All posts by David Carr

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

6 Ways to Motivate Your Team (Without Shouting)

Has this ever happened to you? You spend a lot of time and energy hiring great people for your company, only to find out that a few months, or even years later, they seem to have lost their spark. No...

/ 3rd April 2017

March 2017 Product Updates

What’s in preview Payroll Adds a new report for non monthly payrolls or mixed payrolls to provide a breakdown of the monthly amount owed to HMRC similar to the old P32. Amount owed to HMRC is hyperlinked to provide a...

/ 27th March 2017

How to Use Social Media to Market Your Small Business

We’ve worked with a lot of small business owners over the years, and we’ve found that they tend to fall into two camps: those who love social media and can’t imagine running their businesses without it, and those who just...

/ 22nd March 2017
There are alternatives to using spreadsheets for bookkeeping

How Do Accountants Use Spreadsheets (And What You Should Be Using Instead)

Some things just naturally seem to go together: peanut butter and jelly, night and day, and of course, accountants and spreadsheets. The second you picture an accountant, chances are you think of them crunching numbers in a complicated Excel document....

/ 20th March 2017

We Have a Brand New Video!

We're pleased to announce that we have released a brand new animated video. Our mission has always been to deliver clear & simple accounting software to empower small businesses to get on with what they do best. This new video highlights...

/ 17th March 2017
small business linkedin

Why Small Businesses NEED a LinkedIn Profile

Why You and Your Business Need a LinkedIn Profile It seems like there’s always a new social media channel coming out — and between managing employees, keeping up with your blog, and of course, the actual work of providing your...

/ 10th March 2017

Clear Books Partner Open Day – March 2017 Registration is Open!

Few people know Clear Books better than our Accountant Partners, and whilst we’ve always tried to make changes to the product that benefit our users, it’s probably fair to say that we’ve not always given our partners the opportunity to...

/ 8th March 2017

What is Mindfulness and Why is it Important to Small Businesses?

Even as recently as a decade ago, the idea of mindfulness and corporate wellness might have seemed, well, a little woo woo. But with hugely successful companies like Google, GM, and Goldman Sachs incorporating it into their operations, it’s become...

/ 2nd March 2017

Product Updates – February 2017

What’s in preview Credit notes Adds functionality to list credit notes under ‘recent invoices’ on the bank import. Adds functionality to allocate a payment against a credit note on the bank import tool. Adds functionality to allow a payment to...

/ 27th February 2017

7 Reasons Why Small Businesses Fail

Starting a business can be one of the most exciting — not to mention rewarding — things you can do. But it’s important to go into the process with open eyes. The reality is, almost all of small businesses fail...

/ 24th February 2017

Certified Partner Spotlight – Tony Kelly of A G Kelly Ltd

Today we have a chat with Tony Kelly of A G Kelly Ltd. Let's see how he runs a successful accounting practice using Clear Books.   Who are you and what is it you do? We are a firm of...

/ 16th February 2017

Certified Partner Spotlight – Specialist Accounting Services and Alpha Payrolls

Today we speak to Maria Wells of Specialist Accounting Services and Alpha Payrolls to see how she runs a successful practice.   What is it you do? We provide all aspects of Bookkeeping. VAT Returns, cash flow, Management Accounts, Tax Returns...

/ 13th February 2017