Blog

The secret to working less and earning more Becoming Profitable

The secret to working less and earning more

When you first set up an agency, it's with a full tank-load of enthusiasm, oodles of motivation and the desire to work every hour of…

Paul Barnes

Hello Xero…you’re looking beautiful! Cloud Accounting

Hello Xero…you’re looking beautiful!

 Hello Xero, You’re looking great. I mean, really great! Have you been working out? I bumped into that no-hoper, Sage , yesterday. I can’t believe…

Paul Barnes

Eat Or Be Eaten: Sign up for our webinar and avoid becoming lunch! Cloud Accounting

Eat Or Be Eaten: Sign up for our webinar and avoid becoming lunch!

Cloud technology is revolutionising the tools you have available to run your agency. There's a never-ending stream of shiny, new apps and spangly software tools…

Paul Barnes

Dear Sage…I’ve met someone new! Cloud Accounting

Dear Sage…I’ve met someone new!

Dear Sage, We need to talk. I think you’ve known it’s been coming for a while, but I can’t pretend any longer. It’s over, Sage.…

Paul Barnes

5 ways the Summer Budget will affect your business Uncategorized

5 ways the Summer Budget will affect your business

Okay, so we know that the Budget is usually more interesting to accountants than it is to you, the business owner - not because the…

Paul Barnes

A snacktastic time at our last Digital Roundtable event Uncategorized

A snacktastic time at our last Digital Roundtable event

We loved getting the crème de la crème of the North West's creative talent together for our last Digital Roundtable Event on 16 June. And…

Paul Barnes

Does your creative agency have the wrong clients? Uncategorized

Does your creative agency have the wrong clients?

As you evolve and grow your creative agency, you’ll gradually take on new clients and expand your client list. Some clients will be big; some…

Paul Barnes

Improving your profitability by raising your prices Becoming Profitable

Improving your profitability by raising your prices

Pricing. It’s an absolutely critical element of your profitability when running a creative agency. If your prices are too low, you can’t cover your costs,…

Paul Barnes

The importance of valuing work in progress – and how to do it Uncategorized

The importance of valuing work in progress – and how to do it

When we first start working with a new client, there’s one key accounting lesson we educate them in as soon as possible. And that’s the…

Paul Barnes

Managing your lead pipeline: becoming a superhuman lead expert Uncategorized

Managing your lead pipeline: becoming a superhuman lead expert

We all know the importance of following up on your leads and enquiries. They’re the starting point for a potential long-term relationship with a paying…

Paul Barnes

VAT Flat Rate Scheme Saving Tax

VAT Flat Rate Scheme

The VAT Flat Rate Scheme – an easier way to handle your VAT The VAT Flat Rate Scheme was introduced back in 2002 as a…

Paul Barnes

Buy to Let Property: Get the best advice Uncategorized

Buy to Let Property: Get the best advice

Buy-to-let properties – Limited Company vs Personal Ownership We’ve all watched Kirsty and Phil on the box and thought to ourselves, ‘Wouldn’t it be great…

Paul Barnes

Digital Roundtable Uncategorized

Digital Roundtable

Become a Knight of The Digital Roundtable Are you a creative thinker? Do you work for an agency? Do you love beards and savoury snacks?…

Paul Barnes

Automating your processes – the benefits for your business Uncategorized

Automating your processes – the benefits for your business

Affordable, easy-to-use software and apps have made it easier than ever to set up your business systems and access them wherever you are - you…

Paul Barnes

Why a recurring revenue model makes sense for your digital creative agency Becoming Profitable

Why a recurring revenue model makes sense for your digital creative agency

We work with a lot of digital creative clients. And we're seeing a clear intention from many of them to create a recurring revenue stream…

Paul Barnes

Great tax news for your creative business Saving Tax

Great tax news for your creative business

When the Chancellor stands up to deliver his annual Budget, most of us are hoping for good news on the personal tax allowance, no extra…

Paul Barnes

Job Vacancy: Client Manager Uncategorized

Job Vacancy: Client Manager

Are you a Qualified Accountant? Are you a fully qualified accountant who sees accounting support in a non-traditional way? Do you want to embrace cloud…

Paul Barnes

Switching accountants can be easy Uncategorized

Switching accountants can be easy

Whatever the size of your business, you've probably used an accountant at some point.  They might have just helped you with a tax return, or…

Paul Barnes

Value-based pricing – a more productive way to get paid Becoming Profitable

Value-based pricing – a more productive way to get paid

When you’re working out your pricing, you've got a fairly fundamental choice to make. Do you record the time spent on a job and then…

Amanda Wilcox

Stop watching the clock: delivering value, not measuring time Increasing Company Value

Stop watching the clock: delivering value, not measuring time

But that’s not always how it’s worked in the professional services sector – and this applies even more to creative agencies. There are three main…

Paul Barnes