How putting the end user first is reaping rewards for this business owner
It is a wonderful sight to behold: the business that puts its consumers first, but what happens when your end user is a step removed from your consuming buyer? Today on the blog we want to share the story of Margaret Reynolds, owner of Dogrobes, the business whose success is based on the wellbeing of their end user - your dog. Join Margaret and Stephen as they gain an insight into what it is like to own a business and to navigate the successes and the lessons to be learned along the way....
August 26, 2021A complete guide to Capital Gains Tax on property and how to pay it
Have you recently sold a UK property; either a rental, holiday home, land or inherited property? Somewhere that wasn’t your principle private residence? You may now have to pay Capital Gains Tax (CGT) if you made a profit (‘gain’) when you sold (or ‘disposed of’) said property. For UK property disposals made on or after 6 April 2020, you have thirty days after the property’s completion date to report and pay any CGT due on your gains. Stuck where to start and how to report your Capit...
June 16, 20215 ways to improve your work-life balance
You often hear fellow business owners, or business coaches talking about work-life balance online - you need to be doing this, or that, to achieve it. Try as you might the reality is that sometimes work takes over and as your business grows you find yourself wishing more and more that you could spend more time with your family, but actually you see them less and less. Today, here at Valued, we want to help break that cycle by talking you through some of our tips and tricks to having it all ...
February 17, 2021How this business succeeds by putting people first
As a business owner, the people in and around your business are your biggest asset and how you value and lift them up is integral to your success. One of our clients leads us by example today, here on the blog. Richard Reed Solicitors employ 34 staff and have been offering legal advice for all aspects of personal and business life, for several decades. Sarah Reid became an owner in the business in 2009 and has led with the firm belief that people are central to a businesses success. Join Sarah a...
February 10, 2021Government lockdown support – what can you really claim?
So you find yourself at the end of the first month of the third period of UK lockdown and you just filed your tax return. Your revenue was woefully low and you are feeling scared about what 2021 might bring, or even if you might actually be able to reopen at all. Firstly, I want you to take a moment, because you are one of many business owners feeling this way and whilst we do not have a magic wand, we can certainly help advise you on financial matters to help see you through another tricky patc...
February 3, 2021How to avoid the real and present danger of discounting
You might think that offering discounts is a great strategy and you may feel you have seen some success with it, but there is a clear and present danger to discounting as a way to build sales. Read on and let us show you what we mean and what you can do instead that will actually bring you in more money....
January 28, 2021How to thrive during an economic downturn
When the future looks uncertain and you see an economic downturn, how can you prepare and strengthen your business? Sounds scary, but it is absolutely possible to thrive even when competition is finding it tough and today we are going to show you how.The last year has certainly shown us that the future path of your business can change in an instant – usually, due to influences that are far beyond our own control. The Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing global economic recession have both had a n...
January 27, 2021How to really plan for seasonal dips in your turnover
Are you heading for a seasonal dip in turnover? Want to know how to best prepare for that?Seasonal dips in turnover can be a big problem for SMEs, which can in itself have a knock on effect as to how you handle your payment of expenses and payroll. There are however, several ways you can foresee and even predict dips in turnover, so that you can both plan for and navigate them with success. Let us help you discover what those deduction techniques are and how to implement them....
January 26, 2021How this company is bringing global business to the North East
With Brexit fresh in our minds, it feels harder than ever to conceive a future exporting business, but one Gateshead-based company, Blue Kangaroo, is proving all doubts wrong by thriving globally. We talk to Jason Knights, Managing Director of Blue Kangaroo Design to find out his secret to global trade in his industry and how you can get started too....
January 21, 2021Home-office expenses: What can you deduct at tax time?
Working from home as a sole-trader and wondering what home-office expenses are tax deductible? Or maybe you are a business owner and wondering what tax deductibles you can claim for, under staff expenses? In the last year we have seen a huge increase in the home-working options businesses provide. In fact, the Office of National Statistics reported that in April 2020, as many as 46.6% of the UK workforce was working from home in some form. 86% of whom were home purely because of the restric...
January 14, 2021How this entrepreneur is improving your cooking habits
We are very lucky to have such an amazing range of clients here at Valued and so we wanted to take a moment to celebrate their entrepreneurial achievements as part of a new video series, called, ‘Valued in their words’. Our very first interviewee is the wonderful Gwen from It’s from Scratch. Gwen has a huge passion to help you make beautiful recipes a reality. From cook-alongs to those hard to find ingredients, Gwen is there to help you build confidence in your cooking. She has already ins...
December 10, 2020How to create a recurring invoice in Xero
There may be many occasions where you may have regular work with a given client and in this case to save yourself a lot of time and energy invoicing at the end of each month, or before a new job starts, you can set up what we call a recurring invoice. Recurring invoices can be set for varying regularities depending on your client agreements. Let us walk you through the process of how easy it is to set that up with a Xero repeating invoice....
December 3, 2020How to create an invoice easily in Xero
Getting stuck raising an invoice on Xero? Want to know if you can save time by creating recurring invoices for monthly client projects? Never fear, today on the blog we are going to guide you through the Xero invoice process step by step!...
December 2, 2020Will and Trust: Why you need a good plan in place
Did you know that over 70% of people do not have a simple Will and Trust provision in place, which for some can have devastating effects on their families, after they are gone.Here at Valued we had the enormous pleasure of hosting Brenda Beveridge, an Estate Planner, in our Facebook Community recently. We wanted to share her insights with you, because in the sobering thought of what comes after, we want you and your family to be taken care of....
October 19, 2020Chancellor’s Winter Economic Update
Today Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a new job scheme starting 1 November 2020 to replace the current Job retention (“furlough”) scheme which ends 31 October 2020.All small and medium-sized businesses are eligible, larger businesses must show their turnover has fallen during the pandemic. Employers can use the new scheme even if they have not previously used the furlough scheme.The new Government scheme will last for six months to 30 April 2021 and to be eligible employees will need t...
September 24, 2020Competitor analysis – know who you’re up against
Knowing who your competitors are is a key piece of business intelligence, helping you understand your market and the core threats and opportunities in your sector.Competitor analysis is the process of identifying, researching and gauging the threat posed by your competitors and is usually carried at prior to launching your business. But monitoring competitors is a useful exercise to undertake regularly, for several reasons.Regular competitor analysis help to: Understand where you sit in the mark...
September 14, 2020Lessons learned in lockdown – for your business and life
Lockdown has been (and remains) a tough time for business. Having to shut your business at short notice, or switch to an entirely digital, remote-working model, was a stressful experience. But there are things we have taken out of lockdown. Whether it enabled us to explore new ideas or dive into some fresh thinking regarding work, life or a business venture.So, what lessons did we all learn from this enforced period of business shutdown, quarantine and remote working?...
September 7, 2020How to prepare for the end of the furlough scheme
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) – or the ‘furlough scheme’ has been a lifeline for many UK businesses during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.The scheme has provided short-term financial support for businesses during the UK lockdown, allowing companies to pay their workers 80% of their usual wages whilst the workforce is furloughed and out of work at home.This has helped to preserve jobs and reduce the necessity for sweeping job cuts. It’s also kept the workforce on the payroll ...
September 2, 2020Government £20m Small Business Recovery Grant
SME Recovery Grant The Government has made £20m of funding available to boost small businesses to recover from the Coronavirus pandemic. Now more than ever small businesses need to know how much cash their business needs to survive, what strategies and plans they will put into place and the actions that are important to recover from the impacts of Covid-19.Why not let Valued be the one to deliver these services to your business as the great news is, the grants can cover our fees for o...
August 20, 2020Starling Bank – How they are changing the game for SME banking
We were thrilled on Wednesday to be joined on our live broadcast by Oliver Krishnan of Starling Bank who shared with us some insights on Starling Bank and how they are changing the game for SME banking....
August 3, 2020Understanding who your customers are is essential for your business
Understanding who your customers are is half the battle when it comes to developing successful marketing activities.When you understand the specific characteristics and needs of your customer base, you can deliver your solution at the right price, in the right place and in their language.Learn more about your customers and you will be ahead of your competition in no time. This will save you time and money in the long run. It’s about going slowly now to go quickly later. By answering the follow...
July 14, 2020Setting the right goals for your business
If you’re going to grow your company in the right way, pinning down your goals and having a clear vision for the business from the outset is vital.You may want to increase profits and create an income that supports your lifestyle, or you are looking to increase market share and aim for hypergrowth. You may even be aiming to increase the overall value of the company to get the best return when exiting the business....
July 7, 2020Emerging from lockdown to your new ‘norm’
Emerging from lockdown to your new norm will for some allow a sense of things getting back to pre-COVID-19, whatever that normality may look like. For some it will be the simple pleasures of takeaway coffee, McDonald’s drive-through and online shopping for non-essential items; things we never dreamed could be on hold. Restarting the economy, albeit in a risk-managed way, comes with the pressure to not stuff this up and force a return to lockdown. So, what can businesses do to prepare for conta...
July 4, 2020Your business has a great story to tell
Your business has a great story to tell. If you are looking to employ a PR consultant to help drive media coverage, make sure you have done your groundwork for your best chance of success.Here are the four questions to ask internally: Have you nailed your value proposition and business objectives? Your announcement must be newsworthy not just news. When you are competing with hundreds of other press releases on a journo’s desk, you need to be saying something new and interesting. It might...
June 15, 2020How to safeguard your team’s mental health
Last week it was Mental Health Awareness Week and it got us to thinking how to safeguard your team’s mental health. The coronavirus pandemic has forced a significant amount of change and upheaval onto you and your team – in a very short amount of time. We’ve gone from ‘business as usual’ to closed offices, working from home and the full reality of isolation during an emergency lockdown. To combat this change, it’s important to take steps to care for your employees....
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