J Leigh Accountant

18/07/2026

🚨 Don't let a simple date become an expensive mistake.
If you're an employer or a CIS contractor, 22nd of the month is a date you need in your diary.

Miss the payment deadline and HMRC can charge:
💸 Interest
💸 Late payment penalties
💸 Unnecessary stress

It only takes 30 seconds to set a recurring reminder today.
📌 Save this reel so you don't get caught out next month.

👇 Quick question: Do you use calendar reminders, accounting software, or are you brave enough to rely on memory?

15/07/2026

🚧 PRICE THE JOB. NOT A GUESS. 🚧

One of the biggest mistakes I see business owners make is guessing what they should charge.

Too often, pricing is based on:
❌ What competitors charge.
❌ What "feels about right."
❌ What the customer is willing to pay.

But before you even think about materials or profit, your business already has a cost simply to open its doors each day.

If you don't know that number, there's a good chance you're working harder than you need to for less profit than you deserve.

So I've built a free Charge-Out Rate Calculator to help you work out your true hourly cost based on your own business overheads.

It's free to use, takes just a few minutes, and might completely change the way you price your work.

👇 Give it a try here:
https://jleighaccounting.com/coming-soon-02 -the-job

I'd genuinely love to hear what you think. This is Version 1, and I'll keep improving it based on real feedback from business owners.

This calculator works out your true hourly charge-out rate using your real overheads, helping you price work with confidence instead of guesswork.

14/07/2026

Pricing on gut feeling is costing you thousands a year. 💸
Most builders and tradespeople quote off the top of their head — not off real numbers.

That's how jobs end up making no money at all.
Price the job. Not a guess.

✅ Work out your true hourly cost
✅ Factor in your real overheads (van, tools, insurance, downtime)
✅ Quote on numbers, not guesses

This is exactly how you stop underpricing and start running a business that actually pays you.

Drop "PRICE" below and I'll send you the link 👇 It's free to use.

www.jleighaccounting.com

Know a tradesperson who's always skint despite being rushed off their feet? Tag them.

📌 Save this for the next time you're quoting a job
➡️ Follow for more ways to stop leaving money on the table

13/07/2026

How do you decide what to charge?

If your answer is...
❌ "I charge what everyone else charges."
❌ "I just add a bit on."
❌ "I don't really know..."
..you're not alone.

Too many business owners are pricing on guesswork, then wondering why they're always busy but never seem to have any money left.

This is where a good accountant adds value.

Yes, we help save tax.

But if your business isn't making enough profit, tax shouldn't be your biggest concern.

Your priority should be understanding your numbers.

Because when you know your true costs, you can:
✔ Price with confidence
✔ Protect your profit
✔ Build a business that actually pays you

I've created a FREE Charge-Out Rate Calculator to help you work out what you should really be charging.
🔗 Head to www.jleighaccounting.com and give it a try.

Follow .leigh.accountant for practical business advice, smarter financial decisions and tools to help you build a more profitable business.

13/07/2026

How much should I charge per hour?"

It's one of the most common questions I get from business owners.

The problem is, most people pick a number based on what everyone else is charging, rather than what their business actually costs to run.

If your hourly rate doesn't cover your wages, overheads and leave room for profit, you could be working flat out without actually making the money you think you are.

So I've built a free Hourly Charge-Out Rate Calculator.

Simply enter a few details about your business, and it'll estimate:
✅ Your productive hours
✅ Your true hourly cost
✅ A recommended labour charge-out rate

It's completely free to use and should give you a much better starting point when pricing work.

Try it here 👇

🌐 www.jleighaccounting.com

I'd love to know... what's your current hourly rate? Let me know in the comments. 👇

11/07/2026

"How you do anything is how you do everything."

That line has stuck with me since yesterday's TaxAssist Annual Conference.

One of the guest speakers, James Ashford, shared some incredibly thought-provoking ideas around leadership, culture and the standards we set. One point in particular really resonated with me...

We train people by the behaviours we allow.

It instantly took me back to something I've spoken about before – my Hilton Theory.

Whether it's your team, your clients, your children or the people around you, you set the standard. People learn what is acceptable by what you consistently demonstrate and what you consistently tolerate.

To me, that's leadership.

It isn't about job titles or having "Director" or "CEO" on your LinkedIn profile.

It's about turning up with intention, consistently. Doing the right thing even when nobody's watching. Holding yourself to the same standards you expect from everyone else.

I've met some phenomenal leaders in business. People I want to learn from, absorb every lesson they have to offer and understand how they think.

I've also met people who proudly call themselves leaders, yet I can't help wondering... who are you actually leading?

If nobody wants to follow you—not your team, your clients, your colleagues or even your family—then leadership probably isn't about the title.

Another takeaway I loved was around progress.

Too many businesses wait until Version 1 is perfect before launching.

Instead...

Launch V1.

Learn.

Improve to V2.

Learn again.

Then build V3.

Progress beats perfection every single time.

The conference wasn't just about inspirational talks either. It was packed with conversations with banks, lenders, software providers, insolvency practitioners (who, interestingly, can often help businesses avoid insolvency before it's too late) and other professionals, all sharing ideas and expertise.

I came away asking myself one question over and over:

"How can I use this to become a better leader for my team and deliver even more value to my clients?"

Now I'd genuinely love to hear from you.

Business owners, managers and leaders...

What's the one thing that frustrates you most about your accountant?

Or perhaps a better question...

What do you wish your accountant did that they currently don't?

I promise I won't take it personally. In fact, your answers will help me become better.

09/07/2026

MTD reminder 📊

How's everyone getting on? First submissions are starting to go off.

Quick question for other business owners , are you working calendar month to calendar month, or tax month to tax month?

It genuinely changes how the numbers feel.

And has quarterly reporting actually taught you anything yet?

I'm seeing clients spot things they'd never have caught waiting for year-end, cash gaps, creeping costs, jobs that look busy but aren't profitable.

Are you making changes off the back of it, or just filing and moving on?

Deadline: 7th August. If you're not sure where you stand, get in touch.