I have one PAYE job which I am being made redundant from on 1st July (due to a transfer of ownership) and I work for them two days a week. So I am trying to logically re-organise my own business to be more cost effective, time effective and also more profitable. So this is what I am considering but would appreciate views as I have too much work and little time to meet the demands. On average I charge £100 a day or £15 per hour.
Client 1: Monthly - 1 day a month, no problem, not on Sage but easy to do, have to travel 15 mins. Client 2: Payroll only 1 day a month, no problem, lucrative, done remotely. Client 3: As 2 Client 4: Currently 1 day a week, has offered me another day but will need to travel 45 minutes to office 1 day a week but other day remotely. Need to negotiate new pay rate would prefer monthly rate to hourly if I take on another day, which he needs and would replace current PAYE job. Sage, payroll and CIS .Client 5: Monthly - very behind doesn't provide work regularly, unorganised and I charge extra as he is spasmodic in providing work. CIS. Sage. Client 6: Quarterly - no problem but doesn't have an accountant, simple paperwork on spreadsheet, done remotely with meetings in between local to me. First year business. Small payroll done quarterly, accounts done yearly at the moment. Client 7: Weekly no problem, local to me, Sage which I set up, good job and he want to change to a fixed monthly rate, currently hourly. Client 8: Monthly on MYOB, easy local job, VAT quarterly. Client 9: New client, not done Sage for a whole year as they say previous bookkeepers (at least 3 ) made a mess. I have just filed there PAYE/CIS online for 08,09 and 10 as they had a £1600 fine. Wife has been doing VAT quarters via the bank statement information! No organisation. Their account wants everything on Sage for the last year and they deleted their previous Sage accounts when they didn't like the figures! Complete nightmare but a bott0mless purse to pay. Will be time consuming, could be profitable but who knows?
Or do I outsource client 9 and make money on them that way?
What would you do, I want to work 4 days a week with no weekends or evenings. My gut feeling is to out clients 5 and 9.
Sue
-- Edited by Sue T on Sunday 30th of May 2010 12:14:44 PM
problem is that it's always difficult to turn away clients. Not just due to the money but also because if your anything like me you start caring about their businesses.
Personally I don't think that this is a nine to five, five days a week type job. Well, it's never seemed that way to me.
From your list it just seems that 5 and 9 whilst more difficult may prove to be more lucrative.
Just my opinion and really the only persons opinions that really matter are your own.
Good luck and sorry to hear about the loss of your permanent employment,
all the best,
Shaun.
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Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
Thanks for that, I know what you mean about the non 9-5 job, I am a bit fed up at the moment and in dire need of my annual hols.
Trouble is I am working 24/7 at the moment and I forgot to add my hubby's books into the equation which get done as and when, perhaps I should out his!LOL
All my clients are lovely really and I want to do their work, some of them just make it extremely difficult at times, and I feel that they expect me to run their business and be their bookkeeper!
I know that from our clients perspective there's never a good time for one but really sounds as though you could do with one at the moment.
Sometimes we just need to take one step back to take three forwards.
I certainly wouldn't drop any client (or husband!) until you've had chance to review the situation from the perspective of doing nothing.
Go on then, take your mind off other peoples books, where do you fancy for a hol? Take ten mins looking at this site and everything will seem better : http://www.ebookers.com/
All the best,
Shaun.
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Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
I agree Sue with Shaun, I have 2 weeks booked in Aug, and will worked really hard before I go to make sure everything is done in time, but looking forward to my 2 weeks off and NO laptop!!!!! Amanda
of course, considering the other posts if you took your laptop to anywhere hot that might just push it over the edge!... Actually, maybe it's really that your laptop also needs a holiday.
Did you ever get the cooling problem fixed or is it now a case of only typing with the fridge door open!
Where are you off to? Anywhere exotic?... And Welsh villages with unpronounceable names doesn't count as exotic!
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Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
Yes did get it fixed was recommended a very nice local guy, who said the fan was clogged up like you all said and due to the fact that I need it for business ( I have a spare one if necessary), fixed it within a few hours and then I collected it and now its all sorted. He recommended that because I use it such alot a service once a year would be a good idea. So thats what I shall do. So touch wood all running ok and now dosen't get hot! I do like my Toshiba but was getting frustrated with it!
It was excellent service, unlike the shop round the corner who said they would need it for 3 or 4 days and then would charge alot to get it fixed.
Off to France (not really exotic), on the west coast about an hour south of La rochelle. Really looking forward to it, need a break! Did Wales when I was a child, had many a nice holiday on the south coast of wales but it nearly always rained apart from 1976 (god showing my age)!
as they say previous bookkeepers (at least 3 ) made a mess. I have just filed there PAYE/CIS online
No organisation. Their account wants everything on Sage for the last year and they deleted their previous Sage accounts when they didn't like the figures!
Complete nightmare but a bott0mless purse to pay. Will be time consuming, could be profitable but who knows?
