Consulting in the New Age – Page 4

Creating a professional looking flyer

With 2020 nearly upon us many companies are thinking about how they can kick start their marketing in the new year to give their business the best chance. Many companies spend a lot of their marketing budget online, which often makes sense, but some companies still invest in offline marketing such as leaflet dropping. For certain types of businesses leaflet dropping works very well. This may be for a business that offers their services to the local community such as a florist, butchers or window cleaner.

If you can offer people a discount such as a money off voucher on the flyer then this will often increase the response that you have from the advertisement. It is very important when creating a flyer that it looks professional. If you are a small business you may be tempted to skimp on print or even print your own. If you are going to do this you need to make sure that the paper is of high quality and the images used are not pixelated. Always print off one or two test flyers before you print the rest and double check for spelling errors or issues with the layout which can often slip through.

Branding for small businesses

Recent surveys show that although small business owners understand that branding is important, they often don’t really understand what a brand is and how they should be growing theirs.

A brand is not just a logo or a strap line but it is the whole ethos of the business. It covers everything from logos, designs, premises to staff attitude to customers, customer service and values. To have a successful brand you need to have consistency in order for people to start to recognise your business branding. Before trying to market your brand it is vital to ensure that all internal and external procedures are working as they should and that all members of staff understand the business and how it works.

When building your brand it may be useful to think of it as a person with its own beliefs, values and purpose. What are your businesses values? What does the company believe in and what is the whole purpose of your company. Every bit of marketing you do needs to reiterate this in some way and allow your customers to start to understand the story behind your business.

What qualifications do you need to become a bookkeeper?

The job of a bookkeeper requires a certain set of skills and as you gain experience you will find a number of other opportunities may arise.

There is no legal requirement to have a certain qualification to be a bookkeeper, but if you are looking for employment in this area you will often find that you are more likely to be accepted for a job if you do. Most people start off by doing a bookkeepers or accountancy course at college. You will usually need to have 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D) for a level 2 course.

You can train yourself to become a bookkeeper or learn whilst on the job, which will allow you to keep study costs down and work at the same time but if you are planning of becoming self-employed then it is important that you ensure you know exactly what you are doing before offering your services to clients. You may have some family members who are self-employed and you may start off by doing their books for them. This will also give you experience that you to add to your CV to make you a more viable candidate when it comes to applying for jobs.

Branding and business to business marketing

A brand is the whole identity of a business and not just a logo or your colourways. The more recognised your brand is the more chance to have of securing deals and making sales. Marketing can be a very confusing world to get in to. There are so many different ways in which you can market your business that you may not know where’s best to invest your time and money.

If you are a business that sells to other businesses then you will need to have a different marketing strategy to a business that sells direct to the public. Some parts may overlap but your overall focus will probably be quite different. The buying cycle is usually longer for business to business sales, the requirements are better defined, more people are involved and the stakes are typically higher.

When dealing with other businesses you need to make it feel like you are a partner of theirs, working together towards a goal rather than a sales person trying to get them to buy your product. When you’re easier to do business with, your customers feel it. It makes their work more efficient and predictable. You may need to spend more time with business customers and expect a slower process than if you were selling to a member of the public but the rewards are often greater.

Keeping on top of your accounts

If you are a small business owner you may find it hard to keep on top of your own accounts. You may find that you are so busy doing work or marketing that you have little time to keep your own accounts up to date. This means that you may get behind with payments or easily lose track of who owes you money. It is important to get processes in place to make your accounts as automated as possible. If you have people that you invoice a set amount to on a regular basis then you may want to set up a direct debit or standing order with them so you do not have to chase the money every month. Many accounting software packages will also let you create recurring invoices that can be done every week, month or year (for example) and then automatically emailed out. This can take a lot of the hassle out of accounting and keep your cash flow in order. Do your research to find out which accounting software best suits your needs and is the best price as they can range quite drastically and you can end up paying over the odds for software that is more sophisticated than you need.

Making tax digital – accountancy advice

If you run a business whether that be self employer, partnership or limited company it is important to understand tax rules and regulations and ensure that you comply with them.

Making tax digital is probably a phrase that you have heard of although it may not be affecting you yet. If you are VAT registered then you will already be having to do your VAT returns through the new digital system.

Over the next few years more and more HMRC services will be using this system and you will have to adapt the way you do your accounting to include this. The accounting software systems such as Clear books, Sage and Xero already offer instant submission to HMRC for tax purposes. If you do not use one of these accounting software packages then it may be worth looking into them or another provider to find which one suits your requirements and budget.

You can find out all the latest information on making tax digital through the HMRC website or by contacting an accountancy firm who will be able to advise you of what changes are coming in to play and how or if they will affect you.

Using an accountancy firm

If you run your own business then you have the option of using an accountancy firm to manage the financial side or doing it yourself. Depending on how large your business is and how complicated may mean that you will struggle to do all the accounting yourself. You may have employees and therefore also have to manage payroll.

There are a huge number of bookkeepers and accountancy firms out there that will do as much or as little as you want them to do. You may wish to do all the accounting yourself but then have them audit you every few months to check that you are doing it correctly or you may ask them to manage the whole thing, so you literally send all your invoices to them for them to input. They can also manage VAT returns as well as personal tax and P11D’s. Obviously, the more work you ask them to do the more you will be charged, but this can often free you up to allow you to manage and run the business as you need to so can often pay for itself. Why not get a quote and find out what an accountancy firm can do for you?

Where to get advice as a start up business

Starting up a business can be stressful and you may worry about exactly how you go about it. You will want to know that you have all the legal requirements covered as well as your business strategy and marketing in place.

England has a very supportive environment for startups, with a flourishing wealth of networks, groups and organisations for all types and style of new business. There are many places you can go for help and advice and much of it is free, so before you go forking out a lot of money, see what information you can find yourself.

When it comes to marketing your startup business you need to have a clear plan of action. Unless you have a very large budget it is always worth starting small and then investing more into your marketing as you start to see a return on your investment.

If you think you will need a loan to get your startup business off the ground, then make sure you have a good business plan that you can take with you to apply for the money as this is definitely something they would want to see.

Choosing the best bookkeeping service provider in Northampton

Financial data is an essential element of any business. It is necessary to maintain financial data to enhance the growth of your business. As a business person, it is advisable to hire someone who will do the work for you flawlessly. Look for best bookkeeping Northampton services to let everything flow well with your business. Read More

Are you disciplined enough to run your own business?

Many people say that it is their dream to have their own business and be their own boss but it is not always as easy as it sounds. To be your own boss you need to be able to be focused and to be disciplined to work as much as you need to. This is especially true if you are going to be working from home as you will often find a hundred and one distractions which can easily take you off task. It is a good idea to have a space in your home which is only used for work and which you can go to when your working day starts. You can then give yourself a lunch break and come away from the room and return after. This will mean that you can get all your work done when needed without having to try and work late at night or weekends if you don’t wish to.

You will also have to be responsible for keeping an eye on your finances, your incomings and outgoings and unless you are going to pay a bookkeeper or an accountant, all of your tax paperwork too.

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