Structuring a Business

Setting up multiple companies to separate business interests can seem very straight forward. There are however important considerations. We explore the implications of owning too many companies.

Content creation can be highly rewarding but also volatile. Take a look at our Content Creators guide to financial security for tips and strategies to create lasting wealth.

Sometimes the right tax advice isn't always the "Best" advice. The right advice depends on the clients individual needs, our job is to fully support our clients goals and ensure they can make informed decisions.

Electric vehicles are often discussed in terms of sustainability and lower running costs but for many business owners and directors, the real advantage is financial. We explore the efficiencies.

We look at what you need to know if you are exploring the option of buying an investment property through your business and the traps to avoid.

Incorporation relief is changing from 6th April 2026, in our latest blog we explore what the changes mean and what you need to be aware of.

In our March 2026 update we look at the Spring forecast, the changes applicable from April for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, Overpayment Relief from HMRC , Advisory Fuel Rates for Company Cars, Employer Provided Vehicles and Taxable Benefits in Kind and caution around third party labour.

Following on from our last blog around the moving parade and why timing is so important, we take a look at the opportunities that already exist in your business.

We explore the impact of the changes to the National Minimum Wage from April 2026 and the impact on young people and employers.

Offering a company holiday home can be an excellent benefit to offer your staff. We explore this unique perk and how it can help you build a rewards package for staff and save tax.

Are you ready to take the step from solopreneur to entrepreneur? We look at the signs you are ready for the shift and the key steps to consider.

We take a look a the benefits that truly matter to your employees and how to create an attractive benefits package for your team.

For directors planning ahead in 2026 we take a look at how you can protect your income, safeguard your business, and plan effectively.

A new year brings change and fresh perspective. We take a look at the year ahead and how you can plan, protect and grow your business in 2026 and achieve your goals.

EMI schemes are share option plans designed for smaller, high-growth companies, enabling employees to receive equity in a tax-efficient way while helping businesses incentivise and retain key talent. From 6 April 2026, the rules governing EMI schemes will be expanded, offering businesses greater flexibility and increased capacity. In this article, we explore what these changes mean.

Our December 2025 newsletter with all the updates from the Autumn Budget Announcement. We take a look at the tax implications for both businesses and individuals.

From January 2026, new lease accounting rules will bring most leases onto your balance sheet as assets and liabilities. While cash flow isn’t changing, reported profits, borrowing ratios, and audit thresholds may shift. Early planning and modelling can help you understand the impact and make informed business decisions.

Updates including the draft legislation for Inheritance Tax relief for business and agricultural property from April 2026, MTD HMRC guidance for digitally excluded taxpayers, Recent tribunal rulings clarify VAT on Chocolate covered biscuits and SDLT/ATED tribunal partial win and advisory rates for electric cars.

From January 2026, new UK GAAP rules will change how businesses recognise revenue affecting reported profits, borrowing capacity, and even business valuation. Although cash flow stays the same, the timing of income may shift. Now is the time to review contracts, forecast the impact, and prepare for the transition.

Running a business can be rewarding, but it’s not without stress. This Stress Awareness Week, we’re highlighting how financial pressures affect business owners and how to take control of the numbers. Before they take control of you.

We take a look at how a group structure can benefit SME businesses. Whilst commonly used for tax planning purposes there are also a number of other benefits which can be highly valuable to business owners.

Simplify and automate your business processes to free up time, improve cash flow, and boost your business value for a smooth exit strategy.

Long project timelines and slow payments can cause problems with cashflow in construction businesses. We explore the pros and cons of invoice finance facilities.

Managing projects profitably is tough without clear data. Xero Projects gives real-time visibility on time, costs, invoicing, and profitability, helping you make smarter decisions, improve cash flow, and boost margins. Discover how our cloud accounting expertise can help you streamline systems and maximise project success.

Discover 10 proven business growth strategies to increase profitability, strengthen your operations, and build a saleable business.

We cover five essential steps property developers should take to get finance-ready, including choosing the right structure, early broker engagement, lender expectations, documentation, and insurance.

Revenue recognition isn't just bookkeeping it's the key to scaling, impressing investors, and staying on the right side of compliance. With deferred income, multi-year contracts, and recurring revenue, SaaS accounting plays by different rules. Are you getting it right?

If late payments are holding you back or you're turning down bigger contracts due to upfront costs, invoice finance could be the smart funding solution you need. In this blog, we explore the key signs it might be right for your construction business and how it can support sustainable growth.

A practical guide to maximising innovation-based tax savings and claiming R&D tax relief in your manufacturing business.

We explore the tax treatment of HMOs in relation to the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS), highlighting what landlords need to be aware of and when registration may be required. We also examine the fine line between property investment and development and why it matters.

Property updates for June 2025 including spotlight 69, council tax on second homes, AI and landlord decision making, Possible exemptions from rent controls in Scotland and the renters rights bill 2025.

Find out how the April 2025 Employer National Insurance increase is affecting UK business valuations and what to do if you’re planning to sell.

Discover the six key bookkeeping steps every business needs to stay financially healthy. From scanning receipts to cloud software and outsourcing, we help businesses streamline their processes and make confident, data-driven decisions.

Discover 4 smart ways to structure and future-proof your property portfolio, from incorporation and Family Investment Companies to using pensions and group structures. Advice for landlords and property investors.

Real-time financial data puts you in control, helping you make faster, smarter business decisions. From cashflow management to dynamic forecasting, live dashboards reveal what’s really going on behind the numbers. Discover five powerful ways real-time insights can drive growth, improve profitability, and give you a competitive edge.

If you’re relying solely on year-end accounts to understand your business, you could be missing the bigger picture. Management accounts are your secret weapon, offering real-time insight into your finances, highlighting hidden issues, and helping you make smarter, faster decisions.

Following on from our blog "Why Buying an Existing Business Is the New Entrepreneurial Power Move" we take a look at the Top 5 places you can find businesses for sale.

Thousands of UK businesses will soon change hands as owners retire creating big opportunities for young entrepreneurs. Buying an existing business means instant cash flow, loyal customers, and room to grow. We take a look at why buying a business offers advantages to starting from scratch — and how we can support you in taking the leap.

Fine wine can be a smart alternative investment, but the tax rules aren’t always straightforward. From VAT and customs duties to CGT exemptions for wasting assets and chattels, understanding your position is key. We explore how to invest in wine tax-efficiently, whether personally or through a limited company.

The BRR (Buy, Refurbish, Refinance) strategy is a powerful way to build a scalable property portfolio, but success depends on smart planning and tax efficiency. The right accountant can help you structure deals, track costs, and maximise returns. Here’s how expert financial support can make your investments more profitable and sustainable.

Upcoming Inheritance Tax (IHT) changes will cap Business Relief at £1 million from April 2026, which could result in tax bills. Strategic planning through lifetime gifts, will structuring, and trusts can help minimise liabilities. Take a look at potential strategies to enable you to protect your business.

While content creators and influencers thrive on trends and spontaneity, a long-term financial strategy is not only possible but essential for creating long term stability and success.

Understanding the revenue in your Saas Business is key to growth. A waterfall chart helps break down your ARR, revealing trends in customer retention, churn, and expansion. In this blog we explores how to create and analyse waterfall charts, providing insights that drive strategic decisions.

For influencers and gamers, understanding the difference between cash and profit is key to unlocking new levels of success. Having cash in your account doesn’t always mean you're making a profit—expenses, taxes, and reinvestments all play a role. Mastering this difference helps you manage finances wisely, avoid tax surprises, and build a sustainable income.

Scaling a SaaS business requires more than just innovation—it demands financial precision. Bootstrapped founders must balance growth with cashflow management, ensuring every pound is reinvested wisely. From forecasting revenue streams to reducing unnecessary costs, mastering cashflow is key to sustainable scaling. Discover essential strategies to grow with confidence.

Deciding whether to buy or lease new plant or equipment is a crucial choice for manufacturing and engineering businesses. Each option impacts cash flow, flexibility, and long-term costs. Understanding the advantages of both can help you make the right financial decision to support your business growth and operational needs.

Gamers, content creators, and social media influencers are no strangers to strategy when it comes to their online platforms. But what about the bigger picture? What are your long-term goals, and how can you start securing them now? We explore the top 5 ways your accountant can help you build and execute your long-term strategy.

We explore the concept of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), their tax treatment in the UK, why they are popular among US-listed companies with UK operations, the tax planning opportunities they present, and their role in business acquisitions.

Efficient tax strategies in your journey as a property developer takes careful consideration and with the right planning can be the difference in a good profit to a great one. See our top 5 Tax Strategies for property developers.

In the SaaS industry, metrics like ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue) and MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue) are vital for tracking growth, securing investment, and planning for the future. Unlike turnover, ARR and MRR focus on predictable, recurring revenue streams, making them indispensable for scaling and valuation. Learn more in our blog!

The arrival of 2025 is the perfect opportunity to start thinking about the future of your business. What new year goals are you setting? And what actions will you be taking to achieve them? We take a look at the top 3 resolution topics.

Whether intentionally building a platform or unexpectedly earning from hobbies, influencers must understand tax regulations to avoid costly mistakes. From registering as self-employed to tracking expenses and managing VAT, this article explores ten common tax pitfalls influencers face and offers practical tips to stay compliant and financially secure.

Revamp your finance function for efficiency. From automated bank feeds and AI-driven insights to real-time financial data and seamless integrations, systems like Xero and QuickBooks. Learn how Friend and Grant can help you streamline processes and stay ahead in today’s fast-paced business world.

The Autumn Statement 2024 introduced changes to Capital Gains Tax rates, impacting residential, business, and other chargeable assets. With gradual rate increases for business assets starting April 2025, there are key planning opportunities to secure lower tax rates.

From 1st October 2024, new tipping laws will ensure that all tips, gratuities, and service charges go directly to employees without deductions. This change benefits workers nationwide, guaranteeing fairer earnings while increasing transparency in tipping practices.

Business growth isn’t just about boosting sales. While increasing turnover seems promising, true, sustainable growth depends on financial insight. By understanding costs, cashflow, and efficiency, you can avoid common pitfalls and create a growth strategy that supports profitability. Discover how financial insight can transform your approach to business expansion.

Xero’s latest 2024 updates bring powerful enhancements to streamline your business operations. From simplifying accounts payable with Pay Bills to boosting payroll efficiency, the new features in Xero Grow and Comprehensive packages are designed to save time, reduce errors, and improve financial oversight. With tools like advanced cash flow forecasting, mileage tracking, and automated payroll, businesses can now manage transactions more seamlessly than ever.

There's a lot to be said for the phrase "beginning with the end in mind" which rings true when it comes to planning for retirement as a business owner. We share the top 7 mistakes we see when it comes to retirement planning and share practical tips on how to avoid them.

Are you unintentionally limiting your business potential? Business growth and scaling operations can be the difference between long term success and stagnation.

VAT is always a complex tax with many different rules, and some rules will only apply in certain situations. In this blog we have reviewed some of the more complex VAT rules and the things you need to consider.

Thinking about incorporating your business? We explore the advantages and disadvantages to consider when making this all important decision in your business journey.

Everyone knows that you can invest your pension in various stocks and shares, however you can also invest it in commercial property! Whether that be your company premises, an industrial unit, a pub or a shop, there are some very valuable tax reliefs to be had.

Beyond just numbers, tax planning is about maximising wealth whilst minimising tax liabilities. Our aim is to ensure you are optimising all tax saving opportunities both personally and in your company. We explore what really happens in a tax planning meeting.

Overall summary of the budget which includes a Capital gains Tax Reduction, Changes to domicile and residency and more...

Understanding and monitoring your cashflow is a fundamental element to ensuring your business is equipped to deal with the unknown and also enable business growth. In our latest blog we look at the benefits of staying on top of your cashflow and how various software options can support this.

Taking out personal borrowings to invest in your own company can be tempting but you could be disadvantaged from a tax perspective if you do not proceed with caution.

When the time comes to sell your business you will be hoping to maximise its value. We explore the benefits of getting your business into good shape years before you hope to sell up.

Yesterday, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt presented his second Autumn Statement, but with a very different tone to the gloomy announcements made this time last year. The Chancellor announced initiatives with a massive focus on pushing growth in the economy. The main question you’ll all no doubt have is… “how does it affect me?”, let’s take a look…

With demand for rental property being at an all time high we explore considerations if you are thinking of getting into property investment and how to ensure you are compliant from the offset of your journey as a property investor.

In this blog, we cover the different tax aspects of purchasing a company vehicle and the potential implications if you get it wrong!

Updates for October 2023 including: The importance of accurate forecasting and utilising cloud accounting software. Associated companies and quarterly corporation tax payments. The upcoming budget report and rumours surrounding IHT.

Updates for September 2023 including: Tax Free childcare, the effect of high earnings on child benefit entitlement, Merger of R&D Tax schemes, Income tax on Inherited Pension Funds, HMRC requiring more information from tax payers and advisory fuel rates for company cars from 1st September 2023.

VAT can often be a pitfall for start ups or small businesses. We identify the top 5 most common mistakes when it comes to VAT and what you can to do avoid them.

What's the difference between a hybrid car and a tax efficient hybrid car? Turns out much more than you think! We explore identifying the most tax efficient hybrid cars for your next company car.

How late is too late when it comes to starting a business? Many people believe age is a limiting factor when it comes to entrepreneurship, we examine how it can be used as an asset and identify some real life success stories.

Have you been put off the idea of taking a holiday or a longer sabbatical due to the demands of your business? In our latest article Mark Friend reflects on his recent sabbatical. Mark highlights the benefits of taking a break from your business and how important this is to business owners to drive growth and future success.

Protection insurance is key to protecting your future. Are you aware of the options available to you and are you certain there are no loopholes of gaps in your cover? We explore the differences between Life Cover, Critical illness cover and income protection and the benefits of seeking guidance from an independent financial advisor can help you to ensure you have sufficient cover.

As a property investor, ensuring you have your property tax affairs structured in the most tax efficient way is vital. Ill-thought-out structuring and negligent planning can be very costly down the line. We recognise that everyone has unique situations and goals when it comes to their property affairs, so we’ve decided to take a 360 all-inclusive approach to tax planning to help you realise your goals.

Our June 2023 Newsletter with tax updates including Employment Related Securities, HMRC Interest rate rising and company car fuel rates.

Group structures are not just for large companies, they can be used very effectively for smaller owner managed businesses to save tax and de-risk their assets.

With a range of changes in the world of tax coming into effect from April 2023, discover two simple ways to reduce your corporation tax burden and save your company money!

Keep reading to find out what Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s “Back to Work” Budget means for you. Is 2023 a year of opportunity?

Frustrated with your business growth? Knowing what needs to be done and getting it done are two very different things. If you are an ambitious business owner striving for success find out how we can help you to build your business.

Many businesses are unsuccessful because the owners do not spend time creating a business plan and monitoring their progress. We give some tips that could help your business succeed.

The death or terminal illness of a shareholder can be a greatly distressing time. Find out how you can ensure protection is in place for both your business and loved ones when tragedy strikes.

Selling, renting or leasing a commercial property or land can be a tricky subject when it comes to VAT. We take a look at what you can do when it comes to land and property and how the option to tax can affect this.

I’ll start this with the same thoughts that many of us all had back in early 2020, a vision of the world going just a little bit crazier every day. For me it initially evoked an emotion of fear, of the anxiety of the unknown and what might happen, the day-to-day monitoring of numbers of infections, the responsibility to keep a team safe, the tenuous and treacherous emotional reliance I placed on the preparation of our government to guide us through the virus and the emerging clarity that came with half-baked solutions and a gaping chasm of guidance that came from the ‘solutions’ offered.

The pandemic has had a dramatic effect on all our lives over the last two years. Businesses have had to adapt quickly to a changing environment. One area that may have been overlooked is the need to review your health and safety compliance.

As a small business owner for almost 30 years I have first hand experience of falling into what is probably the biggest trap for growing a business- taking on anything and everything! It was very much a scatter gun approach with the hope of catching something. Anything in fact! As long as they paid!!!

Over 80% of business owners run businesses which provides them with a level of earnings which in honesty they could get or exceed if they were employed. Of the remainder the majority are earning good profits but still working long hours and invariably feel trapped in their businesses. Only a few business owners have created what I would call the dream business.

It is often the case that those who have creative flair possess no interest in more mundane things like figures. Unfortunately for those people, especially if and when they become successful, they need to pay tax on their profits and so they either require some understanding of accounting and tax matters or be prepared to pay someone else to deal with it for them.

There are many potential pitfalls for the unwary property developer and key amongst them is tax. We have outlined 10 of the most common tax pitfalls or missed opportunities we have come across.

The trials and tribulations of the last year or so have been never ending for many business owners. The stop start due to COVID restrictions, increased cost of COVID compliance, homeworking, restricted working, continual rule changes, loss of staff due to illness and self-isolation, the re-evaluation of people’s lives, the impact on the bottom line...

Business relationships usually begin with lots of enthusiasm and passion but soon hit the reality of life. There will be highs and lows in business, the business leaders will have differing visions of where they wish the business to go, different work ethics, differing family constraints and much more. It doesn’t necessarily matter whether your business is a great success or a failure we are all different and sometimes we have to go our different ways. The key however is to have a plan in case the worse happens.

Going into business is an exciting experience; doing so with a business partner even more so, but what happens when things go wrong? Would you have any protection in place to secure your future and that of the business?

Automation can prove beneficial for businesses, but what’s involved and where do you start?

Looking to give shares away in your company to secure an investor, business partner or lock in an employee? Beware the pitfalls. In this blog we look at why company owners are prepared to sell or giveaway shares in their companies. We look at the problems, the tax issues, some of the solutions and recommendations we would make to ensure that if you do sale or give away part of your company that you secure your financial position.

Being your own boss is risky at the best of times. If anything unexpected happened would your family be protected?

It’s fair to say that business relationships usually begin with enthusiasm and passion, grow through balance and communication and endure the highs and lows of life. Sometimes, however, businesses don’t weather the storm and things come to an end. Do you have a plan?

Most of us are familiar with the term “first mover advantage” but sometimes the “fast follower” is the winner.

Unfortunately failures in construction are common place. In 2018 Carillion went down owing £7bn, bringing down countless other businesses. Sometimes it is impossible to avoid the collapse of a business.But there's actions you can take to reduce the risk

We're often asked whether to purchase a buy to let property personally or via a limited company. Read our detailed advice to help you understand the up-and down-sides of each option. Everyone’s circumstances are different; the pros and cons must be weighed up on a case by case basis.

Every successful businesses has a special formula; they’re obsessed with innovation - it's in their DNA. There are several great tax breaks for companies that innovate.

Good corporate governance is as crucial for SME’s as it is for large listed companies. Corporate governance refers to a set of internal policies, rules, and procedures that a company follows on a regular basis to make sure it operates in a fair, equitable, and appropriate manner.

Every business needs a marketing machine to help drive the growth. But you need to build the marketing action plan to help you. Here is our 7 step Guide to Building Your Marketing Machine

As a company director are you looking to build a strong working relationship with a trusted advisor who will help you save tax and grow your business. If you are then why not speak to us about 5 easy tax wins which we can implement with you.