The Business Godparent
The Business Godparent is a publication that aims to provide business owners with valuable updates, useful tips, guidance on technology, and friendly support.
Issue 22 - Winter 2025
James Rowell from Advent Management joins us on The Red Sofa
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Tips to Make Your Small Business a Success in 2025
When starting out, knowing where to focus to make your small business a success can be difficult.Continue reading… -
Digital Marketing Trends for 2025 – Don’t Get Left Behind!
With the amount of digital noise in various industries, how can we stay on top of digital marketing trends in 2025?Continue reading… -
Building a Legacy: Why Family Business Must Lead on Sustainability
For generations, family businesses have been the backbone of the UK economy.Continue reading… -
Employment Law – Changes to the Employment Rights Bill
Part of the Labour Party’s manifesto was about significant change they wanted to make to employment law.Continue reading…
Issue 21 - Autumn 2024
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Celebrating a Decade of Business Finance Partnerships
This year marks a decade of Essendon Accounts & Tax, a remarkable voyage of growth through often challenging conditions.Continue reading… -
Then vs Now
As we celebrate 10 years at Essendon, let’s take a moment to reflect on how things have changed since 2014.Continue reading… -
The Phishing-as-a-Service trend helping drive up cyber attacks
It’s Cyber Security Awareness Month, which once again shines a spotlight on the growing cyber threat facing businesses.Continue reading… -
VAT Registration Threshold and the 2024 Autumn Budget
The 2024 autumn budget is on the horizon and there is a lot of buzz around the VAT registration threshold increase.Continue reading…
Issue 20 - Spring/Summer 2024
Shannon Lawton on The Red Sofa
Shannon Lawton from Lawton & Co joins us on The Red Sofa
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Child Benefit Earnings Cap Raised From £50k to £60k
You may have seen the changes in the spring budget and noticed an increase in the earnings cap for receiving child benefit.Continue reading… -
How Could AI Help Boost Your Productivity
It feels like everyone is talking about Artificial Intelligence (AI) right now - and it’s no surprise.Continue reading… -
Overpaying Your Mortgage: Should You Do It?
For many homeowners the increasing costs of owning and running a home is having a huge impact on household budgets.Continue reading… -
Salary vs Dividends
If you own a limited company business, you have undoubtedly considered whether you should take a salary or dividends or both.Continue reading…
Issue 19 - Winter 2024
Caroline Kendhammer on The Red Sofa
Caroline Kendhammer from Bubble Creative Solutions joins us on The Red Sofa
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Labour Expense and Recruitment Issues Leave Employers Struggling
The Quarterly Recruitment Outlook (QRO) is a survey of 5000 UK firms of various sizes and operating in multiple sectors.Continue reading… -
22/23 Tax Return Trees Planted Total
Our final donation to The National Trust ‘Plant A Tree Fund’ for this tax year brings us up to a total of 645 trees!Continue reading… -
Together We Can Make 2024 A Great Year
2023 was a challenging year for most people, and by the looks of it, 2024 is not going to be much better.Continue reading… -
Is The UK Drowning in Data and Decisions?
With software available that can gather data on all aspects of business performance, it’s no surprise that people are feeling overwhelmed.Continue reading…
Issue 18 - Autumn 2023
Phil Smith on The Red Sofa
Phil Smith from The Alternative Board joins us on The Red Sofa
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Essendon are sponsoring JAM!
We’re proud to be sponsoring #JAMathon2023!Continue reading… -
The Cost of Living Crisis and How it is Effecting so Many Households
The current cost of living crisis is having a significant impact on many households.Continue reading… -
Processes are Important – its how you deliver what you do!
In a recent discussion with business owners the importance of processes came up.Continue reading… -
Encouraging your Employees to Prioritise their Mental Health
With the stresses and strains of life and the added pressure of the cost of living crisis, now is the time to ensure you and your employees are prioritising their mental health.Continue reading…
Issue 17 – Summer 2023
Mike Feuer on The Red Sofa
Mike Feuer from Compass Business Development joins us on The Red Sofa
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Mastering Payments on Account: A Guide for Self-Assessment Taxpayers
Navigating Self-Assessment and payment on account can be difficult to understand.Continue reading… -
How Your Business Could Benefit From a Financial Coach
Many successful businesses struggle with managing their books. This is where a financial coach could benefit you.Continue reading… -
VAT History – 50 Years
It's Value Added Tax’s anniversary, we invite you to take a journey through its history and impact on the UK economy.Continue reading… -
Allowable Expenses You Can Claim on Being Self Employed
As a self-employed business owner, it’s important to understand the allowable expenses that can be claimed.Continue reading…
Issue 16 – Winter 2023
Stephen Whitton on The Red Sofa
Stephen Whitton from [M]enable joins us on The Red Sofa
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Support is never far away
This time last year most of us were full of optimism after a horrendous couple of years during the pandemic.Continue reading… -
Running a business is unlike anything else
As business owners we know that there’s nothing more rewarding than running your own business.Continue reading… -
You can have a good divorce
A good divorce means different things to different people.Continue reading… -
When the going gets tough, the tough check their margins
With the inflationary waves that are rippling through the economy, it looks as though 2023 will present some challenges.Continue reading…
Issue 15 – Autumn 2022
Jake Stubbs on The Red Sofa
Jake Stubbs gives his top tips on how to manage and understand your accounts better on The Red Sofa
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Standing out: how to find and own your position in your marketplace
Standing out from the competition isn't just an issue for businesses in a crowded marketplace.Continue reading… -
75 Years of Inflation – what can we learn?
As the cost of living increases drastically we can look back at previous inflation data to help analyse the current economic situation.Continue reading… -
It keeps on coming, doesn’t it?
Rising inflation, rising interest rates and an apparent lack of skilled labour just after we lick our wounds from Covid.Continue reading… -
21/22 Tax return trees planted
We have recently made another donation to the National Trust to plant 48 trees, that’s a total of 82 trees so far!Continue reading…
Issue 14 – Spring 2022
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Support your network
It’s a certain fact that things are tough in the world at the moment; bombs landing on innocent people, people struggling to buy food, and the list goes on.Continue reading… -
Are we normal?
For many businesses coming out of lockdown in recent months the question has been “Are we back to normal now?”Continue reading… -
Trends, trajectories and sustainable truisms. Who’s looking at this kind of trend for you?
In the early 1980s, a gallon of petrol crossed the 70p price barrier and everyone thought the world would come to an end.Continue reading… -
Spring Statement Round-up
The Chancellor presented his Spring Statement in March.Continue reading…
Issue 13 – Winter 2022
Mark Miller on The Red Sofa
Mark Miller from Goodfoot Development joins us on The Red Sofa
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All About The Prompt Payment Code
Every small business likes to work with larger customers.Continue reading… -
Make ’22 stand out for you!
In this digital world that we live in, we all have access to a wide range of marketing platforms to communicate and get our brands visible.Continue reading… -
Be seen, be green, with AG Promotional Products
Over the past few years, there has been a growing emphasis for businesses and consumers alike, to play a part in being environmentally friendly.Continue reading… -
BookClub: The Slight Edge
The Slight Edge is an easy book to read and the key takeaways for me are.Continue reading…
Issue 12 - Autumn 2021
Lionel Naidoo on The Red Sofa
Lionel Naidoo from Dragon Information Systems joins us on The Red Sofa
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2021 Year Round Up
We are now entering the last few weeks of 2021 and what a year it has been so far.Continue reading… -
Why I should focus on my employees’ wellbeing?
Is the wellbeing of your employees something you need to consider?Continue reading… -
The ongoing saga of VAT and Jaffa Cakes
It’s my personal opinion that you should never assume anything with VAT.Continue reading… -
How to maximise the weekend recharge
Even if you haven’t been able to get away on holiday this year, try our top tips to switch off and make the weekend a stress-free mini break.Continue reading…
Issue 11 – Summer 2021
Julie Futcher on the virtual Red Sofa
Julie Futcher from The Sales Aces joins us on The Virtual Red Sofa
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Are you an online seller?
We have a broad portfolio of clients and from an accounting perspective they have different needs.Continue reading… -
Freedom Day is here!
The 19th July has arrived and there is a lot going on for businesses.Continue reading… -
Roger at Digital Transformation
Roger was recently asked to speak at the Digital Transformation Forum, which took place in May this year.Continue reading… -
Top ten positive outcomes from the pandemic
We’ve all received a few wake-up calls in the last few months.Continue reading…
Issue 10 - Spring 2021
Louise Gordon on the Red Sofa
Louise Gordon from Louise Gordon Consultancy ltd joins us on The Red Sofa
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Employee Spotlight – Matthew Brown
Meet Matthew BrownContinue reading… -
Helping pets after lockdown
There’s a good chance that we’ll start heading back to the office over the next few weeks.Continue reading… -
Budget Changes to Boost Growth
Looking to boost your growth? Here are the top 5 budget changes that will give you a helping hand.Continue reading… -
Go for Growth
The UK has become a nation of accidental savers; an interesting side-effect of the Covid-19 restrictions.Continue reading…
Issue 09 - Winter 2021
Kirsty Parris on the Red Sofa
Kirsty Parris from Andromeda Business Consulting joins us on The Red Sofa
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Top Ten Accounting Acronyms
Have you heard of TLAs (three letter abbreviations)?Continue reading… -
Employee Spotlight – Gemma Barry
Meet Gemma BarryContinue reading… -
Looking back at 2020
So… what will 2020 be remembered for? I ask because perspective matters here.Continue reading… -
Falling back in love with Monday mornings
New Year is traditionally a time for reflection.Continue reading…
Issue 08 – Autumn 2020
Terry Kendhammer on the Red Sofa
Terry Kendhammer from Bubble Creative Solutions joins us on The Red Sofa
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What is your new norm?
Back in March, we were told to work from home if we could.Continue reading… -
Even HMRC knows that every little helps…
If you’re still working from home because of this pandemic, it’s worth checking out what home workers can claim as expenses with HMRC.Continue reading… -
Bringing the office home… Long term
We think this issue of The Business Godparent is a superb opportunity to introduce you to Bring the Office Home, a new venture founded by Dijon.Continue reading… -
Powering your business with real-time information
One of the key ingredients for the success of a business is information.Continue reading…
Issue 07 - Summer 2020
Rachel Brushfield on the Red Sofa
Rachel Brushfield, Talent Liberator joins us on The Red Sofa
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Lockdown Dogitation
They’ve needed walking twice a day and haven’t left me alone for a minute either.Continue reading… -
The Business Godparent
As we come out of hibernation and the bustle returns, there’s no doubt that many of us are now bracing for more stress.Continue reading… -
Returning Employees to the Workplace
There’s no two ways about it, we are all itching to get back to some sense of ‘normal’.Continue reading… -
The Positives of Lockdown…
Fairly quickly into lockdown it was reported that alcohol sales skyrocketed, along with the consumption of homemade cakes.Continue reading…
Issue 06 - Spring 2020
Andrew Franklin on the Red Sofa
Andrew Franklin from HSBC joins us on The Red Sofa
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Track cashflow… to be in the know!
Many businesses are struggling with cashflow at the moment, and yes, we know that’s stating the obvious.Continue reading… -
Dodging the scammers
The government is wisely advising us to stay at home.Continue reading… -
Cyber-attack… it follows a process
As we are currently very aware, “attack” on our world can come from many angles.Continue reading… -
10 Things to do after Covid-19
There’s no two ways about it, we are all itching to get back to some sense of ‘normal’.Continue reading…
Issue 05 - Winter 2020
Sarah Canning Franklins Solicitors
Sarah Canning from Franklins Solicitors joins us on The Red Sofa
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WorkflowMax
Operating productively. Improving efficiency. Making the most of staff time.Continue reading… -
Worried about 2020? Don’t there’s going to be plenty to make you smile
Running a business in 2020 is going to present an interesting mix of challenges.Continue reading… -
Looking into 2020
Another decade begins and I am sure we’re all wishing for some stability.Continue reading… -
Top tips on starting a new business
Find out how to pay less tax, including checking your tax code and many more top tips.Continue reading…
Issue 04 - Autumn 2019
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Cashflow Forecasting With Fluidly
With 80% of business failure due to cashflow issues, helping you manage your cash is our priority.Continue reading… -
Benefits of a good accountant
A great accountant will help you stay the distance.Continue reading… -
Essendon 5th Birthday! A thank you
Essendon was proud to host its 5th birthday party recently and I wanted to thank everyone for their support over the last five years.Continue reading… -
Top ten ways to save on tax
Find out how to pay less tax, including checking your tax code and many more top tips.Continue reading…
Issue 03 - Summer 2019
Jo & Anthony The Kitchen & Indulgence
Jo & Anthony from The Kitchen & Indulgence joins us on The Red Sofa
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Lena’s Top Tip
If there is one thing that this year’s Accountex has shown, it’s that accountants & software developers now work hand in hand.Continue reading… -
Something to spark your interest in company cars!
There’s been a lot of adjustment around how company cars are taxed over recent years.Continue reading… -
Welcome to the 3rd edition of The Business Godparent!
An important aspect to Essendon is our strong network of contacts and collaborators.Continue reading… -
Forewarned is forearmed with Essendon Foresight
Some of you will know that Essendon is a proud partner of Xledger.Continue reading…
Issue 02 - Spring 2019
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Lena’s Top Tip
There are all sorts of facts and myths currently floating around about making tax digital.Continue reading… -
You can now Excel at making tax digital!
How do you fancy making tax digital even easier?! Yes, we like that idea too.Continue reading… -
Tax year, 6 April – 5 April, why on earth?
What have the Romans ever done for us? Well, quite a lot, actually, with respect to our funny tax year.Continue reading… -
Welcome to the 2nd edition of The Business Godparent
Welcome to the 2nd edition of The Business Godparent.Continue reading…
Issue 01 - Winter 2019
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Lena’s Top Tip
So, you’re beavering away, chuffed to bits at how organised you are by getting your figures in order ahead of time.Continue reading… -
Making tax digital… go for it
Anything that cuts down bookkeeping time is a godsend.Continue reading… -
Essendon Property Partners
We’d like to introduce you to a particular area of expertise we offer to investors in property.Continue reading… -
About Roger – The Business Godparent
Essendon was set up by Roger Eddowes in 2014.Continue reading…