What to do in a world of uncertainty

2026 has been a very difficult year for a lot of soletraders and small businesses. We work in a world of uncertainty in politics, worldwide issues and finances.

It can sometimes feel difficult to stay motivated and keep pushing through until something more positive comes along.

The recent budget left very little for small businesses in it.

A fuel duty freeze until July 2027 but fuel costs are at an all time high without the taxes.

Minimum wage will be going up to £13.21 from April 2027 for those aged over 21.

No reductions in employers national insurance apart from the original employment allowance.

Landlords seeing an additional 2% charge on income tax rates on profit from rental properties from April 2027, making this income chargeable as 24% as a basic rate tax payer.

Some positives Capital gains tax remained unchanged.

We see a lot of business owners selling property to put money into their companies. We see a lot of first time owners of a business, using their capital to invest in a new business venture.

Business rates for Wales we wait to see if there will be a discount for Retail and Hospitality businesses from April 2027.

A small production relief of £10 million for Small alcohol producers

They did announce a founders relief for high growth businesses, but very few small businesses are likely to be able to apply.

Bank charges and interest rates and access to finance remains with very high interest
charges. The banks have been asked to pay a higher contribution on their taxes. We wait to see if that affects businesses further.

The building of more homes, will hopefully give the construction industry more work in the coming years.

What can you do when the World around you remains uncertain

You need to make a plan, if plan A isn’t working out, start working on plan B. Write it down

Weve had this before in the crash of the 1990’s, the financial crisis in 2008, Covid, weve bounced from hovering recession to recession. And yet were all still here. Definitely a little bruised, but our resilience and ability to adapt like a chameleon has kept us still standing, even in the face of adversity. Your strength and resilience has made you a survivor, where lots of businesses fail in their first two years.

The clients that have planned their way forward, and adapted their behaviour as time changed, have made it through all of these challenges we face.

They don’t overspend, they keep money back for a rainy day. They invest in their own futures by putting money into a pension. If costs have gone up, they have reluctantly addressed those price changes. They also don’t lose sight of the customer needs.

Weve also had a couple come through looking at the next generation of business owners within their own company. Management buyout and staff share schemes, and encourage the next generation to build on their own future with the company. Business Asset Disposal Relief is still there to be taken advantage of. Its at a higher rate now of 18%, if youre not lucky enough to be able to apply for the founders relief fund.

Mitigate the risk

You can only control what is in your immediate power, even if it means you need to adapt.

Review your costs direct and your overheads as a business. You can guarantee any large companies youre dealing with have put up their prices. They don’t always tell you they’ve done so.

If a cost isn’t giving you value, look at something else.

Marketing what are you doing to keep your name on everyones minds. Plays an ever more important part of the business owners day, when competition for the same type of services remains high. Keep reminding everyone about your core values. With the customer attention in mind.

They cant buy from you, if they don’t know you exist.

Try not to over finance. Be sure you’ve worked out the numbers that you can pay any loans back over time.

If you have to put in personal money to feed the company temporarily that something you may need to do. Think of it like a plant, it needs feeding from time to time.

If you do have credit cards or loans in the company. Is another company offering a better interest rate. Move to that company instead and use the savings to pay off the

credit cards. Higher interest rates off first.

Your sales, regularly review your services and products. If its not selling, focus on what does sell. Take the lead from your customers.

If youre in retail, regularly review your shop window, keep things fresh to bring your customers in time and time again. Have a social media presence to bring customers in to travel to you.

Hospitality look at events in the area, could promoting that event bring more spaces filled for you.

Don’t have all your eggs in one basket. Have multiple customers and multiple revenue streams.

Stay motivated

Remind yourself why you set up the business in the first place, keep focused on what that dream was. Was it be your own boss. Was it for the work life balance, was it to build a more secure family future. Keep reminding yourself of why.

Build in rest days. A business owner that has had some rest away from the business, is more refreshed to take on even the most challenging of events.

Take up a hobby, do something with your free time that motivates you, relaxes you. See nature and the countryside, visit the sea. Something that is completely different from your day to day.

Stay healthy

Tips To Cashflow Success

Cashflow funding of a business is key for its survival. A number of businesses fail within their first two years of trading, not because they didn’t have a good product or service, not because they didn’t have a market.  They simply ran out of cash.   

Businesses are struggling more than ever to just stay afloat with increases on supplier costs, energy, bank interest charges and national insurance changes.   None of us know when things will improve, but there are things we can do ourselves to make it a little easier to trade.

Tracking Sales Income

Prepare a detailed cashflow of your normal business trading, information from Sales already in your diary, if you have been trading for a few years.  Use past history to project forward plus inflation to increase sales, or a advertising campaign will potentially could increase your turnover.  For the new business set an achievable goal.  Always look ahead a minimum of a year, three years if possible.

You may have peaks and troughs, downtime or seasonality, build these into your forecast.  Its an estimation at this stage, but the more you do it, the more you can more accurately predict the pattern.

Don’t forget VAT if that applies.  Ideally shown it separately, and offset the VAT on purchases.  Your sudden inflow of cash may belong to HMRC.

Your Costs

Main costs first

• Materials
• Wages
• Rent
• Travel etc.

At the bottom, how much do you have in the bank to start off with.  Show the opening balance of the bank.

We always look at forecast cashflows, ie a budgeted one along with an actual one.  As the months pass by update the cashflow with your actual figures and roll forward.  So that you are always looking at a year to date.   Comparing predicted with actual you can look into the reason why you made target, or why you didn’t.    It makes for better decision making.

By now you will know ahead of time your cashflow issues, peaks and troughs, you can now put a plan of action to make sure that you are covered in the troughs, and are saving in the peaks.

If you need a large amount of cash in six months time.   Don’t leave the sudden influx of cash to the last minute.  Build up over a period of time.  You are more likely to fill the gap with what you need.

You might be wanting to buy capital expenditure, or take on more staff to run a project, it will help you predict when this can take place.

Look at your marketing to increase sales.  Check your margins to make sure your sales cover your costs.  The latest budget changes was an estimated 5% change to everyone costs.  Did you put that into your forecast.  

Keep a close eye on the costs themselves, are you spending money on something you don’t need, or can a piece of equipment help you do it quicker and more efficiently.

Tracking everything,  yes its time you may not even have.  But if you get yourself into a routine,  it just becomes part of your day to day.  

Companies who track and plan ahead tend to more frequently ride these storms more successfully, than companies that don’t.

Don’t let the fact that you may be a small company put you off.  This applies to you just like a large company.

Look at other options for finance other than your cashflows from the business.

Put in family or your own money.   (MLR rules apply)

Gain credit from your suppliers

Finance leases from the banks and other money lenders

A credit card you pay off every month

A mortgage

A business is like a plant.   Its needs feeding from time to time, to see it bear fruit.

Your credit score can even affect you being able to take on a large contract.  You will still need the credit from your supplier to make that important sale.

By gaining credit it will increase your credit score and make you more attractive to lenders.

Gaining credit and paying it off on time increases your credit score and therefore your buying power.    you can easily track your credit score online now so how its looking.   Definitely important if you are applying for a loan or mortgage.

Even if you only use a credit card temporarily it can make all the difference.

We provide a simple template to our clients who ask for one.  Its easy to use and clients have found it so helpful.  Give it a go, you may find you get that goal achieved in a short space of time.

Were certainly working on ours for 2026.

PLAN FOR 2026

I hope everybody is getting back in the swing of things after Christmas and the slow start of January.

We were inundated with self assessments in January and now getting back to concentrating on what 2026 has to offer.

Just before Christmas we reviewed our 2025 making a note of everything we achieved in the year.  We also made a note of what wasn’t so positive to avoid bringing that into 2026.

Then we put our heads together as a team to come up with a wish list plan for 2026

By doing this each year we find it really concentrates the mind into working on what is the most important for our daily business and personal lives.  Being able to achieve these wish list goals really motivates you to work that little bit harder and focus on what’s important.

We saw through 2025 a number of businesses still fighting to make a living.

We also saw a large number bucking the trend and growing in 2025.

Looking at the companies and individuals making money last year and the things that separated them from everyone else.    They had a full handle on the cashflow.   They remained thrifty with the money even when times were good.

Not allowing suppliers and staffing costs to get out of hand.   Not over financing with high interest loans.   They also had money spare to put money into their pension plans.   Saving into the future and saving tax at the same time.

We’ve got a large number of statutory changes outside of our control for 2026.   National insurance changes.   Making Tax Digital for Income Tax affecting property and business owners with turnover over £50,000, and ID Verification for Companies House affecting every Limited company on the Companies House register.    It’s all big operational changes that we’re all having to comply with, and completely out of our control.

So my biggest bit of advice for the forthcoming year 2026.

Make a plan both Business and Personal.  

What are your priorities for this year.  Write them down.  People who write down their goals and wishes are far more likely to achieve them over someone who doesn’t write anything down.

Mark off as you achieve them, give yourself a pat on the back, believe me yourve earned it.   You can always add to the list if you are doing really well.

Review your overhead costs.  Business and Personal

If your Amazon spend has gone extreme, or your supplier has put a big increase on you, shop around.  Or decide do I really need that item.

Save some money for a rainy day, put money into your pension

I am seeing a lot of 40 years plus clients with no long term savings at all.

Pay off that high interest credit card, by over paying over time, you save a lot of interest charges.

Do something fun on your days off.   It doesn’t have to cost money to do it.

Have some me time.

Wishing you all a successful and healthy 2026.

On this day we reflect on what has become and increasing issue in todays society.  Mental Health awareness.

I see from clients that things are being done and grants are available to companies that specialise in tackling the issue, but theres a lot more that can be done by ourselves to help others and ourselves.

As a business owner myself, I have to keep myself healthy and motivated as I have both employees and family as a responsibility to look after. Keeping them in their jobs, secure and safe environment to work and also keeping them motivated. It can be a lonely place being head of the company with all that responsibility.

We work with a few charities in the area that help others in the community to keep everyone healthy. Breathe Creative and Growing Green both serve the community in South Wales. Teaching services users carpentry, growing their own food, sharing recipes with mental health consultation, and art classes. They have done brilliantly over the past couple of years, actively helping their community with their innovative and supportive ideas.

We have signed to the Army Benevelant Fund this year, supporting our veterans who have come out of service and are back in the community, setting up their own businesses. Assisting owners that could have OCD, Neurodiversity issues.

For the Bridgend Area we are also supporting Mental Health Matters charity support for Mental Health, Crisis Management and Depression.

As a business owner myself I would like to share some tips that have helped me for years keeping myself healthy and motivated.

Getting enough sleep is usually my first step in having a very good day ahead. I tend to settle down before 10pm with low lighting and quiet sounds. After doing what is a very busy job, I find that it keeps me in the settling down mood when I am at home.

I might watch a little TV or listen to music. A bath with candles and sounds of the sea on the sound system another great way to relax. I drink a lot of water, keeping my skin clear and my body fully hydrated. I do love a coffee and tea, but try not to drink too much.

Exercise, I’m always a fan of dancing in the kitchen whilst preparing dinner, after a hectic day, it’s a fun way to unwind and load off the stresses of the day. Yes, I still have those 1990’s dance moves.

Gardening I have transformed my garden over the past couple of years, transforming it from an overgrown unloved space. To a full set up for outdoor dining and entertaining friends. To growing my own food, using organic methods. My neighbours still find it entertaining, as I’m out there rain or shine. If there’s a job to do I’m out there whatever the weather.

Food my great passion, I am known in my family for being a feeder, now I’m growing my own food, the family and friends are being put through the experimental stage of my food obsession. Making Jam, Chutney, and dried fruit to use all year round. To strange flavoured ice cream. Always an experiment, not always successful, but everyone tries them and gives their opinion.

Walks in the country and by the beach. Picking up fir cones, and foraging, making my own Christmas Wreath, I have friends who turn mirrors into art work, with foraged shells from the sea, or sea glass.

I keep a very close family and friend network. This great bunch of people have helped me through some very tough times, and keep supporting me in everything I do. Even if some of my ideas might be a little crazy. Having that loving network you can’t put a price on that.    Finding new networks with like minded people, they bring such positive energy.

I keep to my work hours. Whatever your work hours are for you, always build in that rest time. I have two full days off a week, would love to have three days off. The future goal for me.   Having proper rest doing something completely different to your day or night job, keeps you well and keeps  you motivated.

Holidays, even if I’m just having a few days and daytrip from home, I always have holidays, time away from the office. I do it every three months. The ideas and challenges I think of when I come back, having had that rest and destress really does keep us moving forward.

Friends of mine go to the gym, do dance classes, watching football, learning to play a musical instrument, learning to skydive. Whatever hobby and interest you like, it doesn’t matter, but try and build them into your week. You’ll be so surprised how much better you become at running your business, by taking that time out and reenergising.

Don’t just do it for Mental Health Awareness day, do it everyday.

Its your life. Make it count and live well.

Fresh from my time away over the summer holidays this year, with my two sons. I took two weeks off this year. I found that with such a busy job and life, which has so many deadlines and stresses that I needed a bit of r&r.

I found the time off rewarding as it gave me not only special time with my sons, but a way of decompressing from what is a very busy life.

I’ve come back to work full of energy, making a list of both personal and business plans to see us not only to the end of this year, but a wish list for next year too.

My garden on return had greeted me with lovely ripe produce, vegetables and fruit, getting me in the mood for harvesting and extending the life of the goods with preserving.    It reminded me of what I need to do with my business and life too.   

Feed it to preserve it for the future.

We’re currently invested in marketing and have a consultant helping us get those jobs off the desk that we have been putting off. Introducing us to new ideas and revisiting ones we haven’t tried in a while. The market has moved so much with the huge amount of legislation we all have to follow, the banks not being as helpful as they could be, and governments generally coming across as clueless of how to move our country forward.

Basically, it’s all in our own hands, if we are going to make it, it will be down to our working through ideas and plans and making it happen for ourselves.  Nobody is going to hand it to us on a plate.   Although that would be very nice.

I talk to business owners all the time and quite a few as its so up and down with getting work in, that they maybe not be taking the breaks they need, to maintain motivation and energy levels that they might have had when they started.

I find that having that break away, apart from giving me that time away to give me the revitalised energy levels back.   It allows me to focus on what is important and get work done that gives value not just to the clients but to me also.

I always find creating a wish list both personal and business really helps me focus on getting things done that provide me with reward and motivation.  It’s so easy to get lost in the noise of the day-to-day activities, we often forget why we're in business at all.

If you can take anything from this, always take your breaks.    Your sleep patterns should return, you will have more energy and definitely be more focused.    We all need this to keep our health in good order.

Not taking time off is one of the biggest reasons company owners give up self-employment, they suffer burn out.   Don’t let that be you.

I also find that having a hobby for when you’re not in work helps too.  Something to allow you to decompress after a long day.  Whether that be art, gardening, going for a two-mile walk.  Whatever you like, it can be anything.    Enjoy the life you have,  its all in your own hands.

Hello and welcome to April — the start of a brand-new financial year! As always, this time of year brings fresh updates from the Government and one of the most notable changes on the horizon is HMRC’s ‘Making Tax Digital’ for Income Tax Self-Assessment which is coming into affect from April 2026.  This is directly affecting small businesses trading through self assessment, and property landlords.

What’s Changing?

If you’re used to submitting a Self-Assessment tax return once a year, things are about to change. HMRC is moving towards quarterly reporting, much like what VAT-registered businesses already do. This means instead of sending in your figures once a year, you’ll now be expected to submit updates every three months, using Accounting software compatible with HMRC, the spreadsheet will become a thing of the past.

Who Does This Affect?

This will roll out in phases:

• From April 2026: If your total self-employed or property turnover is over £50,000, you’ll be required to comply.
• From April 2027: The threshold lowers to £30,000.

This applies to landlords as well as sole traders, so even if you're just renting out property and not running a business, this could still apply to you.

What Should You Do?

If you're likely to be affected, don’t panic. We’ll be in touch with you individually to discuss the best approach and make sure you’re set up well in advance.

It’s worth noting that HMRC has already changed the start date a few times, so we are still in the early days of implementation. Information is a little light at the moment from HMRC side of things, but we’ll keep you updated as soon as we know more.

Here to Help

We know this might feel like a big shift, and it’s perfectly normal to feel unsure about how it will all work. If this news has left you with questions or concerns, please call or message us — we're here to help guide you through it all.

Let’s make this new tax year a smooth one!