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.
Pearl Accountants UK Business and Accounting Blog
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.
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 3 Most Important Financial Statements: What You Need to Know – The three most important financial statements are vital to know if your business wants to apply for a loan or get an outside investment. In America, one of these statements uses a different name.
What Is Equity: Every Finance Definition of Equity under the Sun! – This is a vital article for any startup that is looking to get outside funding. But the subject of equity is also important to know for Limited Companies because it is often referred to in financial statements.
Annual Company Accounts: Everything UK Small Businesses Need to Know – If you run a Limited company in the UK, then you need to know how to prepare and submit Annual Company Accounts to HMRC and Companies House. Yes, they need to be submitted twice, but you should only ever send the abbreviated version to Companies House or else all your financials will be splattered in the public space for anyone to read! This article covers everything you need to know about preparing and submitting company accounts.
Accounting and Bookkeeping Basics for UK Small Businesses and Freelancers – Accounting can be an overwhelming subject for many people. Entrepreneurs often just want to get going with their businesses and leave the accounting for later. But failing to do your UK accounting properly can get you in trouble with HMRC and paying unnecessary fines. The good news is that the basics of accounting and bookkeeping are very simple. This article tells you all about the accounting basics that you need to know in your UK business, whether you operate a Limited Company or are a freelancer working on a sole proprietorship basis.
5 Best Online-Only UK Business Bank Accounts For 2021 – One of the most frustrating aspects of starting a business in the UK is getting a business bank account opened. The procedure can be frustrating because of all the red tape and paperwork. Numerous online accounts can be used, but some are better than others. This article tells you which five online bank accounts we feel are the best for UK businesses.
How to Get Funding For Your Startup – There are more ways to get funding for a business than bank loans or direct investment by angel investors. This article talks about all the different funding options available to UK businesses.
Which Business Expenses Are Tax-Deductible in the UK? – One of the key things to know when running a business is what expenses to deduct. Failing to understand this could mean paying too much tax. This article discusses this matter in detail, specific to UK businesses.
Start My Business Blog
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:
All the Essential Business Software Your Small Business Needs – One of the services we offer at Pearl Accountants is to recommend various software tools for UK businesses to optimise their procedures and workflows. When choosing software for a business, it’s important to only select what is essential and not to use “software for software’s sake.” This article covers this in-depth and helps UK businesses choose the right software for them so that they can become more efficient and, in the long-term, reduce costs.
Make Your Business Plan Stand Out from the Crowd – Investors see a lot of business plans every day so creating a business plan that stands out from the rest is essential to grab their attention and get your business the funding it needs. This in-depth article provides several ingenious ideas on how to do just that.
10 Best Office Spots in London – For UK companies that are looking for an office address in London, this article provides several things to consider. Some London office spots are more suited than others, depending on the type of business you run. And there is also the matter of price. London is notoriously pricey, but it is indeed possible to find great office space that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.
Options for Business Mobile App Development – This fantastic article offers numerous affordable solutions for UK businesses hoping to build an app for their business. “Going Mobile” is an essential strategy for any business these days, with more people accessing the internet now from their phones than from their computers. Previously, mobile app development had been prohibitively expensive. This article covers how to get an excellent app built at a fraction of the cost.
A Complete Guide to Small Business Insurance – Insurance is an essential aspect of doing business safely. It is important to choose the right business insurance depending on your sector. If you have employees in the UK, then Employers’ Liability Insurance is mandatory. And there are other insurances that are also mandatory or highly recommended. This article covers the topic in depth.
Must-Have Legal Documents When Starting a New Business – Doing business without a contract in place is a sure way to get your fingers burned. But other extremely vital legal documents are also required to do business safely, such as employment agreements, supplier agreements, privacy policies, terms of business, etc. This article goes into all the types of documents your UK small business will need to do business safely.
Fusion Accountants Business Blog
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:
Business Articles
Articles aimed primarily at contractors
Articles for individuals
Articles about business and accounting software
Articles covering taxes
Here are some of Fusion’s best recent articles:
A step-by-step guide to starting a new business online in the UK – This in-depth article talks about how to start an e-commerce business in the UK. The article covers everything from the initial business idea to financing the project, building the website, registering the business and getting effective marketing done. Even for people who already have an e-commerce business in the UK, this article still promises excellent tips.
How to write an effective start-up business plan – This is another great article on how to put together a compelling business plan. Business plans are so essential to successful business in the UK that one can never get too much information on how to prepare a good one.
A-Z guide of common business costs & expenses for Limited Companies – This is a great guide offering advice on what can and cannot be claimed as an expense in a UK Limited Company. What a Limited Company can claim is different to what an individual or sole proprietor can claim. This article explains the A-Z of limited company expenses in detail.
Self-employed expenses you can claim – This article is a companion to the previous one. It offers details on what self-employed individuals can claim as an expense, which is often quite different to what limited companies can claim.
Is Xero accounting software right for your business? – There are several options to choose from when selecting accounting software for a UK business—QuickBooks, Xero, FreeAgent, and others. This article gives an in-depth review of Xero so that UK businesses can decide if it is the right choice for them.
QuickBooks UK Blog
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:
Understanding your tax responsibilities as a small business owner – This article covers crucial information that UK business owners must know regarding their business taxes. UK business taxes must be submitted on very specific dates and, if a date is missed, the company is liable to pay fines to HMRC. The article details these dates, the different types of taxes that must be paid, and how to prepare for them.
The best banks for small businesses – This is another article on the all-too-common problem of finding a reliable bank for your UK business. Unlike the Pearl Accountants blog above which covered online banks specifically, this article does not limit the choice to online banks only. We recommend reading this article in conjunction with the Pearl Accountants article on business banking mentioned earlier.
it card payments – Credit card payments aren’t only for e-commerce businesses. They can increase sales for in-person businesses as well, especially in a post-COVID world where cashless payments have become prevalent. This article offers advice on how to prepare for receiving credit card payments.
FreeAgent Business Blog
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:
Brexit and business travel: a handy checklist – For those businesses that frequently send people to the continent, there are important things to know about travel, now that the UK is no longer a part of the EU. This article covers everything from healthcare and insurance to visas, passports, and work permits.
7 common year-end filing questions answered – For non-accountants, year-end filings can get confusing. Even after reading ten articles on how to do them, questions often remain. This article covers seven common questions that often come up. Well worth the read.
O2 UK Business Blog
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
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.
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