5 Steps to a Successful Business Strategy
Creating A Successful Business Strategy
When setting out on a new venture or business idea, so many businesses do not succeed. This could be down to a combination of factors. Yet, one common factor is the challenges associated with executing the idea and establishing it in the market. To ensure your idea or business has the best start, or if you are reviewing current plans and progress, you must first develop an effective business strategy to support you. Here are five steps to guide you.
1. Build up your data and knowledge
To know where you want to go, is first to understand where you are today. The best way to do this is to investigate the past. This could be through data from your market, so you understand the size of the opportunity at stake. Investigate the total market size, the number of potential customers, and the growth rates of similar projects. Using the SWOT framework helps you identify Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, both internally and externally. You might want to use the PESTLE model to explore deeper into external factors that may affect your business. This looks into the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental aspects of your business and market. It is key to make sure you involve the right people in this process to help you build up your data and knowledge. Once you understand the market, begin to narrow down your idea, exploring the unique business problem you are looking to solve, and the market opportunity associated to it.
2. Build Your Vision and Mission Statement
Your vision should be used to describe the future direction of the business, and its aims in the medium to long term. It’s about describing your organisation’s purpose and values. This should be built in parallel with your mission statement, which defines the organisation’s purpose and outlines its primary objectives. In simple terms, your organisation should summarise its goals and objectives in mission and vision statements. These serve different purposes but are often confused with each other. While your mission statement describes what your company wants to do now, your vision statement outlines what your company wants to be in the future. Your mission statement focuses on what you need to do in the short term to realise your long-term vision. So, for your vision statement, you are asking where do you want to be in three to five years’ time. Your mission statement, alternatively, asks: what do we do? how do we do it? for whom do we do it? and what value do we bring?
Examples:
- Amazon’s Corporate Vision Statement: “To be Earth’s most customer-centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”
- Google’s Corporate Mission Statement: “To organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”
3. Define your Business Strategy and Tactical Plans
At this stage, your aim is to develop a set of high-level objectives for all areas of the business. These need to highlight your priorities and inform your plans that will ensure delivery of your company’s vision and mission. By reviewing your work in step one across the SWOT and PESTLE analyses, you can layer these into your SMART Objectives (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-related). Your objectives must also include factors such as KPI’s, resource allocation, and budget requirements. It is key to align your resources and structure according to your business strategy, so as to clarify everyone’s role and accountability.
4. Track and Manage Performance
All your planning and hard work may have been done, but it’s vital to review continuously all your objectives and action plans – to ensure you’re still on track to achieve your overall goal. Managing and monitoring a whole business strategy is a complex task, which is why many directors, managers and business leaders are looking into alternative methods to handle strategies. Creating, managing and reviewing your business strategy requires you to capture the relevant information, break down large chunks of information, plan, prioritise, and have a clear strategic vision.
5. Execute, Learn and Review
Firstly, execute your business strategy with excellence and, throughout, capture learning so that it can be reapplied or used to adjust the plan if necessary. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, but make sure each mistake is an opportunity to apply learning to the business strategy. Executing at the highest level is key: anyone can have a good idea, but those who can execute make a lesser idea into a successful business. Always remember to celebrate your team and business successes. It can be quite easy to get dragged into the here-and-now and forget to reflect on the great achievements of your organisation.
A daunting prospect?
If after reading this, you feel daunted by what you need to do, we are here to help you every step of the way. Simply give us a call on 020 3367 1106 and we will guide you through the challenging start-up maze.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you and your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Autumn Budget Special: 10 Things You should Know
Autumn Budget 2018: More Money For NHS And An End To Austerity?
As previously announced, these were the main themes of the Chancellor Philip Hammond’s third Autumn Budget, but what we were waiting to hear was, where the extra money was going to come from? Had he found a “Magic Money Tree”, or would tax and borrowing have to increase? We now know that the extra money will come from better than expected economic growth and consequential increased tax revenues. But there may have to be a Spring 2019 Budget, if Brexit negotiations don’t go to plan….
1. Personal Allowance And Higher Rate Limit Increased Early
The Government’s manifesto pledge, back in 2015, was that the personal allowance would rise to £12,500 in 2020 and the higher rate tax threshold to £50,000. However, in this Autumn budget, the Chancellor has decided to bring forward these increases one year early from 2019/20, taking an estimated 1 million taxpayers out of higher rate tax. Note that up to 10% of the personal allowance (£1,250 from 6 April 2019) may be transferred from one spouse or civil partner to the other, if unused, and the transferee is a basic rate taxpayer. As announced last year, this transfer is now available on behalf of deceased spouses and civil partners.
2. No Changes In Tax Rates
The basic rate of income tax and higher rate remain at 20% and 40% respectively, and the 45% additional rate continues to apply to income over £150,000. There had been rumours that the dividend rate might be increased, but dividends continue to be taxed at 7.5%, 32.5% and then 38.1% depending upon whether the dividends fall into the basic rate band, higher rate band or the additional rate. Note that only the first £2,000 of dividend income is now tax free. The annual ISA investment limit increased to £20,000 from 6 April 2017, and remains at that level for 2019/20. Dividends on shares held within an ISA continue to be tax free. The much rumoured further restriction in pension tax relief failed to materialise.
3. IR35 “Off-Payroll” Rules To Be Extended To Private Sector
Very controversially, in this Autumn budget, the Government has decided to extend the rules for personal service companies in the public sector, to workers in the private sector from April 2020. This follows a consultation in Summer 2018 on how to tackle non-compliance with the intermediaries legislation (commonly known as IR35) in the private sector. The legislation which has applied in the public sector since April 2017, seeks to ensure that individuals who effectively work as employees are taxed as employees, even if they choose to structure their work through a company. There will be further consultation on the detailed operation of the rules, and small businesses (yet to be defined) engaging such workers will be excluded. This will represent a significant administrative burden on large and medium-sized businesses, who will be required to decide whether the rules apply to payments to such workers and deduct tax and NICs.
4. Capital Gains Entrepreneurs’ Relief Changes
In this Autumn budget, the Chancellor has announced that the minimum qualifying period for CGT entrepreneurs’ relief will be increased from 12 months to 24 months, for disposals on or after 6 April 2019. There are further changes in this Autumn budget, affecting shareholdings in personal companies. In addition to the individual holding 5% or more of the ordinary share capital and voting control, they will also now be required to be entitled to 5% or more of the company’s distributable profits and assets in a winding up. As now, the individual must also be an officer or employee of the company concerned; and the company must be a trading company or the holding company of a trading group.
5. Company Tax To Reduce To 17%
As previously announced the current 19% rate, is scheduled to reduce to 17% from 1 April 2020.
6. Annual Investment Allowance Increased To £1 m
The Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) which provides businesses with a 100% write off against profits when they acquire plant and machinery, has been temporarily increased from £200,000 to £1 million for two years, from 1 January 2019. This will again mean that the timing of expenditure will be critical. It may be advantageous to delay expenditure until after 1 January 2019, to get full benefit in certain circumstances. However, the current enhanced capital allowance for energy efficient plant will be abolished from April 2020. A further change, in this Autumn budget, is that the writing down allowance for special rate pool equipment, broadly long-life assets and fixtures in buildings, is being reduced from 8% to 6% from April 2019.
7. New Capital Allowance For Commercial Buildings
A new 2% straight line tax deduction is being introduced for the cost of construction or renovation of commercial buildings and structures. This tax break will apply to eligible construction costs, incurred on or after budget day, and will be available to commercial property landlords as well as trading businesses. The cost of the land is specifically excluded.
8. R&D Tax Credit Restricted
The amount of repayable R&D tax credit for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) will again be restricted, by the amount of the claimant company’s PAYE and NIC liability from April 2020. The new Autumn budget limit will be set at three times the company’s total PAYE and National Insurance contribution (NICs) payment for the period.
9. VAT Registration Limit Continues To Be Frozen
The VAT registration limit normally increases in line with inflation each year. However, It was announced last year that the limit would be frozen at £85,000 until 1 April 2020. It has now been announced that the limit will now remain at the same level until 2022. The deregistration limit will remain at £83,000.
10. More Rates Relief For Small Businesses
There has been much lobbying from the small business sector to reduce business rates to enable traditional retailers, in particular, to compete with internet traders. In this Autumn budget, the Chancellor has announced a one third reduction in business rates for small businesses, with premises with a rateable value up to £51,000.
DIARY OF MAIN TAX EVENTS – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2018
Date |
What’s Due |
19/11/2018 |
PAYE & NIC deductions, and CIS return and tax, for month to 5/11/18 (due 22/11 if you pay electronically) |
19/12/2018 |
PAYE & NIC deductions, and CIS return and tax, for month to 5/12/18 (due 22/12 if you pay electronically) |
30/12/2018 |
Deadline for filing 2017/18 tax return online in order to request that HMRC collect outstanding tax via the 2018/19 PAYE code |
01/01/2019 |
Corporation tax for year to 31/03/2018 Unless quarterly instalments apply |
01/02/2019 |
Corporation tax for year to 30/04/2018 Unless quarterly instalments apply |
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can support your business with the complexities of these tax and payment rules and help you succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
No-Deal Brexit: This is what you should know!
Hold tight! Business guidance in the event of a no-deal Brexit
With less than six months to go until the UK leaves the EU – and with no post-Brexit deal yet on the table – there’s no doubt that we are entering uncharted waters. So, what should you do to prepare your business in case of a no-deal Brexit?
Chequers statement
You may be aware that the UK’s Government has insisted that preparations for a no-deal Brexit scenario are part of its overall Brexit preparation strategy. Indeed, the Prime Minister’s Chequers statement, issued after her cabinet’s infamous July away day, included a pledge to step up preparedness for all possible outcomes of the negotiations, including a no-deal Brexit scenario.
August technical notices
You may remember that on 23 August, a little over a month after May’s statement, the Department for Exiting the EU published 25 ‘technical notices‘. The documents covered such diverse areas, as:
- Applying for EU-funded programmes
- Driving and transport
- Farming
- Money and Tax
- Importing and exporting
- Regulating medicines
You will find that the notes were supported by guidance entitled “UK government’s preparations for a ‘no deal’ scenario”. Its aim was to put the technical notices in context by explaining the Brexit negotiation’s progress to date, and what might happen if the UK were to crash out of the EU.
September White paper
We then saw in early September, the House of Commons joined the party by publishing a briefing document (white paper) called “What happens if there’s no Brexit deal?” At 172 pages, it’s not exactly a bedtime read. Nevertheless, its fifteen chapters cover all areas from “how could no deal happen?” through to “external relations”, and it is an excellent source of no-deal Brexit information.
HMRC published a letter
But you may not know that, in an unprecedented move, HMRC wrote to 145,000 businesses across the UK about the ramifications of a no-deal Brexit, should Britain crash out of the EU and the Customs union on 29 March 2019. The letter, written by HMRC’s Deputy Chief Executive Jim Harra and published on 17 September, started positively by acknowledging: “The UK government has reached agreement with the EU on the vast majority of withdrawal issues, including the terms of an implementation period. Full agreement on this, will mean that trading with the EU during the implementation period would broadly stay the same until 31 December 2020.” This is meant to give you a degree of reassurance by stating “The approach of continuity does not mean that everything will stay the same, but the priority is maximising stability at the point of departure.”
After referring to the government’s focus “on securing a future partnership with the EU following the end of the implementation period in December 2020”, the letter’s tone changed. Harra referred to a no-deal eventuality being unlikely and continued to reassure readers: “In the event of no-deal, the government is committed to prioritising stability for businesses”. He added that: “we will continue to work closely with industry to ensure that interventions in a no deal scenario are conducted in a way which minimises delays and additional burdens for legitimate trade, while robustly ensuring compliance.” If a disorderly exit was to happen, there would, of course, be immediate changes to the way you, as a business, trade with the EU. Jim’s letter set the position out very clearly: “If we leave the EU without a deal in March 2019, there would be immediate changes to the way UK businesses trade with the EU that impact on your business”.
UK businesses trade with the EU in case of no-deal Brexit
- You, as a UK business, will have to apply customs, excise and VAT procedures to goods traded with the EU, in the same way that already applies for goods traded outside of the EU.
- Trading partners in the EU will have to apply customs, excise and VAT procedures to goods they receive from you, in the same way they do for goods received from outside of the EU.
In particular, if your business currently trades only with the EU, then you’d have to start completing customs declarations from March 2019, and customs checks would apply to your business for the first time.” The letter concludes by saying, “there is no need to contact HMRC at this stage”. However, it suggests, “If you’re a member of a trade body, they might have useful information on their website. VAT advisers, customs agents, freight forwarders and other businesses also have services to help you, to follow customs rules”.
Public domain Brexit sources of information
There are many sources of information on Brexit you can consult, from TV, radio and reading newspapers to searching the web. However, some are more reliable than others. To get a balanced and informed view of what is going on, you would be well inspired to access information from more than one source.
Brexit Government sources of information
- GOV.UK “Brexit” pages – you can sign up to receive regular updates.
- The Government has published technical notices across a range of topics on GOV.UK, to explain what will apply if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, including:
– The House of Commons white paper in early September
– HMRC’s Jim Harra’s “advice and guidance” letter
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can support you with the impact Brexit may have on your business and help you succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
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5 Easy Steps To Building Your Own Resilience
Building your resilience
Running and managing your own business can be one of the hardest challenges of your life. The ups, the downs, the cash flow challenges, finding the right people – the list is endless. Likewise, though, are the ups in terms of success: winning the next deal, finding the best employees to help you go further and higher. However, one common trait business leaders possess, is their ability to battle through the hard times. By way of resilience – a heroic struggle that is not for all. Resilience is not something we are born with, but instead, it is something we develop during our lifetimes. Below are five essential tips on how to build your own resilience.
1. Keep a positive attitude
This is key to deflecting stress scenarios, to restructuring your pessimistic or negative thoughts. You need to ask yourself whether there is any rational basis to feel negatively about a situation. It is also important to recognise that you are in control, and as to whether the glass is half-empty or half-full. Re framing your thoughts can also help you to be positive, so you can alter the perceived value of the challenging event by accepting it and recovering from it.
2. Develop your moral compass
Altruism is strongly related to resilience – and strengthening your set of core beliefs can help. And you may have noticed that there tends to be a strong correlation between faith and religious or spiritual beliefs and resilience.
3. Find a resilient role model and develop your coping skills
Consider taking a resilient role model, such as a world leader or a successful business or sports star, so you can consider how they would respond to stress. Also consider how spiritual beliefs help towards a deeper management of challenging times. Rather than withdrawing and surrendering to your stress situations, observe the most resilient individuals, and how they use active rather than passive coping skills. You could minimise the self-questioning caused by the stress situation, by creating positive thinking, and in turn facing the fear directly.
4. Build your social network and physical fitness
Rather than going solo, it is important to build a safety net of friends and family to help you cope with stress situations. Regular exercise is one of the keys to cleansing your mind of stress – as it has been linked with improvements in mood, cognition, regulation of emotion, immunity, and overall self-esteem. Try to think of exercise as a welcome reprieve rather than a task, framing your mindset in a positive way.
5. Remember the 8-8-8 rule
On a typical day, many people are over-worked, with lack of sleep and limited social or personal time. Breaking the day into thirds – eight hours for work, eight hours for personal / family time and eight hours for sleep – is recommended as a suitable routine to help you keep on top of the mental daily stresses.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you and your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
Self-Employed? Paying NICs? This Is What You Need To Know
Class 2 NICs To Continue For Self-Employed
In 2016, the government consulted on a proposed abolition of Class 2 National Insurance contributions (NICs) for the self-employed. If you are self-employed, this flat rate contribution, currently £2.95 a week is payable in addition to Class 4 contributions, based on the level of profits. The flat rate contributions were due to cease on 5 April 2019, but will now continue “for the life of this parliament”. The reason for this u-turn has something to do do with business owners, with low profits or making losses. As you know, if you are self-employed, in order to maintain your NI Contribution record, you voluntarily have to carry on paying Class 2 contributions, despite your profits being below the £6,205 small earnings exemption. Having your full NI contribution history helps maximise your entitlement to State Benefits. For example, full State Pension entitlement requires 35 years contributions. With the abolition of Class 2 NICs, if you fall in the category of low profits or making losses, you would need to make voluntary Class 3 contributions (currently £14.65 a week, £761.80 a year), in order for that year to count as a contribution year.
Check Your Contribution History
As mentioned above, in order to maximise your entitlement to full State Benefits, your full contribution record Is required. It is possible to check your National Insurance record online to see:
• What you’ve paid, up to the start of the current tax year (6 April 2018)
• Any National Insurance credits you’ve received
• If gaps in contributions or credits mean some years don’t count towards your State Pension (they aren’t ‘qualifying years’)
• If you can pay voluntary contributions to fill any gaps and how much this will cost
IT Consultant Wins IR35 Personal Service Company Case
The government has been consulting on extending the personal service company rules that currently apply to public sector workers, to those in the private sector. But in the meantime, tax tribunal decisions are still being decided against HMRC. In a recent case involving an IT consultant working on various projects to implement the new Universal Credit system, the First Tier Tax Tribunal decided that the consultant would not have been an employee, if directly engaged. A key factor was that the level of control over the consultant, fell far below the sufficient degree required to demonstrate a contract of service.
And Football Referees Are Self-Employed
The degree of control was also held to be a critical factor in determining that football referees, in charge of matches in the Championship and lower leagues, were indeed self-employed. HMRC were arguing that the referees should be taxed as employees and subject to PAYE. Interestingly, those refereeing Premier League matches are employees of the Premier League. HMRC are expected to appeal the decision of the First Tier Tribunal.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you with the complexities of IR35 rules, support your business and help you succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
5 Ways To Be More Productive
Busy versus Productive
In today’s hyper connected business environment, it seems we are all busier than ever. Whether we are responding to emails outside of office hours… Or taking a call while on the way to a meeting… There is so much going on in our work lives that it’s easy to lose focus on getting the most important work done. But is this really conducive to being productive? And how do you know for sure?
1. Focus on being effective
Busy people tend to have a good work ethic. That is why they are always busy. The problem is not that they don’t work hard, but that they don’t work smart. If you want to be more productive, focus on being effective. You just need to be constantly looking for better ways to achieve the same outcome.
2. Don’t sweat the small stuff
Busy people tend to get lost in the minor details whereas productive people tend to focus on the macro issues. Once you get from A to B in the most efficient way possible, it doesn’t really matter which route you took to get there or what else you did along the way. Focus on hitting each milestone along the way to achieving your business objectives and don’t sweat the small stuff.
3. Set your own direction
Busy people tend to be reactive and let others set their direction. If you want to be more productive, you need to set your own direction and be more proactive in moving forward with each of your business objectives. Industry norms can try to set your direction of travel. However, if you want to move forward in a way that embraces new and innovative ways of doing things, it’s best you choose your own path to achieving each of your objectives.
4. The power of why?
Busy people tend to say yes and don’t really challenge why others are asking them to do things. To be more productive you need to ask “why”? You need to challenge others with questions like “Why are we doing this?” And “how does investing time in this particular activity help us achieve our business objectives?”
5. Don’t try to do everything yourself
Busy people tend to do everything themselves. To be more productive, you need to use the tools and resources available to you, in order to get things done in the most efficient manner. If a particular task has a high recurrence rate or isn’t a particularly good use of your time, either hire someone cheaper to do it or outsource it.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can support your business and help you succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
5 Ways To Raise Finance – Where To Start?
Raising finance for your business: Where to start?
To help you kick-start your business, there are several ways in which you could raise finance to get your idea underway or to further accelerate your growth. At the time of writing, these are the most common routes for you to explore to raise finance. However, new offerings for finance are constantly evolving in line with financial innovations – so we recommend you keep a close eye on what’s happening. For now, these are the recommended routes, meaning you don’t have to rely exclusively on traditional avenues, such as banks, to raise funds.
Keep it in the family
When transforming a new idea into a business, you could first go to your friends and family to help raise funds. Whilst many start-ups do this to help fund their new venture, it is advisable you seek legal advice to ensure you capture all aspects of your agreement, in writing. This could be a simple contract between parties, including a detailed business plan and financial forecast for their review. This will help prevent challenges that may appear in future, protecting your business and the investments of your friends and family. Most importantly, it will help you maintain your personal relationships.
Business Angel investment
Angel Investments is a means, for private and industry investors, to explore opportunities to use their personal finance, in exchange for shares in your business. Their expectation is usually for a return on their investment, between three and eight years. The good news here, is that Angel Investors typically play an active role in your business, offering support and guidance to your strategy and plan. Obviously, an investor familiar with your industry would, in most cases, be the best choice. For more information, the UK Business Angels Association is a good place to start.
Crowdfunding
One option, rather than asking a few people to contribute large sums, is to ask a large amount of people to each invest smaller amounts. This is known as Crowdfunding, which can take several forms:
- Equity (when the investment is exchanged for shares or for a stake in your business)
- Debt (when the money is provided with the view to receive money back with interest)
- Donations (when people believe in your idea and base their contribution on their belief in that cause). Donors will expect nothing in return for their provision of funds.
Grant and Loans for Start-Ups
The government aims to accelerate the UK economy, and as such, provides grants and loans for businesses. Grants are where a portion of taxpayers’ money is saved each year, to drive new business ideas. With the money offered nationally, you will need to apply, so the government can assess whether you are eligible for a grant. Start Up loans are provided through a government scheme aimed at entrepreneurs, with the average loan estimated at £6,000. Some loans can be increased up to the value of £25,000, however, they need to be supported by twelve months of business mentoring. You must repay any loans back within five years, typically with an interest rate of 6%.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can support your business and help you succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
HMRC Warns: Declare Your Offshore Income Gains And Assets Or Else!
Time’s Up!
HMRC is urging you to come forward and declare any foreign income or profits on offshore assets before 30 September, to avoid higher tax penalties. New legislation called ‘Requirement to Correct’ requires you, as a UK taxpayer, to notify HMRC, about any offshore tax liabilities relating to UK income tax, capital gains tax or inheritance tax.
It is a legal requirement
You may not realise you have a requirement to declare your overseas financial interests. Under the rules, actions like renting out a property abroad, transferring income and assets from one country to another, or even renting out a UK property when living abroad, could mean you could face a tax bill in the UK.
From 1 October, financial data will be exchanged internationally
From 1 October more than 100 countries, including the UK, will be able to exchange data on financial accounts under the Common Reporting Standard (CRS). CRS data will significantly enhance HMRC’s ability to detect offshore non-compliance. It is in your interest, as a taxpayer, to correct any non-compliance, before that data is received or be faced with higher penalties.
Foreign Property, Investment, Income and Moving Money
The most common reasons for declaring offshore tax liabilities are in relation to foreign property, investment income and moving money into the UK from abroad. Over 17,000 people have already contacted HMRC to notify them about tax due from sources of foreign income, such as their holiday homes and overseas properties.
How Do I Notify HMRC?
You can correct your tax liabilities by using HMRC’s digital disclosure service as part of the Worldwide Disclosure Facility. Once you have notified HMRC by 30 September of your intention to make a declaration, you will then have 90 days to make a full disclosure and pay any tax owed. We can assist you in making the necessary disclosure and tax calculation, if these new rules apply to you.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can support you and your business with these tax and payment rules. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
Why do I need a Leadership Development Program?
You need a leadership development program because it is, actually, the management team’s responsibility to invest in, develop and grow the firm’s next generation of leaders.
Your Leadership Development Program
Begin with constructing a solid framework with which you can develop the next generation of leaders in your firm. Then identify the attributes and capabilities of the existing leadership team, and work from there to develop a program that builds on this foundation. In creating a leadership development program, make sure your business has a clear vision and stated goals. It seems obvious, but unless your future leaders understand the vision and strategy of the business, they are unlikely to engage and develop their skills in a way that contributes to the success of the business overall.
Align Your Expectations
Next, align your expectations of future leaders with the overall objectives of the firm. To do this, you must identify the behaviours that you want to reward, and articulate this to your future leaders. A simple way to go about this is to ask yourself: what do we want our future leaders to accomplish?
Develop Skills
You need to let your next generation of potential leaders develop their skills. Give them enough freedom to explore, experiment and experience some struggles, but still be reined in safely, if necessary. Identifying potential candidates for your leadership development program can be difficult. Most businesses tend to do this in different ways. However, identifying the employees who bring the most energy, ambition and success into your company is a smart way to focus your development efforts.
Assess Potential
You should be conscious that the best employees don’t always make the best managers. A good way of assessing this, is to allow potential future leaders to shadow a manager for a day or two. It will tend to become apparent pretty quickly, if the employee has the potential to become a manager or not.
Communicate
Finally, it is important to communicate. If you have identified an employee as a potential future leader in your firm, have a conversation with them to understand their career development aspirations. Some people want to develop and move up in the firm. Whereas others may be content with their current job and may have no desire to take on additional responsibility. You can only develop people who want to engage and be developed.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can support you and your business with leadership skills. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
Becoming Self Employed? Here are 5 Recommended Rules
1. Becoming Self Employed? Have clear goals and be realistic about what you want to achieve
When becoming self employed, consider what you want to achieve, whether it be the dream of building your business, eventually having staff, or giving something back to society. Do you want to work less hours, have a better work / life balance, or just be your own boss? Once you have decided, make sure your goals are realistic and ensure you determine your process goals – the things you will need to do, to get you to your overall goal. Have your goal and objective clear and written down at the start, and keep referring to it to avoid straying off course. Building a business takes time and any distraction is time you will not get back.
2. Be brutal with your time and leverage support around you
Be strict about working hours, as this may be one of the main reasons you considered when becoming self employed, in the first place. Don’t be tempted to waste your time: balance your working hours between building your new prospect base, networking for business, and delivering to your customers. Make sure you have a support network around you. It can be lonely working alone, and it’s great to have others with whom to share ideas and thoughts, to help you and your business improve. These can be colleagues, networking groups, or industry bodies.
3. Have professional standards
Consider all you do to put the customer at the heart of your business and be professional at all times. Be on time for all appointments and be dressed appropriately, acting professionally on the clients’ premises and following appropriate business etiquette. Balance what you do, as a professional off-line with that online. Make sure your website, invoices and methods of payment are all to a high professional standard. With cost effective business solutions such as QuickBooks Self-Employed, you can easily manage all aspects of your business process in a professional way.
4. Keep close and connected to your industry
Whatever industry you’re in, it will be constantly evolving, and it is key to keep connected, staying close to new developments, compliance, regulations, and best practices. This will help you get the training and certifications you need, as well as remaining an expert in your industry.
5. Maintain your work / life balance
Focusing only on work is not good for anyone, so do consider what other hobbies or family activities you might enjoy. Maintain your social and family balance, and avoid being over-worked, and you will have more chances of being successful when becoming self employed.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can support you with the complexities of becoming self employed and also help you succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
5 Steps to a Successful Business Strategy
Creating A Successful Business Strategy
When setting out on a new venture or business idea, so many businesses do not succeed. This could be down to a combination of factors. Yet, one common factor is the challenges associated with executing the idea and establishing it in the market. To ensure your idea or business has the best start, or if you are reviewing current plans and progress, you must first develop an effective business strategy to support you. Here are five steps to guide you.
1. Build up your data and knowledge
To know where you want to go, is first to understand where you are today. The best way to do this is to investigate the past. This could be through data from your market, so you understand the size of the opportunity at stake. Investigate the total market size, the number of potential customers, and the growth rates of similar projects. Using the SWOT framework helps you identify Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, both internally and externally. You might want to use the PESTLE model to explore deeper into external factors that may affect your business. This looks into the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental aspects of your business and market. It is key to make sure you involve the right people in this process to help you build up your data and knowledge. Once you understand the market, begin to narrow down your idea, exploring the unique business problem you are looking to solve, and the market opportunity associated to it.
2. Build Your Vision and Mission Statement
Your vision should be used to describe the future direction of the business, and its aims in the medium to long term. It’s about describing your organisation’s purpose and values. This should be built in parallel with your mission statement, which defines the organisation’s purpose and outlines its primary objectives. In simple terms, your organisation should summarise its goals and objectives in mission and vision statements. These serve different purposes but are often confused with each other. While your mission statement describes what your company wants to do now, your vision statement outlines what your company wants to be in the future. Your mission statement focuses on what you need to do in the short term to realise your long-term vision. So, for your vision statement, you are asking where do you want to be in three to five years’ time. Your mission statement, alternatively, asks: what do we do? how do we do it? for whom do we do it? and what value do we bring?
Examples:
- Amazon’s Corporate Vision Statement: “To be Earth’s most customer-centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”
- Google’s Corporate Mission Statement: “To organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”
3. Define your Business Strategy and Tactical Plans
At this stage, your aim is to develop a set of high-level objectives for all areas of the business. These need to highlight your priorities and inform your plans that will ensure delivery of your company’s vision and mission. By reviewing your work in step one across the SWOT and PESTLE analyses, you can layer these into your SMART Objectives (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-related). Your objectives must also include factors such as KPI’s, resource allocation, and budget requirements. It is key to align your resources and structure according to your business strategy, so as to clarify everyone’s role and accountability.
4. Track and Manage Performance
All your planning and hard work may have been done, but it’s vital to review continuously all your objectives and action plans – to ensure you’re still on track to achieve your overall goal. Managing and monitoring a whole business strategy is a complex task, which is why many directors, managers and business leaders are looking into alternative methods to handle strategies. Creating, managing and reviewing your business strategy requires you to capture the relevant information, break down large chunks of information, plan, prioritise, and have a clear strategic vision.
5. Execute, Learn and Review
Firstly, execute your business strategy with excellence and, throughout, capture learning so that it can be reapplied or used to adjust the plan if necessary. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, but make sure each mistake is an opportunity to apply learning to the business strategy. Executing at the highest level is key: anyone can have a good idea, but those who can execute make a lesser idea into a successful business. Always remember to celebrate your team and business successes. It can be quite easy to get dragged into the here-and-now and forget to reflect on the great achievements of your organisation.
A daunting prospect?
If after reading this, you feel daunted by what you need to do, we are here to help you every step of the way. Simply give us a call on 020 3367 1106 and we will guide you through the challenging start-up maze.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you and your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Autumn Budget Special: 10 Things You should Know
Autumn Budget 2018: More Money For NHS And An End To Austerity?
As previously announced, these were the main themes of the Chancellor Philip Hammond’s third Autumn Budget, but what we were waiting to hear was, where the extra money was going to come from? Had he found a “Magic Money Tree”, or would tax and borrowing have to increase? We now know that the extra money will come from better than expected economic growth and consequential increased tax revenues. But there may have to be a Spring 2019 Budget, if Brexit negotiations don’t go to plan….
1. Personal Allowance And Higher Rate Limit Increased Early
The Government’s manifesto pledge, back in 2015, was that the personal allowance would rise to £12,500 in 2020 and the higher rate tax threshold to £50,000. However, in this Autumn budget, the Chancellor has decided to bring forward these increases one year early from 2019/20, taking an estimated 1 million taxpayers out of higher rate tax. Note that up to 10% of the personal allowance (£1,250 from 6 April 2019) may be transferred from one spouse or civil partner to the other, if unused, and the transferee is a basic rate taxpayer. As announced last year, this transfer is now available on behalf of deceased spouses and civil partners.
2. No Changes In Tax Rates
The basic rate of income tax and higher rate remain at 20% and 40% respectively, and the 45% additional rate continues to apply to income over £150,000. There had been rumours that the dividend rate might be increased, but dividends continue to be taxed at 7.5%, 32.5% and then 38.1% depending upon whether the dividends fall into the basic rate band, higher rate band or the additional rate. Note that only the first £2,000 of dividend income is now tax free. The annual ISA investment limit increased to £20,000 from 6 April 2017, and remains at that level for 2019/20. Dividends on shares held within an ISA continue to be tax free. The much rumoured further restriction in pension tax relief failed to materialise.
3. IR35 “Off-Payroll” Rules To Be Extended To Private Sector
Very controversially, in this Autumn budget, the Government has decided to extend the rules for personal service companies in the public sector, to workers in the private sector from April 2020. This follows a consultation in Summer 2018 on how to tackle non-compliance with the intermediaries legislation (commonly known as IR35) in the private sector. The legislation which has applied in the public sector since April 2017, seeks to ensure that individuals who effectively work as employees are taxed as employees, even if they choose to structure their work through a company. There will be further consultation on the detailed operation of the rules, and small businesses (yet to be defined) engaging such workers will be excluded. This will represent a significant administrative burden on large and medium-sized businesses, who will be required to decide whether the rules apply to payments to such workers and deduct tax and NICs.
4. Capital Gains Entrepreneurs’ Relief Changes
In this Autumn budget, the Chancellor has announced that the minimum qualifying period for CGT entrepreneurs’ relief will be increased from 12 months to 24 months, for disposals on or after 6 April 2019. There are further changes in this Autumn budget, affecting shareholdings in personal companies. In addition to the individual holding 5% or more of the ordinary share capital and voting control, they will also now be required to be entitled to 5% or more of the company’s distributable profits and assets in a winding up. As now, the individual must also be an officer or employee of the company concerned; and the company must be a trading company or the holding company of a trading group.
5. Company Tax To Reduce To 17%
As previously announced the current 19% rate, is scheduled to reduce to 17% from 1 April 2020.
6. Annual Investment Allowance Increased To £1 m
The Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) which provides businesses with a 100% write off against profits when they acquire plant and machinery, has been temporarily increased from £200,000 to £1 million for two years, from 1 January 2019. This will again mean that the timing of expenditure will be critical. It may be advantageous to delay expenditure until after 1 January 2019, to get full benefit in certain circumstances. However, the current enhanced capital allowance for energy efficient plant will be abolished from April 2020. A further change, in this Autumn budget, is that the writing down allowance for special rate pool equipment, broadly long-life assets and fixtures in buildings, is being reduced from 8% to 6% from April 2019.
7. New Capital Allowance For Commercial Buildings
A new 2% straight line tax deduction is being introduced for the cost of construction or renovation of commercial buildings and structures. This tax break will apply to eligible construction costs, incurred on or after budget day, and will be available to commercial property landlords as well as trading businesses. The cost of the land is specifically excluded.
8. R&D Tax Credit Restricted
The amount of repayable R&D tax credit for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) will again be restricted, by the amount of the claimant company’s PAYE and NIC liability from April 2020. The new Autumn budget limit will be set at three times the company’s total PAYE and National Insurance contribution (NICs) payment for the period.
9. VAT Registration Limit Continues To Be Frozen
The VAT registration limit normally increases in line with inflation each year. However, It was announced last year that the limit would be frozen at £85,000 until 1 April 2020. It has now been announced that the limit will now remain at the same level until 2022. The deregistration limit will remain at £83,000.
10. More Rates Relief For Small Businesses
There has been much lobbying from the small business sector to reduce business rates to enable traditional retailers, in particular, to compete with internet traders. In this Autumn budget, the Chancellor has announced a one third reduction in business rates for small businesses, with premises with a rateable value up to £51,000.
DIARY OF MAIN TAX EVENTS – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2018
Date |
What’s Due |
19/11/2018 |
PAYE & NIC deductions, and CIS return and tax, for month to 5/11/18 (due 22/11 if you pay electronically) |
19/12/2018 |
PAYE & NIC deductions, and CIS return and tax, for month to 5/12/18 (due 22/12 if you pay electronically) |
30/12/2018 |
Deadline for filing 2017/18 tax return online in order to request that HMRC collect outstanding tax via the 2018/19 PAYE code |
01/01/2019 |
Corporation tax for year to 31/03/2018 Unless quarterly instalments apply |
01/02/2019 |
Corporation tax for year to 30/04/2018 Unless quarterly instalments apply |
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can support your business with the complexities of these tax and payment rules and help you succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
No-Deal Brexit: This is what you should know!
Hold tight! Business guidance in the event of a no-deal Brexit
With less than six months to go until the UK leaves the EU – and with no post-Brexit deal yet on the table – there’s no doubt that we are entering uncharted waters. So, what should you do to prepare your business in case of a no-deal Brexit?
Chequers statement
You may be aware that the UK’s Government has insisted that preparations for a no-deal Brexit scenario are part of its overall Brexit preparation strategy. Indeed, the Prime Minister’s Chequers statement, issued after her cabinet’s infamous July away day, included a pledge to step up preparedness for all possible outcomes of the negotiations, including a no-deal Brexit scenario.
August technical notices
You may remember that on 23 August, a little over a month after May’s statement, the Department for Exiting the EU published 25 ‘technical notices‘. The documents covered such diverse areas, as:
- Applying for EU-funded programmes
- Driving and transport
- Farming
- Money and Tax
- Importing and exporting
- Regulating medicines
You will find that the notes were supported by guidance entitled “UK government’s preparations for a ‘no deal’ scenario”. Its aim was to put the technical notices in context by explaining the Brexit negotiation’s progress to date, and what might happen if the UK were to crash out of the EU.
September White paper
We then saw in early September, the House of Commons joined the party by publishing a briefing document (white paper) called “What happens if there’s no Brexit deal?” At 172 pages, it’s not exactly a bedtime read. Nevertheless, its fifteen chapters cover all areas from “how could no deal happen?” through to “external relations”, and it is an excellent source of no-deal Brexit information.
HMRC published a letter
But you may not know that, in an unprecedented move, HMRC wrote to 145,000 businesses across the UK about the ramifications of a no-deal Brexit, should Britain crash out of the EU and the Customs union on 29 March 2019. The letter, written by HMRC’s Deputy Chief Executive Jim Harra and published on 17 September, started positively by acknowledging: “The UK government has reached agreement with the EU on the vast majority of withdrawal issues, including the terms of an implementation period. Full agreement on this, will mean that trading with the EU during the implementation period would broadly stay the same until 31 December 2020.” This is meant to give you a degree of reassurance by stating “The approach of continuity does not mean that everything will stay the same, but the priority is maximising stability at the point of departure.”
After referring to the government’s focus “on securing a future partnership with the EU following the end of the implementation period in December 2020”, the letter’s tone changed. Harra referred to a no-deal eventuality being unlikely and continued to reassure readers: “In the event of no-deal, the government is committed to prioritising stability for businesses”. He added that: “we will continue to work closely with industry to ensure that interventions in a no deal scenario are conducted in a way which minimises delays and additional burdens for legitimate trade, while robustly ensuring compliance.” If a disorderly exit was to happen, there would, of course, be immediate changes to the way you, as a business, trade with the EU. Jim’s letter set the position out very clearly: “If we leave the EU without a deal in March 2019, there would be immediate changes to the way UK businesses trade with the EU that impact on your business”.
UK businesses trade with the EU in case of no-deal Brexit
- You, as a UK business, will have to apply customs, excise and VAT procedures to goods traded with the EU, in the same way that already applies for goods traded outside of the EU.
- Trading partners in the EU will have to apply customs, excise and VAT procedures to goods they receive from you, in the same way they do for goods received from outside of the EU.
In particular, if your business currently trades only with the EU, then you’d have to start completing customs declarations from March 2019, and customs checks would apply to your business for the first time.” The letter concludes by saying, “there is no need to contact HMRC at this stage”. However, it suggests, “If you’re a member of a trade body, they might have useful information on their website. VAT advisers, customs agents, freight forwarders and other businesses also have services to help you, to follow customs rules”.
Public domain Brexit sources of information
There are many sources of information on Brexit you can consult, from TV, radio and reading newspapers to searching the web. However, some are more reliable than others. To get a balanced and informed view of what is going on, you would be well inspired to access information from more than one source.
Brexit Government sources of information
- GOV.UK “Brexit” pages – you can sign up to receive regular updates.
- The Government has published technical notices across a range of topics on GOV.UK, to explain what will apply if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, including:
– The House of Commons white paper in early September
– HMRC’s Jim Harra’s “advice and guidance” letter
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can support you with the impact Brexit may have on your business and help you succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
5 Easy Steps To Building Your Own Resilience
Building your resilience
Running and managing your own business can be one of the hardest challenges of your life. The ups, the downs, the cash flow challenges, finding the right people – the list is endless. Likewise, though, are the ups in terms of success: winning the next deal, finding the best employees to help you go further and higher. However, one common trait business leaders possess, is their ability to battle through the hard times. By way of resilience – a heroic struggle that is not for all. Resilience is not something we are born with, but instead, it is something we develop during our lifetimes. Below are five essential tips on how to build your own resilience.
1. Keep a positive attitude
This is key to deflecting stress scenarios, to restructuring your pessimistic or negative thoughts. You need to ask yourself whether there is any rational basis to feel negatively about a situation. It is also important to recognise that you are in control, and as to whether the glass is half-empty or half-full. Re framing your thoughts can also help you to be positive, so you can alter the perceived value of the challenging event by accepting it and recovering from it.
2. Develop your moral compass
Altruism is strongly related to resilience – and strengthening your set of core beliefs can help. And you may have noticed that there tends to be a strong correlation between faith and religious or spiritual beliefs and resilience.
3. Find a resilient role model and develop your coping skills
Consider taking a resilient role model, such as a world leader or a successful business or sports star, so you can consider how they would respond to stress. Also consider how spiritual beliefs help towards a deeper management of challenging times. Rather than withdrawing and surrendering to your stress situations, observe the most resilient individuals, and how they use active rather than passive coping skills. You could minimise the self-questioning caused by the stress situation, by creating positive thinking, and in turn facing the fear directly.
4. Build your social network and physical fitness
Rather than going solo, it is important to build a safety net of friends and family to help you cope with stress situations. Regular exercise is one of the keys to cleansing your mind of stress – as it has been linked with improvements in mood, cognition, regulation of emotion, immunity, and overall self-esteem. Try to think of exercise as a welcome reprieve rather than a task, framing your mindset in a positive way.
5. Remember the 8-8-8 rule
On a typical day, many people are over-worked, with lack of sleep and limited social or personal time. Breaking the day into thirds – eight hours for work, eight hours for personal / family time and eight hours for sleep – is recommended as a suitable routine to help you keep on top of the mental daily stresses.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you and your business succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
Self-Employed? Paying NICs? This Is What You Need To Know
Class 2 NICs To Continue For Self-Employed
In 2016, the government consulted on a proposed abolition of Class 2 National Insurance contributions (NICs) for the self-employed. If you are self-employed, this flat rate contribution, currently £2.95 a week is payable in addition to Class 4 contributions, based on the level of profits. The flat rate contributions were due to cease on 5 April 2019, but will now continue “for the life of this parliament”. The reason for this u-turn has something to do do with business owners, with low profits or making losses. As you know, if you are self-employed, in order to maintain your NI Contribution record, you voluntarily have to carry on paying Class 2 contributions, despite your profits being below the £6,205 small earnings exemption. Having your full NI contribution history helps maximise your entitlement to State Benefits. For example, full State Pension entitlement requires 35 years contributions. With the abolition of Class 2 NICs, if you fall in the category of low profits or making losses, you would need to make voluntary Class 3 contributions (currently £14.65 a week, £761.80 a year), in order for that year to count as a contribution year.
Check Your Contribution History
As mentioned above, in order to maximise your entitlement to full State Benefits, your full contribution record Is required. It is possible to check your National Insurance record online to see:
• What you’ve paid, up to the start of the current tax year (6 April 2018)
• Any National Insurance credits you’ve received
• If gaps in contributions or credits mean some years don’t count towards your State Pension (they aren’t ‘qualifying years’)
• If you can pay voluntary contributions to fill any gaps and how much this will cost
IT Consultant Wins IR35 Personal Service Company Case
The government has been consulting on extending the personal service company rules that currently apply to public sector workers, to those in the private sector. But in the meantime, tax tribunal decisions are still being decided against HMRC. In a recent case involving an IT consultant working on various projects to implement the new Universal Credit system, the First Tier Tax Tribunal decided that the consultant would not have been an employee, if directly engaged. A key factor was that the level of control over the consultant, fell far below the sufficient degree required to demonstrate a contract of service.
And Football Referees Are Self-Employed
The degree of control was also held to be a critical factor in determining that football referees, in charge of matches in the Championship and lower leagues, were indeed self-employed. HMRC were arguing that the referees should be taxed as employees and subject to PAYE. Interestingly, those refereeing Premier League matches are employees of the Premier League. HMRC are expected to appeal the decision of the First Tier Tribunal.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can help you with the complexities of IR35 rules, support your business and help you succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
5 Ways To Be More Productive
Busy versus Productive
In today’s hyper connected business environment, it seems we are all busier than ever. Whether we are responding to emails outside of office hours… Or taking a call while on the way to a meeting… There is so much going on in our work lives that it’s easy to lose focus on getting the most important work done. But is this really conducive to being productive? And how do you know for sure?
1. Focus on being effective
Busy people tend to have a good work ethic. That is why they are always busy. The problem is not that they don’t work hard, but that they don’t work smart. If you want to be more productive, focus on being effective. You just need to be constantly looking for better ways to achieve the same outcome.
2. Don’t sweat the small stuff
Busy people tend to get lost in the minor details whereas productive people tend to focus on the macro issues. Once you get from A to B in the most efficient way possible, it doesn’t really matter which route you took to get there or what else you did along the way. Focus on hitting each milestone along the way to achieving your business objectives and don’t sweat the small stuff.
3. Set your own direction
Busy people tend to be reactive and let others set their direction. If you want to be more productive, you need to set your own direction and be more proactive in moving forward with each of your business objectives. Industry norms can try to set your direction of travel. However, if you want to move forward in a way that embraces new and innovative ways of doing things, it’s best you choose your own path to achieving each of your objectives.
4. The power of why?
Busy people tend to say yes and don’t really challenge why others are asking them to do things. To be more productive you need to ask “why”? You need to challenge others with questions like “Why are we doing this?” And “how does investing time in this particular activity help us achieve our business objectives?”
5. Don’t try to do everything yourself
Busy people tend to do everything themselves. To be more productive, you need to use the tools and resources available to you, in order to get things done in the most efficient manner. If a particular task has a high recurrence rate or isn’t a particularly good use of your time, either hire someone cheaper to do it or outsource it.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can support your business and help you succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
5 Ways To Raise Finance – Where To Start?
Raising finance for your business: Where to start?
To help you kick-start your business, there are several ways in which you could raise finance to get your idea underway or to further accelerate your growth. At the time of writing, these are the most common routes for you to explore to raise finance. However, new offerings for finance are constantly evolving in line with financial innovations – so we recommend you keep a close eye on what’s happening. For now, these are the recommended routes, meaning you don’t have to rely exclusively on traditional avenues, such as banks, to raise funds.
Keep it in the family
When transforming a new idea into a business, you could first go to your friends and family to help raise funds. Whilst many start-ups do this to help fund their new venture, it is advisable you seek legal advice to ensure you capture all aspects of your agreement, in writing. This could be a simple contract between parties, including a detailed business plan and financial forecast for their review. This will help prevent challenges that may appear in future, protecting your business and the investments of your friends and family. Most importantly, it will help you maintain your personal relationships.
Business Angel investment
Angel Investments is a means, for private and industry investors, to explore opportunities to use their personal finance, in exchange for shares in your business. Their expectation is usually for a return on their investment, between three and eight years. The good news here, is that Angel Investors typically play an active role in your business, offering support and guidance to your strategy and plan. Obviously, an investor familiar with your industry would, in most cases, be the best choice. For more information, the UK Business Angels Association is a good place to start.
Crowdfunding
One option, rather than asking a few people to contribute large sums, is to ask a large amount of people to each invest smaller amounts. This is known as Crowdfunding, which can take several forms:
- Equity (when the investment is exchanged for shares or for a stake in your business)
- Debt (when the money is provided with the view to receive money back with interest)
- Donations (when people believe in your idea and base their contribution on their belief in that cause). Donors will expect nothing in return for their provision of funds.
Grant and Loans for Start-Ups
The government aims to accelerate the UK economy, and as such, provides grants and loans for businesses. Grants are where a portion of taxpayers’ money is saved each year, to drive new business ideas. With the money offered nationally, you will need to apply, so the government can assess whether you are eligible for a grant. Start Up loans are provided through a government scheme aimed at entrepreneurs, with the average loan estimated at £6,000. Some loans can be increased up to the value of £25,000, however, they need to be supported by twelve months of business mentoring. You must repay any loans back within five years, typically with an interest rate of 6%.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can support your business and help you succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
HMRC Warns: Declare Your Offshore Income Gains And Assets Or Else!
Time’s Up!
HMRC is urging you to come forward and declare any foreign income or profits on offshore assets before 30 September, to avoid higher tax penalties. New legislation called ‘Requirement to Correct’ requires you, as a UK taxpayer, to notify HMRC, about any offshore tax liabilities relating to UK income tax, capital gains tax or inheritance tax.
It is a legal requirement
You may not realise you have a requirement to declare your overseas financial interests. Under the rules, actions like renting out a property abroad, transferring income and assets from one country to another, or even renting out a UK property when living abroad, could mean you could face a tax bill in the UK.
From 1 October, financial data will be exchanged internationally
From 1 October more than 100 countries, including the UK, will be able to exchange data on financial accounts under the Common Reporting Standard (CRS). CRS data will significantly enhance HMRC’s ability to detect offshore non-compliance. It is in your interest, as a taxpayer, to correct any non-compliance, before that data is received or be faced with higher penalties.
Foreign Property, Investment, Income and Moving Money
The most common reasons for declaring offshore tax liabilities are in relation to foreign property, investment income and moving money into the UK from abroad. Over 17,000 people have already contacted HMRC to notify them about tax due from sources of foreign income, such as their holiday homes and overseas properties.
How Do I Notify HMRC?
You can correct your tax liabilities by using HMRC’s digital disclosure service as part of the Worldwide Disclosure Facility. Once you have notified HMRC by 30 September of your intention to make a declaration, you will then have 90 days to make a full disclosure and pay any tax owed. We can assist you in making the necessary disclosure and tax calculation, if these new rules apply to you.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can support you and your business with these tax and payment rules. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
Why do I need a Leadership Development Program?
You need a leadership development program because it is, actually, the management team’s responsibility to invest in, develop and grow the firm’s next generation of leaders.
Your Leadership Development Program
Begin with constructing a solid framework with which you can develop the next generation of leaders in your firm. Then identify the attributes and capabilities of the existing leadership team, and work from there to develop a program that builds on this foundation. In creating a leadership development program, make sure your business has a clear vision and stated goals. It seems obvious, but unless your future leaders understand the vision and strategy of the business, they are unlikely to engage and develop their skills in a way that contributes to the success of the business overall.
Align Your Expectations
Next, align your expectations of future leaders with the overall objectives of the firm. To do this, you must identify the behaviours that you want to reward, and articulate this to your future leaders. A simple way to go about this is to ask yourself: what do we want our future leaders to accomplish?
Develop Skills
You need to let your next generation of potential leaders develop their skills. Give them enough freedom to explore, experiment and experience some struggles, but still be reined in safely, if necessary. Identifying potential candidates for your leadership development program can be difficult. Most businesses tend to do this in different ways. However, identifying the employees who bring the most energy, ambition and success into your company is a smart way to focus your development efforts.
Assess Potential
You should be conscious that the best employees don’t always make the best managers. A good way of assessing this, is to allow potential future leaders to shadow a manager for a day or two. It will tend to become apparent pretty quickly, if the employee has the potential to become a manager or not.
Communicate
Finally, it is important to communicate. If you have identified an employee as a potential future leader in your firm, have a conversation with them to understand their career development aspirations. Some people want to develop and move up in the firm. Whereas others may be content with their current job and may have no desire to take on additional responsibility. You can only develop people who want to engage and be developed.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can support you and your business with leadership skills. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.
Watch the video here.
Becoming Self Employed? Here are 5 Recommended Rules
1. Becoming Self Employed? Have clear goals and be realistic about what you want to achieve
When becoming self employed, consider what you want to achieve, whether it be the dream of building your business, eventually having staff, or giving something back to society. Do you want to work less hours, have a better work / life balance, or just be your own boss? Once you have decided, make sure your goals are realistic and ensure you determine your process goals – the things you will need to do, to get you to your overall goal. Have your goal and objective clear and written down at the start, and keep referring to it to avoid straying off course. Building a business takes time and any distraction is time you will not get back.
2. Be brutal with your time and leverage support around you
Be strict about working hours, as this may be one of the main reasons you considered when becoming self employed, in the first place. Don’t be tempted to waste your time: balance your working hours between building your new prospect base, networking for business, and delivering to your customers. Make sure you have a support network around you. It can be lonely working alone, and it’s great to have others with whom to share ideas and thoughts, to help you and your business improve. These can be colleagues, networking groups, or industry bodies.
3. Have professional standards
Consider all you do to put the customer at the heart of your business and be professional at all times. Be on time for all appointments and be dressed appropriately, acting professionally on the clients’ premises and following appropriate business etiquette. Balance what you do, as a professional off-line with that online. Make sure your website, invoices and methods of payment are all to a high professional standard. With cost effective business solutions such as QuickBooks Self-Employed, you can easily manage all aspects of your business process in a professional way.
4. Keep close and connected to your industry
Whatever industry you’re in, it will be constantly evolving, and it is key to keep connected, staying close to new developments, compliance, regulations, and best practices. This will help you get the training and certifications you need, as well as remaining an expert in your industry.
5. Maintain your work / life balance
Focusing only on work is not good for anyone, so do consider what other hobbies or family activities you might enjoy. Maintain your social and family balance, and avoid being over-worked, and you will have more chances of being successful when becoming self employed.
Lotuswise Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants can support you with the complexities of becoming self employed and also help you succeed. To find out how, please contact us. To also get even more useful business and finance information and tax advice tips, check out our app on Google or Apple stores.