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Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 4pm

Valued

An award-winning tech-based accountancy firm, helping ambitious business owners reach their potential Never compromise your values.

Staying true to your business values is key to being successful and we’re here to play a part in helping you stay true to yours. We believe in putting you first, always, and we’ll build a long term relationship with you which will allow your business to flourish. We’ll provide you with experienced people, sound advice and the latest technology in a manner that is uncomplicated so you can concentrate on what you do best and grow your business. Xero Accounting Partner of the Year 2015

04/09/2026

Yesterday Claire was at the North East Chamber of Commerce's Inspiring Women in Business Conference, this year themed Women Who Rise.

What a pleasure it was to catch up with so many lovely women who are thriving in their own spaces right here in the North East.

Some brilliant stories from Michelle Robson, Kathryn Meadows, Sam Rennison and Meg Hardiman. Really championing the empowerment of belief to support the Rise of women in business.

One of the key takeaways from the day, came from one of the guest speakers reflecting on her own career: the opportunity was never to squeeze into somebody else's room. It was to build her own room, and choose who she wanted in it.

That's the version of ambition we recognise in so many of the people we work with. Less about arriving somewhere impressive. More about quietly building something that's actually theirs.

How often do we spend our energy trying to fit somewhere, instead of building something of our own. Food for thought this weekend.

03/09/2026

Forecasts vs annual accounts

By the time your annual accounts land on the desk, the year they describe is already over.

That is not a flaw. It is just what they are built for, a look backwards.

The businesses that feel in control are usually looking at something else too. A rough picture of the next three months, updated often enough to still be useful.

Knowing where you have been matters. Knowing where you are heading matters more.

01/09/2026

Do you really know what counts as a business expense?

A client asked us last week whether a new coffee machine for the office counted as a business expense.

The test HMRC actually uses is simpler than people expect. Something has to be wholly and exclusively for the business. A useful way to check it yourself is to ask whether you would still buy it if you did not run the business at all.

Software, professional memberships and insurance almost always pass that test. Travel, clothing and anything shared with your personal life need a little more thought.

Getting it right early is usually what stops it becoming a bigger conversation later.

28/08/2026

"I'm just not a numbers person" is something we hear a lot, usually said a little apologetically.

It is rarely true. Most of it is not a lack of ability, it is a lack of exposure. Nobody is born understanding VAT or knowing what a balance sheet means.

Confidence with numbers is built the same way confidence with anything else is, by looking at them regularly until they stop feeling unfamiliar.

Not being taught something is not the same as not being capable of it.

27/08/2026

Every business has one.

The process everyone complains about and nobody's actually fixed.

The plan, usually unspoken, is to sort it once things are quieter. But a quieter month rarely turns up on its own, and the clunky process just keeps costing a little time every single week in the meantime.

Fixing it doesn't need a quiet month. It needs an afternoon, picked on purpose, in a normal busy week like any other.

The month where everything calms down isn't coming. The afternoon you choose is the only version that actually arrives.

25/08/2026

Why isn't my tax bill the same as last year?

Your tax bill this year is different to last year's, and that alone is not a red flag.

Tax moves with profit. If you earned more, you'll usually pay more. If you had a quieter year, or a big one-off expense, the number moves the other way.

The bill itself is rarely the problem. It's not knowing why it changed that causes the worry.

Once you can see what moved and why, a different number stops feeling like a mistake.

21/08/2026

It's the weekend. Officially, anyway.

Laptop shut. Phone face down. And you're still running the numbers for Monday in your head.

That's not a day off. That's just work without a screen.

A real break isn't about being unreachable, it's about actually being somewhere else, not half in the office while you're meant to be enjoying your weekend.

Two days without you thinking about it won't break the business. It might even do it good.

Enjoy it properly this time.

20/08/2026

Most new clients sit on this for weeks. Not because it's hard, just because nobody's shown them where the button is.

Adding your accountant to Xero takes about two minutes.

Once they're in, they can see your numbers without you having to export a single report.

18/08/2026

One of our clients has always brought his self assessment information in during December, every single year.

We assumed it was just how he worked. Turns out he thought filing early meant paying early.

Filing sooner doesn't move your payment date. The tax you owe is still due by 31 January, whether you file in December or June.

What it does give you is time. Time to know the number early, and time to put it aside before it's due.

He's bringing his information in early this year. Same deadline, just more room to get ready for it.

14/08/2026

We spend years training to get the numbers right. Nobody teaches you how to sit with someone who's worried about what those numbers mean for their family.

That's the part of the job you only learn by doing it. Sitting across from people, in their best weeks and their worst ones.

We try to remember we're humans first and accountants second. The accounting is just the tool. The reason we do any of it is the person on the other side of the table.

Easy to forget when you're buried in a tax return. Worth remembering anyway.

Address

19d Durham Workspace, Abbey Road
Durham
DH15JZ

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 4pm

Website

http://www.yourvalued.co.uk/

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