It has always been the custom that any business activity that generates income attracts tax. The amount payable and the type of tax will depend on a variety of factors, the main ones being the amount of revenue collected, the nature and the legal status of the business. If you have no idea where to start, tax accountants will help you find your footing.

All UK businesses are required to pay taxes on their net profit. This tax could either be income or corporation. If you wish to start a sole proprietorship or a simple partnership, the income generated by the business is part of the owner(s)’s personal income. This personal income is subjected to income tax. On the other hand, if the business operates as a registered company, then the income is the company’s own and is subject to corporation tax. Read More...

What is Effective Cost Management?

Are you familiar with the costs that are associated with every aspect that you oversee, whether it is in your home or at the office? Do you truly understand the financial impacts of every decision that you make? Healthcare! Transportation! Travel! Insurance! Energy! Overhead! These are just a few of the costs that companies as well as individuals and countries face. These costs are constantly rising, forcing all of us to become more cost conscious. Effective cost management has therefore become a necessity to those of us with limited financial resources. So what exactly is effective cost management? Effective cost management is the process of implementing effective strategies and providing the resources and process discipline needed to enable and ensure the highest level of productivity, reliability and quality at the lowest possible costs. Most people think of cutting costs when they think of effective cost management; however, cost management is more about optimizing performance than it is about actually cutting costs. 

The Seven Principles of Effective Cost Management

There are seven main principles of effective cost management. If these principles are implemented properly, they become the key to a running a successful business.

Determine clear and consistent performance objectives

As stated earlier, the process of managing costs efficiently is a strategic as well as an operational process. It starts with setting out clear and consistent performance objectives that are focused on finding and correcting the underlying causes to ineffective cost management. Read More...

Be Prepared for Unforeseen Costs

Running a business is no easy task. It requires proper management from the very beginning i.e planning. From starting a business, executing its daily activities, giving it shape, making it run and ensuring its sustainability, everything requires proper planning. The business owner has to be ready mentally as well as financially to take the financial burden of starting up a business.

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Work for money, work for love

In a world where everything is money - including time itself - and all work activities are measured in how much income they provide, doing things for free sounds quite absurd. Why would anyone be willing to give up the little time and energy they have left after a full shift of work plus house chores and everyday stuff, and get not even a single penny in return? The way we see it, progress and success are strictly linked to money, so any effort that doesn’t produce some - unless it’s a hobby or something like that - is nothing but a waste.

However, not all people think the same way. Some are willing to take some time and effort, even resources of their own, to do something just for the sake of doing it, something that can help other people. This is the essence of volunteering, being kind to some person or group and providing some sort of aid just because it is the right thing to do, or for the pleasure of making someone else happy.  Read More...

Do you have a brilliant business idea that you wish to implement but have no cash to get you started? Maybe you already started but somewhere along the line you got stuck and need some money to resume your operations. Do you need additional resources to develop your business? Well, if your answer is yes, you have probably already identified potential lenders to help you get on your feet. 

Start ups find it hard to access loans from high street lenders. This is because the banks view them as investments that are too risky. However, some lenders do have funding programs for startups where entrepreneurs can access the capital they require.  Read More...

What Type of Bank Is High Street?

The term ‘high street’ is of UK origin. Banks of this kind are those huge retail banks with many branches. They are known as high street because they have a large capital base and their operations are mostly spread throughout the country. Such banks are located in the CBD of cities and towns. The term ‘high street’ means almost the same as what the Americans refer to as ‘Main Street’.

The main banks of high street nature in U.K. are The Scotland Group of Royal Banks PLC, Barclays PLC, HSBC PLC Bank and Llyods TSB PLC. These highly used banks usually have a wide range of services to offer, such as savings, mortgages and online banking. Read More...

Organizations and individuals accumulate sensitive and confidential data over time. This is why such entities become targets for fraud and identity theft, crimes which are on the rise especially in this digital era. Therefore, companies and business entities of all kinds are now investing heavily in information security because any mishap can destroy the integrity and credibility of a company for good.

When it comes to digital data, layers upon layers of encoding are required to keep the data secure and inaccessible by unauthorised personnel. When it comes to hard copy information, secure archives are required. However, if there is no longer any need to keep the information, secure shredding should be done. Here are three tips which you may find useful when it comes to shredding sensitive documents.

Shred Well and Shred Often

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Are you the next Zuckerberg?

New entrepreneurships are popping up all over the place. And why shouldn't they? In this amazing world of new possibilities, enhanced connectivity and facilitated money flow, it becomes easier and easier to just roll up your sleves and get down to making your new personal business happen.

The craziest ideas by the most random people imaginable are now making millions, so why not join them with your new super idea? So many people, especially young people, want to create their own startup. There are many reasons: they have a brilliant idea, they want to be their own boss, they want to be a millionaire... or all of the above! Read More...