Last week we talked about
informal networks and especially the support we can get not just from the writing
community but also from other small businesses. Today, we’re going to think
about the support we might need from the professionals.
When we talked a while ago about
financial matters, emphasis was placed on simple, appropriate systems and
preferably low-cost options for our business. However, it is very likely that
we will need to use an accountant at some point, especially if we have a
limited company. Accountants, or should I say accountancy firms, come in all
shapes and sizes, from the local one-man/woman bands to the larger practices
with many partners. In general terms, the smaller the practice, the lower the
cost, but also the more narrow the expertise and experience available. When we
started our company more than twenty years ago, we used a small local accountancy
firm. It was simple, like our affairs. However, as the business grew and moved
into more complex areas of finance (just how do you deal with a tax demand from
Kazakhstan?) we moved to another practice with more partners and the right
experts for our business. It is most important that our accountant (or indeed
anyone else we turn to for advice) understands our business.
As well as financial support, we
may well need legal advice on occasion, for example when we are setting up our
business, signing contracts or drafting our wills. The obvious option, and one
that many businesses will use, is to engage a lawyer. However, that is not a
low-cost solution and there are alternatives that can be explored. There is the
Business Link helpline
which provides a quick response
service for simple questions about starting or running a business or a more
in-depth service for complex enquiries. There is the Citizens’ Advice Bureau which
would be able to provide support to individuals, but probably not to limited companies.
Or there are business support organisations like the Federation of Small Businesses which provides
members with legal and financial advice. As writers, we have our own support
via the Society of Authors which
can help members with queries relating to the business of writing. Services
include the confidential, individual vetting of contracts, and help with
professional disputes.
I’ve often found the answer to a query
on the HMRC website, but there are also
helplines that deal with specific questions, such as the New Employers
Helpline, the New Self Employed Helpline, the Self Assessment Helpline and the
VAT Helpline. These numbers can be found via a quick internet search.
So whatever our query or problem,
there will be someone who can help us, either for free or as a paid service,
depending on the circumstances. It’s worth being aware of all these services,
so we can call on them rapidly if we need them.
***
I posted my first article on the
Business of Writing exactly a year ago. Today, I am finishing the series (at
least for the time being). We’ve talked, among other things, about setting up a
business, selecting the right business structure, writing our objectives and
designing our financial systems. I’m going to put the whole series of articles
into an ebook, which will be out later this year. I will also be presenting a short
course on the business skills toolbox at Swanwick Writers’ Summer School
next month. But for now, it’s time to get down to business and for me that
means writing more short stories and flash fiction, while holding my novel’s
hand while it takes its first steps into the big wide world that is Agent Land.
Maybe I’ll meet some of you on your journeys?
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