It's that time of year, when Managing Directors are considering (or agonising over) whether to give a Xmas bonus. My start point would be to ask why you are considering a Xmas bonus. (If you are agonising over it then this suggests it is a marginal decision and you...
Business Planning
Budget 2018 – At a glance
Business Small retail businesses in England will see business rates reduced by a third. The annual investment allowance is to rise five-fold from £200,000 to £1 million for two years. Reforms to individuals working under IR35 are to be extended to the private sector...
Business Start Up – Getting it RIGHT First Time
Starting a business is not easy. Getting everything set up correctly can make the operation of your business run smoothly, especially when you need to be working on or in the business to make sure it survives. Last year 660,000 companies were established in the UK,...
5 essential ways to scale a creative services business
Growth is often cited as one of the most important targets for a business to achieve. At its simplest level in the creative sector, it can come from adding team members to meet increased demand. However, growth without improved scale can also result in a greater level...
How can Design Thinking accelerate your business growth?
If you are a fan of design, I’m sure you’ll be looking forward to London Design Week, which is taking place across the city later in September. Our capital now seems to be crammed with creative companies and has developed an international reputation as an innovative...
To Register for VAT or Not, that is the question
What is Value Added Tax? Value Added Tax was introduced to the UK in 1972 to replace Purchase tax and to conform to the European Common Market. The Definition of VAT is a tax on the amount by which the value of an article has been increased at each stage of its...
Setting up business in the UK for non EU citizens – Essentials Check List
The summer is a time when visitors come from all over the world to watch our famous sports events including Wimbledon, test cricket at The Oval and the UK Grand Prix at Silverstone. To the side of these visits, many are also researching the UK as a destination for...
Five ways to improve your business productivity
You will probably be familiar with the adage: Productivity = Potential – Interference. Many of us are battling daily with interference of one sort or another, both external and internal. Potential is not always something that is easy to quantify, or to realise. ...
Why do earn out clauses often create conflict or end up in court?
How do you value your business when you're selling it? In recent years there seems to be more significant differences in expectation of valuation between buyer and seller, and increasingly the Earn-out clause has been used as an appropriate way to bridge this gap....