The nuts and bolts of the services I offer
Here is an overview of my services. I offer a tiered approach so you can choose what level of support you would like according to your individual needs.
PRICING
What do I charge?
The cost of my services will depend on the needs and complexity of your business. As part of the process of deciding whether it is right for us to work together, I will review your business systems and processes and reporting requirements. I will provide you with options for different levels of reporting and you can decide what is right for you.
I have prepared a guide, available to download, which sets out my approach and gives an indication on the cost of different levels of support for some example businesses.
CORE ESSENTIALS
The basics you need to ensure you meet your business obligations
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Preparation of statutory accounts - For filing with Companies House.
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Preparing of your Corporation Tax Return for submission to HMRC.
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Bookkeeping - Keeping your accounting records up to date and ensuring transactions are coded to enable useful regular reporting. This can also include reconciling the information from other systems to your accounting system and bringing your accounts up to date if you are behind.
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VAT obligations - Forecasting when you might become liable to register for VAT and assessing the impact this could have on your business and its profitability. Setting up systems to record, report and file VAT returns.
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Financial terminology explained - Care in explaining what the financial statements are and what the different parts mean, such as balance sheet, profit and loss, debtors, creditors, assets, liabilities, retained earnings and distributable reserves.
CASHFLOW AND PLANING
Looking ahead to make informed decisions
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Cash flow monitoring - You will have a handle on your cash flow so that you not only understand what money you have coming in and out of your business, but you know this several months in advance enabling you to make strategic business decisions rather than knee-jerk ones.
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Budget forecasting - By preparing an annual plan for sales, revenue and expenses, this will enable you to make the kind of strategic decisions to drive the business and will also provide a basis to track progress.
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Tailored metrics development - Recognising that each client has different data requirements, I will develop the right metrics for your business, so you are monitoring the right information and identifying any gaps in your data capture and addressing these. I can provide the level of detail and language which is appropriate for you.
REGULAR REPORTING
The information you need, when you need it
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Management reporting - I will provide regular information on how your business is performing over time, by sales categories and against a budget. This will trend analysis of different metrics such as sales by class, overall sales and expenses so you can see how the business is performing over time.
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Hone your existing management information systems – So they go beyond simply capturing the information you need to meet your statutory requirements, giving you a different type of control over your business. This is about using that information to make informed decisions and that you can continue to grow a successful and profitable business
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Business insights - Guiding you to a place where you have a handle on what is going on in terms of the financials of your business - where you are making money, which areas of your business are the most profitable and which are growing areas. You will know whether you are going to have enough money each month to pay your bills and know how much money you can draw out of your business each month.
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Accountancy software advice - Advice on appropriate accountancy and bookkeeping software to use for your business that I can provide at discounted rates. I can set-up and transfer your business to new accounting systems where needed.
WORKING TOGETHER
Staying in touch
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Available out of office hours - I am based remotely and not restricted from 9am-5pm, which means I can arrange online meetings at times which suit the running of your business.
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One stop - I am a Chartered Accountant I will manage everything, from the bookkeeping and the preparation of the statutory accounts, through to the budget forecasting and management. This means there is no division of responsibility as I manage everything.
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Here are some considerations to bear in mind
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The level of service you opt for may be higher initially for 3-6 months until you get on track and then reduced to a more basic service once things are ticking over. I will undertake an ongoing review process, so my level of service is modified to your changing business needs.
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If you are already capturing information but you are unaware of how to access and interpret it, I can prepare a report analysis the information. From this you may find your focus changes after the initial few months and it boils down to just a few things, depending on how your business is going.
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I will provide a quote based on an appointment of a minimum term, offering my services for a fixed period of 12 months. If you wanted a one-off hit then I can quote on that basis. For example, I can provide a quote to bring your books up to date and give you a management information system analysis report, and from this you can make a decision on whether they want to keep on going afterwards.
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It might be that you are happy with your accountant and how they prepare your statutory accounts and tax but are looking someone to carry out more regular management information reporting. If this is the case, I am happy to work alongside your existing accountant.