Now that the economy is on the mend and confidence is rising, management teams are beginning to look at new capital expenditure and therefore ways of raising the required funding. The first thing to understand is not to rush into anything and to make careful...
Finance
A view of what’s to come with HMRC’s Digital Tax Accounts for businesses and individuals
HMRC has embarked on a scheme to introduce digital tax accounts for individuals and businesses over the 2015-2016 calendar year with implementation dates in 2017. This scheme is not without its controversy largely around HMRC’s consultation (or lack thereof) and the...
A New Lender who even likes start-ups
At the end of last year I had a meeting with an interesting lender. They do short term loans from just 3 months, but unlike most short term lenders they will also do loans of up to 10 years. They like new starts, adverse credit and sole traders. They will lend from...
The Autumn spending review relating to property
Landlords and Second Home Levy New 3% surcharge on stamp duty for buy-to-let properties and second homes from April 2016, raising about £1bn in England and Wales will have to pay a 3% surcharge on each stamp duty band. George Osborne said the new surcharge would raise...
Acquiring a Business – Issues to consider – Part 4
Before you make the offer to acquire a business – Consider what happens next Post-Acquisition Strategies Prior to making an offer, the acquirer should consider the purpose of the acquisition and re-visit the reasons for making the acquisition and how well the target...
Acquiring a Business – Issues to consider – Part 3
WHY DO ACQUISITIONS FAIL AND HOW DO YOU AVOID A BAD OUTCOME? It is an unfortunate fact that Acquisitions have a very high failure rate. This may seem a powerful statement but it is borne out by the statistics. "If one were to define 'failure' as failure to increase...
Acquiring a Business – Issues to consider – Part 2
WHAT SPECIFIC ATTRIBUTES MAKE AN ACQUISITION AN ATTRACTIVE STRATEGY? Acquirers are interested in growing their own businesses and an acquisition is one of the options available to them, and usually provides a faster track to growth than organic growth. In addition,...
Acquiring a Business – Issues to consider – Part 1
WHAT IS THE MAIN STRATEGIC REASONING FOR ACQUIRERS OF A BUSINESS? Acquirers do not buy the past performance of business. They buy the future performance of the business, but use the past performance as a guide (along with other things) to establish the likelihood of...
Understanding Intellectual Property is important for SMEs
Intellectual Property is becoming increasingly important for SMEs. Years ago IP was the preserve of the very large companies and focussed almost exclusively on Patents and Trade Marks. It tended to involve large sums of money and lawyers and other professionals.This...