The Auto Enrolment Compliance Trap Nobody Warned You About
Here’s something they don’t tell you at those business networking events: auto enrolment smart pension compliance isn’t just another tick-box exercise. Last year, The Pensions Regulator took enforcement action against 157,142 employers. Read that number again. Most business owners think they’ve sorted their workplace pension once they’ve signed up with a provider. Then – usually at the […]
Corporate Tax Return Deadlines in the UK
There’s a peculiar irony in running a business. You spend months building something brilliant—negotiating contracts, landing clients, perfecting your product—only to discover that missing a single date circled in red on some bureaucrat’s calendar can cost you more than your entire marketing budget. I’m talking about corporate tax return deadlines, of course. And if you’re […]
Why Accounting for Small Companies Is Different
Last thing you want to hear: your accountant treating your three-person startup like it’s Tesco. Here’s why the numbers game changes when you’re small. Right, let’s get something straight from the start. When I tell people that accounting for small companies isn’t just a scaled-down version of big business accounting, I get these blank stares. Like I’ve […]
How VAT Accounting Works in the UK
Here’s something nobody tells you when you first start thinking about VAT: the £90,000 threshold isn’t a finish line you’re racing toward. It’s more like a trapdoor that opens beneath you when you least expect it. I’ve watched countless business owners celebrate their first £90k in turnover, only to realise – usually around 3am on […]
Ecommerce Accounts: What Makes It Different?
Here’s something most online sellers don’t realise until it’s too late: running an ecommerce business means your accounting needs are fundamentally different from a traditional shop on the high street. Not just slightly different. Completely different. I’ve watched countless sellers make the mistake of treating their Amazon or Shopify business like any other retail operation. […]
How Outsource Accounting Works (Step-by-Step)
Last updated: December 2025 Here’s something nobody tells you about running a business: your accounting books are probably messier than you think. I’ve seen it countless times. A business owner thinks everything’s fine — until tax season arrives like an unwelcome relative. Or worse, they miss a crucial VAT deadline because their spreadsheet system (the one […]
Accountant for Self Employed: What an Accountant Can Do for You
Here’s something nobody tells you when you first go self-employed: you’ll spend roughly 14% of your working week thinking about money you don’t have yet, money HMRC wants from you, or receipts you’ve definitely lost. That’s not an official statistic (I made it up), but ask any freelancer and they’ll nod knowingly. The romance of […]
Auto Enrolment Guide for Small Employers
Here’s something nobody tells you when you’re starting out: hiring your first employee transforms you from a business owner into a pension provider overnight. Quite the promotion, isn’t it? I remember chatting with a café owner in Wimbledon last year—brilliant baker, made these ridiculous cinnamon buns that had queues out the door—who’d just taken on […]
Accounting and Bookkeeping for Busy Owners
Here’s the thing nobody tells you when you start a business: accounting and bookkeeping will haunt you at 2 AM. Not in some dramatic, existential way. More like that niggling sensation that you’ve forgotten something crucial whilst lying in bed—except what you’ve forgotten is three months of receipts shoved into a carrier bag under your […]
