Accounting Blog for Small Businesses
We offer a range of articles and advice for small businesses on how to get control of their finances, improve efficiency, and grow. Have a question that we don’t cover in our blog? Just give us a call, and let’s chat.
3 Simple Ways to Check Your Business’s Financial Health
Financial health isn’t just about profit. It’s about knowing where your money’s going, how long it will last, and whether your business can handle unexpected bumps in the road. Here are 3 simple ways to check your business’s financial health. How Do You Check a Business’s Financial Health? 1. Understand Your Cash Runway Your [...]
Spring Statement 2025: Key Points & What It Means for You
What Was Announced in the Spring Statement 2025? Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves delivered the Spring Statement on Wednesday, 26 March 2025, focusing on economic stability and reaffirming her commitment to a single major fiscal event each year. She stated, "To provide security for working people and to deliver a decade of national [...]
Creative Enterprise Zones: Supporting London’s Creative Sector
How Creative Enterprise Zones Are Supporting London's Economy Since their launch in 2018, Creative Enterprise Zones (CEZs) have made a remarkable impact on London's creative economy, not only creating thousands of new jobs but also offering vital support to artists and creative businesses. Take Hackney Wick, for example. It was once a struggling area [...]
Guide to the UK’s Most Tax-Efficient Investment Schemes
If you're looking to grow your wealth while paying less tax, the UK offers several tax-efficient investment schemes that can help you maximise your returns while minimising tax liabilities. Whether you're looking for low-risk, flexible savings or high-growth opportunities, this guide will help you navigate the best options available. Comparison of Investment Schemes When [...]
Efficient Tax Planning Strategies for Family Businesses
Running a family business, whether as a company, partnership, or other unincorporated structure, can offer unique opportunities for tax efficiencies. By making the most of the options available, family businesses can reduce their tax burdens and increase profitability. Here are some key strategies to help your family business optimise its tax planning. How To [...]
Why Processes and Quality Control Are Crucial for Business Success
Did you know that inefficient processes can cost businesses up to 30% of their revenue? That’s a huge loss, all because of disorganised systems and lack of oversight. The good news: you can avoid these costly mistakes by implementing clear processes and robust quality controls. Here’s the breakdown—and why they're crucial for business success. [...]
Maximising Your Acting Career: A Guide to Tax-Deductible Expenses
As an actor, your income can be unpredictable - so why pay more tax than necessary? Understanding your tax-deductible expenses can help you keep more of what you earn and invest it back into your career. This guide offers an overview of tax-deductible expenses for actors and tips to simplify your financial management. What [...]
Employers National Insurance Contributions for 2025-26
Key National Insurance Updates for 2025-26 Are you prepared for the changes to Employers’ National Insurance (NI) Contributions in 2025-26? Cost increases and new threshold adjustments could affect your payroll. It's important to plan ahead now to save money and ensure smooth operations. Here’s what you need to know about the new rates. What [...]
Kickstart 2025: Strategic Planning for Business Success
How did your business perform last year, and what new opportunities do you see in 2025? As we step into the new year, now’s the perfect time to reflect on past performance and set the stage for future success. Strategic planning helps businesses align their goals with actionable steps and ensures a clear path [...]
Tinsel and Taxes: Common Year-End Accounting Mistakes to Avoid During the Festive Season
The festive season is here, and while it’s a time for celebration, for business owners, it can also be a hectic time filled with year-end accounting tasks that are easy to push aside. Between Christmas parties and the final push to meet deadlines, it’s easy to overlook things that could cause problems later. Here’s [...]
The Tech CEO’s Guide to Building a Strong Financial Backbone
Running a tech business is exciting. There’s always a new idea to build, a team to scale, or a challenge to solve. But as someone who works closely with tech founders and CEOs, I’ve seen how easy it is for the financial side to get pushed down the priority list. The truth is, no [...]
Navigating Rising Costs & Financial Challenges in Theatre: How Atek Can Help
The world of theatre production is filled with creativity and passion. However, behind the scenes, numerous production companies are grappling with significant financial challenges as their costs continue to rise. In fact, a recent SOLT & UK Theatre study highlighted that 40% of venues are at risk of closure over the next five years [...]
What Does an Accountant Do? And 15 Things You Didn’t Know They Did
How the Right Accountant Can Save You Time, Stress, and Money When most people think of accountants, they picture someone crunching numbers and filing tax returns once a year. And while that’s still part of the job, there’s a lot more to it - especially when you work with someone who really understands small [...]
Monetisation Strategies that Drive Revenue for Tech Companies
Effective monetisation is crucial for tech companies looking to boost revenue and stay ahead of the competition. While innovation grabs attention, it’s the right monetisation strategy that fuels long-term success. You’ve built a great product — but how do you turn that into reliable revenue? To maximise earnings, it takes more than just features [...]
Autumn Budget – October 2024: Key Information to Know
What was announced in the Autumn Budget 2024? Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her Autumn Budget on Wednesday 30 October 2024. She pledged to ‘invest, invest, invest’ to drive growth and ‘restore economic stability’. Billions in tax rises Ms Reeves said the Budget will raise £40 billion in taxes. Employers’ National Insurance contributions (NICs) will [...]
Expert Accounting for SaaS Companies: How Atek Can Help
Why Accounting Is Different for SaaS Companies Running a SaaS business is exciting — but the financials can get complicated. From subscription models to revenue recognition and evolving tax rules, accounting for SaaS companies isn’t always straightforward. That’s where Atek comes in. We specialise in tackling the unique challenges SaaS companies face, whether you’re [...]
Understanding Eligible Expenses for Theatre Tax Relief
Are you claiming all eligible expenses for Theatre Tax Relief? Theatre Tax Relief (TTR) is a valuable incentive that allows theatrical production companies to claim a portion of their qualifying expenses as a tax credit. Since its introduction in 2014, over 20,000 businesses have successfully claimed Theatre Tax Relief, with £645 million paid out. [...]
The 4 Questions To Consider When Pricing Your Products or Services
Pricing your products and services can be the trickiest part of running a business. Charge too much, and you risk turning customers away. Charge too little, and you could struggle to stay afloat. Finding the sweet spot takes more than a rough estimate - it means thinking about your market, your customers, your goals, [...]
Corporation Tax and Associated Companies
Rates and rules you need to know about corporation tax for associated companies. As of April 1, 2023, the main rate of Corporation Tax increased to 25%. But, as with most things in tax, it’s not always that straightforward — and your business might still be missing out on valuable deductions. Here are the [...]
7 Key Financial Metrics Every SaaS Company Should Track
In the fast-paced world of Software as a Service (SaaS), success depends on more than just product innovation — it requires a clear understanding of how your business is performing. Tracking the right SaaS KPIs gives you a powerful advantage. It helps you measure progress, uncover opportunities, and make informed decisions based on data [...]
Key Rules to Know About Tax and Business Motoring
Few business decisions impact your tax bill more than motoring decisions — whether you’re self-employed, a partner, company director or other employee. And with motoring tax rules changing year on year, keeping your business up to date matters. From the government’s about-turn on double cab pickups, to the latest benefit in kind rates for [...]
5 Ways a Good Accountant Can Save You Money
Save Money and Grow Faster with a Good Accountant A study found that small and medium-sized businesses experienced an average revenue increase of 11.5% when utilising external financial advice. While DIY accounting might seem like a money-saver, imagine what a good accountant could do for you. Have you ever wondered if you could be [...]
Theatre Tax Relief: Atek’s Quick Guide to Relief Rates & More
Many production companies are missing out on valuable Theatre Tax Relief - are you making the most of it? Download our Quick Guide to learn more > What is Theatre Tax Relief? Theatre Tax Relief (TTR) is a valuable incentive that allows theatrical production companies to claim a portion of their qualifying expenses as a [...]
Best Financing Options for Your Small Business
Starting a small business is an exciting venture, but it can also be daunting — especially when it comes to financing. There are a number of different financing options for small business owners to consider, but it can be difficult to know which one is right for you. In this blog post, we will [...]
How to Manage Negative Cashflow in a Tech Business
When you’re running a tech business, “negative cashflow” rarely sounds like good news — and often, it isn’t. But that’s not always the case, and even when it is a problem, there are practical steps you can take to manage and improve the situation. What is Negative Cashflow? The term “cashflow” refers to the [...]
The Best Invoicing Practices for Events Management Businesses to Follow
Why Event Management Businesses Must Follow Best Invoicing Practices Unpaid invoices are bad news for the cashflow of your events management business, to say the least. Invoicing may not seem very exciting, but it’s important to put the best practices in place so that you can make the process as smooth as possible, improve [...]
Thoughts from Kerrie: Spring Budget Impact on Performing Arts Businesses
The 2024 spring budget brought forth encouraging developments for the creative and performing arts sector, marking a significant boost for its growth and sustainability. Our director, Kerrie Jenkins, shares some initial thoughts about how it will impact performing art companies in the UK. The Chancellor stated in his budget speech, “In recognition of their [...]
Spring Budget 2024: Key Information to Know
The Growth-Focused 2024 Spring Budget Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivered his ‘Budget for Long-Term Growth’ on Wednesday, March 6. In his 2024 spring budget speech, he promised 'more investment, more jobs, better public services, and lower taxes’. Lowering taxes The Chancellor made further changes to National Insurance Contributions (NICs), following the cuts [...]
How to Regain Control of Your Rapidly Growing Business
They say that speed kills, and this can be true when it comes to managing rapid business growth. Rapid business growth can be overwhelming, and if you can’t keep up with your current rate of expansion, then you need to act before your business suffers real damage. Let’s take a look at some growth [...]
3 Challenges Every Growing Tech Business Faces (And How to Tackle Them)
Is your business ready to tackle the challenges that come with growth? Businesses in the tech, digital and creative space have so much potential for growth - which is exciting, but business growth also comes with a myriad of challenges. It's important to be aware of these obstacles so you're prepared to address them [...]
How to Analyse Your Production Company’s Financial Position
Regular financial analysis is crucial for your production company's ongoing success. Financial analysis is essential for maintaining the strength and success of a production company. It helps you identify strategic investment opportunities, create effective budget plans, and keeping costs in check. This analysis is crucial for determining the profitability of different productions and assessing [...]
Case Study – Resident Advisor: Do We Outsource or Build Inhouse?
Could an outside accounting firm really understand the business and provide enough support? How Atek Supported Resident Advisor's Rapid Growth Resident Advisor, the online magazine and community platform for electronic music, was growing rapidly. With that success came the need to make sure they had a full understanding of their finances to make smart [...]
Fix These 4 Poor Financial Habits That Could Be Hurting Your Business
Habits are everything. From getting up early to working out and eating healthy, habits are what differentiate successful people from others. The same applies in business – entrepreneurs who have good financial habits, such as budgeting wisely and investing strategically, tend to make better decisions than those who lack them. Recognising and breaking free [...]
Why Tech Companies Need Proper Scalability Planning
One of the biggest challenges faced by businesses in the tech sector is keeping up with the pace of business growth. Many businesses don't focus on proper scalability planning - a crucial step to sustaining growth and keeping their competitive edge. It's vitally important to take the time to plan for how you will [...]
How Performing Arts Schools Can Stay on Top of Their Business Transactions
If you're running a dance studio, a theatre training programme, a stage school, acting classes, a film school, or any other type of performing arts school, then you have a multitude of transactions occurring on a daily basis. As a business owner, it is important to stay on top of your financial transactions. This [...]
7 Things You Didn’t Know Your Accountant Could Do
Do you know that your accountant can do more than just help you with your taxes? In fact, accountants can help you with a variety of tasks, including bookkeeping, financial planning, and even business consulting. If you're not taking advantage of all the services your accountant has to offer, you're missing out on valuable [...]
Business Stagnation: What To Do When You’re Stuck in a Rut
As a business owner, there’s nothing worse than the feeling of being stuck in a rut. You’re exhausted, your creativity is lacking, and you feel as though you’re slinging spaghetti at the wall, but it’s just not sticking. You find yourself clutching at straws and hoping for a different outcome. Stagnation is never great [...]
How To Identify Your Most Valuable Customers (and what to do next)
When it comes to running a business, it's important to focus on the customers that are the most profitable Not all customers are created equal, and some customers may even be dragging your business down. In this blog post, we will discuss how to identify your most valuable customers and the next steps to [...]
How to Manage Cash Flow in a Seasonal Events Business
Did you know that 82% of businesses fail due to poor cash flow management? It’s the most critical aspect of financial health but can be very tricky to manage—especially for seasonal event businesses. Peaks and troughs can make managing cash flow feel like a balancing act. When the busy season slows down, it’s natural [...]
Performing Arts Businesses: Four Signs Your Pricing Is Too Low
Are Your Prices Are Lower Than They Should Be? There are several reasons Performing Arts businesses can end up pricing their products or services too low. To start with, it can happen out of a lack of experience, the desire to establish a more substantial presence in the marketplace, or the fear of losing [...]
Atek Accounting’s New Office in Soho, London
Atek Expands with a New Office in London We are excited to announce that Atek Accounting has opened a brand-new office! You can now find us at 36 Soho Square, London, W1D 3QY—a prime location that allows us to be even more accessible to our growing London-based clientele. Why Soho? Soho is buzzing with [...]
Apprentice Accountant Job in Weybridge, Surrey
We are hiring and currently have a job opening for a full-time Apprentice Accountant to join our friendly team in our Weybridge office At Atek, we pride ourselves on our personal and forward-thinking approach; therefore, the successful candidate will happily get to know their clients’ businesses inside out. The apprentice accountant role would suit [...]
Why Getting Your Accounting Right Helps Your Small Business Succeed
Are you a small business owner? If so, then you know how important it is to keep your finances in order. After all, your business's success depends on it What you may not realise is that your accounting also has a huge impact on the fate of your enterprise. Good accounting is essential for [...]
Top 5 Automation Features That Xero Offers
Are you leveraging the best automation features that Xero offers? In the world of accounting, Xero is widely regarded as the gold standard of cloud software. Not only is it cost-effective and easy-to-use, but it also offers a range of automation features to save you time and give you access to all the data [...]
4 Ways to Cope with Anxiety as a Small Business Owner
This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, and the theme for 2023 is anxiety Anxiety is a part of our body’s natural ‘fight or flight’ response that helps us react quickly to potential threats. However, for a small business owner, anxiety can become problematic if it persists over a long period of time, becomes [...]
Should You Outsource Your CFO Function? Key Benefits and Considerations
As your business grows, it will encounter new and increasingly complex financial problems. These days, outsourcing your CFO function could be the perfect solution. A Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is the person in charge of managing a company's finances. This includes overseeing financial planning, risk management, record-keeping, and reporting. This role plays a critical [...]
Commonly Overlooked Tax Deductions for Small Businesses
Are You Missing Out on Tax Deductions? Tax season can be stressful, but what if you’re paying more than necessary? Many small businesses miss out on valuable deductions simply because they don’t know what they can claim. By taking advantage of overlooked tax deductions, you can reduce your tax bill and keep more of [...]
Quick Guide to Operating Profit Margin
Do you know how efficient your business operations are? When monitoring your finances, it’s important to know that not all profit margins are the same. You might focus on overall profit, but different margins reveal different perspectives. One of the most insightful? Your operating profit margin. But what exactly does this metric measure, and [...]
Hiring a Practice Accountant in Weybridge, Surrey
We are looking for a part-time practice accountant to join our friendly team during this exciting period of growth for the company At Atek, we pride ourselves on our personal and forward-thinking approach, and therefore, a successful candidate will happily get to know their clients’ businesses inside out. This practice accountant role would suit [...]
Why You Need An Accountant For The Growth Of Your Small Business
Is an Accountant Needed for a Small Business? Small businesses often put off hiring an accountant until they’ve grown bigger, but that could be a mistake that actually delays growth. Do small businesses need an accountant? The services of an accountant extend beyond simply minimising your tax bill, although that’s an undeniably valuable advantage. [...]
6 Accounting Mistakes That Can Be Costly to Your Small Business
We know that accounting is never a small business owner’s favourite task. It is, however, vital that you keep on top of your accounts to prevent money from leaking out of your company. The following accounting mistakes could mean that your small business is losing profits without you even knowing about it. Once you [...]
7 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Business Costs
Expenses grow along with your small business, so it’s always in your interest to consider where you can reduce business costs. But, overzealous cutting in the wrong areas can lead to a myriad of problems. Keeping costs low is important to maximise your profits and protect your small business against inflation - you need [...]
6 Steps to Ensure That Your Business is Financially Fit and Healthy
As we start a new year, many people are setting new personal fitness goals for themselves. However, as a business owner, you also need to be looking to ensure that your company is financially fit and healthy. Do you fully understand the strength of your financial situation and the areas that need focus? With [...]
Why Cash Flow Forecasting Is Critical for Event Management Firms
Master Your Business Finances with Cash Flow Forecasting The events industry is unpredictable - one month might be fully booked, and the next eerily quiet. So, how do you stay ahead financially in such a volatile landscape? That’s where cash flow forecasting comes in. Cash flow forecasting provides a strategic view of where your [...]
5 Simple Ways to Recession-Proof Your Small Business
With high energy and food prices, elevated inflation, rising interest rates, and global economic weakness, the Bank of England is expecting the UK economy to be in recession until the middle of 2024 - the longest recession in history. As is often the case, small businesses are likely to feel the biggest impact, which [...]
Cash Flow vs Profit – Which is More Important?
Cash Flow vs Profit: What's the difference and which should you prioritise? It’s the age-old debate: cash flow vs profit? While the two are undoubtedly related, they are certainly not the same thing, and business owners must often sacrifice one at the expense of the other. In the long term, a business needs both [...]
Making Tax Digital November Deadline – Are you Ready?
Stay Ahead of the Deadline: Is Your Business Ready for Making Tax Digital for VAT? HMRC is reminding businesses that they will no longer be able to use their existing Value Added Tax (VAT) online account to submit VAT returns from the November 1st deadline, as part of the transition to Making Tax Digital. [...]
Can the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) Help Tech Firms with Recruitment?
Have you considered how the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) can support your recruiting efforts? Eight in ten small businesses are finding it difficult to recruit staff, according to a report published by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). The FSB's 'Scaling Up Skills' report found that over 80% of small firms are flagging a [...]
4 Ways Management Accounts Can Help Your Business
What Are Management Accounts? Management accounts are a set of financial reports and summaries that provide a clear snapshot of a company's financial performance and position. Unlike traditional financial statements, management accounts are tailored for internal use, helping business leaders and managers make informed decisions. These reports typically include key financial indicators, such as [...]
Research and Development Tax Relief: Are You Sitting on a Potential Claim?
Could you be claiming for Research and Development (R&D) tax credits for your business? If you are engaged in Research and Development (R&D) activities within your innovative project, you might be sitting on a potential claim for R&D tax credits that can help boost your business and drive results. What is the Research and [...]
4 Key Numbers for Effective Cash Flow Planning
The Vital Role of Cash Flow Planning in Small Business Management Running out of cash is a small business’s biggest risk. It’s not surprising, really, as planning cash flow can be tricky. It's essential to manage your cash flow effectively, not only for your immediate financial well-being but also for the long-term growth of [...]
Bookkeeper Job in Weybridge, Surrey
We are hiring and currently have a job opening for a bookkeeper to join our friendly team in Weybridge At Atek, we pride ourselves on our personal and forward-thinking approach; therefore, the successful candidate will happily get to know their clients' businesses inside out. This job role would suit a bookkeeper with previous practice [...]
