able to see the time saved by good practice management software. We use Accountancy Manager but any decent practice management software…
5 minutes a day keeps the accountant at bay
I’m starting an initiative for business owners to do their bookkeeping in FIVE MINUTES PER DAY rather than leaving it all to the end of the year. If you’re on…
Why is the tax year end 5 April?
This is such an odd date and so here is the story dating back to 1582. Prior to this time the tax year started on Lady Day, 25 March. Rents…
Are you multi-tasking or attention switching?
We used to be proud to multi-task. And then we were told it was wrong as we were attention switching which was less efficient rather than more. But sometimes it…
Would you buy a discounted parachute?
It’s a question that Brad Burton asked which got me thinking. (So I hope it will get you thinking too) Why do we assume that we need to be cheap…
Less is more
Management accounts. What should they include? It depends very much on the users, their goals and their understanding of finance. Most management accounts that I have seen over the years…
The value of certification
There are all sorts of certifications to ‘prove’ that you run a good business. B-Corp, ISO, free range farming, CPD approved etc Getting certified for all of these can cost a…