All posts by Darren Taylor

Darren is a Marketing Manager specialising in Digital Marketing

Product Updates – November 2017

What’s in preview We are constantly improving Clear Books, and often make new features and improvements available in Preview, which allows you to get early access and to share your feedback.    Better invoicing Following your feedback, this preview improves...

/ 12th December 2017
AccountancyAdvent advent calendar

#AccountancyAdvent: the Clear Books advent calendar of accounting advice for businesses

Christmas is just around the corner, but we thought we'd give you an early present this year. We've spoken to accountants and small businesses from around the country and asked them what their top accounting tips would be for other...

/ 1st December 2017
Stacked money

Investment 101: How to prepare your SME for investment

When you start a business, investment can seem such a remote possibility that you don’t even consider it. But fast forward a few years and suddenly it’s not so far off your radar. Whether you’ve created a new system or...

/ 16th November 2017
Speadsheet

3 bookkeeping templates and why you should use Clear Books Micro instead

It’s one of the most divisive words in the small business world. You say it, and people tend to immediately go, “Oh, I love them!” or “No, not this again!” Spreadsheets. This seemingly innocuous word holds a lot of baggage...

/ 8th November 2017

Product Updates – October 2017

We are constantly improving Clear Books, and often make new features and improvements available in Preview, which allows you to get early access and to share your feedback.   What’s in preview VAT for payments on account Unallocated payments/receipts can...

/ 31st October 2017

HR 101 for SMEs

If you've been happily running your small business as a sole trader so far, the whole world of HR has probably passed you by. Until now, managing staff sickness probably looked like taking some painkillers before getting straight back to...

/ 18th October 2017

Clear Books founder Tim Fouracre makes way for Phil Sayers as new CEO

Clear Books has announced that Phil Sayers has taken over from founder Tim Fouracre as CEO with immediate effect. The appointment of Sayers, who joined the company as Sales and Marketing Director 14 months ago, releases Fouracre to depart to...

/ 4th October 2017

Product Updates Sep 2017

What’s in preview We are constantly improving Clear Books, and often make new features and improvements available in Preview, which allows you to get early access and to share your feedback.     Better invoicing Following your feedback, this preview...

/ 2nd October 2017

How do I hire an apprentice? Here’s our best tips for making it worth your while

Congratulations — business is going well. Almost too well! All those late nights and missed social events are finally paying off. Your client list is growing and your bank account is getting fatter, but you still can't find the right...

/ 22nd September 2017

GDPR (general data protection regulation) how it will affect small business

Have you heard of GDPR? Many small businesses owners are still in the dark about the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). You might have heard rumblings about it, but assumed that it’s not going to affect you, especially in...

/ 11th September 2017

How to get your clients to pay you on time

It seems there are two types of people in the world: those who can't let an unpaid bill sit, and those who think the money isn't actually due until they have received a fourth payment reminder. At times, it can...

/ 6th September 2017

Product Updates Aug 2017

What’s gone live Each month, we make enhancements, improvements, and bug fixes to Clear Books.  The following changes are available now. Payroll Bureau Improved the functionality of the checkboxes when selecting clients in Payroll Bureau for Partners  Other improvements and...

/ 25th August 2017

Four tiny steps you can take during the year to make tax time easier for you and your accountant

Imagine ... it’s January. It's dull, we're all broke, we're all on diets or detox plans, and the party season is well and truly over. The weather is probably miserable and summer holidays are too far away to think about....

/ 22nd August 2017

Why your accounting practice should start a blog

The marketing world loves a buzzword, or a hot new strategy that every small business simply MUST employ. For a while now, the marketers have been waxing lyrical about 'content marketing' and more specifically the value of blogging. So is...

/ 16th August 2017

How becoming a certified Clear Books partner can help both your practice and your clients

You may already know that we offer our SME clients everything from accounting and payroll software to onsite training, but did you know that we are also a firm favourite with accountants? We're built by accountants, for accountants, who love...

/ 14th August 2017

How to Pitch Making Tax Digital to Your Clients

The Making Tax Digital (MTD) initiative is coming — and it has many small business owners feeling like they want to head for the hills. The lack of concrete information on MTD has led to a lot of confusion and...

/ 10th August 2017

New Product: Making Tax Digital? Clear Books has got you covered

Today we are announcing two new products to help small businesses meet the requirements of Making Tax Digital: Clear Books Practice Edition for accountants; and Clear Books Micro for small businesses Tax today Making Tax Digital (MTD) is looming on...

/ 3rd August 2017

What Are the Implications of Making Tax Digital for Small Businesses?

Whether you’re new to the conversation surrounding the government’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) initiative or you’ve been following it from the beginning, chances are that you have some questions. If so, you’re certainly not alone — the uncertainty around the...

/ 26th July 2017

MTD is being delayed – Why?

The government has announced that the full implementation of Making Tax Digital will be delayed by 'at least' two years (until 2020), although quarterly VAT reporting using digital systems will be mandatory from 2019. The original timetable for the rollout...

/ 17th July 2017

Clear Books to sponsor the ICPA Practice Evolution Conference – Manchester

We are delighted to announce that Clear Books are sponsoring the upcoming ICPA Practice Evolution Conference taking place on 21 September 2017 at the Worsley Park Marriott Hotel & Country Club, Manchester. As a Clearbooks contact you are eligible to...

/ 14th July 2017

Accounting event hamper winners…

We have attended a number of accounting events over the past month, including: AAT conference Bookkeepers Alliance conference We would like to thank everyone who came to our stand at each event to discuss all things accounting and tax. Clear...

/ 5th July 2017

Product Updates – June 2017

What’s gone live Each month, we make enhancements, improvements, and bug fixes to Clear Books. The following changes are available now. VAT: Fixed asset management on VAT flat rate scheme Adds a feature that supports customers using the VAT Flat...

/ 29th June 2017

What “Real Time Tax” Is and What That Means for Your Business

The government’s new Making Tax Digital (MTD) initiative has got the small business world in a lather as people try to figure out what it means for their businesses, when it might happen, and whether or not it’s going to...

/ 28th June 2017

Are your clients ready for MTD? Most UK businesses aren’t…

Making Tax Digital (MTD) is set to roll out in the UK sometime in the next few years, but a recent study from the UK200Group found that 65% of their members aren’t ready for it. While the UK small business world...

/ 27th June 2017

Product Updates April / May 2017

What’s in preview We are constantly improving Clear Books, and often make new features and improvements available in Preview, which allows you to get early access and to share your feedback. Better sales invoice creation We have streamlined how you...

/ 30th May 2017

Clear Books Events

We are attending a number of accounting events and conferences in the coming months. Please see the upcoming Clear Books events calendar.   Event NameDate Accountex10th / 11th May 2017 AAT Annual Conference - Inv received8th / 9th June 2017...

/ 10th May 2017

Clear Books at Accountex 2017

Clear Books will be attending Accountex 2017 this week. It presents a great opportunity for us to catch up with our partners (old and new) face to face. We will be attending the event on both days (10th and 11th May...

/ 8th May 2017

How to Comply with Data Protection as a Small Business

No one would argue that data protection is important — the Yahoo breaches, among many others, show just how serious the consequences can be for a business. But when it comes down to it, it can seem like data protection...

/ 8th May 2017
Writing a company newsletter can build your brand

7 Reasons to Write a Company Newsletter — And How to Start

Let’s be honest. When most people think of a company newsletter, they think of one more thing to delete from their inbox. And the way many company newsletters are written — dry summaries of things no one really cares about...

/ 7th April 2017

Clear Books – As Heard on Radio!

We are pleased to announce Clear Books has started a round of radio advertising to raise our profile in the UK! You can hear our radio ad via the media player below.   https://www.clearbooks.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Clear-Books-40s-Radio-v2.mp3   Read More

/ 3rd April 2017