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Staff retention. How to prevent staff leaving

Be honest. What vibe do you think people get from your workplace? Do people get a good feeling when they walk into the office? Does it appeal to potential new team members? This blog explains how focusing on flexibility, inclusivity, wellbeing, and technology can help you attract and retain talent in a tough hiring market. ...

Redefining success - personally, for your business and your team

If there’s one positive to take from the events of the last two years, it’s the opportunity to consider what’s important. For those of us in business, it’s important to redefine our plan and goals that ensure the business delivers our definition of success. The natural extension, for those with team members, is to revise what the business needs to deliver to the team....

The importance of Business Development

Business development is one of the most important areas of focus for any ambitious business. If you want your business to grow, that’s going to mean having a razor-sharp focus on new opportunities and strategies. That could mean exploring new markets, or nurturing new partnerships. It might mean diversifying to create new revenue streams, or coming up with new ideas to boost your profitability. But, ultimately, good business development comes down to having good ideas – ideas that broaden yo...

Staying on track with your personal budget

You’ve taken the first step and developed your personal budget for the year. However, don’t set and forget and then expect to achieve your personal finance goals! If you don’t monitor your progress, your spending habits are unlikely to change.So, what steps can you take to ensure you’re on track with your Personal Budget?...

How to prepare your personal budget

A personal budget is a finance plan that allocates future personal income towards expenses, savings and debt repayments. In other words, it’s a plan that sets out how you’ll spend and save your money.Some people hear the words ‘Personal Budget’ and think restriction, limitation and confinement. They imagine having to cut all spending and live on bread and water....

The obvious and unexpected benefits of having a personal budget

Having a personal budget is essential to gaining control of your personal finances. Budgeting doesn’t necessarily mean restriction; it frees up your money, so you know exactly what’s available to spend.The top 10 benefits of personal budgeting:...

What influences the customer buying decision?

It’s a common misconception that price is the most important factor when it comes to customers making a decision to buy. If you're a business owner in the service industry at least - it’s simply not true.We've compiled 5 things which influence the customer’s buying decision....

Spring Statement 2022 - good news for business?

The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, delivered his Spring Statement on 23 March. Faced with the task of creating a ‘strong economy’ for the UK, against the challenging background of high inflation, rising costs and the threat of conflict in Europe, he announced a raft of new measures.So, what was in the Spring Statement for your business? And how will these announcements, government measures and new initiatives affect the business landscape in the coming year?...

How can I ensure I get paid on time?

In an ideal world, you invoice a client, you get paid and you move on. What happens when payment is elusive and you can’t quite figure out where you went wrong? Credit control is all about managing any factors that might get in the way of payment, limiting these and making it easier to get paid promptly.These 3 tips will help you get paid on time....

How can an accountant support my business development?

A question we often hear. As your accountant, Rowdens won't just look after the financial side of your business. A vital element of a growth plan is business development, and we love advising clients on the strategic side of their company....

5 tips for chasing invoices

Without annoying your clients When you’re a small business owner, sole trader or freelancer, asking for payment on overdue invoices can be a delicate matter. Without an accounts person or department, sometimes you’re trying to secure new work and chase invoices from the same person. That can be an awkward tightrope to walk. Here are five tips for chasing payments while maintaining customer loyalty:...

Xero - Small Business Valentine 2022

Why Xero Love is always best in a threesome (and divorce is not always a bad thing) The best thing that our secret Small Business Valentine did when they joined us as a new client back in 2018, was to divorce Sage One and fall head over heels in love with Xero (and hopefully with us too)! Their previous accountants had advised them to use Sage One and the team had pages of notes on using Sage One which they referred to every time they tried to do the bookkeeping. They were terrified in case they...

The impact of the new National Insurance changes

You’ll no doubt have seen the news of a rise in both employees’ and employers’ National Insurance contributions (NICs). It’s been a contentious move by the Government, with some people seeing the policy as a necessary way of generating extra revenue for the NHS and social care, and others questioning if a tax on workers is a positive step at this stage.However, this increase in NICs is coming and will take effect from April 2022 – and it’s going to have a meaningful impact for you an...

Five steps to better cash flow

Need a hand managing cash flow? You’re not alone. The key is getting your invoicing right, by invoicing customers as soon as possible and using tools like Xero’s invoice reminders to move payments along....

Want to get paid faster? Try these tips from Xero

Xero's Small Business surveys show that almost half of invoices are paid late. Late payments are one of the most frustrating things a business can face.Here are 6 tips to get paid faster....

Quarter 1 2022 - deadlines

The Rowdens' team is always on hand to keep you up to date with the most pressing dates and deadlines for your business diary. To help you get prepared, we’ve highlighted some of the forthcoming deadlines for Q1 of 2022....

Be more organised in 2022 - automate your task list

When was the last time you made a New Year’s resolution?  For many small businesses, the challenges of the last couple of years have been enough to keep us all busy, so it's no small wonder that we're not in a hurry to add more objectives to the list. But the new year is a new beginning and the Rowdens' team hopes it brings you health, wealth, and happiness. By making positive changes in our personal lives, we can help our business life too. While you set your personal goals this year, it...

Hybrid working - it's a real opportunity

Hybrid working really is the future of business.Do you want to embrace it? Please do come and talk to us about reviewing your business model, software systems, and people strategy to help you get ready for hybrid working....

How to support your virtual team

Most businesses are open to remote working if it's feasible. Make sure you have strong communication channels, and robust systems to support your flexible workers and ensure continued productivity for your business.With so many companies offering remote working on a more permanent level, this article details what you need to consider - if you haven't already....

Remote working is here to stay - what you need to consider

We’re living in a world where remote and hybrid working are now the norm. Driven by lockdowns and the pandemic, businesses have been forced to adopt a ‘working from home’ approach. In light of the omicron variant and Boris Johnson announcing today (30 November 2021) that the 'crucial thing is for everybody to come and get your boosters', it looks as if WFH is most definitely here to stay. It certainly makes sense as we await the next social distancing advice before Christmas.  The abi...

WTF: smoothing the tax charge makes sense to Lyra and it avoids a diet

Well, That Figures; smoothing the tax charge makes sense at last, having had a chat with Jonathan about the delights of the Deferred Tax charge that appears in accounts.  I was so delighted that I finally understood Deferred Tax that I could not resist helping myself to a chunk of Jonathan’s fruit cake; little knowing that this would result in me being taken ASAP to the vets for treatment. Jonathan was not impressed with the...

Hybrid working - Striking the balance between office and home-based working

Read part 2 in our series on hybrid working and productivity - businesses must embrace the world's new way of working post pandemic. In our first blog Adopt a structured hybrid model to maximise productivity we looked at how the hybrid working model may impact on business productivity. In this blog we discuss what systems and processes organisation will need to set up to look after the individual and the business. So the business headlines report that some of the big guns in the City a...

Adopt a structured hybrid model to maximise productivity

Here at Rowden’s we’re advocates of flexible working and we embrace the cultural shift which has come about due to the pandemic. For many of us the ‘work-life balance’ has become an obtainable goal in an uncertain world. It does make sense however, for companies wishing to embed home working into their ongoing business strategy to be aware of the potential pitfalls. In this blog of a 2-part series, we ponder some of the risks to productivity and innovation and what businesses can do to m...

WTF! Avoiding cunning plans would have saved a tax payer £362,000 in penalties

“Well That’s Fortunate” said Jonathan, “that you did not engage in that cunning plan to circumvent the rules regarding the tax on overdrawn directors' loan accounts put to you by those dodgy cats Rumpleteazer, Mungojerrie, Macavity and Co.  (OK, I admit I do like the Cats musical, but a dog musical would be so much better!) “While your diet to deal with your overdrawn loan account in Lyra Enterprises is working” (see the blog WTF! Overdrawn director’s loan account puts Lyra on...

The Recovery Loan Scheme has been extended – are you eligible?

With most of the Government’s Covid financial support schemes now closed, the Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS) has been a last route to funding for many Covid-impacted businesses.The RLS was scheduled to end on 31 December, putting a very final full stop on government-backed financial assistance for the business community. But in the Autumn Budget & Spending Review 2021, the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced an extension of 6 months to the scheme, making it possible to apply for a recover...