The Positive Accountant Vol 1 Ed 19
Another day passes, and, whatever our view is of how long this lockdown will continue, we're another day closer to the end of it. That's a positive in itself.
And whilst we're still desperately short of information on how most of the support schemes are working, each day sees a continual drip of information from the Treasury and HMRC. A word of warning though, there is a lot on the internet on this subject, and without wanting to sound like a septuagenarian world leader, 'Beware Fake News ! '
I was almost taken in by one of these today - it was a 'breaking news' email from one of the Accountancy Institutes on the subject of furloughing. I read it and found it informative and quite radical.
Until, in thetiniestof small print at the bottom were the words 'this is the interpretation of the author of HMRC pronouncements up to 31st March'. Not quite breaking and not quite news.
Remember, if you have 'missed' any previous editions, they can be found at
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What are my positives today:-:
1. I filed my first 2019/20 tax return. Always a milestone, and only two days after the end of the tax year.
Only another (can't bear to think of the number) to go...
2. Everyone's becoming more tech savvy... I've been invited to Zoom meetings with people that I didn't know had computers, and thank goodness for cloud accounting, the days of boxes of books are dying out...
...good news unless you sell stationery.
3. Holiday T Shirts
I have a glut of holiday T shirts. You know the sort, 'souvenir of Barbados', made by local artisans (in China) - that was today's. 'I'd rather go to Hell than go to work' - Grand Cayman (yesterday)
Normally these are in a drawer, I maybe wear one a week, it gets washed, put back in the drawer and then I wear the same one next week
Not any more ! I have't worn a suit in over two weeks and the holiday T shirt has become the norm. And with that the memories of where they came from come flooding back
And what am I talking to clients about today ?
Creative furloughing- there is a minimum period of furloughing of three weeks, it has been confirmed that employees can come back to work before being refurloughed, and there doesn't appear to be a minimum period for doing that work.
So, a number of people are putting rotas together of three weeks off, one day on, three weeks off. Takes a bit of creativity but may well work in some situations.
Ending up with better businesses- I'll replay a conversation that I had this afternoon with a client who told me 'I hated doing work for that person. Only did it for the money. Now the money's dropping I'll think of another way of making the same for more rewarding work'.
The challenge, of course, is finding the more rewarding work.
We've probably all got time now to kick back a bit, visualise where we want our businesses to be, and really concentrate of what to do to get there.
Until tomorrow, stay safe
Adrian
07917 338342
Been there, got the T shirt (see above). Hell, Grand Cayman