Have you been left wondering why we’ve just had yet another Budget this year and what it all means for sole trader businesses and you personally? We did have a Budget back in March this year but after a new government has been elected the Chancellor traditionally has to announce a new one. The difference was […]
Pricing your product or service – 3 common pitfalls to avoid
Pricing your product or service can be so tricky. There’s your goal – to build a profitable, sustainable business. At the same time you’re working at making yourself both affordable and accessible to customers who value your product or service. But, at times, do you wonder whether you’ve got it right? If your price is too […]
5 sole trader bookkeeping mistakes to avoid
It’s taken commitment, guts and talent to create something out of nothing. I know from personal experience that’s no mean feat. It’s seriously hard work. You’re juggling more things than sometimes seems possible. You’re trying to do it all. And I’ll bet there have been times that you’ve wanted to throw in the towel. Am I […]
Is there an easier way to prepare sole trader accounts?
As sole traders we dream of spending each working day immersed in the things that made us set up our business in the first place – making a product or selling a service. We didn’t dream about the tedious, demoralising and sometimes overly complex chores that come part and parcel of the self-employment package. Frequently, the easier option is just […]
7 tips to getting customers to pay (quickly)
The idea for my blog “tips to getting customers to pay” came to me after reading narrative on a software site. The article stated “that asking customers for money and invoicing them accordingly was the best part of a small business owner’s job” Really? I was cast back to the early months of starting up […]
Hobby business or self-employed? Why it’s important to understand the difference
You’ve been employed or you’re working part-time. Either way you’ve had that niggling inclination to re-invent yourself, to indulge your passion in doing something creative or have a go at doing something completely new. You start selling on Etsy, take a few portrait photographs for friends, design some jewellery – you ‘re loving being able […]
Starting a business: the sole trader’s introduction to getting it right first time
You’ve had the idea to start a business and are full of excitement. It’s taken courage to decide to reinvent yourself, to become your own boss. But right now your to-do list is getting you down. There’s your “big idea” but then there’s all these other annoying parts of the jigsaw puzzle that need to […]
Spring clean your small business accounting systems in 5 easy steps
With spring round the corner, this time of year often brings with it, a sense of renewed energy and intentions of improvement. There’s really no better time to devote to a spot of spring cleaning – not the ’empty out the garage’ type but the de-cluttering and re-organising of your small business bookkeeping systems. Here are my […]
A sole traders guide to the Budget 2015
You heard it on the radio (until you dozed off), you caught some of the headlines in the press, you read the papers the next day but, you haven’t really had the time to get to grips with the main content or sift through the bits that impact you as a sole trader. I understand how […]
Will sole traders still need to complete a tax return?
If you’ve seen the headlines this week you will have noted the numerous press articles on “death of the tax return”. You might have started celebrating or you might been left wondering what it all means for you as a sole trader running a small business. I have to say that I was a little […]