Small and Medium Sized businesses - archived insights

Our archived articles provide insights on all aspects of finance and business management.

Archived articles

Where has everybody gone?

03/03/2022. This is the question being posed by many business leaders at present. Access to labour is a real challenge for businesses in 2022 following the impact of Brexit and the Global Pandemic.

Critical KPIs to monitor your cash

27/07/2023. Cash flow ratios are particularly important for the financial analysis of the business.

Ways to improve cash flow using technology

11/05/2022. Getting paid on time is more crucial than ever and, in this article, we look at some of the ways in which automation can help improve cash flow.

What to do when you have a hole in your cash flow?

11/05/2022. The next time you can’t sleep, are worried about cash flow or your bank is asking you to speak to an adviser, consider this as a positive, a way to understand your options, and a potential solution to your current predicament.

Integrating sustainability

03/03/2022. SMEs can no longer afford to ignore environmental, social and governance considerations. For businesses to succeed, Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) must be at the heart of your business model.

Considerations on retaining key staff in SMEs

05/08/2021. As life starts to return to normal many SMEs are starting to focus on retaining key staff members to ensure operations remain smooth as demand rises. But what can business owners do to make their staff’s lives easier, save money on employment costs and improve and incentivise performance? Ian Goodwin from our Employment Taxes team provides 5 top tips to consider.

Planning for the long term as an SME

06/07/2021. 16 months ago, very few SME businesses were aware of the impact that a global pandemic would have on their business, and just 6 months ago many were struggling to comprehend how EU Exit would affect them. So how do you plan for these external influences?

How has pandemic affected your personal finances?

06/07/2021. This time last year the business plans for many SMEs were turned upside down. Thoughts of the future were replaced by the need for immediate action and quite rightly so. Now that we are seeing SME businesses changing and adapting to new requirements, what does this mean for your own finances as a business owner?

Could you have a problem with a past R&D claim?

25/11/2022. Following October’s news that eight people have been arrested by HM Revenue & Customs (‘HMRC’) over alleged fraudulent R&D claims worth more than £16 million, along with the decision to temporarily suspend payment of R&D claims earlier this year, it is inevitable that we are likely to see many more enquiries into past claims for Research and Development (R&D) tax reliefs and, unfortunately,...

Changes in the tax landscape for SMEs

27/07/2022. There have been many tax changes over the past couple of years with regard to changes in Corporation Tax Rates, Making Tax Digital but the main change we want to discuss now is Capital Allowances.

NIC update for employers and self-employed

26/07/2022. From 6 April 2022, the rate of national insurance paid on earned income rose by 1.25%, as part of a package of measures to help fund national healthcare costs.

How can tax planning strategies improve cash flow

11/05/2022. There are many ways businesses can help cash flow with tax planning strategies that not only benefit the business but, in some instances, also their employees.

Key points for the new tax year

03/03/2022. With new HMRC submission dates, as well as an increase in dividend tax and national insurance rates, make sure you are up to date with our key things to remember.

End of year tax planning

03/03/2022. As we approach the 5 April 2022 deadline, it’s the perfect time to consider whether you’ve made the best use of your tax allowances available.

How rising interest rates may impact your business

13/12/2021. In early October, the Bank of England surprised markets by suggesting it would pursue quick rate hikes to combat rising inflation. The questions on everyone's minds are will rate hikes in 2022 affect the wider economy, and how will they impact businesses.

NIC & tax changes

25/10/2021. The Government has recently announced upcoming changes to NIC and dividend tax rates. With this in mind, all SME businesses should consider how these changes could impact their operations, what their options are and how best to plan ahead.

Global and UK economic outlook

25/10/2021. Regardless of where one stands vis-a-vis the great issue of Brexit, both sides acknowledged that a modicum of pain would be involved with the process. Those against, feared that the pain would be insurmountable and despite its obvious shortcomings, the EU wasn’t worth leaving.

Evaluating your supply chain

19/10/2021. As an SME business owner, you are likely to be reliant upon your supply chain. In recent years the UK has seen two considerable shocks to the supply chain, Brexit and the pandemic. We have also recently seen some short-term disruption with the fuel supply difficulties, and we may see a further impact from the increase in gas prices.

New reduced VAT rate for hospitality and leisure

04/10/2021. From 1 October, until 31 March 2022, a new reduced rate of 12.5% VAT for hospitality and leisure businesses comes into effect. This replaces the temporary reduced rate of 5% that was applied from 15 July 2020 to 30 September 2021.

How do SMEs build resilience in their business?

06/07/2021. As Government restrictions start to ease, it's important to build resilience into your business to ensure you are prepared for the future. One of the most important areas for SMEs to consider is their working capital availability as business conditions change.

June/July Newsletter 2022

What’s next for you and your business as the tax landscape evolves?

April newsletter 2022

What’s next to improve cash flow within your business?

February newsletter 2022

What’s next to grow my business profitably and sustainably? Every company wants to grow their business, yet few know how to sustain it for the long- term and there’s an immediate need to overcome the lack of capacity and resource challenges following the global pandemic and Brexit.

December newsletter 2021

In our December newsletter, we focus on: how to access financial support, what grant funding is available, how the Enterprise Investment Scheme (“EIS”) can support the growth of your business and look at the impact of rising interest rates on UK businesses.

October newsletter 2021

In our October newsletter, we focus on: our predictions for tax changes in anticipation of the upcoming autumn budget, the changes coming into effect around NIC and dividend tax rates, the importance to SME businesses in evaluating their supply chains, an outlook on the UK and global economies and how family vendor assisted management buyouts work.