Recent Articles From EvanCarmichael.com http://www.evancarmichael.com/ http://www.evancarmichael.com/Accounting/3598/Do-You-Know-Who-Your-Target-Audience-Is.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Accounting/3598/Do-You-Know-Who-Your-Target-Audience-Is.html It is surprising how many businesses are just advertising to all and sundry. They don't even realize how many resources they are wasting by adopting this approach. When the concept of Target Audience is mentioned to them they reply "everyone is my target audience - right" - Wrong. Marketing is more effective when you put the message exactly in front of the people who are ready, willing and able to buy your product/service at that moment. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Accounting/3598/Nothing-Has-Changed-With-These-Adverts.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Accounting/3598/Nothing-Has-Changed-With-These-Adverts.html Are you still advertising in the old fashioned way. Name, address, phone number and a few services you offer? If you are, you must break free from the mould in these difficult times and try a different way of getting your message across. This article offers a hint at how you can achieve this and by doing so multiplying the response you achieve from each advert many times over. Try it - what have you got to lose? All marketing is a test all the time... http://www.evancarmichael.com/Accounting/3598/Self-AssessmentDo-You-Really-Need-An-Accountant-To-Deal-With-This.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Accounting/3598/Self-AssessmentDo-You-Really-Need-An-Accountant-To-Deal-With-This.html This article examines what benefits are gained by using a qualified professional to handle your tax affairs for you. Not using an accountant for your tax matters is akin to doing your own minor surgery on yourself to save the cost of a surgeon. I hope you would never dream of doing that - so why then would you risk getting into strife with the Tax Office just to save a few quid. Any accountant can more than justify his fee and can save you money on your tax bill that you will never have thought of. After all...if you were expert in tax you would be a tax consultant - not running the business that you are. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Accounting/3598/Big-Brother-Is-Watching-You.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Accounting/3598/Big-Brother-Is-Watching-You.html This article focuses on the need to be full and frank in your disclosures of income from all sources when tax time comes. It isn't just prospective customers who are looking at your on-line activities and never, ever boast about big contracts or jobs that you've won if you really haven't. You may find the Tax Authorities looking for the income from that boast on next years tax return - and if it isn't there - watch out. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Accounting/3598/Some-Tax-Tips-Every-Employee-Needs-To-Know-About.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Accounting/3598/Some-Tax-Tips-Every-Employee-Needs-To-Know-About.html Not every employer reimburses employees the full tax free amount they are entitled to under our tax legislation. This article explains what an employee can rightfully claim tax free against his PAYE income, how exactly he can do it, and what evidence is needed to substantiate the claim later. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Accounting/3598/Is-Your-Business-Still-Heading-Towards-The-Goals-You-Set-At-The-Start.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Accounting/3598/Is-Your-Business-Still-Heading-Towards-The-Goals-You-Set-At-The-Start.html Every business owner needs to step back a little every so often and critically look at their business; the way it performs; the service it offers; the prices charged and ensure it is still running directly towards the ultimate goals that were in your head when you first set it up. When did you last check yours? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Accounting/3598/Does-a-recession-signal-the-end-of-your-business.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Accounting/3598/Does-a-recession-signal-the-end-of-your-business.html As the world plunges into another recession, lot's of small business owners are starting to worry that their business may not survive. It will certainly fold if you do nothing extra or fail to adapt your existing strategy to new trading conditions. So, your option is to fight back. Learn more marketing tactics, re-look at your existing tactics, make sure you are testing everything and monitoring every result. Make your business survive and come through these harder times fighting fit and trading better than ever. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Accounting/3598/VAT--When-15-should-be-175.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Accounting/3598/VAT--When-15-should-be-175.html VAT is one of the taxes that is mostly ignored and certainly misunderstood. A simple statement by the Chancellor about a rate change from 17.5% to 15% should be straight-forward to implement... shouldn't it??? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Accounting/3598/Recession--What-Recession.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Accounting/3598/Recession--What-Recession.html According to the media and the government we are heading into the worst recession for nearly 20 years. But the business people I talk to are not experiencing anything like the gloom and doom that the media dish up every morning on the news. Even if we were, would it really mean much to the average business?? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Accounting/3598/How-Do-You-Write-Compelling-And-Successful-Headlines.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Accounting/3598/How-Do-You-Write-Compelling-And-Successful-Headlines.html Headlines are really important parts of our adverts. If you send out a letter, a website, an advertisement, a blog post and the headline is a good one, the subsequent text will be more likely to be read and acted on. However, if the headline is weak, then the chances are slim that anyone will be bothered to read on or act, no matter how good the rest of the item is. So…what makes a good headline?