A+ Accounting Guernsey Blog

Christmas is upon us. Where has the year gone?!

2010-12-23T19:00:00.001Z

I keep thinking it's still around September, and then the wind-chill reminds me that actually we are like 1-2 days from Christmas. I just don't know where the year's gone!

I remember the first spark of thought about starting up my business in January. It didn't even cross my mind last December, and then suddenly I felt a very strong urge to do it in January. I don't know how it happened with other businesses (I assume they planned everything carefully over month and months), but for me the decision was made over about 3-4 days. So by the end of January I handed my notice in and started planning the details while still working my notice period. It definitely doesn't seem like 11 months ago though.

As I've started A+ Accounting in April, I have now been trading for over 8 months. As all small start up businesses, I've had hot and cold as well. I've learnt a lot about business, about people, and generally about being in business. I keep thinking I must have lost my mind to take this on voluntarily haha..., but I've never been so happy in my life of employment altogether. And I think most newly self employed people would agree with this (if we didn't take the added stress into account).

Now that Christmas is so close all I can say is that I am ever so grateful for my customers' trust. I am very proud to have such a varied and interesting customer base. I value every single one of them! Me and my business would be nowhere without good customers. I think my original vision is starting to take shape in reality and I am so happy to have the pleasure of offering services to those that really need it.

So here's to my current and future customers! Thank you for choosing A+ Accounting, and I hope I made a difference in 2010.

I wish all of you a lovely Christmas, and a very successful and rewarding Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas everyone!

2010-12-23T14:10:00.000Z

Yes, it's here again. I still can't believe how quick the 2010 year has gone. I know that I'm so not ready for Christmas, I wish I could just postpone it till June. :)

2010 has been an absolutely amazing year for me and A+ Accounting, which is mostly thanks to all my clients who placed their trust in me and my skill during my first year of business. There are lots of exciting plans to go through with in the new year, and without all your custom none of this would be possible. So here's to my lovely clients.

I hope I will be meeting some of you thinking of changing accountants or starting a business in the new year.

Wishing you all a loving and peaceful Christmas and a happy and successful New Year!
All the best!

Green business - the future!

2010-12-08T19:36:00.000Z

Being green and environmentally friendly has been a very hot topic lately, not only in our private lives but our business lives too. In my opinion this is something that needs more guidance. Especially in Guernsey this is the only way, as our landfill sites are filling up quickly and there is limited space for refuse in general.

So what makes a business green? And I mean not just saying you are green, but actually being green. ;-)

For small businesses it could be a variety of things from making sure you only print if you really really need to and even then you use recycled paper, to actually running your whole business on solar or other alternative energy. The options are endless. However the below tips might help you to make a start in becoming one of the proud environmentally friendly businesses on the island.

1. Have a locking up procedure: the last person leaving the premises has to make sure that everything has been switched off, all lights are out, water and heating are switched off etc.

2. Use recycled materials: if you're an office based business, use recycled paper and only if you really need to, buy fair trade products for your kitchen, if you're manufacturing research for recycled materials, if you're in the building trade encourage environmentally friendly solutions like more insulation, electric heating instead of gas or oil, etc.

3. Try electric car fleets or hybrids: I understand that most small businesses think they can't afford to replace their fleet, but there is always a solution if you are passionate about something. Maybe it's worth a chat with your bank manager or asset finance manager?

4. Go paperless! The easiest and most comfortable way of becoming green. In our technological world where cheques are being discontinued from 2012 most businesses have started to use only electronic ways of correspondence. Send your invoices by email, ask for your supplier statements by email, make your payments electronically through internet banking, choose not to receive paper bank statements, scan all your documents and shred and recycle whatever you possibly can. The list of things you can do is enormous!

5. Stop buying new printer cartridges, and just get them refilled on ebay! Easy, simple, and you save money... :)

These are only a very few of the things you can do to make your business green. A lot of options will be specific to your own business. But there is always a way! If you need help with changing things around your business or you just want to have a chat please do get in contact.

And remember to put this at the end of your emails:

Please consider your environment.
Before printing this e-mail message, ask yourself whether you really need a hard copy.

Good customer service? How many times have we heard that?

2010-12-07T16:02:00.000Z

When you hear/read about a service provider that there is good customer service what do you expect? I for one expect to be treated like I am a valued customer. When I phone I want the person on the other side know straight away who I am, I want them to go out of their ways to help me with my query, I want them to respect me. I find however that nowadays there are a lot of businesses that treat their clients like the client should be thankful for being able to use their services and not the other way around. I feel a lot of arrogance when dealing with some service providers, and I don't think this is right.

I am a true believer of the old "the customer is king" phrase, and I not only try to treat my customers by those principles but expect to be treated like that when I am the customer. What happened to these values? I hear this only applies to the hospitality sector now.... Since when? As far as I'm concerned this applies to every service provided, be it hospitality or financial services, or health and beauty.

The good news is that I think more and more businesses realise they have to change their attitude when it comes to customer service.

When I say flexible working you are thinking "the mums", right?

2010-11-30T20:17:00.000Z

Interestingly enough I've been playing with the thought of taking on someone early next year on a part time basis lately, as however much I would like to handle everything myself, I can only do so much having 2 hands and 1 brain. It would be good to have someone helping me out with bigger volumes. So I was thinking, maybe I should look for a mum with young children who has the experience and skills, but can't find a flexible enough job that will enable her to not only finish work before school finishes, but wants to have the summer holidays off. For my business purposes this type of flexible working would suit perfectly as (all accountants know), summer is relatively quiet in my world.
So it was very relevant for me when I've received a Facebook invitation from Johannsen & Co. for their next Women's Development Forum event with flexible working solutions as the main topic. I have to admit I am very passionate about flexible working, and I believe there is an amazing amount of dormant talent and skill sitting at home in Guernsey. Such waste for the economy and society. And because employers aren't prepared to change and start mining from this hidden pool of skills. Therefore I was very interested in seeing what a bunch of professional women thought about this topic.
I have to say it's been very interesting indeed, opinions were as varied as possible, while everyone in the room agreed that flexible working is an issue in our current business society and it needs a change. I admit I was expecting to see that women especially would be on the same opinion about this issue, and so was very surprised.

What do you think? Would you employ someone on a flexible working basis, term time only?

What's more important?

2010-11-29T18:10:00.001Z

I've attended this years Chamber of Commerce Small Business' Seminar last week. The keynote speaker was Derek Coates, the "father" of not only Healthspan but many other very successful businesses too. I have to admit that besides networking, the keynote speaker was the only reason I wanted to attend the seminar again. Last year I've attended the seminar as an employee, but Andrew Lewis from the Image Group left me with a lot of inspiration and business passion, which made me start thinking about starting up in business myself in the new year. The seminar was held in November last year and I've handed in my notice in January, so A+ Accounting came to life from April this year.
As I suspected, Derek Coates this year has given me an amazing amount of drive and passion again, and I feel privileged to have had the chance to listen to his speech for an hour and a half.

Around the middle of the seminar The Learning Company asked everyone a few questions, which made me think. Is it enough to try to stand out in your business area? Or is this just a big catch 22, because people don't believe your advert claiming to be different, but without customers you can't prove to be different, and stand out. Are you targeting the right audience though? Or just shooting in the air and hoping for a lead? Do you know who your customers are in the first place? Lots of questions to ask yourself indeed.

What do you, the reader think? What is more important: to stand out or to know your customer?

Hello everyone

2010-11-28T17:31:00.000Z

I used to write a blog a few years ago, and I really liked it. So I thought it might be a good idea if I've started a new one for my business, A+ Accounting. After all this is the 21st century...

So I had a good think about what the A+ Accounting blog should "feel" like, and I've decided to make it a bit more personal than other business blogs. I will be writing about topics that are going on the line of accountancy, bookkeeping, tax, but there will be some more personal ones as well. I want my clients and other Guernsey businesses to get what A+ Accounting and me, Viola really mean when stating "we are different". I hope the blog won't disappoint and will be true to the image A+ Accounting represents in the Guernsey business world.

Everyone is welcome! Enjoy! I hope it'll be useful, or at least entertaining.