The bridge between having a good business idea and implementing such idea into a business model can be wide and daunting. Getting the necessary funding to kick start your business can be a difficult process and different sources of finance may not be appropriate for everyone due to varying circumstances.
Whether you require investment for start-up capital or are looking to expand your business, the cost can be astronomically different depending on a few variables. Here is a list of things to consider when looking for a source of funding for your business: The “Right” Amount There are a few questions that should instantly appear on the forefront of your mind when you are seeking finance.
Doing your homework from the start will help you avoid many future problems. A shortfall in funding may jeopardise your business in its entirety, you may miss out on that explosive launch you was hoping for or realise that a particular project didn’t produce the desired results because you ran out of cash. There’s a subtle understanding in business that goes like this; “you need to spend money to make money”. Making big changes in your business requires money and not everyone has that money in their bank accounts. However, funding must not only be sufficient but efficient as well. There’s no point asking for more than you need, it will just result in more interest and a larger repayment towards the end. Plan out your budget by listing a breakdown of the different components the funding is used for. You may spot areas in which you can forgo and others that you may have missed out. And once you get the funding, you’ll know exactly what to do with it. Timing is Key Timing is essential in many aspects of life and its no different in regards to funding. Having a realistic time horizon to pay off your borrowings can make repayments easier and more manageable. Pacing your repayments can avoid interest payments from siphoning your cash flow. Tip: If your business is performing better than expected, think about repaying back the debt earlier to decrease the amount of interest accumulating. The Correct Choice Here comes the most difficult part when seeking for funds. How do I choose between so many options? Well unluckily for most, they don’t have as much choice as they think they do when it comes to the selection of finance. The most common for small businesses to get funding is through their own savings. This is, by far, the cheapest source of funding and the only opportunity cost associated is that you lose out on the interest on your savings which quite frankly is nothing compared to the potential interest payments you make for other sources of finance. However, a lot of the time, the money is not enough to fuel the business which leads to people opting for the next best choice; a bank loan. This may be the most appropriate option for many individuals seeking funding as terms can be flexible and mutually agreed upon by both parties. Tip: Try browsing through the different types of loans you can apply for, you may believe that there is some standard rate banks tend to charge for certain loans but be very surprised that the conditions of such loans can be as different as night and day. Take every percentage point at face value; there may not be much difference between 7% and 8% but over the long term you’ll end paying back significantly more in aggregate. Borrowing money through a loan or equity share from family and friends can be a good source of financial investment. Loans offered in this fashion tend to have a low interest rate compared to traditional loans and possess more lenient terms. Offering a piece of your business via equity distribution can motivate your family and friends to help grow your business. Be warned though that any business problems don’t end up trickling down to family matters. Also, make sure any loan agreement is in writing just to avoid any legal problems that may arise in the future. Another alternative of funding is through an outside investor. This is usually not a loan but an equity investment. This means that the investor becomes a shareholder in the business and is entitled to a percentage of the business profits (depending on his/her equity share percentage). Furthermore, the investor may have some degree of control in your business. Depending on the investor, this could be advantageous or disadvantageous. The outside investor could bring new ideas and contacts into the business which would help accelerate the growth of the business. On the contrast, the investor could be in disagreement with any business decisions made and hinder the progress of the business. It is up to the business owner to make sure the interests of both parties are aligned. One thing to note is that debts can be paid off but equity is fixed for the lifetime of the business which could result in equity being much more expensive if the business grows rapidly. At Tax Affinity Accountants we provide free tailored advice to help grow our clients business. By Wilson Law at Tax Affinity Accountants. Tax Affinity Accountants are experts in Tax and Accountancy. Based in Kingston upon Thames they are considered to be small business experts helping and supporting business in the UK. They regularly help new business start up and provide valuable support for new businesses. For more information visit www.taxaffinity.com. To read more interesting articles like this visit www.taxaffinity.com/blog. Please feel free to comment and share this with your friends. Start Your Own Business in 2014- Top Tips
With the jobs market as saturated as ever, 2014 may be the year to cut loose and set up your own business. Figures from ‘Start Up Britain’ report that over 500,000 new businesses were incorporated in the UK in 2013, employing approximately 7 million people. Here are some tips to give your new business the highest chances of success: 1. Business Plan- One of the keys to starting up a strong new business venture is to ensure you have a well-structured, yet flexible business plan. By planning thoroughly your business model and strategy, you improve your chances of eliminating costly mistakes. Take time to assess the market and your competitors and ensure you have a USP (unique selling point) to differentiate your product/services. Have a strong grasp of sales forecasts, costing and investments so you can track the progress of your business and also attract funding from lenders. 2. Break-even Analysis- This is very useful tool to ensure you don’t jump into a new business venture without properly assessing the risks. By working backwards and summing all your fixed costs, you can work out approximately how many units you will need to sell at a given price in order to break even. This allows a straightforward check to ensure the business is viable. A simple formula for this can be calculated as follows: Break-even point = fixed costs/ (unit price – variable costs) 3. Know your product (and its competitors) - Do your homework. Make sure you have fully researched the competition. What are their strengths/weaknesses? Know your customer and who you are targeting in order to tailor your product/service to the clients’ needs. Also ensure you have a competitive pricing strategy. 4. Marketing- Although some forms of marketing can be expensive, it is highly important to increase brand awareness and start attracting a wider customer base. Use free marketing tools such as social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to spread the word. Even basic techniques such as asking customers to tell their friends and family can be highly effective. 5. Ensure the Right Image- The perception of your business is extremely important to its success. Ensure a professional image by creating a clean, easy-to-use website and business cards. You should also consider using a 0800 number which will be free for customers to call from landlines. This is a simple way to make the business more customer-friendly. 6. Home Business- Consider setting up your business from home initially. There are a range of benefits to this. Aside from extra flexibility, you will also avoid the costs of renting an office space, utility bills and other expensive bills. Furthermore, you can claim certain household expenditure as tax deductible. A portion of telephone, internet and utility bills can be deducted from your tax liability. 7. Build the right team- Going it alone in business can be highly stressful so it is imperative you build a strong team around you. Depending on your circumstances, you may also benefit from starting up with a partner in order to increase ideas and share the load. Look for someone with the same aspirations but with a different skill set that can complement yours. By Thomas Hoadley at Tax Affinity. Tax Affinity Accountants are experts in Tax and Accountancy. Based in Kingston upon Thames they are considered to be small business experts helping and supporting business in the UK. They regularly help new business start up and provide valuable support for new businesses. For more information visit www.taxaffinity.com. To read more interesting articles like this visit www.taxaffinity.com/blog. Please feel free to comment and share this with your friends. Keep your Business Cash Flow in check.
The success of your business is dependent on the way you manage the cash flow of the business. A business could be highly profitable but still default if it does not meet its short term debts. There may be times when it is unavoidable to experience cash flow reductions, such as spending your reserved cash on new capital or suffering from unexpected weather conditions that forces the business to close for a while. However, it is definitely unhealthy for the business to suffer cash flow problems on a regular basis and it may cause harm for the business in the long term. Good cash flow management and contingency planning will allow majority of these problems to vanish. Here are a few ideas on how you can improve your cash flow cycle. Operating at a Loss Many new businesses may operate at a loss in their first few years of trading. The costs of starting up a business normally exceed profits. However, if the business is over 3 years old and still making a loss, it may be of your best interest to carefully monitor your expenditure to ensure that money is not spent needlessly or on the wrong things. Having a Clear System A good system can ease out any fluctuations in your cash flow cycle. For example, a service provider can think about taking an upfront deposit of any project it undertakes or charging on a completion basis. Not only will it keep money available for short term use but allows more effective tax planning as profits is smoothed over periods. Keeping Up-to-Date It is good practice to review your credit control on a specific day every week. Keeping a routine check-up allows you to clearly identify what has been paid, what is pending and what is late. Paying your Bills by their Due Date You should always pay your bills on time. However, it is better to pay your bills as close to the due date as possible. It is advisable to pay around 3-4 days before the due date so that any issues arising in regards to the payment can be rectified in time. Giving Customer Incentives for Early Payment Offering discounts to new customers to encourage prompt payment can be beneficial for your company cash flow. Bear in mind that discounts should not be too deep otherwise it will eat into your profit margins. You can also offer discounts to recurring customers that make large payments in order to reduce the risk of cash flow problems arising from delayed payments. Penalties for the Late Often people do not react to rewards quite the way they react to punishments. Giving customers a penalty fine for any late payments will likely grab their attention and prioritise you on their payment list. Don’t be too harsh on late payments though as others may have temporary issues with their cash flows and imposing a penalty may end up hurting business relations. Saving for a Rainy Day Unexpected occurrences and accidents can happen out of the blue. Make sure you put aside some reserves for one of those “emergency” situations. Not all situations can be accounted for but having enough funds to deal with the likely ones can let you breathe a bit easier. Seeking Professional Help Many businesses struggle to keep their finances in check. The unfamiliarity of running a business and being unable to cope with numbers can be a grinding headache for business owners. An easy way to relieve the ongoing stress is by hiring an expert bookkeeper like Tax Affinity. They can advise you on managing your costs, list strategies to improve your revenue and also handle your tax affairs all. You can now focus on driving your business forward rather than being worried about the upcoming loan repayment. Take note on how the company finances are handled so that you are able to step in if needed. By Wilson Law at Tax Affinity. Tax Affinity Accountants are considered in the market to be experts in Tax and Accountancy in the UK. Based in Kingston upon Thames they have clients are right across the UK as well as Europe, Middle East and North America. For more information visit www.taxaffinity.com. To read more interesting articles like this visit www.taxaffinity.com/blog. Please feel free to comment and share this with your friends. Driving Sales in the Current Economic Climate
The frenzy of the bullish market looked unstoppable to many people; even the so called professionals of the financial market were caught up in the typhoon of prosperity. The share market was booming, business profits were skyrocketing, property prices were ever increasing and consumer spending was at an all time high. However, the path to everlasting wealth was halted by the global financial crisis of 2007-08. The crisis threatened the collapse of major financial institutions, the bailout of banks by national governments and the largest slump in the stock markets to date. The effects resulted in a global recession that lasted till 2012. Things have started to look better in 2013. There has been high confidence in stock markets, the housing market has been growing at a healthy rate and people are beginning to spend again. It is probably safe to say that we are currently in a boom. But how can you as a small business benefit from this? Here are a few points you can consider to boost your sales in the current economic climate. Tapping into New Markets You may begin noticing changes in your customer base. Customers that your service or product may not usually target for may start to appear due to changes in their economic circumstances. Goods which are income elastic (sensitive to changes in income) will usually see a rise in demand when people have more disposable income. Consumers may switch to more premium versions of a product when they can afford to do so. Therefore it is important for businesses to react to such changes in their customer base and expand their marketing to cover new markets. Make sure your product is of good quality as consumers may switch to alternatives if they consider your product to be inferior. Providing the Best Customer Service With new faces showing up to your business at a daily basis you may start to think that giving good customer service will not matter much. Unfortunately, history shows that although economic booms can last a while; they do not last forever. It is crucial that the standard of customer service remains high as it is the returning customers that will keep your business above the water when times become tough again. And when the times are good, it can only have a positive effect on sales. Bringing in Talented People Some businesses may struggle to cope with the surge in demand and begin to crumble under pressure. Costs will rise significantly in order to meet with unexpected demand, short-term liabilities may be unmet because of poor cash flow management and staff may feel overburdened due to a lack of training or experience in handling the new unforeseen problems. It is important to know the limitations of your workforce and accept the fact that the business may be growing at a rate that you can’t keep up. There are several ways to tackle these issues. You can hire staffs that are more experienced at working in a fast-paced environment. Another way is to have your personal accountants offer you advice on how to manage your business more efficiently and keep your costs down. Having access to professional guidance provides you the necessary knowledge for success. Cheap Borrowing Take advantage of cheap money from banks. Interest rates are generally lower and the terms to borrowing are more flexible during times of economic growth. This means that it is usually the most optimal time to borrow money and expand your business. Whether that may be to fund a new project, replace old equipment or train your staff; being ready for increases in demand can help reduce unexpected costs and accelerate business growth if planned correctly. Just be sure that you can meet the regular interest payments to avoid soiling the credit worthiness of your business. Work Harder Businesses that operate in accordance to changes in the season will know how difficult it is to keep afloat during periods of closure. For example, a sea side restaurant may get around 75% of its annual revenue during the summer time alone and will probably not be open for business during the winter season. Similarly, businesses may decide to open their business for fewer days of the week or cut their opening times if they face a slump in sales. In order to truly maximise the benefit of a booming economy, a business must be in business to attain such benefits. It will be difficult to see a significant rise in profits if your business is open for only four hours a day while your competitors get quadruple your profits rewards for working an extra four hours. Remember that once fixed costs are covered, any revenue in excess of its variable cost is pure profit. By Wilson Law at Tax Affinity. Tax Affinity Accountants are considered in the market to be experts in Tax and Accountancy in the UK. Based in Kingston upon Thames they have clients right across the UK as well as Europe, Middle East and North America. For more information visit www.taxaffinity.com. To read more interesting articles like this visit www.taxaffinity.com/blog. Please feel free to comment and share this with your friends. Improve the profitability of your small business
Statistics show that around two-thirds of small businesses failed to make a profit last year or increase their profit at all. However, people do not realise how much a small change can impact a business. Making a series of small changes can increase profitability more than making one big change. Here are some suggestions you can take to increase your profit. Revenue and Costs – The Direct and Indirect In basic terms, revenue minus costs equates to profit. So to increase your profit you can either increase your sales or reduce your costs. Many businesses may have little control over the amount of sales they do but all businesses should have control over their costs. Negotiating prices with suppliers can be a key factor to reducing your direct costs. Many businesses tend to stick with one supplier and not negotiate prices but being aware of market prices can increase your bargaining power and potentially save you a lot of money. Costs that could be regularly reviewed in your business include insurance, utilities, mobile/telephone charges and Internet. Ways to decrease your overheads and indirect costs are less obvious compared to direct costs. A good way to lower your indirect costs is to improve your systems. For example, switching from a paper based system to an electronic system to keep important records and manage documents can help reduce your administration costs and minimises the chances for errors. It may be good business practice to review your systems on an annual basis and to seek input from staff from future improvements. Marketing and visibility It can be a very difficult task for small businesses to get their name out and having a small marketing budget doesn’t help either. One thing to keep in mind is not the size of the budget but the effectiveness of your marketing. Understanding your target audience is vital to promoting the awareness of your business. For example, as a local fish and chips shop located near a high school, you can offer a meal deal for students. The sales promotion will help attract one of your key target audiences and possibly increase the reputation of your shop through word of mouth. Also, make sure your advertisements are tailored towards your target audience. Hearing back from 10% of 200 people is better than 1% out of 1000 people. Certifications and accreditations can help put you ahead of your competitors. With the Internet being such a huge platform for communication, it is definitely to your advantage to go online. Try setting up a user friendly company website or use social media sites to increase the awareness of your business. It is a cheap and effective way of promoting your business to prospective customers. Managing your Cash Flow Interests on loans may seem insignificant at one point in time but it quickly accumulates to realisable figures that can put a dent on your profitability. Try keeping a reserve of cash that can be used to cover your current liabilities i.e. short-term loans and interests on long term loans. Having a healthy cash flow can reduce the problems you face if a short-term commitment arises. Key Performance Indicators Analysing key indicators can give light to areas of improvement for a business. Common indicators include actual sales figures against forecasts, costs against budgets, gross profit margin and staff costs. Get advice from your accountant to ensure you’re monitoring the right indicators for your business as staff tends to work towards them whether they are critical to the business or not. The Real Gems of your business In particular to small businesses, every staff member has the opportunity to spread your company’s message. Everyone needs to contribute: whether that is networking on the web, promoting sale offers or greeting customers with a smile, every small thing matters. Get them to be as motivated as you are by encouraging self-development. Reward employees who make an effort to represent the business in and out of work. By Wilson Law at Tax Affinity. Tax Affinity Accountants are considered in the market to be experts in Tax and Accountancy in the UK. Based in Kingston upon Thames they have clients right across the UK as well as Europe, Middle East and North America. For more information visit www.taxaffinity.com. To read more interesting articles like this visit www.taxaffinity.com/blog. Please feel free to comment and share this with your friends. Making the Most of the New 7-Day-Switch Scheme for Banking
The long running perception of the UK banking sector as an oligopolistic market- one which is dominated by the four largest banks- may be challenged by the new 7-Day-Switch scheme which should substantially reduce barriers to switching your current account. According to the Office of Fair Trading, Britain’s four top banks- Lloyds banking Group, Barclays, RBS and HSBC- control around 75% of the current account market and have thus been able to offer sub standard current account deals to customers due to a lack of competition. The Government’s new 7-Day-switch scheme, which began on 16th September, does exactly what is says on the tin. Whereas customers have previously waited up to a month to switch bank accounts, under the new shake up of the banking sector, high-street banks have promised to switch current accounts within seven days. They will transfer across all payments into and out of customers’ accounts, thus reducing the perceived hassle of switching accounts. How the scheme may benefit you: With reduced barriers to switching your current accounts, it may be very sensible to start looking at some of the other offers around at present. A spokesperson from the Money Advice Service suggested it was “not uncommon to save £500 or £600 by switching your bank.” Summarised below are some of the best offers out there in the market at the moment: Cashback and Package Deals · Santander, 123 Account- One of the few accounts that offers interest on your money. It offers 1% on balances from £1000, 2% on balances from £2000, and 3% on those between £3000 and £20000. It also offers you cashback on household bills payable by direct debit (1% on water, council tax and mortgage payments; 2% on gas/electricity bills; and 3% on mobile phone and broadband). However, you will have to pay a £2 monthly fee and ensure a minimum monthly funding of £500 into the account. · Nationwide, FlexAccount- A packaged deal offering you worldwide family travel insurance, mobile phone insurance, breakdown cover and warranty cover for your appliances. You also get 3% interest on balances up to £2500 and a 3 month free overdraft, although there is a monthly fee of £10. Fee-free Deals · First Direct, 1st Account- Offers you £125 for switching plus a fee-free account provided you pay at least £1000 into the account each month. Further benefits include a fee-free overdraft up to £250 and excellent customer service (£100 cashback if you decide to leave within 6 months). · Halifax, Reward Current Account- You get £100 cashback when you switch plus £5 a month reward, provided you pay in at least £750 per month and pay out at least 2 direct debits. Business Current Accounts If you run your own business it will also be of benefit to compare the market for the best business account deals. Some of the key features include fee-free banking, interest on balances that remain in credit, and overdraft facilities. Some recommended business accounts are outlined below: · NatWest, Start-up Business account- Offers 2 years free banking with a £500 fee-free overdraft, provided your business is less than 12 months old with a turnover of less than £1 million. · Lloyds TSB, StartUp Account- 18 months free banking as long as your account remains in credit. You can also get consultation support from a relationship manager. · Santander, Business Start-Up Current Account- 12 months free banking and 0.25% interest on balances. Summary The key to finding the best deal for yourself is to ascertain exactly what benefits you most seek. If you often dip into your overdraft then it will be advantageous to look at accounts offering fee-free overdrafts. Alternatively, if you always remain in credit then you can start to shop around for higher interest rates and other perks from package deals. As a business owner you should also shop around to get the best deals and maximise the money you retain in your business. Very few current account deals are offering interest at present and thus your money is losing value in this inflationary climate. Therefore, it is certainly worth assessing your options in order to maximise the benefits you can receive. Furthermore, as the new 7-Day-Switch scheme begins to take effect, banks should start to offer more attractive and innovative packages to entice customers away from competitors. It is therefore worth keeping a beady eye on new offers as they enter the market. By Tom Hoadley at Tax Affinity Accountants. Tax Affinity based in Kingston upon Thames are expert accountants and tax advisers with client across the UK and abroad. For more information or a free initial consultation visit www.taxaffinity.com. Please feel free to comment and share this article with your friends. Follow us on twitter @Tax_Affinity for more money saving tips. Still wondering about what the key things to come out of the Chancellor's budget were for you and your business? - Well read on...
Income tax The threshold at which people start paying income tax is to be raised to £10,000 in 2014 - a year early - an increase in the threshold of £560. State of the nation The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has forecast growth of 0.6% this year, half of what it said it would be in December. But the OBR predicts the UK will escape recession this year. After that, growth is predicted to be 1.8% in 2014; 2.3% in 2015; 2.7% in 2016 and 2.8% in 2017. Home-hunters Home buyers wishing to buy a new home worth less than £600,000 are to be given assistance. As long as they have a 5% deposit, the government will stump up an extra 20% - repayable when the house is sold. Help for business Chancellor George Osborne announced that corporation tax will be cut by 1% to 20% in April 2015. This, Osborne said, will make the UK's corporation tax the lowest of any major economy in the world. The UK, he added, is "open for business". Elsewhere, the Chancellor said some 450,000 small firms will pay no employer National Insurance. Osborne also said stamp duty on AIM shares will be abolished from next April, in a move which he said will benefit hundreds of small business in the UK. The government will give capital gains tax (CGT) relief on sales of businesses to their employees. Youngsters The government confirmed it will consult on options for transferring savings held in child trust funds (CTFs) into Junior ISAs. The move will offer a lifeline to six million children. Junior ISAs were introduced in November 2011 as an attempt to encourage saving for children, following on from the abolition of CTFs at the beginning of that year. Tax avoidance The Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey are to enter tax information exchanges with the UK that will significantly increase the amount of information automatically exchanged on potentially taxable income, in order to identify and tackle evasion. The move aims to recoup £3bn in unpaid taxes. Additionally, the government will remove the presumption of self- employment for limited liability partnership (LLP) partners, to tackle the disguising of employment relationships through LLPs and counter the artificial allocation of profits to partners (in both LLPs and other partnerships) to achieve a tax advantage. The measures, the government forecasts, will in total raise over £4.6bn in new revenue over the next five years. Pensioners As previously announced, the single flat-rate pension of £144 a week is to be brought forward a year to 2016. This will end contracting out of the State Second Pension, so that everyone will pay the same rate of national insurance contributions and build up access to the same single-tier State Pension Cap on social care costs confirmed at £72,000. The government has also pledged to make £5,000 ex-gratia payments to Equitable Life policyholders who were too old to be eligible for compensation payouts. The government is not obliged to do it, Osborne pointedly said, but it is "the right thing to do". Borrowing Borrowing will be £114bn this year and is set to fall to £108bn, £97bn and £87bn in following years. The deficit has been cut by a third since May 2010. Borrowing as share of GDP is to fall from 7.4% in 2013-14 to 5% in 2015-16. Debt as a share of GDP will increase from 75.9% in 2012-13 to 85.1% in 2015-16. Inflation The 2% Bank of England target is to stay in place, the Chancellor said, though its remit is to be changed to focus on growth as well as inflation. Tax Affinity Accountants are experts in Tax and Accountancy in the borough of Kingston upon Thames. Please feel free to comment or share this article with your friends. For more information visit www.taxaffinity.com. And follow us on twitter to find more tax saving tips @tax_affinity |
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