The spread of (Covid-19) Coronavirus from Mainland China throughout the world is having massive effects upon small and medium sized businesses. A lot of small business owners are so busy with running their busy everyday that they have not had time to try to figure out a plan to safeguard their employees, customers and profit lines.
The British economy is reliant upon finance, tourism and to a lesser extent manufacturing. Data presented earlier this month showed British economic growth slowed to a stand still at the end of 2019. Supply chains from China have dropped off and many travel operators are slowing down or closing services. This means limited supply and increases in costs. And because small to medium sized (SME) businesses often do not have the cash flow and financial resources to absorb sudden increases in costs this can mean a serious problem, not to mention the health and well being of their staff. Unlike the press, we don’t just present the problem but provide an answer - So here is what SME business owners need do to manage the coronavirus problem:
By Anni Khan at Tax Affinity Accountants Tax Affinity Accountants are experts in Tax and Accountancy. Based in Worcester Park and Kingston upon Thames and Epsom they are considered in the Industry to be expert business accountants and tax advisors for small and medium sized businesses (SME's). Helping and supporting limited company owners and self employed people throughout the UK, they regularly help clients grow their business providing tailored advice and support. Their support has been considered invaluable by many clients and key to their success. 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.
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With the UK now officially leaving the EU, small and medium sized business owners need to put plans and procedures in to place to ensure their business carries on with no problems. Research show that unfortunately the vast majority of SME business owners continue to bury their heads in the sand and ignore the potential ticking time bomb.
Below is a short check list of what you may need to do:
By Anni Khan at Tax Affinity Accountants Tax Affinity Accountants are experts in Tax and Accountancy. Based in Worcester Park and Kingston upon Thames and Epsom they are considered in the Industry to be expert business accountants and tax advisors for small and medium sized businesses (SME's). Helping and supporting limited company owners and self employed people throughout the UK, they regularly help clients grow their business providing tailored advice and support. Their support has been considered invaluable by many clients and key to their success. 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. With all the negative news currently in the media and retail sales warnings issued by a few large retailers (who may be using this as an excuse) in the run up to Christmas and New Year 2017. Its a good time to ignore the 'nay sayers' and pro-actively look at what positive steps can be taken to ensure your business sales and profits rise or at the very least stay level with previous years.
So we've compiled a short list based on our extensive experience and industry wide knowledge. 1. Go where the money is - be adaptable and look to see what is selling and sell more of that and stock less that which is in less demand. If its a different product or service that you don't offer consider adding this. 2. Give the customer what they want not what you want - listen to them and understand them properly and give them what they are looking for. Your customer will tell you how to keep things going in your business. Ask them, remember you have two ears and one mouth, use them in that proportion. 3. Make an offer they cant refuse - when things are difficult for a client make sure you have offers and special deals like the supermarket and larger traders do to entice them. This may mean offer something at a low price with the plan to sell another product/service that compliments that item and will make more profit. 4. Keep an eye on competition - make sure your business is not lagging behind on the four P's of the marketing mix - Product, Price, Promotion, Place. All four need to be excellent to ensure growth in a downturn. 5. Give away stuff to entice people to keep visiting - This doesn't mean give everything away at a knock down price, but more specifically could mean a good chance to clear out old stock items and have more space by getting rid of it at cost price. The customers get a good deal and you keep the cash-flow coming in. 6. Don't use bad economic conditions as an excuse - stay focused and think positive, don't listen to negative sources of information, look at the positive sources as well. Many large retailers have a positive outlook, its just that media outlets like to dwell on negativity as bad news sells better than good. Compare your business to the bigger companies and see what they are doing and what you can do as well. The Director / CEO that thinks and plans positively is the one that drive their business forward. By Anni Khan at Tax Affinity Accountants Tax Affinity Accountants are experts in Tax and Accountancy. Based in Worcester Park and Kingston upon Thames they are considered in the Industry to be expert accountants and tax advisors for small businesses. Helping and supporting contractors and self employed people throughout the UK, they regularly help clients grow their business providing tailored advice. 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. If your thinking how to expand and grow your business in 2017. Then your not alone, many entrepreneurs and business owners are paying little attention to the media and hard focused on their business and making it even bigger and better than before.
So below is a helpful list of things that will help you: 1. Market Research Ask your customers what is good and what is not and improve the not. It doesn't mean making forms and handing them out to everyone only to be disappointed that 99% of people binned it. It means talking and listening to customers and getting the all important feedback about what you can do to improve the business and noticing the opportunities to grow. After all your customer will know what else they need and what you could also offer to increase your sales. 2. Segment your market for increased growth Ever heard of divide and rule? Well it works, sit down and look at your business and start to split it up into different parts especially your customers. Some splits may be geographic others age or income related etc. Knowing what are your customers key traits and background can highlight triggers to get them to buy more. Look at how the large corporations pour millions into analytics and data analysis. All businesses have this potential info at their finger tips but most small business owners chose to ignore it instead looking at day to day stuff. Plan far ahead and use analysis to get there. 3. Finance for growth Sometimes you just need more money to open more branches or take on more people or have the infrastructure to take on more business. If your looking to export (due to the GBP pound being lower) then maybe you need better logistics facilities. Therefore look at how you can raise finance cheaply for this. And don't trust the banks they are not really looking to help you, look at the old school way of borrowing from friends and relatives or crowd funding as these can help you more and leave you free to not worry about a greedy bank knocking on your door when you need more time. 4. Diversify services and products It sounds like common sense, and we see it every day in the supermarkets - how many different types of products do they have. There is always something for someone when you have enough choice. Well why not stock sale or return items and expand your stock and customer appeal. And if your a service industry increase your types of services or add more parts to your current level of service. e.g. if your a contractor get another qualification and get yourself in demand in another market place that may be more lucrative. 5. Partner with others and align with complimentary brands Have you seen some services advertised on the payment counter at your local coffee shop? They are partnering with that shop to promote themselves and they probably equally do the same at the their business. Look at what your customer's have in common and where else they frequent so you can partner with them and bring more customers in. And don't be shy what will the other business say at the worst it will be a no. Move on ask some one else. 6. New technology Try to see how new software and technology can help make things more efficient and cost effective. They say a pound saved is the same as a pound earned. In the old manufacturing days it was more advanced factory machinery that required less workers and produced more output. Today in the UK its more to doe with software and hardware that can do the same for you too in your industry sector. 7. Engage customers with social media Today increasingly customers are looking online and on social media platforms for service recommendations. Have you seen the size of the yellow pages now? Its like an A5 few page pamphlet , gone are the days people look in this great big yellow book. This means people do not need it to tell them where to look for a service. Post daily updates about your business and what's going on to engage an audience and build trust in your business, so when they make a decision to buy they come direct to you. 8. Merge or buy other businesses to expand rapidly Buy out another business or to merge with a competitor can be a quick and easy way to increase business and sales. The big companies seem to be doing it all the time, so why can't a smaller business do this to achieve rapid growth too. Maybe you want to sell up and try something else and someone could be interested in your business. Or your competitor is getting ready to retire and you can move in and take all his business. By Anni Khan at Tax Affinity Accountants Tax Affinity Accountants are experts in Tax and Accountancy. Based in Worcester Park and Kingston upon Thames they are considered in the Industry to be expert accountants and tax advisors for small businesses. Helping and supporting business throughout the UK, they regularly help clients grow their business providing tailored advice. 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. At Tax Affinity Accountants we have a huge spectrum of clients from a multitude of industries and sectors. And all of them are effected directly or indirectly by the the shopping habits of the public during Christmas.
So whether your selling luxury brands such as Aston Martin's or Jimmy Choo shoes or selling personal services such as dental or psychotherapy work. The public's time and willingness to spend time and money on what your selling is effected by both the weather and their holiday spirit (not including if their tooth hurts or car breaks down). That's why large retailers are starting to show Christmassy type adverts and high streets and shops are starting to decorate their premisis to get people in the mood to spend money. Spend on others and also to spend on themsleves. Not every purchase is a Christmas gift. Granted the late and longer summer has moved the goal posts somewhat. But facts and figures do not lie. And if Coca Cola and a Starbucks are always busy looking at trend analysis to help push sales higher then why shouldnt a small business too. In fact maybe they need to doing it even more so. And so because everyone loves a Christmas list, here's one to help you sell more:
Over all innovate and update, learn and evolve that's what clever businesses do and its why their businesses improve year on year. Look at trends over previous years and look at what worked and sold well, then look at current conditions (economy/weather etc) and then make a very educated plan so you can optimise sales better than last year. By Anni Khan at Tax Affinity Accountants Tax Affinity Accountants are experts in Tax and Accountancy. Based in Worcester Park and Kingston upon Thames they are considered in the Industry to be expert accountants and tax advisors for small businesses. Helping and supporting business throughout the UK, they regularly help clients grow their business providing tailored advice. 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. As #TeamGB return triumphant from the Rio Olympics 2016 and the British media celebrate them lifting the nations pride and spirit this could be the right time to motivate more sales in your business.
Coupled with the warm summer weather and long periods of British sunshine, businesses can literally cash in on an increase in consumer confidence and spending in the economy. Thinking outside of the box, successful businesses have been promoting loyalty cards and coupons and vouchers to increase sales. How and why you may ask? Well read the short list below: 1. Coupons / Vouchers can have the effect of increasing your market and geographic catchment area. Some customers will travel far to redeem a valuable coupon or voucher.2. Coupons / Vouchers can encourage new customers to break the habit of only visiting your competitors and instead to come to you. Consumers can break normal shopping patterns to take advantage of a good offer. 3. Coupons / Vouchers can bring back old customers. Customers that were lured away by your competitors may start buying from you again if you give them a good enough reason.4. Coupon / Voucher marketing gives the seller an opportunity for additional profits by selling other full price items. If you see a special offer to invite a customer, this same customer may end up buying other goods that carry a much higher profit margin. 5. Coupons / Vouchers can increase footfall which can lead on to increase in sales, through good sales techniques or impulse buying. 6. A Coupons / Vouchers scheme is quantifiable and measurable to see its success. Simply count the number of coupons redeemed to work out the success. This valuable analysis will help in creating future offers to increase sales further. We recommend thinking about the points above to create coupons and vouchers in your own marketing campaigns to help increases sales in normally quiet period of the year. (Please be careful though not to infringe upon copyrights and trademarks belonging to others when making your vouchers and coupons.) By Anni Khan at Tax Affinity Accountants Tax Affinity Accountants are experts in Tax and Accountancy. Based in Worcester Park and Kingston upon Thames they are considered in the Industry to be expert accountants and advisors for small businesses. Helping and supporting business throughout the UK, they regularly help clients grow their business providing tailored advice. 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. As the new tax year begins so with it new tax savings rules and the potential to make more income in 2015/16 as the UK economy moves further away from the recession. The personal tax free allowance rises from £10,000 to £10,600 per annum and for those born before 6 April 1938 its £10,660. And married couples not using their entire tax free allowance can transfer some tax saving to their partner to help him/her save tax on their tax bill. Make sure to employ a good tax accountant (like Tax Affinity Accountants) that will take this into account as it could mean moving across up to £1060 in tax free allowance in the year. With the BOE base rate interest rate staying at a record 0.5% for the entire term of the current coalition government. Making any substantial gain on savings is relatively small. The ISA savings rate has grown to £15,000 per annum tax free but with rates of return at around 2.2% i.e. £330 profit (yes that really is it!). So any real entrepreneur worth his/her salt would never be happy with such low returns. So what should a UK entrepreneur be doing then? Well the word on the street is ‘expand and grow’ to take full advantage of the economic growth predicted in 2015/16 (2.5% Real GDP). This means plan ahead now and start making changes now, take full advantage of the optimistic uplift in consumer confidence after the general election on 7th May 2015 and the follow through of huge world cup sporting events, falling oil prices and UK growth leading London and the South East regions. If your business is in property then development is the real boom currently, buying a distressed property or expanding and renovate to a high standard of finish is the where the real money is in property. With older properties, with real potential, being snapped up by developers who have found rising equity easy from their portfolio to use as deposits. Or if you’re in the service industry then a shift to registering your own Limited company and working through this will mean you can take advantage of the lower 20% tax band for companies as compared to the higher 40% band for individuals earning over £31,865. We’ve seen an explosion in new company registrations in the last 12 months and are seeing more and more people not from just the IT crowd but from NHS staff working through agencies to construction workers and engineers moving into this. By Anni Khan at Tax Affinity Accountants. Tax Affinity Accountants are experts in Tax and Accountancy. Based in Kingston upon Thames they provide a bespoke service to clients right across the UK and are considered in the industry to be experts in business advice. They mentor and support members of the public to make their businesses grow and reach their full potential. 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. How to maximise business sales in Spring 2015
With the UK's retailers taking on board the American tradition of "Black Friday" which showed significant discounts on a huge array of products, the sales figures for that month were at an all time high of 6.4%. Leading on from this final Christmas sales figures are yet to be published but it is predicted around £4.45 billion across Europe, with £324.5m being within the UK alone. The late winter and early spring is a good time to introduce new tactics to increase your sales figures. Here are a few tips to increase sales and therefore your profits: Spring up your business Refreshing the look of the business by having new signs and banners to suit the mood of optimism and success in the coming year through your business will give your customers a more comfortable shopping experience and confidence in your business. It can also hint that there may be a good deal to be had with your business. If you have an online website then accommodate by giving your website a New year / Spring twist to inform your customers that your business is willing to adapt to seasonal changes and overall they are likely to feel more comfortable to shop with your company increasing the likeliness of them willing to do business with you. Mailing List Sending your customers a friendly and helpful email shows them you care and that you appreciate them. Try not to mention any promotions/discounts in your email as this may make them feel that it is more like an empty gesture. However if followed up with another email a few days later promoting products etc. then it seems more friendly. If you do not have a mailing list and you deal with customers face to face then telling each customer will give the same affect, if not more. This idea of giving a personal touch to your company is likely again to increase your company's credibility and in turn increase sales. Spring Discounts/Promotions Spring discounts, promotional offers and package deals will never go a miss as it helps to out-price other competitors giving you the edge. Also its worth noting that your customers may be tight pocketed from buying gifts for friends and family and that discounts are what they will be hunting for. Keep well stocked/ Accommodating the increased need for staff This gives two benefits, firstly for a business to see demand and sales slip away due to the fact that you have no stock can be frustrating. Secondly is that if you have a high inventory, studies have shown that you are likely to show more determination to increase sales and boost ideas. It's worth adding that along with the actually products for sale, you also should keep packaging items well stocked as well if your business delivers products. Around the late winter and early spring months it is clear that consumers increase their demand in products and in turn it also increases the amount of pressure your workforce may take. You need to insure you give good customer service and that sales aren't affected by your business being short staffed. To solve this hire more staff to help out or ask friends/family for an extra hand. By Mohammad Khan at Tax Affinity Accountants. Tax Affinity Accountants are experts in Tax and Accountancy. Based in Kingston upon Thames they provide a bespoke service to clients right across the UK and are considered in the industry to be experts in business advice. They mentor and support members of the public to make their businesses grow and reach their full potential. 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. Growth Vouchers Scheme can be invaluable for business to gain the advice and support needed to expand and grow their profits and business.
This government programme is basically designed to help small businesses get strategic business advice on:
The voucher can pay for up to half of the cost of the advice from a recognised business adviser such as Tax Affinity Accountants can serve as a real helping hand to boost your business. It is structured in such a way that the supplier will claim this fee from the programme making it easier for the business owner to quickly get the support and advice he/she needs. There are some simple eligibility criteria as below: Your business must:
And then you will need the following things to complete your application, as available by your accountant:
So how does it work? Either speak to your chosen adviser and they will make the necessary arrangements for you or sign up on the government’s growth voucher website (open until March 2015). Once you have received the voucher, simply use it for the advice and support. The growth voucher scheme has been running for few months now and it is growing in success. However, be careful because the scheme is not intended for company owners seeking to subsidise practical guidance on how to engage in precise tasks relating to running a business. It’s for tactical advice that will lead to growth of the businesses. The quickest way to get support for the is to call 0800 043 4051 or visit www.taxaffinity.com and speak to one of our experienced business adviser's and growth coaches at Tax Affinity Accountants. By Tahir Malik at Tax Affinity Accountants Tax Affinity Accountants are experts in business coaching and are based in Kingston upon Thames they are considered to be experts in their field. Helping and supporting businesses and individuals throughout the UK. 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. 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. |
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