We are pleased to confirm we have been appointed by three leading businesses as their audit accountants. You can find out more about Selwyns Travel, Lumenpulse UK and Think Hire by clicking on the links below.
Our audit enables us to spot potential risks, find ways of boosting performance, and suggest ideas for growth.
We don’t just regard an audit as a single annual visit. For us, the face-to-face contact and information we collect is an integral part of an ongoing flow of knowledge. We use this to keep our clients well-informed and confident in their business decisions based on solid financial foundation.
When we have completed our work, we provide a comprehensive, accessible summary of the audit findings and arrange a meeting to discuss in detail these and any other issues. For more information about our audit service click here.
For most people the start of a new calendar year is usually focused around aiming for personal goals. Family, fitness and financial resolutions are the most popular aspects people like to switch their attention to at this time of year.
For the entrepreneur, these plans are commonly backed up with a raft of positive new intentions for their business.
Despite the threat of Covid-related restrictions being omnipresent and the economy still not quite moving along at full power, it makes sense to be optimistic and proactive with your business during 2022. With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of the top five things entrepreneurs should be focusing on whilst they’re running on the treadmill, the road or cycling on their Peloton…
SALES
Winning new business isn’t easy. But it simply has to be done in whatever market you operate in. Without new business coming in, you’re never going to grow. In our experience, we are increasingly finding that businesses are more interested in recruiting sales people who have engaging personalities and emotional intelligence rather than ‘old school pushy’ sales people. Sales staff are on the frontline of your business and it’s essential to select them wisely. If you do the sales yourself – then make sure you don’t focus all your effort on new business and neglect your existing clients or customers.
MARKETING
Standing out from the crowd will be more essential in 2022 than ever before. More new businesses are being launched every single day as people spot new opportunities to exploit the weaknesses of others who have been found wanting during the pandemic. Make 2022 the year that your business becomes highly visible – and therefore widely known in your marketplace. Make sure you position your business appropriately and get known for one thing in particular. Our very own ‘accountants for entrepreneurs’ mantra is a good example of this!
PEOPLE
Media headlines are all about the number of job vacancies being at the highest level in modern history. It can be tempting to think that it’s easy to find the right people to help you grow your business.
The reality, as every entrepreneur knows, is that it’s often incredibly challenging to find brilliant people who will help you take your business forward. This is especially true if you are a SME and there’s a major emphasis on personality and client/customer-facing service. Don’t lower your standards by recruiting in haste at the start of the year. Hold out for the right people and you will see the rewards over the long term.
INNOVATION
Don’t stand still. Continual improvement of systems, processes and behaviours within your business is hugely important if you’re going to succeed in 2022. Realistically that looks like an investment in new technology, new products or new services. If you don’t innovate – you can be sure that your competitors will…and they’ll reap the rewards of evolution faster than you.
(RE) FINANCING
Cash is king…but the last 18 months has tested the patience of even the most prudent Finance Director! The combination of repaying Government-supported loans, overdraft facilities, commercial loans and reduced sales will hit hard in 2022.
Sitting down with your accountant or relationship manager at your bank should be high on the agenda in Q1 of 2022, especially if you’ve got expansion plans. You’ll need to make sure you have the financial capacity to support your business plan during the year.
It makes sense to review your accountants each year. Speak to Murray Patt on (0161) 980 8788 or email murray@alexanderknightaccountants.co.uk for a confidential chat about moving your business to Alexander Knight & Co.
https://alexanderknightaccountants.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/aknight_logo-white-2.png00alexanderknighthttps://alexanderknightaccountants.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/aknight_logo-white-2.pngalexanderknight2021-11-25 15:47:462021-11-25 18:56:26Getting fit for 2022? Don’t forget your business...
We are delighted to have expanded our team with the appointment of three new colleagues in preparation for further growth in 2022.
Danielle Cresswell, Alastair Tough and Paul Dunn have joined the Alexander Knight & Co team as we also add three new businesses to our entrepreneurial client base.
Selwyns Travel Limited, Lumenpulse UK Limited and Think Hire Limited, have all selected our practice as auditors.
Bringing a wealth of experience from her time working at accountancy practices across the North West region, Danielle Cresswell will provide hands-on support to clients in the role of Manager.
Alastair Tough recently graduated from the University of Warwick and has chosen to take the first steps of his accountancy career with Alexander Knight & Co joining as an Assistant Accountant after relocating from Nottingham.
Paul Dunn joins as Senior Accountant where he will be advising clients on statutory reporting, management accounts and audit.
Murray Patt, founder of Alexander Knight & Co, said:
“We are delighted to welcome our latest three recruits to the team and as we enter the exciting next stage of growth as a business. 2022 is going to be an important year for entrepreneurs as they recover their business from the effects of the pandemic and they look to surround themselves with new and proactive professional advisors to support them on their journey.
“We are delighted to welcome Selwyns Travel, Lumepulse UK and Think Hire as new clients of our practice and we are looking forward to supporting them as they implement their business plans and growth strategies over the coming months and years.”
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We were pleased to see our double-page poster in the latest issue of Altrincham Today which is the local community media title we are supporting in 2021. You can grab a copy in most public places in Altrincham – and there are plenty in many of the town’s shops, cafes and restaurants.
Many of our clients (just like the rest of the world!) are keen on having online meetings via Zoom or Teams during this period. We are no exception – and we’re very happy to meet ‘virtually’ as well as at our safe and secure office environment in Hale.
Since we launched our practice we’ve always had a philosophy of embracing technology and for us it’s been a seamless transition to hybrid and remote working/meeting.
For those people who prefer to meet face-to-face, you can be assured that our office is a reassuring environment. As well as PPE equipment (hand sanitiser, face-masks, screens, signing in) we maintain social distancing measures so our staff and clients can be as comfortable as possible during this time.
If you want to review your end-of-year accounts or any part of your business tax strategy via Zoom or Teams– don’t hesitate to ask – we’ll be happy to do so!
We’re proud to have completed the Altrincham 10k run and joined thousands of fellow runners on the closed roads of Altrincham on 5th September 2021.
Starting and finishing in the centre of Altrincham it was a popular event and raised thousands of pounds for charity from everybody taking part.
The Altrincham 10k was open to runners of all abilities and each mile was accurately marked out with distance flags and there were plenty of supporters along the course to encourage runners all the way to the finish line.
https://alexanderknightaccountants.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Untitled-design-8.png5121024alexanderknighthttps://alexanderknightaccountants.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/aknight_logo-white-2.pngalexanderknight2021-06-18 10:36:212021-11-26 08:30:17We did it!
We are thrilled to announce that Danielle Cresswell and Alastair Tough have joined the Alexander Knight & Co team.
Bringing a wealth of experience from her time working at accountancy practices across the region, Danielle will provide hands-on support in the role of Manager. In her spare time, you will find Danielle either walking her beloved Shih Tzu, Ty, or cheering on top tier rugby league club, St Helens.
Alastair recently graduated from the University of Warwick and has chosen to take the first steps of his accountancy career with us. Joining as an Assistant Accountant, Alastair recently relocated from Nottingham to be part of the Alexander Knight & Co team and we are so pleased to have him.
Murray Patt, founder of Alexander Knight & Co, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Danielle and Alastair to our team. It’s fantastic to have them on board as we enter the exciting next stage of growth as a business.”
Welcome to the Alexander Knight & Co team, Danielle and Alastair!
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New skills have been acquired by all business owners during the past twelve months. Entrepreneurs are a resilient bunch and many have successfully been able to evolve their businesses and their skillsets during the pandemic. In many sectors, they are beginning to thrive again or at least, as the vaccine is being rolled out, starting to feel more positive about the future.
Therefore, the mindsets of many business owners have turned from ‘survival mode’ to ‘growth mode’ as they tentatively seek to expand their teams to enable them to thrive in the looming post-Covid business climate.
For most people, business growth is synonymous with hiring new people.
Recruiting in a pandemic certainly presents its challenges. We talk to many business owners who say the way they hire people will have to change if they are to attract the best staff not only during lockdown but afterwards too.
Remote-recruiting
On the one hand, it’s easier and more convenient than ever before to undertake interviews and assessments via tools like Zoom and Teams.
Attracting candidates digitally through social media and the ease of applying for jobs on platforms like Linked In means that, in theory, it should be simple to attract people to roles that need to be filled. Recruitment agencies can also play a positive role if they are fully tuned into the candidate you’re looking for and can articulate it well to the ‘marketplace’.
On the other hand, some people are reluctant to make the move from their existing employers in these times of uncertainty and competition is fiercer than ever before for the right candidate.
It’s an attractive role -plenty of opportunity for the right candidate to succeed in a supportive environment, along with flexible working arrangements on a hybrid basis from our Grade A office space in Hale village. Despite us only just starting the search we’re in the fortunate position of having strong interest in the role already and we are happy to take our time in selecting the right candidate.
Take your time
Some businesses, however, aren’t as fortunate as us and don’t have the luxury of time and/or the magnet of being an ’employer of choice’ in their marketplace. It’s these types of business that will have to work harder than ever before in modernising their recruitment process in order to attract good candidates in 2021.
If there’s one piece of advice I’d offer, based on my experience of running a business and working with many successful entrepreneurs, it would be that it is far better to wait for the right person to add to your team than recruit in haste and regret it for a long time afterwards. Taking care to select the right person for the job will pay dividends further down the line as we emerge from lockdown.
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We are looking for a bookkeeper to join our team of accountants in Hale, Greater Manchester.
Our clients are entrepreneurial businesses mainly based in Greater Manchester and Cheshire.
Key Responsibilities:
Manage a portfolio of clients to ensure their day to day bookkeeping requirements are met ✅
First port of call in assisting clients with bookkeeping queries ✅
Preparing and posting journals including accruals, prepayments, depreciation ✅
Assisting the accounts team with the preparation of annual statutory accounts ✅
Preparation of client VAT returns ✅
The ideal candidate will have solid experience working within a similar role, experience with Xero and Sage will also be preferable, you will also have good IT and communication skills. We offer very flexible working practices – currently a mix of office-based (in our Grade A office space in Hale village) and home-working.
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New support measures announced for company directors by the Government.
A series of new measures were announced today by Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, aimed at providing businesses more support during the ‘long winter’ ahead. We are currently analysing what these new measures mean for all our clients and as more details emerges we will update you on what it means for your business.
More time to repay loans
These measures are helpful to the firms who have managed to trade through the crisis so far but were getting increasingly worried about repaying the fresh debt taken on in the form of Government support.
Entrepreneurs who took out bounceback loans or CBILS will welcome the increasing flexibility of repayments. The ability to reduce the monthly payments by spreading it across a further four years (up from six years) will certainly help the cashflow situation of many SME’s.
Further VAT deferrals
Many SME’s deferred their VAT bill and the opportunity to spread the repayment of this (due in March 2021) throughout next year will be snapped up by many business owners who should be planning to focus on cashflow during the winter months as the furlough scheme dries up.
New ‘Job Support Scheme’
Unfortunately, the new Job Support Scheme, which we are dubbing the “little brother of furlough”, is merely marginal support for companies who are still trading. Firms who have not been trading during the past few months will find no solace in this scheme and stand to gain very little. Put simply it looks like this:
It is important that if you are making claims under the new scheme you calculate the amount you can claim accurately. If you need support to make your claim – email MurrayPatt now.
And finally…
Around 11 million self-assessment taxpayers will be able to benefit from a separate additional 12-month extension from HMRC on the “Time to Pay” self-service facility, meaning payments deferred from July 2020, and those due in January 2021, will now not need to be paid until January 2022.
We are awaiting further details of this particular scheme to see of this applies to all our clients.
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