Last updated on September 28, 2023We totally get it – you’ve got a lot on your plate – juggling quotes, getting the actual work done, and still finding time for your family. It’s like trying to ride three different bikes at once! But guess what? You can find that balance without losing your mind. The…
Last updated on September 28, 2023You´re working hard and building your trades business from the ground up. But guess what? As your business grows, you might find yourself approaching that seemingly elusive VAT threshold. Yeah, those three letters may make you break into a sweat, but fear not – we’ve got your back and ways…
Last updated on September 28, 2023Running your own trades business is a journey filled with satisfaction and challenges. As you get busier and your reputation grows, you might start thinking about bringing in some extra hands. But hey, we get it – hiring employees can seem like a big step, and worries can crop up….
Last updated on May 27, 2022Celebrate your wins (yours and others) Celebrating your business wins has two advantages. It helps your prospects see the great things you are achieving and it also helps you realise that those tough days you struggled to get through have been worth the stress. But don’t just celebrate your own…
Last updated on May 27, 2022We all know the importance of setting SMART Goals and Targets, some of you may have done this already at the start of 2020 .. and be sat thinking what a waste of time that was!! Well yes, it looks like we’re all going to go back to the drawing…
Last updated on May 26, 2022I know is sounds like the start of a really crude conversation between a group of lads on a stag do in Benidorm .. but just for a moment, humour me, and think about how often you, or the man in your life, buy new underwear? Are they one of…
Last updated on May 26, 2022When looking at taking on a new team member some business owners cannot look past the annual salary figure and think “I can’t afford that!” But in reality a new team member or employee should end up saving you money. You just have to look at it a different way…
What’s the one biggest asset that means you can run a business rather than be working for yourself …
Last updated on May 26, 2022People often ask me how I manage to run a business in the UK from my home in Spain … the answer I give is easy … I have an amazing team!! Now that in itself is true, and each staff member has unique attributes that help maintain a productive…
Last updated on October 25, 2019You might think story telling is something you do to get kids to sleep, with them heavy eyed tucked up warm in bed, while you read them pages from a colourful book in different voices to make it come alive … But story telling is also crucial to help your…
Last updated on October 20, 2022You’ve probably heard me talk about the benefits of having numerous bank accounts tonnes of times before and we help many businesses set up this system. However, when we are working with clients who understand these benefits in their business to ensure good cashflow, the thing that should be the…
Last updated on May 26, 2022You’ve probably heard people say that in Spain they leave everything mañana. Whether it’s X, Y or Z. Mañana, mañana, mañana. Before moving here, I didn’t think it was true but oh boy I do now. They seem to tackle procrastination like a sport! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy…
Last updated on September 30, 2022For every £1 that comes into your business – do you know what percentage is yours??? Having all your money in one bank account is like having your family’s clothes in one drawer … it would be very untidy and cause havoc. But so many business owners do this. I…
Last updated on May 26, 2022Have you ever been a victim of your own success? Have you ever done something to grow your business that was too successful and you struggled to cope with demand? We have … we did a two day exhibition at a business convention once that nearly crippled us, this is…
Last updated on May 26, 2022Well a month into this year already … how did that happen!! That is a twelfth of your time gone towards your goals, how are you getting on? Sometimes it’s really hard to see the wood for trees and if you’re not a numbers person then having to calculate if…
Last updated on May 26, 2022Did Father Christmas bring you everything you wanted this year? The car that’s been your screen saver for like forever? The holiday your kids will remember forever? The dream kitchen you want for the house? ….. No?? Well I guess you didn’t write that letter soon enough in 2018!! This…
Last updated on May 26, 2022Quick Question – Have you started planning for 2019? If not, you probably should be asking things like… Where the business is heading? What it is going to look like this time next year? How do I turn my targets into reality? There’s a shocking statistic I read in an…
Last updated on May 26, 2022One of my guilty pleasures is live music!! I would hate to add up all that I’ve spent on gigs, concerts and festivals over years, although the memories I have from these events is priceless. All my snapchat and Facebook friends will already know that last week I went to…
Last updated on May 26, 2022Glancing down my Facebook memories over breakfast this morning I realised it was the anniversary of when I won my second EVA award for achievements in Financial Services. It reminded me that I haven’t entered TI Accountancy into any business awards for some time now, and I have added “to…
Last updated on May 26, 2022The thing I miss the most about England is people!! My daughter, parents, my friends, my team in the office and my hair dresser …. Yes my hairdresser! Finding a hairdresser you trust with your unruly hair is extremely difficult and I’d been with my hairdresser for 13 years before…
Last updated on May 26, 2022In July 2017 a retired GP was acquitted of attempting to hire a hitman to kill his financial advisor, who he blamed for him losing out on £300,000 due to missing a tax deadline. It was said the retired GP was attempting to solicit the murder of his financial advisor…
Last updated on May 26, 2022 As a business owner we all understand the importance of Market, Message, Media (working out the right market for your product/service, crafting the correct message to them and then working out the best media platform to get to them). Getting this correct to a specific segment of people can…
Last updated on May 26, 2022 Anyone else have a love/hate relationship with Amazon or is it just me? …. I love how easy they make it to spend money with them. I also hate how easy they make it to spend money with them …. I recently read The Everything Store by Brad Stone which…
Last updated on January 17, 2023 Since moving to Spain over 6 years ago I have been trying my hardest to learn Spanish. I’ve listened to the Collin’s Spanish lessons on audible, I’ve done the Duolingo app most days and I can still only speak “Pequeno Espanol”…. It’s just not that easy to learn a…
Last updated on May 26, 2022No? Me neither till last week when I stumbled across a way to get great Facebook engagement with no cost at all… well except to my pride. While my ever patient other half was making lunch in the kitchen I went to refill my glass with Vimto, after putting the…
Last updated on October 25, 2022One way to get your clients to TAKE ACTION.. I’m writing this in the first week of January, a time when I get a lot of new and old clients sheepishly coming in the office to ask if I can do their tax return before 31st January deadline. These clients…
Last updated on October 25, 2022 With new General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) coming into play in early 2018, it highlights the potential financial and reputational risk now associated with properly protecting valuable employee information. Over 5000 Morrisons employees are suing the high street grocer over a data leak that saw sensitive payroll data information…
Last updated on October 25, 2022 Would you take a sabbatical? Despite almost two-thirds (65%) of British employees saying they would consider an extended leave away from work, it seems they are unlikely to take such a break and instead risk burn-out. New research, commissioned Opodo.co.uk, compared Britain with other nations across…
Last updated on June 2, 2023The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the top topic of conversation in offices all across the country at the moment and every business needs to be aware of how the changes might affect them. There will be changes across each company but there are some core considerations for payroll…
Last updated on May 25, 2022Do you still want to be in the rat race as a pensioner?? I’ve seen a few articles recently about the increase in businesses being run by over 60’s. My immediate thought was “wow … pensioner power” and loved the idea that many people nowadays are still enjoying being an…
Last updated on May 25, 2022Friday 14th July is National Shark Awareness day I know it’s a tenuous link but I thought I’d ask you if have any sharks lurking in your business ready to take advantage of your good nature when you least expect it. Over time we have been bit by shark type…
Last updated on May 25, 2022A good working relationship between your business and someone who provides you with some sort of outsourced service is not something that happens overnight. It is the fruit of both your efforts over time to build a long-lasting relationship of trust and understanding. Psychologist Bruce Tuckman made famous the phrase…
Last updated on May 25, 2022Have you written social media guidelines for your staff to abide by? Like it or not social media is a huge part of our lives now and 30% of our time spent online is spent using some sort of social media and this figure can surely only rise. As such…
Last updated on October 25, 2022I was reading an article in Forbes recently that says that 9 out of 10 businesses fail, working with so many successful clients I find this statistic really hard to believe, that’s a staggering 90% of businesses and most of these failures being in the first two years. At TI…
Last updated on October 25, 2022Sunday (28th January) is national puzzle day and I love puzzles, whether they are crosswords, suduko or jigsaw puzzles. My favourite jigsaw puzzle I ever completed, was one my sister got me as a birthday present. It was a photo I’d taken of my dogs while out walking in the…
Last updated on May 24, 2022You’ll have heard the awful news about the earthquake that resulted in a tsunami in New Zealand. Nature is a powerful thing and something we cannot control. It got me thinking about the businesses in that area which were flattened in an instant and how they were affected. So many…
Last updated on May 24, 2022Have you been let down? A couple of weeks ago a member of staff contacted a client about some queries on their account. The client was proactive and sent the responses back, but being in contact with us prompted them to say that they were unhappy with part of the…
Last updated on May 24, 2022Charles Darwin famously said “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change”. I believe this is more relevant in business than it is to species. There are some businesses that are prolific…
Last updated on May 24, 2022I’ve been doing a lot of air miles recently, for business and pleasure, although I would never say flying is a pleasure!! The majority of my flights have been with Ryanair and I’ve been amazed at the different levels of service you can get from one aeroplane to another. On…
Last updated on May 24, 2022Last Saturday I went to “Rock on Windermere”, it was an event put on by Windermere Rotary Club to raise money for the Cumbria Floods Appeal. During the 3-day event Status Quo were the main act on the Saturday and Top Loader were there that day too … I know…
Last updated on November 17, 2023A few weeks ago I decided to change my internet provider as I was having intermittent problems with connection, as I don’t have terrestrial TV and I tend to watch movies on NOW TV and I also have the need to work from home and need a steady internet connection…