A locally-based accountant and a former BBC business journalist have got together to launch a helpful free advice podcast aimed at small business owners. 

Starting or running your own firm can be stressful when money is tight and there never seems time to get on top of tax, VAT and essential accounting the pair say.

So, Taking Care of Business aims to cover all the essentials that self-employed traders, new and growing small firms need to know to grow and prosper.

These include the advantages and disadvantages of registering as a limited company, understanding your tax liabilities, doing payroll if you employ staff - and how to be prepared for unexpected events that might stop you earning.

There are also tips on how to minimise those accountancy bills. 

The two podcast hosts are Ellie Rayner, from Accord Accountants in Hampton Hill – and Twickenham resident and former BBC journalist and presenter Nigel Cassidy, best known for his years on Radio 4's Today programme and his work as a TV business correspondent.

The two podcast hosts are from the Twickenham area (credit: Taking Care of Buisness).

Ellie and Nigel have forged an easy, conversational style and strive to ensure their podcasts are straightforward, practical, light-hearted and avoid impenetrable financial jargon. 

Ellie is a chartered certified ACCA accountant and has been awarded five stars for the personal help she has given clients in adopting and mastering accounting software to keep track of their finances: "It's been such fun working with Nigel and creating the content so far.

"At Accord, we have long experience of helping clients overcome the financial hurdles they face. I hope our podcast will be of use to anyone who would like to plug some of the gaps in their knowledge and benefit from the unbiased advice and tips we are featuring" says Ellie.

Nigel Cassidy is known for his long career as a BBC business presenter and correspondent, but now relishes working closer to home on writing, podcast creation and hosting. 

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He said: "I have felt for some time that while the podcast world features countless interviews with highly successful entrepreneurs and influencers, there is a real gap in the market for practical UK-based advice aimed at individuals who just want to do a great job in their chosen trade ...and make an honest, sustainable living for themselves and their families"

Ellie and Nigel also include frank conversations with lively business owners about their own experiences. 

So far, they have quizzed a landscaping and fencing business owner, a young online candle seller – and a broker who had to sell his dream home because of his failure to take out financial protection. 

The Taking Care of Business podcast page can be found here https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/taking-care-of-business

Or on Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taking-care-of-business/id1737787427    

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