Should You Incorporate Your Business? If you have been running a business for a while, maybe as a sole trader or in a partnership, you may have heard someone say, “You should incorporate”. Sometimes that is well-meaning advice, but is it true that incorporation is the smart move for all business owners? Let’s look at…
Government Responds to Late Payments Consultation The government has published its response to the late payments consultation that ran from July to October last year. It is estimated that late payments cost the UK economy £11 billion every year, and most businesses are familiar with the pain of dealing with late payments. Here we summarise…
How Early Financial Warning Signs Can Protect Your Business from Crisis In many business failures, a collapse can look sudden from the outside. The underlying problems usually begin months or even years earlier and businesses that avoid crisis are those that spot financial instability early and act on it quickly. Here, we look at some…
Starting Up in Business: A Practical Guide Have you reached a point where the idea of running a business feels like more than just a pipe dream? Perhaps you have identified a gap in the market, you want greater independence or your side hustle is telling you that it has the potential to become a…
Spring Forecast 2026: What Does the OBR’s Latest Forecast Mean for You? During a week dominated by news of the Middle East conflict, on 3 March 2026, Chancellor Rachel Reeves presented the Spring Forecast to Parliament. The Chancellor told MPs she had “restored economic stability” as she presented the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR’s) economic…
Personal Tax Changes Coming in April 2026 With just a few weeks to go until the beginning of a new tax year, a new round of tax changes take effect from April 2026. While many people won’t see a big difference in their day-to-day tax position, there are some areas worth having on the radar….
Is “996 culture” Working Culture Relevant to Your Business? The BBC has published an in-depth piece on “996 culture” – the practice of working 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week. Although the examples mostly come from US tech companies, there are some useful lessons for UK business owners. Here are some points…
One Million Miss the Tax Return Filing Deadline HMRC has estimated that around a million people missed the 31 January 2026 Self-Assessment tax return filing deadline. It confirmed that 11.48 million people filed their tax return on time, with most people filing online. As usual, there was a significant rush on deadline day itself with…
MTD for Landlords: Nearly There! Making Tax Digital (MTD) for income tax will be mandated for a large group of self-assessment taxpayers from 6 April 2026, with even more individuals being mandated in 2027 and 2028. If your combined turnover from a property or sole trade business was over £50,000 in the 2024/25 tax year,…
Why Management Skills Matter More Than Ever for Business Owners Many people start a business because they are good at what they do. A great designer sets up on their own. A skilled electrician goes self-employed. A consultant turns expertise into income. What often comes later is realising that running a business and doing the…