Small Business Finance School

Let us explain...

We love accountants here at Small Business Finance School (in fact, one of us IS an accountant and married to another, and the other one of us is the daughter of an accountant). Family aside, we love ALL accountants because as business owners we know that if we don’t know what’s happening with ‘the money’, we don’t know what’s really happening at all.

But there’s a LOT of things to know, often questions you think as a business owner you should know the answer to and so don’t ask and instead nod "Uh huh" and "OK, great" but in your head you’re thinking:

Don’t think we don’t know that sometimes it’s simply the case of ‘get someone else to do it’ and then it’s done when it comes to  your accounts (which of course is a better option than "Ignore it & it might go away"). But even then there are questions: Do I need a bookkeeper? Do I need an accountant? And what sort of accountant do I need (yes, there’s more than one type!)? Always questions...

And wouldn’t it be great to have a good idea about what’s going on so when you have a conversation about your accounts – with your accountant or your business partner, your team or anyone – that you really know what you are talking about. Nothing wrong with being smug now and then, if you ask us.

We understand...

You’re good at what you do – brilliant, actually (let’s not be modest!)– and accountants are good at accounting. But if there’s a gap in your knowledge that stops you from really knowing what your accountant is up to, we’re here to fill that gap. Knowing your numbers will mean you’ll be making smart, informed decisions about your business because you won’t need to get your accountant to ‘work it out’ when you need to know (or worse, tell you when it’s too late). Chances are it will also mean you get paid more when you know what you can and can’t keep, and when.

We know that sometimes it feels like you've been 'sent to the headmaster/mistress' for being naughty, when you've made mistakes or just don't understand the rules for your accounts, tax returns or other filing you're supposed to have done... there is a lot of paperwork to keep on top of, and it's it not your Thing it's not your Thing! And yes, we know we're all grown-ups but it can still feel like we're being told off **hangs head in shame**

You’ve watched enough Dragon’s Den (one episode will do!) to know that it’s always about ‘the numbers’. But what are these elusive numbers you need to know? And why are they so important?

Why are we doing this?

Because it’s important, and because it’s unavoidable – if you have a business you will have to do your accounts (or at least have them done for you). And not understanding your numbers is doing yourself, your plans, your big ideas, and your bank balance a big disservice.

BUT we also know that (sorry fellow accountants) the topic is a bit boring. So we’ve done our very best to make it simple, easy to understand, entertaining and do-able. The more you know, the more you can work smarter.

We’ve bite-sized as much as we can, included checklists and simple-to-follow instructions–even some fancy ‘infographics’ where needed. Our simple aim is to make you confident about your financial conversations.

A quick note if you’re NOT in the UK

A lot of the course is general accounting theory and so applies wherever you are in the world, but all of the specific examples (for tax, compliance, etc.) are based on accounting requirements and principles in the UK. It may be possible for you to translate the theory for your local market but all examples and explanations are for UK sole traders and registered companies.