Does a lack of small business admin skills deter people from commencing their own business? At Admin Advice we draw on a wealth of experience to bring you free guidance in the areas of small business administration that you need to confront from the outset. Having a strong team around you will add to your success.
Our mission is to become your first port of call for information and help within the administration side of your business. Summaries of the information you can gain from this site are given below under the following headings:
- Bookkeeping Guidance and Free Bookkeeping Course
- Website Creation and Hosting
- Accountancy Services
- Marketing
- Insurances
- Work From Home Opportunities
Our founder has many years’ experience working for companies of all sizes. He was accountant in a franchised motor dealership and also in a major FTSE Company where he had responsibility for the accounts of subsidiaries in Italy, Finland and USA. Two of his children have small businesses of their own.
Bookkeeping Guidance
It would be wrong to say that there is one bookkeeping system that suits everybody. Some businesses can set up their recording system without spending a penny. Businesses that have regular customers they visit in their clients’ homes, for example in-home hairdressers, at-home foot care, need nothing more than a diary and a notepad. Other businesses may need and will gain from the efficiencies of a computerized accounting system costing just a few pounds each month.
Bookkeeping is a requirement for everyone running their own business and, as you will appreciate from our founder’s profession, is an area we can offer extensive assistance. Wherever possible we provide free guidance on choosing and implementing a bookkeeping system, tailored to the size of your business.
Free Bookkeeping Course
Together with the free guidance on choosing a bookkeeping system we have also put together a free seven part bookkeeping tuition course. If you decide to study for a bookkeeping or accounting qualification you will need to study the basics included in this course. Should you or your business be using a computerized accounting system then it is still important to understand the processes being performed “behind the scenes”.
By compiling our course from a practical viewpoint we have been able to show that bookkeeping is an easy subject to grasp. The academic program for teaching bookkeeping tends to revolve around the accounting equation and we have seen many students depart from a bookkeeping course having been totally baffled by having this topic included so early in the course. You do not need to understand the accounting equation, we include four simple rules in our early lessons that adequately substitute for the equation. For the benefit of students we have introduced the accounting equation as the very last topic of the course.
Becoming a Bookkeeper
We would like to see more people become bookkeepers, whether qualifying with the AAT, taking less expensive courses or even using the basic training from this site as an introduction to some teach yourself tuition from text books available at the local bookshop or library. The AAT is a world renowned professional body and as a qualified AAT bookkeeper you will be welcomed by professional accountancy practices and companies of all sizes. Being an unqualified bookkeeper you are more likely to be helping within small businesses on a part-time basis. Click Here for the Bookkeeping Course.
Website Creation and Hosting
Before your business commences you are likely to be planning the contents of your website and seeking someone to create and host the site for you. We are well aware of the pitfalls and excessive costs that can beset small businesses having websites created. It is no coincidence that so many of our current small business websites are not smartphone compatible. We have associates who will produce your website at a reasonable cost and host it securely. However, we are also very supportive of the emerging trend to create your own websites and have total control over the content on a day-to-day basis.
There have been many instances of small businesses being let down by their website creators. Businesses are becoming increasingly reliant on their websites the loss of a site can have a critical effect on the business. Whilst creating a website can be accomplished by most people, it is the security, back-up, speed to load and the ability to progress as new technology comes into play that is all important. We spent a long while seeking a company that could provide us a first-rate service with reasonable costs from where we would be in full control of our own websites.
We have an article on this site “simple website tutorials” where you can follow the conditions we insisted upon and how we arrived at only one business that we can recommend as providing a full suite of requirements including teaching everything from site creation, marketing, site security and the highest level of hosting.
Accountancy Services
In the UK, HMRC suggest registration for self assessment and Class 2 NI at the earliest opportunity. There is a set time limit for registration.
Businesses need to be aware that the revenue is introducing “Making Tax Digital” (MTD) and this will be compulsory from April 2019 for businesses with a turnover in excess of the VAT registration threshold. Smaller businesses can partake voluntarily from that date but will be compelled to comply from April 2020. Making Tax Digital requires the digital transmission of information from your accounting records to the tax authority EVERY THREE MONTHS.
Together with our creator’s background as a senior accountant, we have introduced associates with expertise in all the matters you are likely to encounter. Once again we are able to provide an abundance of free assistance, within the following areas:
FREE COURSES ON:
- Double Entry Bookkeeping
- Credit Control
- Management Accounts
FREE TRAINING ON:
- Sage Accounts
- Xero Accounts
- Kashflow Accounts
- QuickBooks
- and other accounting software
The following is a selection of services provided at most reasonable, highly competitive prices:
- Business Plans
- General Bookkeeping Services
- VAT Returns
- Year-End Accounts/Tax for Sole Traders
- Year-End Accounts/Tax/Returns for Limited Companies
- Credit Control Services
- Monthly Management Accounts
- E-Mail support for Sage and QuickBooks Online
- On-line videos course in Bookkeeping and Accounting
- Personalised evening tuition of Bookkeeping and Accounting
Our accountants have worked with businesses in various industries including advertising, garages, care homes, dance schools, building trades, driving schools, EBay businesses, taxi drivers, website designers and many more. Click Here to access.
Marketing
We are including several articles under this heading and are undergoing training from which we will be able to pass on useful information for on-line marketing and local marketing.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is an EU regulation which the UK have to enforce from 25th May 2018. The Data Protection Bill is also progressing through parliament and we are awaiting final guidelines. Many companies are adding SSL certificates to their websites in preparation.
Insurances
We are not qualified to give any recommendations on insurances and financial services however there may be registered brokers/businesses advertising within the site.
We do make the observation that Marsh has been ranked number one in The Insurance Times 2017 “Top 50 Brokers” list, up from second place in 2016. Marsh is the leading UK SME broker and the top broker overall. Marsh is the UK Top 50’s first ever £1 billion broker.
Work From Home Opportunities
Bookkeeping
If our bookkeeping course has whetted your appetite then we would certainly recommend that you continue to study as there has been a shortage of bookkeepers for some years. With the expected growth in self-employment and small businesses your knowledge of the subject could lead to regular part-time clients. Experience and qualifications will escalate the fees you can charge.
Website Expertise
Whether your intended business will be local or world-wide, with the accelerating trend towards on-line sales, the backbone of the business is likely to be a successful website. We have referred earlier in this article to the emerging trend towards small businesses being in a position to create and have control over their websites on a day-to-day basis.
This provides a huge opportunity to become an expert in this environment and to be recommending and helping clients select their best options.
The business we recommend in the article “simple website tutorials” is the world major tutor of Affiliate Marketing with over one million members within a community that is incentivized to help each other. The training extends way beyond affiliate marketing to encompass many other ways of making money both online and to use their training to assist your local businesses with their marketing. During January 2018 there was over 5 hours video recordings on local marketing.
Even the most successful business people put time aside for further training.
Consider how valuable it would be within your own business and to other businesses to be knowledgeable about, or at least have contacts in:
- Bookkeeping
- Building Websites
- Having the world’s premier technology company in their business hosting your websites
- Being up-to-date on marketing techniques
All the knowledge you gain can only enhance your future. We do recommend commencing training at the earliest opportunity.
Do please take a look at the truly professional training which can be accessed via the link from our article “simple website tuition”, (click here).
I welcome any comment or questions you may have relating to this article, please leave them in the area below and I will be pleased to reply.
Colin