If you have been following us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn no doubt you will have noticed that Alan has been doing a lot of running over the past few months – the reason for this is that he is running the Liverpool marathon on Sunday 9 October 2011.

He’s been training under the fantastic guidance of Greg Pye and the rest of the guys at Body Solutions in West Kirby and whilst it has always been a personal goal of Alan’s to run a marathon the biggest reason that he has taken on this challenge is to help raise much needed funds for the fantastic Claire House.

The training has been difficult at times but it has been nothing compared to the fantastic hard work that all the guys at Claire House carry out and it would mean a lot to Alan and to everyone involved at Claire House if you could sponsor him.

We’ve set up an online page and if you would like to make a donation then please visit...

www.virginmoneygiving.com/woods-squared-2011

Just to let you know about a few networking events that are happening over the next few weeks:

Networking Events

Are you looking for more business?

We are members of several networking groups that are always looking for new members so if you are looking for more business then please let us know as there will be a networking event near to you!

PR Workshop

This event will be presented by Rachael Tinniswood and Peter Harvey and will also include a special Social Media Masterclass from Gavin Sherratt from It’s About Websites.

If you would like to know what makes a good story or how to write a ‘winning’ media release or how to get the best from Social Media then this is the event for you.

The event will take place on Thursday 6 October 2011 between 9:30am and 1pm at The Plaza, Old Hall Street, Liverpool.

Places are limited so if you would be interested in a place please let us know and we’ll pass on your details.

Property Investors Network Event

If you are either already a property investor or you are thinking of taking your first steps into this area then this is the event for you.

Hosted by Gavin Barry from Blackstone Property the launch event of this brand new specialist networking event will be on Wednesday 28 September 2011 at the Village Hotel, Fallows Way, Whiston, L35 1RZ.

The normal cost for the meetings are £20 however Gavin would like to invite people to attend the first meeting free of charge as his guest.

In order to book your place on the above all you need to do is:

• Go to: www.pinliverpool.co.uk
• Click “Book using a voucher code”
• Enter your contact details
• Enter “barry” into the voucher code box and click “Apply Voucher”
• Click “Click Here to book your place now”
• Your name will be added to the guest list and a confirmation email will be sent to you

Hope you find the above useful and if you or any of your contacts want any further information about any of the above then please just let us know.

With the start of the new Premier League season just a few days away we have setup our Annual Woods Squared League this year using the Barclays Premier League Fantasy Football website.

If you think you have what it takes to give Dalglish, Ferguson, Wenger or Moyes a run for their money simply follow this link to enter a team and take your chance of being Woods Squared Fantasy League Champions 2011/12 – just think of the bragging rights!

The person at the top of the league at Christmas will win a mixed case of 6 bottles of wine with the overall winner come next May winning a whopping 12 bottles!

Once you have logged in and entered your team, click on the 'Leagues' link at the top of the page, then on the Leagues page:

1. Select the 'Join a league' option
2. Choose private league
3. Now enter the code 1255712-285448 to join our private league

Good Luck!

Summer is here which means it’s that time of the year again!

Please see below the details of our 3rd Annual Summer BBQ, Quiz & Networking event:

Date:	Thursday 4 August 2011
Timings:	6:00pm – Late Please feel free to invite guests to join you at the event and be part of your team (maximum of 5 people per team).
Venue:	The fabulous Pulford Suite in the fantastic Thornton Hall Hotel & Spa, check out their website by clicking here for more details
Cost:	The event itself will be FREE but we will as in previous years be asking for a £10 donation from each person who attends the event. For this event we will be supporting Chris Houghton (who is one of Amy’s friends) as he raises money for The Cardiomyopathy Association – to read his story and to find out more about The Cardiomyopathy Association please click here.
Prizes:	For the winning quiz team there will be a prize presented to them by Mrs Wirral Galaxy 2011 along with the ability to call themselves the Woods Squared Quiz Champions 2011! Can you take the crown from the winning team last year?
RSVP:	Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis, to reserve your place(s) please send us an e-mail by Friday 22 July 2011 stating the name and company name of each person attending the Quiz.

We just wanted to let you know about a couple of things that may be relevant to you or your contacts: -

Your Business Ezine

Over the past few weeks has seen the launch of the fantastic Your Business Ezine which is a brilliant platform for anyone that is in business.

The site offers its members a cost effective online marketing tool to talk about their business, experiences, industry sectors and anything they want.

As part of the YBE re-launch they are offering new members the chance to WIN an iPad 2.

To find out more or to join up please just click here.

Morgan Foundation Awards

The fifth Morgan Foundation Entrepreneur Awards will launch next week, with an extra category aimed at young entrepreneurs with a new business idea.

Seven categories carry prize money worth £115,000 to winners and runners-up, including £5,000 for the new category.

Winners also receive mentoring and professional services to help them develop their businesses.

Full details about how to enter the Morgan Foundation awards are available at www.mf-awards.co.uk

2011 Cheshire Business Awards

The 2011 Cheshire Business Awards are once again open and for the 8th year the awards brought to us by Trinity Mirror are looking to celebrate all that is great about Cheshire’s businesses.

The closing date for entries is 14 July so if you or anyone you know would like to enter please just visit the website by clicking here.

If you or anyone you know would like any help or advice in putting together an award entry for either of the above or any other awards then please just let us know – we’d be more than happy to help.

We just wanted to let you know about a couple of things that may be relevant to you or your contacts: -

New Team Member

We are delighted to announce that we have a new addition to our team.

Shelley Hughes joined us from Hall Livesey Brown in Wrexham on Monday 11 April 2011. Shelley qualified as an accountant in 2010 and joins us as a Client Manager. We are always on the lookout for people that we feel will be an asset to our team and with Shelley we definitely think that this is what we have got.

No doubt you will get to meet and speak to Shelley over the coming months.

Fantasy Football

We are proud to announce that the winner of the Woods Squared fantasy football competition was Woods Squared (no it wasn’t a fix!). Well done to Mark Davidson of Prokill Pest Control for finishing a very close second with Stephen Lyth of Alchemy Advisory Services Ltd finishing in third.

We will be starting another competition ready for the new season so please watch your inbox for the details!

Wouldn’t it be great if your company could pay your Life Insurance?

Well it can!

Due to recent changes it is now possible for your company to pay for your Life Insurance without this being treated as a benefit in kind for you.

Which means your company can pay your life insurance and get tax relief for doing so!

This is a great way of you saving tax, for more details please simply send us an e-mail and we’ll happily put you in touch with someone who can help set this up for you.

Go Commando! at the Caldy 7’s

For those of you looking for something to do over the weekend why don’t you give the Go Commando challenge a go?

The challenge will be taking place on Sunday 29 May as part of the Caldy 7’s Annual Tournament at Caldy Rugby Club.

The challenges will include:

• Fingals Fingers
  A classic strength and speed test. You will have to raise and tip secured and pivoted poles

• The 4 x 4 Pull
  You must pull a special 4 x 4 vehicle uphill between two points

• Giant Farmer's Walk
  Using specially constructed solid timber dumbbells competitors must sprint covering a 100m dash

To name a few!!

If you want any more details on the challenge and how you can take part then please just send us an e-mail.

Final details for the races on Thursday 7 April are as follows:

Starters Orders	Arrive at The Station in Hamilton Square for breakfast at 10:00am
And They’re Off!	The coach will be picking us up from The Station at 11:30am to get us to Aintree in plenty of time for the first race
Winners Enclosure	The coach will be there to take us to Miller and Carter in the Albert Dock at 6:00pm where the winners can continue their celebrations and the losers can drown their sorrows!
NB: The Station café is just off Hamilton Square next to Hamilton Square Train Station

Horse Power – Aintree Races on Thursday 7 April 2011

Please join us at the above event. The day will start with breakfast at The Station in Hamilton Square before we all board a coach for Aintree to spend the rest of the day in the West Tip Seats. After a day at the races the coach will take us to the brand new Miller & Carter Steakhouse at Albert Dock where the winners can carry on with their celebrations and the losers can drown their sorrows with champagne, canapés and drinks together with a selection of tasters from their fantastic menu!

Tickets for the above are just £45 per person and includes breakfast at The Station, coach to the races and back to the Miller & Carter Steakhouse at Albert Dock and a ticket for the West Tip Seats.

Places for this event are limited to 35 so to confirm your places please reply no later than 1:00pm on Wednesday 30 March so you don’t miss out.

Man Power – Edinburgh Marathon on Sunday 22 May 2011

I have entered the above and am running to raise money for Claire House – a big thank you to the guys at Body Solutions for their training plan and guidance.

I have set up a Virgin money giving page and any donations that you make would be very much appreciated, if you would like to make a donation then please click here.

snd finally…..

Golf at Carden Park – we have a voucher for a round of golf for 4 people at Carden Park on either the Cheshire or Nicklaus course which is valid until 31 March 2011

Unfortunately I am unable to attend so if you would like a chance to get the voucher for yourself please just reply telling me why you should receive it, the person who comes up with the best reason will be the one who gets the voucher!

Good Luck!

We just wanted to let you know about a couple of things that may be relevant to you or your contacts: -

Pre 5 April Tax Planning

The 5 April is fast approaching and this means that time is running out for you to take advantage of any tax year allowances such as ISAs, pension contributions etc. – if anyone would like to speak to someone to make sure that they take advantage of all their allowances please just let us know.

One big area that may be of interest to any business owner are Relevant Life Policies – these policies allow a company to pay life insurance on behalf of an employee without them being treated as a benefit on the employee – if you currently pay life insurance personally and would like more details on how your company could pay this for you instead please just let us know.

Business Awards

Yesterday saw the Oscars and this seems to signal the start of the business award season too!

There are a number of awards that are now open for entries with the main two being:

WiN Business Awards – entries are now open for these prestigious awards with the deadline for entries being Monday 4 April 2011.

The awards will be held this year on Friday 8 July 2011 at the magnificent grade II listed Hillbark Hotel.

For more details about the awards themselves, the categories and how to enter please visit the WiN website by clicking here.

Nectar Small Business Awards - entries are now open for these annual awards with the deadline for entries being Saturday 30 April 2011.

Among the judges for the awards this year is Karen Brady.

For more details about these awards please visit the Nectar Business website by clicking here.

If you would like any help with the above please just let us know. In our experience entering awards has many great positives to your business which include:

Winning or being shortlisted for an award helps to build your profile

The application process itself helps you to take a step back from the day-to day aspects of your business and appreciate what it is that you have achieved by summarising all the great things that your business have done

By involving the team in the whole process it has a huge impact in clarifying what it is that your business does and why it does it – an excellent way of communicating the vision you have for your business.

The Edge

This month saw the launch of The Edge and massive congratulations must go to Melissa and her team from Lets Go Publishing for creating a business magazine for Wirral business.

Melissa is actively looking for your stories so if you have anything to tell people then please let us know and we will pass your details on to the guys at The Edge.

Aintree

We’re under starters orders!

We will be organising another trip to Aintree this year for Liverpool Day on Thursday 7 April 2011.

For anyone interested in coming along please let us know – full details of the event will be in our next E-Update.

Hope you find the above useful and if you or any of your contacts have any queries in connection with the above then please just let us know.

We just wanted to let you know about an event that we have been asked to speak at in February as we thought that it may be relevant to you or your contacts: -

Sex, Lies and Employment Law

A free advice seminar from Kirwans Solicitors for anyone involved in HR or employment issues.

Venue

The Boardroom
8th Floor Martins Building
Water Street
Liverpool
L2 3SX

Agenda

12.00pm - Registration and refreshments

12.30pm - Introduction by David Jones Head of Employment Law at Kirwans Solicitors

12.40pm - David Jones (Kirwans Solicitors) Employment Legislation for 2011
An update on employment legislation covering the Equality Act and its effect on discrimination. Plus what’s new for 2011 including interesting cases on the disciplinary front, the impact of claimants lying, auto-enrolment and the rising costs of employing staff.

1.00pm - Blaise Davies (Powell Financial Management) Auto-Enrolment The Facts.
The forthcoming changes in pension legislation and employers’ responsibilities under the new rules. A must for any employer as the changes affect all businesses. Blaise will also cover the NEST scheme including costs and other issues.

1.20pm - Alan Woods (Woods Squared) Performance Management and KPIs
Breaking down targets and goals for each team member and how this can make delegation more effective. Also covering how this gives true ownership to each team member for their own career development.

1.40pm - Q & A and Networking

If you would like to attend this event call Alison Scragg on 0151 703 1911 or email ascragg@kirwanssolicitors.co.uk

Hope you find the above useful and if you or any of your contacts have any queries in connection with the above then please just let us know.

Just to remind you about this evening – we have got 78 people coming along so it promises to be a great night.

Final Details for tonight are:

Arrival from 7:00pm – there will be a drink on arrival which has been sponsored by Rage Communications so a big thank you to Matt Stead for that 3 Course Meal will be served at 7:45pm followed by entertainment at 9:30pm by the fantastic Coolers who have been sponsored by Blue Sky People Solutions so again a massive thank you to all the guys there for that.

It is a 2am bar and it’s a school night – dangerous combination!

So all that’s left for you to do is to bring some money for your drinks and your best dancing shoes!

I know it is still November but I hope it is safe for me to mention Christmas – I know I won’t be the first that has done it!

We have just finalised the details of our Christmas Event this year and I wanted you to be one of the first to hear about it. The details of the event are:

Theme: Christmas Party Night – please bring your team, other halves, clients & contacts

Date: Wednesday 15 December 2010

Time: 7:00pm ‘til late

Venue: The fantastic Circo in Albert Dock, Liverpool

Dress Code: Dress to Impress (not Black Tie unless you really want to!)

On the Night: 3 Course Meal with entertainment throughout the night - the Coolers will once again be providing us with fantastic live music - for information about the band please click here

Cost: FREE!

RSVP: Please let us know by Friday 26 November 2010 to book. We will be asking for a deposit of £10 per person when you book and it will be returned to you on the night.

Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis so please reply early to make sure of your places

We would like to say a big thank you to Blue Sky People Solutions based in Hamilton Square for kindly sponsoring the entertainment on the evening. Blue Sky People Solutions are an experienced training provider in the Sports & Recreation, Health & Social Care, Security and Customer Service sectors. To find out more about them and their services please visit their website by clicking here.

We just wanted to let you know about a couple of things that may be relevant to you or your contacts: -

We Have Moved (Partly!)

We are delighted to say that we have now moved to our new office premises.

The meeting areas have not yet been completed so any meetings will still be taking place at The Basement, 31 Hamilton Square, Birkenhead, Wirral, CH41 6AZ but if you need to bring anything to the office then our new address is 49 Hamilton Square, Birkenhead, Wirral, CH41 5AR.

Telephone Numbers and E-mail Addresses have not changed.

The Wirral Apprentice

The hugely successful Wirral Apprentice programme has been extended to create a further 33 new Apprentice positions for local companies.

The programme offers employers a wage subsidy for employing an Apprentice; this is paid at the National Minimum Wage for 18-20 year olds (currently £4.92 per hour for a maximum of 40 hours a week) and will be paid for the first 18 months of an expected minimum 2 year employment contract. Priority will be given to Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that have not previously recruited an Apprentice.

The innovative programme has already created 167 new jobs for young people in 121 businesses in fields such as accountancy, construction, engineering, media/design and logistics. This will take the total number of apprentices on the programme to 200, double the original target when the programme was first introduced.

If you would like to register an Expression of Interest (EOI) for this exciting programme, you will need to complete an EOI form and a short job description. These documents are available along with background information by clicking here.

Expression Of Interest and Job Descriptions (which you can get by following the above link) should be completed and returned by 3rd November at the latest.

Access to Funding

We are delighted to say that we still have a 100% success rate when accessing funding for our clients.

We are always on the lookout for new funding opportunities and we are following with some interest the British Enterprise Bank (BEB) which a group of city financiers plan to launch to lend solely to small businesses.

Another bit of good news that we have received today on the funding front is the news that MSIF have launched a new £25m Investment Fund – this fund will be available to established SMEs based in Merseyside.

If you or anyone that you know would like to discuss this area in more detail then please just let us know.

Hope you find the above useful and if you or any of your contacts have any queries in connection with the above then please just let us know.

We just wanted to let you know about a couple of things that may be relevant to you or your contacts: -

National Minimum Wage Increase

The National Minimum Wage Rates are due to increase from 1 October 2010.

HMRC are able to charge penalties ranging from £100 to £5,000 to any employers found to be in breach of the rules.

For details of the new rates effective from 1 October 2010 please click here

Accountancy Age Awards

We are delighted to announce that we have been shortlisted once again in the above awards.

We have been shortlisted for Small Firm of the Year – the winners will be announced at a Black Tie Event in Battersea Park Events Arena in London on 17 November 2010.

Hope you find the above useful and if you or any of your contacts have any queries in connection with the above then please just let us know.

Fantasy Football

With the start of the new Premier League season just a few days away we have setup another Woods Squared League on the Metro website.

If you think that you could give Hodgson, Ferguson, Wenger or Moyes a run for their money simply follow this link to enter a team and take your chance of being Woods Squared Fantasy League Champions 2010/11 – just think of the bragging rights!

The person at the top of the league at Christmas will win a mixed case of 6 bottles of wine with the overall winner come May winning a whopping 12 bottles!

Once you have chosen your team please join our league – the name of our league is Woods Squared League and the League PIN is 8004417.

Good Luck!

3 Peaks Challenge

You may remember back in our March e-mail update that I told you that I was doing the National 3 Peaks Challenge – well the time is almost upon us as I set off for the challenge on Friday morning under the watchful eye of Greg Pye from Go Commando (www.go-commando.co.uk)

The National 3 Peaks Challenge consists of climbing Ben Nevis (1344m), Scafell Pike (978m) and Snowdon (1085m) all in under 24 hours. It takes in 450 miles by vehicle in approximately 11 hours and 26 miles of hill walking with 10,000ft of ascent and descent which will take 13hrs to walk.

I am taking part in this challenge to help raise funds for Claire House and if you would like to sponsor me to help spur me on that would be very much appreciated!

To donate online please visit http://www.justgiving.com/woods-squared-2010

We just wanted to let you know about a couple of things that may be relevant to you or your contacts: -

The Startups Awards

The Startups Awards are once again open for entries with the closing date for entries this year being Friday 3 September 2010.

Click here to view a list of the Award categories this year and to download your entry pack.

If you need any help putting together your application or would like any further information on this then please simply let us know.

World Cup Fantasy Football

The winning team manager in our World Cup Fantasy Football competition and now the proud owner of a mixed case of wine is Simon Dodd of Claire House Children’s Hospice.

We will be running a Premier League Fantasy Football competition so please watch this space for details!

New Team Member

We are delighted to announce that we have a new addition to our team.

Samantha Ratcliffe joined us on Monday 5 July 2010 and is currently studying for an Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) qualification, which she hopes to follow up by training for an Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) qualification.

No doubt you will get to meet Samantha over the coming months.

Hope you find the above useful and if you or any of your contacts have any queries in connection with the above then please just let us know.

We just wanted to let you know about a couple of things that may be relevant to you or your contacts: -

Apprentice (not the one with Alan Sugar!)

We have become aware of an organisation based over in Liverpool that is looking for employers to take people currently taking a Business Administration apprenticeship.

As the apprenticeship is an NVQ Level 2 it requires the candidate to have relevant work based experience and as such they are currently looking for employers to offer them placements. The placements will last between 3 and 6 months and there will be no cost to the employer or obligation to keep the apprentice on once the placement has finished.

If anyone would be interested in finding out more about this fantastic opportunity please simply let us know.

Dinner with a Liverpool Legend – Thursday 15 July 2010

How would you like to have dinner with Jan Molby? Well now is your chance!

One of our clients has organised a sportsman’s dinner hosted by the Great Dane – the event is taking place on Thursday 15 July 2010 and tickets are priced at £35 per ticket with £5 from every ticket sold going to charity.

The evening is due to kick off with drinks at 6:30pm followed by a 3 course meal at 7:30pm and is being held at The Red Perilla on Smithdown Road.

If you would like to purchase any tickets for this event or would just like some further details then please simply let us know.

Hope you find the above useful and if you or any of your contacts have any queries in connection with the above then please just let us know.

We just wanted to let you know about a couple of things that may be relevant to you or your contacts: -

World Cup Fantasy Football

With the start of the Word Cup just 2 weeks away we have setup a Woods Squared League on the Metro website.

If you think that you could give Capello a run for his money simply follow this link to enter a team and take your chance of being Woods Squared World Cup Fantasy League Champions 2010 - a proud title that you can be sure to retain for the next 4 years!

Once you have chosen your team please join our league - the name of our league is Woods Squared League and the League PIN is 8010060

The winning team manager will receive a mixed case of wine so good luck!

HMRC Scam E-mails

Please be on your guard for the above e-mails which seem to have become much more frequent.

The e-mail will claim that following a review of your records it has been identified that you are due a refund and to obtain the refund all you need to do is provide them with your bank details.

HMRC are aware of these e-mails and have provided some guidance on their website. Our advice to anyone who receives one of these e-mails is to ignore it as HMRC have confirmed that they will never contact a taxpayer by e-mail in this way.

Hope you find the above useful and if you or any of your contacts have any queries in connection with the above then please just let us know.

Would you and your team like to join us at either of the following events:

Horse Power - Aintree Races on Thursday 8 April 2010

Please join us at the above event on Thursday 8 April 2010. The day will start with breakfast at the fantastic new Red Perilla in Smithdown Road before we all board a coach for Aintree to spend the rest of the day in the West Tip Seats. After a day at the races the coach will take us back to Red Perilla where the winners can carry on with their celebrations and the losers can drown their sorrows!

Tickets for the above are just £40 per person and include breakfast at Red Perilla, coach to and from the races and a ticket for the West Tip Seats.

Red Perilla is also offering a fantastic 3 course menu on the evening of the 8th for only £20 per head!

Places for this event are limited to 50 so to confirm your places please let us know no later than 9:00am on Wednesday 24 March so you don't miss out.

Man Power - National 3 Peaks Challenge

If you are feeling a bit more energetic then you are welcome to join Alan on the above.

Go Commando have 5 dates lined up for the above and Alan will be joining them on one of them!

Places are going fast but if you would like more details on the above please just let us know.

Hope you can join us at one or both of the above!

We would like you to join us as one of our guests at a Business Lunch being held by ACCA at the Malmaison in Liverpool.

The event is taking place on Friday 26 March and will be starting at 12:30pm with lunch being served at 1:00pm.

The two course lunch will be followed by a presentation by Gerald Andrews who is the Director of Finance at the Arena and Convention Centre in Liverpool.

It would be great if you could join us - to secure your place please just let us know.

We just wanted to let you know about a couple of things that may be relevant to you or your contacts: -

WiN Business Awards

The WiN Business Awards are once again open for entries with the closing date for entries this year being Monday 5 April 2010.

Click here to view a list of the Award categories this year and to download your application pack.

If you need any help putting together your application or would like any further information on this then please simply let us know.

HMRC Scam E-mails

No doubt you will all be aware of the many scam e-mails doing the rounds claiming to be from HMRC and bringing news of a refund of tax due.

HMRC have confirmed that they will not be contacting any taxpayer via e-mail in this way but in order to confuse things (which is what they like to do!) they have now advised that they may however contact the taxpayer directly by phone to discuss their tax affairs - please be on your guard as this would appear to us to be open to abuse.

Our advice to you or any of your clients and contacts if they receive a call from HMRC would be to simply take down the reason for their call and contact your adviser immediately so that they can liaise with HMRC on your behalf.

Hope you find the above useful and if you or any of your contacts have any queries in connection with the above then please just let us know.

Hope you are coping ok with the Snow!

We would like you to join us as our guest at a Sportsman's Dinner Event being held at the Brand New Isla Gladstone Conservatory situated in Stanley Park, Liverpool in aid of Fairbridge.

The event is taking place on Thursday 21 January from 7pm until late.

The evening will be hosted by Willie Miller and the after dinner guests will be ex Everton defender Dave Watson and ex Liverpool midfielder Jan Molby.

It would be great if you could join us - if you would like to secure your place then please just let us know.

'Tis the season to be jolly - and so to be in keeping with this sentiment we are running a Christmas Quiz this month in place of our usual update.

You can take our quiz by clicking here and it is well worth you entering as the winner will receive a mixed case of wine just in time for Christmas!

Closing date for the quiz is 1:00pm on Monday 21 December so good luck!

Wishing you a great Christmas and a fantastic 2010

We just wanted to let you know about a couple of things that may be relevant to you or your contacts: -

• Microsoft Office Accounting

Do you or anyone you know use Microsoft Office Accounting?

If so do you know that as of 16 November Microsoft have announced that this product will no longer be distributed and all support has been transferred from Microsoft to Mamut?
This may be the time to reconsider the accounting software that you are using – Sage are currently offering a discount to any current Microsoft Office Accounting user that would be interested in switching to Sage 50 Accounts and Payroll.

If you would like any further information on this then please just ask us for more details.

• VAT Change - Are You Ready?

Don’t forget to get your systems in place to deal with the change in VAT Rate from 1 January 2010.

Those of us who had to deal with the change last year will remember the process with at least a small amount of dread!

The important things to have in place are:

1. Ensure that all invoices raised after 1 January 2010 use the new VAT Rate
2. Make sure that your accounting system is able to identify receipts and payments relating to the current VAT Rate of 15% (particularly important to anyone using the Cash Accounting Scheme for VAT)

If you need any help or guidance to make sure that you are ready for the 1 January 2010 then please just let us know.

Hope you find the above useful and if you or any of your contacts have any queries in connection with the above then please just let us know.

We just wanted to let you know about a couple of things that may be relevant to you or your contacts: -

• Getting Customers to Pay!

We have been asked a few times in the past month about our views on the above. The main theme of these discussions has centred around what payment terms you should offer and what can be done to encourage people to pay you on time every time!

Our first suggestion here would always be that you should ensure that you have up-to-date terms and conditions that are specific to your business and to make sure that all of your customers understand and agree to these terms.

The next thing to consider is whether you should be offering payment terms at all! Many businesses offer payment terms to their customers because that is what everyone else does - ask yourself whether this is the right thing to do for YOUR business!

An alternative to this is Invoice Discounting - this service can provide a huge benefit to the cash flow of a business and many of the providers of this service now also offer bad debt protection as part of the service.

If you would like any more details on the above then please just let us know.

• Interested in £500 Worth of Online Marketing for FREE?

Would you like:

• To join 29 other business owners at a 3 hour online marketing Masterclass in the new, prestigious top floor Hope Street HoteI boardroom - overlooking Liverpool with beautiful panoramic views
• To enjoy a 2 course, 5 star fine dining experience prepared and served by The London Carriage Works with an aperitif on arrival
• To receive some amazingly powerful new email marketing software which is selling for £300 plus VAT
• A one hour consultancy session following the day to review and plan your online marketing strategy over the next 12 months

Ph.Creative are running the above event on 24, 25 and 26 November and you could attend for free if you have 5 or more staff - to get all of this for free you will need to register your details before the event which will only take about 20 minutes.

If you are interested or know any business leaders serious about generating more business online then please simply reply to this e-mail for more details.

• A Big Thank You for Your Support

We are delighted to announce that on Wednesday 30 September we were named as UK Accounting Firm of the Year at an award ceremony in Nottingham. We would like to thank you for all your help and support over the past 12 months. To see us collecting our award click here and to read our Press Release click here

We hope you can join us at our Christmas Event on Friday 4 December to help us celebrate and raise money for two good causes at the same time!

If you have not yet confirmed your place at our Christmas Event then please do so by replying to this e-mail.

Hope you find the above useful and if you or any of your contacts have any queries in connection with the above then please just let us know.

We just wanted to let you know about a couple of things that may be relevant to you or your contacts: -

• Christmas Event - Friday 4 December

Places at our Christmas Event on Friday 4 December at Leverhulme Hotel & Spa in Port Sunlight are going fast so if you are planning to join us on the night then please let us know as soon as you can.

A reminder of what you can expect on the night is:

Drink and canapés on arrival,
Three course meal followed by coffee,
Wine during the meal,
Live music and finally
A DJ to dance the night away to!

All for our Specially Negotiated Individual Ticket Price of £50 or why not book a table of 10 for £450

• Marketing Tip - The importance of testing your mailshots first

Direct response mailshots are one of the most cost-effective and rewarding ways of selling a product or service - if done properly.

But for many people, they end up being a costly experiment. A marketing 'stab in the dark' where absolutely nothing is achieved and nothing is learned.

Consider this scenario. A small firm decides that a direct mailing campaign is their preferred method to reach their target audience, and they have bought a list of thousands of names of potential buyers who are proven to buy their type of product.

They construct a compelling sales letter, with a very attractive introductory offer, an easy-to-send-back response card, and a professionally designed leaflet. They stuff all of these into envelopes, or get a mailing house to do this for them, and mail them out to twenty thousand prospects.

And what happens? They get a trickle of orders, amounting to about a 0.3% response rate, when they were expecting at least 3%. That's 60 orders instead of at least 600.

So what went wrong? It might have been the headline in the letter, which didn't compel the recipient to read on. Maybe the letter itself didn't recognise and highlight enough how the product would solve customers' particular problems. Or it could have been the introductory offer, or the leaflet just didn't do enough to illustrate the benefits of the product.

Whatever the reason for the poor response, the point is that SOMETHING wasn't right. And by mailing out the offer to the entire list, they didn't just waste their valuable marketing budget. They also failed to realise that they should have tested the offer first, avoiding an expensive flop.

By sending out a sample mailing to a few hundred prospects first, they would have been able to test the response rate. When it came back lower than expected, they could have adjusted the letter, headline or special offer, and then sent further sample mailings out until they started to see the returns they were expecting. When they finally felt the formula was right, they could start cranking up the volume of mailings.

By testing your direct mail campaigns this way, you are not only avoiding a drain on your cash without a profitable return, but you're also giving yourself an opportunity to fine tune your offer, until you work out exactly what is going to produce the volume of returns you are aiming for.

Above article taken from EnterQuest Bulletin - Issue 327

• Online VAT Filing

Did you know that mandatory online filing of VAT Returns for some businesses is expected to come into force from 1 April 2010?

If your business has annual VAT exclusive turnover of £100,000 or more per annum then you will be affected by the above.

If you need any help with registering online then please just let us know.

Hope you find the above useful and if you or any of your contacts have any queries in connection with the above then please just let us know.

We just wanted to let you know about a couple of things that may be relevant to you or your contacts: -

• Save the Date - Our Survey Says "Friday 4 December"

Thanks to everyone who completed our survey regarding our Christmas Event, we have had a fantastic response and the feedback shows that Friday 4 December is the winner!

The idea behind creating packaged deals is to combine products and services together and offer them at a lower price than would be paid if they were bought individually.

Please put this date in your diary - we will be sending an e-mail out next week with the full details of the event which looks set to be even better than our Vegas Night last year.

• Save the Date - Our Survey Says "Friday 4 December"

The North West Development Agency have the above voucher available to SME’s, Charities and Social Enterprises – the key benefits of these Innovation Vouchers are:

• Access the wealth of knowledge from our academic institutions
• Resolve a business issue, quickly, efficiently and through a source not previously utilised
• Easy to apply and ‘spend’ the voucher

The above applications are being accepted during a series of rounds and the current round of applications is open until 28 August 2009 – if you would like to find out any more details about the Innovation Vouchers and how you can apply then please visit the NWDA website by clicking here.

• Fantasy Football

With the start of the new Premier League season just a few days away we have setup a Woods Squared League on the Metro website.

If you think that you could give Benitez, Ferguson, Wenger or Moyes a run for their money simply follow this link to enter a team and take your chance of being Woods Squared Fantasy League Champions 2009/10 – just think of the bragging rights!

Once you have chosen your team please join our league – the name of our league is Woods Squared League and the League PIN is 8006778 – Good Luck!

Hope you find the above useful and if you or any of your contacts have any queries in connection with the above then please just let us know.

We just wanted to let you know about a couple of things that may be relevant to you or your contacts: -

• Sales Tip - The Power of Packaging

Packaging your products or services into bundles is a simple way to shift more of your product or service and dramatically increase your customers' perceptions of the value they are receiving.

The idea behind creating packaged deals is to combine products and services together and offer them at a lower price than would be paid if they were bought individually.

It's important to know what value is when developing packaged products or services, so let's take a moment and explain the true definition of value. Value is:

• Always variable, depending on the customer.
• Based on perception rather than reality.
• A trade-off between price (the consumer's investment) and benefits (what they get).

Value is like an equation: Value = perceived benefits/price. So how does this work in the mind of a consumer? Here are three scenarios:

• Scenario 1: If price increases, and perceived benefits stay the same, value goes down.
• Scenario 2: If perceived benefits increase, and price stays the same, value goes up.
• Scenario 3: If perceived benefits increase, and price decreases, value goes right up.

As a business owner, you always want to position your offer with the value increasing. To do this you must lower your price, increase your benefits, or increase your benefits more than you increase your price. Whatever you do, your value must increase because that's why consumers choose you over your competitor.

It's important to understand this if you're creating a bundled offer for your customers. If you bundle your products and services right, you will be able to add even more benefits to your customer at a lower unit price, thus dramatically increasing the value of your offer in the mind of the consumer.

Examples of packaging and bundling are everywhere. Just look around you when you go out to shop for men's and women's clothing. Merchandisers have figured out that people will buy matching belts, ties, scarves and even jewellery just to match the outfit they have bought. That's why you see men's suits with matching ties and shirts for one low price.

Above article was taken from EnterQuest Bulletin - Issue 323

• Utility Warehouse Discount Club

Over the past few months we have learnt more and more about the benefits of the above for small business owners - you may already be aware that they can supply discounted utilities on one bill but you may not also be aware that they also offer the following:

• Free 'Global' Calls

Do you go abroad for business? Do you have a holiday home? How would you like to be able to call home or back to the office for free?

Utility Warehouse have a service that could let you do just that!

• Cashback card

How would you like to save money on your utilities by spending money on your everyday expenses?

By using a cashback card from Utility Warehouse you can get cashback to use towards your utility bills on purchases from places like Sainsbury's, Boots, Argos, Homebase etc.

If you would like more details on the above or even if you would just be interested in finding out how much you could save on your utilities please let me know and I will get someone to give you a call.

• Employer CD Rom Errors

You may be aware that HM Revenue & Customs issue an Employer CD Rom to all registered employers. We have become aware that the latest updated CD contains some errors and HM Revenue & Customs have recommended that if you use this CD that you visit their website at www.hmrc.gov.uk to download a fix.

The fix is expected to be available before the end of July.

Hope you find the above useful and if you or any of your contacts have any queries in connection with the above then please just let us know.

We just wanted to let you know about a couple of things that may be relevant to you or your contacts: -

• The Wirral Apprentice

An innovative new programme from the Council aims to support local businesses during the credit crunch, while at the same time stimulating the local jobs market.

The Wirral Apprentice programme is now up and running, and will fund 100 new Apprentice positions in local companies for a period of 18 months.

Full training, in whatever Apprentice qualification is most relevant to your business, will be also be provided, free of charge, by the Learning and Skills Council.

So if you feel your business would benefit from employing some of the best and brightest young talent in Wirral, get them trained for free, and have the Council pay their wages for the first 18 months, then make sure you take advantage of this offer!

For more information, and to register your interest, please visit:http://www.investwirral.com/support/investwirral/The%20Wirral%20Apprentice/

The deadline for registering your interest in the above programme is 26 June 2009.

• Payroll Changes from 6 April 2009

We are sure you have noticed that Forms P45 and P46 have been updated – employers must now show an employee’s date of birth and gender of these forms.

For those employers with 50 employees or more you must file the above forms online just like your Employer Annual Return Form P35.

If you have any questions in connection with the above or need any further information then please just let us know.

• circle8 – the first ever digital magazine for Chester!

We are proud to be members of thebestofchester and take this opportunity to give you the details of the first edition of circle8 – the digital magazine can be accessed by clickinghere.

You might want to visit page 18 of the online magazine and complete the survey for your chance to win 2 tickets for the County Stand at Chester Races on Saturday 11 July followed by a meal for 2 at Restaurant 1539.

• Healthy Body – Healthy Mind!

One of our contacts, Body Solutions, has recently launched an innovative fun way to get people ready for the Summer.

Body Solutions are a personal training company based in West Kirby and they are currently offering Circuit Training on West Kirby beach.

If anyone would be interested in some more information on the above then please just let us know.

Hope you find the above useful and if you or any of your contacts have any queries in connection with the above then please just let us know.

We just wanted to let you know about a couple of things that may be relevant to you or your contacts:

• Tax, Tax and More Tax!

In a month where the scandal of the MP expenses has come to the forefront we are receiving feedback from our clients that more and more people are feeling that it is one rule for them and another rule for us.

We firmly believe that tax is a cost like any other within a business and are always looking for proactive innovative ways that we can help local business owners manage their tax bills.

If you would like to find out more about ways that we could help you to reduce your tax bills then please contact us.

We just wanted to let you know about a couple of things that may be relevant to you or your contacts: -

• Mortgage, Credit Card, Loan & HP
  
  
  • Do you have a mortgage? If so, was it taken out before April 2005?
  • Do you have a credit card? If so, was it taken out before April 2007
  • Do you have a loan or hire purchase agreement?

If you answered yes to any of the above three questions then you could be entitled to compensation in excess of £5,000 or have any existing credit card balances completely written off.

If you or anyone that you know would be interested in a free no obligation review to see what you could be entitled to then please just let us know.

Hope you find the above useful and if you or any of your contacts have any queries in connection with the above then please just let us know.

We just wanted to let you know about a couple of things that may be relevant to you or your contacts: -

• Marketing

Is your current marketing spend effective? Are you taking full advantage of all the opportunities within your current client base? Do you know who your most profitable customers are or more importantly which are your least?

If you would like to arrange a free consultation to discuss your current marketing strategy then please just let us know.

• Small Business Rate Relief

The Government introduced Small Business Rate Relief with effect from 1 April 2005. If your business occupies non domestic premises with a rateable value of below £5,000, you may be entitled to a reduction of 50% in your business rates. If you occupy a property with a rateable value of between £5,000 and £9,999, relief is available on a sliding scale until zero at £10,000 (approximately reducing by 1% per £100).

Across the UK only 41% of small businesses that are eligible for Business Rate Relief actually claim it.

If you would like more details on the above then please just let us know.

• Online Credit Management Toolkit

Through our relationship with Credit Management Group UK we are able to offer you a free 7 day trial of the Credit Management Toolkit.

The Toolkit includes a variety of factsheets on topics such as credit checks, negotiating payments and terms & conditions.

If you would like to take advantage of this offer then please just follow the link below

Online Credit Management Toolkit - Free 7 Day Trial

Hope you find the above useful and if you or any of your contacts have any queries in connection with the above then please just let us know.

We just wanted to let you know about a couple of things that may be relevant to you or your contacts: -

• WiN Business Awards

Time is running out for you to enter the 2009 WiN Business Awards, the closing date for completed applications for the WiN Business Awards is Friday 3 April 2009.

If you would like to be entered for any of the Award categories, please download an application form by clicking this link... http://www.winpartnership.org/awards.asp

• IT Healthcheck

Not sure if you're spending too much on your IT?

Put your mind at rest with a free impartial consultation with an experienced IT Manager to run through your current systems and IT expenditure to see if there are any areas which could be improved upon.

If you would like more details on the above then please just let us know.

• Pre 5 April Investment Review

With 5 April fast approaching now is the time to act if you want to take advantage of any available tax planning opportunities.

We have links with local leading Independent Financial Advisers who we would be happy to put you in touch with if this is something that you feel you need to review.

Hope you find the above useful and if you or any of your contacts have any queries in connection with the above then please just let us know.

We just wanted to let you know about a couple of things that may be relevant to you or your contacts: -

• Innovation Vouchers worth up to £3,000
  
  The North West Development Agency has the above voucher available to SME’s, Charities and Social Enterprises – the key benefits of these Innovation Vouchers are:
  • Access the wealth of knowledge from our academic institutions
  • Resolve a business issue, quickly, efficiently and through a source not previously utilised
  • Easy to apply and ‘spend’ the voucher

The above applications are being accepted during a series of rounds and the current round of applications is open until 6 February 2009 – if you would like to find out any more details about the Innovation Vouchers and how you can apply then please visit the NWDA website by clickinghere.

• Team Development
  
  Do you currently invest money in training and developing your team? If so you may be able to access government funded courses instead allowing you to utilise your training and development budget in other areas.

  Government announcement on 28 October 2008
  
  From 1 November 2008, funding will be available for businesses to access ‘bite–sized’ courses in subjects known to be important to SMEs, such as business improvement, team–working, customer service and risk management. Small businesses will be fully funded for additional training from January 2009.

If you would like more details on the above then please just let us know.

• Cash is King
  
  Never has the above phrase been used so much or been so relevant.
  
  Areas you may wish to review in this area are as follows:
  • Credit Rating – do you check the credit rating of your customers? We can provide you with a report on their credit rating which will help you make informed decisions about the terms that you should offer them
  • Credit Management– do you have the time and the processes in place to make sure that your outstanding invoices are collected in a timely manner? If this is an area where you feel that you need some assistance then please let us know and we will be able to put you in touch with someone who can help, whether it is training that you require, an outsourced solution or legal advice for when a debt has gone bad then please just let us know
  • Direct Debit– would the ability to be able to collect payments from your customers via Direct Debit be an option for your business? From speaking to our clients this is an area that has huge potential with any new clients that they acquire
  • Invoice Discounting– have you explored the possibility of using Invoice Discounting to help the cash flow within your business?

If you would like any additional information on any of the above then please just let us know

• Sage
  
  Do you use Sage or do you know anyone else that does? If so there are a couple of things that you might find useful:
  
  
  • Sage Payroll – you may be aware that following the Pre-Budget Report before Christmas there will be a change introduced to the National Insurance thresholds with effect from 6 April 2009 – any changes can usually be amended manually within Sage but unfortunately this change cannot which means that users of Sage Payroll may need to upgrade their software for the new tax year
  • Sage Cover – Sage are currently offering 14 months Sage Cover for the price of 10 – this will mean that if you take advantage of this offer you will have cover in place with ready for when the VAT Rate returns to 17.5% from 15% on 1 January 2010
  • FREE Sage Invoicing Software – Sage have launched some free software which can be downloaded straight from the Sage website – the software will allow you to keep a track of your customers and to make sure that you know exactly what invoices are outstanding and who are your best and worst customers! To find out more or to download the software for free please clickhere.

If you would like any more information on any of the above then please just let us know

Hope you find the above useful and if you or any of your contacts have any queries in connection with the above then please just let us know.

Hope you had a good Christmas and New Year.

Have you made any New Year resolutions for your business? Set any targets for 2009? In common with most high street stores we are having a January sale to help you with your business targets for 2009!

Over the Christmas and New Year period there has been a lot of media coverage given to the current economic climate and one way of making sure that you are best placed during 2009 is to update your profit and loss and cash flow forecasts and then regularly review those forecasts during the year comparing them with your actual performance as you go.

As multi award winning accountants and business growth specialists this is where we come in – we can prepare a 12 month cash flow and profit and loss forecast tailored to your business and then sit down with you on a regular basis to ensure that you are in the best possible position to face any potential issues during 2009. We firmly believe that whilst the current economic climate offers a different type of challenge to most businesses than what they have faced before it also offers those businesses that take the necessary steps a huge opportunity to be in a stronger position than most of your competitors when we reach the other side.

Our January Special Offers are as follows: -

• 12 month cash flow and profit and loss forecast – normal cost = £750.00 plus VAT but if taken in January then = £575.00 plus VAT (saving = £175.00 plus VAT)

• 12 month cash flow and profit and loss forecast together with quarterly meetings to monitor actual progress – normal cost = £2,750.00 plus VAT but if took in January then = £1,980.00 plus VAT (saving = £770.00 plus VAT) – which can be spread over 12 equal monthly payments of £165.00 plus VAT.

• 12 month cash flow and profit and loss forecast together with monthly meetings to monitor actual progress – normal cost = £6,750.00 plus VAT but if taken in January then = £5,040.00 plus VAT (saving = £1,710.00 plus VAT) – which can be spread over 12 equal monthly payments of £420.00 plus VAT.

• 12 month cash flow and profit and loss forecast together with quarterly meetings to monitor actual progress including measurement of Key Performance Indicators – normal cost = £4,350.00 plus VAT but if taken in January then = £3,300.00 plus VAT (saving = £1,050.00 plus VAT) – which can be spread over 12 equal monthly payments of £275.00 plus VAT.

• 12 month cash flow and profit and loss forecast together with monthly meetings to monitor actual progress including measurement of Key Performance Indicators – normal cost = £11,550.00 plus VAT but if taken in January then = £8,640.00 plus VAT (saving = £2,910.00 plus VAT) – which can be spread over 12 equal monthly payments of £720.00 plus VAT.

If you or any of your business contacts would be interested in taking advantage of any of our special offers above then please simply let us have your contact details or theirs.

As an added incentive the first 10 people that sign up for one of our above offers will receive a detailed Benchmarking Report which would usually cost £500 plus VAT absolutelyFREE.