Audit

Though business owners traditionally regard the annual audit and preparation of annual accounts as a cost centre—a necessary evil that adds no value to the business—our aim to transform it into a profit centre.

Besides helping you meet the statutory requirements, we also take the opportunity to conduct a review of your financial and management systems. This can often enable us to identify potential problem areas and recommend opportunities to improve your business performance. We discuss any problems and opportunities with you, and help you implement agreed solutions.

The preparation of your annual report can be an opportunity to enhance your external image.

A well-prepared report can have a considerable positive impact on the perceptions of investors, potential finance sources, customers, referral sources, and even your own staff—all of which greatly improve your future business prospects.

Bookkeeping & accounting

We can relieve you and your staff of an enormous burden by taking care of all your bookkeeping and accounting needs, including the preparation of annual accounts.

Our first step is to work with you to gain a full understanding of your business. We then tailor our approach to your requirements to provide exactly the service you need.

Besides your core bookkeeping, we can also maintain your VAT records, prepare and audit your group pension fund, and take on short-term projects to relieve your staff of any temporary overload.

But perhaps the most important part of this service is the preparation of management accounts: These are vital to the continued success of your business. We discuss your requirements and provide tailored information and constructive advice on a regular basis

Business planning

Everyone knows that a successful business must plan ahead, but all too often the pressures of keeping the business going on a daily basis mean that strategic planning is not given the attention it needs. The result is often rushed judgements, over—or under—capacity, or missed opportunities.

Every business owner needs a planning adviser who has the time to take the long view, and advise on appropriate courses of action before it is too late. With years of experience advising the local business community, we have a wealth of experience and expertise to draw on. Contact us today for a planning review.

Business start-up

Most people who start up in business do so because they have a good business proposition together with the enterprise and commitment to see it through—not because they are experts in the legal, financial, and fiscal aspects of running a business.

These matters can often seem daunting, and even offputting, to the budding entrepreneur. The good news is that you do not need to be an expert in all these fields to succeed. But you do need the support of a team of trained experts.

That's where we fit in. Bring us your business ideas and we'll help you to evaluate them in a constructive and realistic manner. We can also help you:

• Decide on the most suitable structure for your business—sole trader, partnership, or limited company
• Prepare a business plan, cashflow projections, budgets, and trading forecasts
• Assess your finance requirements, advise on the best sources of finance, and draw up the necessary proposals
• Establish a good working relationship with your bank
• Complete any registration procedures with Companies House and HMRCE
• Deal with company secretarial issues
• Set up a recording system for your internal use and for complying with statutory requirements

Start your new venture on a sure footing—call us for an initial consultation today.

Company secretarial

The last thing you need as a busy business owner is to waste valuable time and resources making sure you are complying with the Companies Act.

And with company legislation changing at the rate it does, you need to be sure you are fully aware of how the changes affect you and your fellow directors.

We can give you complete peace of mind in this area by carrying out your company secretarial duties for you.

Our services include:

• Company formations
• Preparation and filing of statutory returns
• Preparation of all documentation related to minutes and resolutions
• Maintenance of statutory books
• General advice on company law

Corporate finance

Whether yours is a new or a mature business, ensuring that you have the necessary finance is essential to achieve your objectives. Indeed, one of the most common causes of business failure is badly structured or inadequate financing.

We can help you:

• Conduct a feasibility study of your projects
• Decide on the most suitable sources of finance—personal capital, bank overdraft, long-term commercial loans and mortgages, national and regional agencies, venture capital, or equity capital
• Prepare the necessary business plan, forecasts, prospectuses, etc.
• Present your proposals to your chosen finance source
• Arrange a disposal, merger/acquisition, or management buyout/in

Our expertise and contacts will help you open doors that may otherwise have remained closed for you.

Corporate tax planning

Corporation tax represents a substantial part of your trading costs. Moreover, the increased reporting obligations, and increasingly robust investigation policies on the part of the tax authorities, and with harsher penalties for non-compliance, mean that an undue amount of your time and resources can be taken up collecting revenue for the Government.

We offer a range of services to help you minimise your corporate tax exposure and relieve you of the administrative burden of complying with tax legislation. These include:

• Determining the most tax effective structure for your business
• Taking full advantage of tax opportunities and reliefs
• Achieving the optimum capital or revenue tax treatment
• Reducing tax on disposals and maximising relief on acquisitions
• Making the most of tax opportunities specific to your industry
• Meeting the rigorous demands of compliance including corporation tax self assessment
• Acting on your behalf in discussions with the tax authorities

Efficient corporate tax planning can result in significant improvements in your bottom line.

Mergers & acquisitions

Sometimes the best way to improve your competitive position in the marketplace is through a merger or acquisition. This is a complex and time consuming process, but if it is not well researched and skillfully negotiated, could make matters worse, not better.

This is definitely a situation where you need the support and assistance of trained professionals. We can help you:

• Identify potential targets for M&A
• Screen targets for suitability
• Prepare a negotiating strategy
• Raise the necessary capital
• Develop an integration plan
• Optimise the tax and financial position of the combined enterprise

At other times you may decide to improve your profitability through a disposal. Again, we can help with valuing the assets, finding suitable purchasers, and negotiating the sale.

Don't take risks with your business—let the professionals help you.

Payroll

Administering your payroll can be time-consuming and burdensome, diverting energy and resources from the core activities of your business. And the task is made all the more difficult by the growing complexity of taxation and employment legislation and the accompanying penalties for non-compliance.

We have dedicated staff who can relieve you of this burden by providing a comprehensive and confidential payroll service, including:

• Customised payslips
• Administration of PAYE, national insurance, statutory sick pay, statutory maternity pay, etc
• Completion of statutory forms, including year end returns, to issue to your employees and submit to HMRCE
• Summaries and analyses of staff costs
• Administration of incentive schemes, bonuses, and ex-gratia and termination payments
• Administration of pension schemes

Even if you have only a few employees, you will make savings if we administer your payroll.

VAT

Value added tax is one of the most complex and onerous tax regimes imposed on business—so complex that many businesses inadvertently overpay or underpay VAT.

The ever widening scope of VAT, the constant stream of detailed changes to the regulations, and the ever growing demands of HMRCE call for a trained professional eye to ensure that you do not fall foul of the regulations and do not pay the Exchequer more than you need to!

We provide an efficient cost effective VAT service, which includes:

• Assistance with VAT registration
• Advice on VAT planning and administration
• Use of the most appropriate scheme
• VAT control and reconciliation
• Help with completing VAT returns
• Planning to minimise future problems with HMRCE
• Negotiating with HMRCE in disputes and representing you at VAT tribunals

Call us today for a VAT healthcheck.