By Ashley Preen
October 20, 2021
A lot goes into starting and running a successful business in the UK. From having a great business idea to writing an excellent business plan, to keeping your accounting up to date, there’s a lot that UK SMEs need to know.
It is vital for entrepreneurs and business owners to read up constantly on the latest trends and to take advice from people who have “been there and done it.” Learning from others can save a lot of heartaches in the long run. The internet is full of great information for businesses but it also has a lot of false information. It’s important to separate the wheat from the chaff.
As a company that has launched tens of thousands of companies across the UK, and which does the accounting of countless businesses in widely differing fields, Pearl Accountants spends a lot of time looking for articles that might be useful for our clients. From the best accounting blogs to the best business blogs, below is our list of the websites that we feel contain the best-quality tips and information for UK businesses to succeed.
The Pearl Accountants Business and Accounting Blog is an excellent all-around blog with a particular focus on UK businesses. The blog contains a wide variety of information on how to build and maintain a UK business, covering everything from marketing to SEO to choosing the right online accounting software.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when businesses were struggling across the UK and turning to their accountants for assistance, Pearl accountants provided consistent advice on topics such as how to navigate the pandemic, apply for government grants, or get a bounce-back loan.
The blog summarises the Chancellor's Budget announcements each year so that UK businesses can get the most important information they need about budget changes quickly.
The blog focuses only on UK businesses and UK-specific accounting matters.
Some of the blog’s top recent blog posts for UK businesses include:
The Start My Business blog covers every single aspect of business from the initial business idea to the final marketing and sales. Their blog is extensive with detailed how-tos, tips, and reviews.
Although the company offers services to an international market, it is based in London, UK, and many of its articles have a UK-specific angle to them.
Here are some of the company’s top recent articles for UK businesses:
The Fusion Accountants business blog is another excellent blog written by a UK accountancy firm. The blog contains tips for UK businesses covering all aspects of business, whether Limited Companies or Individuals.
The blog has five main sections:
Here are some of Fusion’s best recent articles:
The QuickBooks UK blog contains essential information for UK businesses. Although QuickBooks is famous for its accounting software, the blog covers a broad range of topics. Our CEO is also a writer for the blog and has been featured on QuickBooks’ “Ask the Expert” channel. You can view his interview with QuickBooks Ask The Expert.
Here are some of QuickBooks UK’s top recent articles for UK businesses:
FreeAgent started out as a UK business even though it is now available internationally. Still, its blog articles tend to focus very much on UK business needs. FreeAgent is well-known for its easy-to-understand content. If you don’t have a lot of experience in accounting, FreeAgent is a great place to get the info that you need.
Here are some of the top recent FreeAgent articles for UK businesses according to our team:
O2 runs a business blog dedicated to UK businesses. The articles cover an extremely varied amount of topics and are more suited to general business-related news than to how to start a business. The articles are usually short and sweet and make for quick, light reading.
Business Matters Magazine is the UK’s largest business magazine for UK entrepreneurs and SMEs. It publishes a wealth of information for UK businesses, spanning a wide range of topics in finance, legal, tech, funding, and others.
We're glad our customers are happy with our products and services. Here's what some of them said about us...
Pearl Accountants are unique as you can get. They have a great one to one service and they always answer your queries in a fast and professional manner.
I find Pearl when I opened up my limited company. I was clueless, but Pearl Accountants kindly assisted me in the best way so I felt at ease and understood how the operation works.
Everything was explained clearly in detail and I could ask as many questions as I wanted. They were never rude or impatient, just happy to be there to help.
The client had previously missed a few deadlines with HMRC and Companies House and needed a hands on approach
Wanted to ensure they have a proactive team so that no deadlines were missed and full end to end bookkeeping carried out
Client was introduced to a dedicated accountant who filed all outstanding accounts and appealed for any penalties by HMRC
After being in business for years, I must admit that Pearl Accountants are far the best accountants I have worked with. They are helpful, friendly and trust worthy and most of all provide excellent tax advice.
They provide high-level client care. I would certainly recommend Pearl Accountants to all.
Invoice factoring complications led client to inaccurate bookkeeping and unclear of clear reporting requirements
Processing the invoicing system accurately with clear and transparent management reporting was key
Processing the invoicing system accurately with clear and transparent management reporting was key
Pearl Accountants have been my accountants for many years and have been a great asset to my businesses. They have a strong team and knowledge is second to none. Very happy with the service and professionalism from them. Will continue to recommend them to my network.
Paying huge taxes without any tax efficiency and lack of understanding on various VAT aspects.
Minimise tax bills and ensure the business was compliant with HMRC and Companies House
As a startup graphic design company, we ensured the client used tax allowances and efficient payroll structures to withdraw money
Holborn based laser hair removal company joined us with a view to expanding their business on a large scale. They undertook accounting and advisory services which helped them grow above their rivals.
Holborn based laser hair removal company joined us with a view to expanding their business on a large scale. They undertook accounting and advisory services which helped them grow above their rivals.
Achieve a national presence and grow organically through current business model
We came on board and advised client on tailor made business strategies to achieve their online and brick and mortar presence.
We have been using Pearl Accountants for over 10 years and developed a very good business relationship. Very clear instructions with easy to follow accountancy system in place. Great expertise in tax efficiency, as well as business, grow and development services. One of the best-chartered accountants in town.
We have already recommended your services and will share our good experience with others in future.
It is always someone available on the phone but if not available at the time your accountant will always call you back.
Complete peace of mind with prompt and clear communication so no deadline missed.
Very satisfied.
Client was growing very fast with inability to keep track of growth with no cloud accounting setup and no integrations
Time saving on bookkeeping and clear vision of profitability management reports. Setup with cloud integrations.
Recommended a online cloud solution with time saving applications and clear breakdown of monthly profitability.
We recently migrated to Pearl Accountants from large national accounting firm. Transfer was easy and faultless. Friendly staff at Pearl lead us through the process with ease. Initially we were drawn to their service because of their attractive pricing structure. However it quickly became apparent to us that we were getting a lot more for our money than we initially thought as they are happy to stretch the engagement to all sorts of additional advice. Thumbs up to Pearl Accountants.
No clear strategy for business growth or tax planning reduction techniques
To achieve business advisory, tax planning and accurate reporting requirements
Recommended a online cloud solution with time saving applications and clear breakdown of monthly profitability.
Our client, a well established practising solicitor in the UK required a headache free service to ensure their accounting requirements were met and cloud accounting solution setup
Too much time was being consumed in bookkeeping and previous accountants missed various deadlines
More time was needed to focus on the business and ensure a firm came on board to take full ownership.
Advised client to forward us everything in ‘shoe box’ style and provided full breakdown regularly to keep informed.
They make me feel that I am a valued customer and to me what makes Pearl accountants unique is their helpful team of dedicated staff members. Their response is always prompt and it makes the daunting task of accounting really easy for me. Pearl Accountants is really a five-star accountant company.
As a franchisee tuition business, the client did not have the right advise to reduce taxes or a proactive accountant to advise where needed
Reduction in taxes through governmental tax subsidiaries and requiring more time to focus on the business.
A dedicated accountant was assigned to ensure deadlines were not missed and review of tax strategies.
Our client was in need of a specialist contractor accountant to remain compliant and ensure they did not fall in IR35.
Client required advisory on payroll and VAT solutions and filing of accounts at year end.
No clear direction on IR35 nor guidance on allowable expenses that could be claimed.
Ensure the contractor company was compliant with HMRC and Companies House and advisory on saving taxes.
Provided a full explanation and review on IR35 and guidance provided on which expenses could be claimed to reduce taxes
Our client having a property portfolio in Switzerland required a specialist accountant that understood the UK tax legislation whilst having a thorough understanding of overseas tax implications.
Overseas and UK income not declared, needed tax returns filed for previous years and appeal to HMRC for outstanding penalty
Paying taxes in the UK and overseas, wanted help understanding the tax system so avoid paying taxes twice.
Appealed successfully for prior years penalties and filed all outstanding returns. Thorough review of all tax allowances available.
Our client joined us after losing track of their finances and needed someone they could turn to for help. We came on board and reviewed their internal bookkeeping arrangements and recommended efficiency to lower their input on areas which could be outsourced to us.
No real track of profitability or clear vision of expenditure along with weak internal processes.
To achieve a clear breakdown of expenditure and ensure the current setup for bookkeeping was run more efficiently.
Recommendation on reporting packs, internal processes and online applications to integrate for payment reconciliation.