A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

Einstein, Arthur Sasse, 1951

Without doubt a picture can effectively put across a message in an instant so getting it right for your website is of the utmost importance.

If you have commercial premises, sell products online or have an online shop it is important to make sure the images you use portray your circumstances in order to negate any possible negative feeling between you and your clients/customers and promote as many leads as possible.

An example of this would be advertising your online business as a warehouse, supermarket or store without including the magical words 'online' or 'digital' etc. I once worked for a company which did this and received many complaints because their customers could not actually visit the business premises to view its wares or return goods to as they were strictly an on-line business but the company owner thought it was better to portray the image of having a physical shop......not a practice I would advise as it appears largely deceptive by most and will catch up with you in the end!

Honesty is the best way forward and showing your business, product or service for what it actually is will pay dividends in the long run, if you have to show it as better than what it actually is then maybe you need to improve rather than deceive!

Lunch atop a Skyscraper

taken by Charles C. Ebbets GE Building at
Rockefeller Center in 1932

This said you should use images that show your business in the best light possible and to help explain what it is your business is involved with. For example if you are a builder use images of clean tools, finished projects and a well presented happy work force. We all know builders get dirty and like a cup of tea, but best not too promote that side of things. Also don't show images of massive structures eg, sky-scrapers or ship yards if your company cannot deliver on these builds. They will make you look like something your not, people may assume your too expensive for their needs and it may cost you custom, (so keep it real).

"The Kiss"Alfred Eisenstaedt, 1945

Keep in mind that reviews will pay a part in your trade when you have a website. Customers will review you and positive reviews will gain you custom, which you should promote on your website. Negative reviews will do the opposite and may be made by competitors so it is important you keep aware of who is saying what about your company and challenge any false reviews to ensure a true representation of your business is shown.

Your website designer, developer or provider should be able to advise you on pictures and images you use on your website as well as legalities and copyrights etc. At Above Website Design we advise and will also provide suitable images for your website use. We even take high quality digital images of your business at no extra charge should you wish to promote your actual shop, product and service. For a free consultation contact us though our main website www.abovewebsitedesign.co.uk or click the link to our main site at the top of the page :)

Business Tips: The Financial Year (UK)

If you're new to self employment and business you may wonder what the financial year is. The financial year may also be known as the 'Fiscal' year or even budget year. Although there is  subtle differences between the financial year and the fiscal year for this small business blog we will be using the fiscal year as the financial year.

This period of time in the UK runs from the start of the financial year (6th April) to the end of the financial year (5th April). When I opened my first business (early 2000s), or the naughties as I like to still use! I couldn't grasp why my first financial year ended in April, when the business had only started the previous Christmas. To me it seemed like a very short year as it was only a third of a year really. What was the point of putting together my books when the likely hood was that I was going to make a loss in such a short time period. Well the basic answer is it's the law, and nowadays you have to declare how much your have earned to make sure you pay the tax on profits above a government set amount. It is also important if you claim any benefits to be able to show how much you have earned and are expecting to earn in order to keep receiving the benefit.

Does it matter that you make a loss? Well no not really, as long as you can project a profit to be made in the future otherwise whats the point in being self employed? Quite often people will use their previous years loss and offset it against the present years profits but look out for future posts for an explanation on this.

The financial year shouldn't really stress you out in any way. It is just the period of time that the records for your business should be kept, most importantly your businesses incoming and outgoing finances.

The secret to keeping good books is keeping on top of them and record as much as possible. Needless to say bank statements and receipts are a must but keep proof of every transaction because should your business be scrutinized by HMRC you want to be able to provide evidence of exactly what transactions your business has made or received to make sure you don't get hit with a fine or a heavy tax bill. In most small business this will not happen, but it could so better safe than sorry.

What do you then do with the financial records? Well you use them for your tax returns which will have to be sent to HMRC by the following October if paper based or the following January for on line submissions. This means you have plenty of time to get your books in order before submitting, but please, for your own sake, don't leave it to last minute.

Here's a small video from the HMRC you tube site that explains the basics: