(Please Don’t Be One of Them)

After 30 years in practice, we can confidently say this:

Business owners are brilliant at running businesses…
…and absolutely chaotic at running their bookkeeping.

We see the same mistakes again and again. Lovely people. Great businesses. Total accounting carnage.

Here are the six classics — and how to avoid becoming our next “war story”.

1. “I’ll Do The Books Myself — How Hard Can It Be?”

Ah yes. The famous last words.

Accounting and tax is not a hobby. It’s a profession. People spend years qualifying for a reason.

What usually happens when someone DIYs it:

• The books are wrong

• The tax is wrong

• 14 hours a month disappear into a spreadsheet abyss

This is what we call a false economy.

You wouldn’t perform your own dental work.
Please don’t perform your own bookkeeping.

Either outsource it, or hire someone. Your future self will thank you.

2. Doing Everything Manually Like It’s 1997

If you are:

• typing invoices into spreadsheets,

• matching bank statements by hand,

• or emailing PDFs around like carrier pigeons…

We need to talk.

Modern software can automate most of this. Faster. Cheaper. With fewer mistakes.

Manual admin is not “being organised”.
It’s burning time for no reason.

3. Mixing Business and Personal Spending

This one is a guaranteed mess.

“Don’t worry, I know which ones are personal.”

You don’t. We promise. You don’t.

A few months later your bank statement looks like:

• Tesco

• Netflix

• Supplier invoice

• Coffee

• Random Amazon purchase at 11:47pm

Have:

• one business account

• one personal account

• one business card

Clean. Simple. Accountant-friendly.

4. Having No Idea What HMRC and Companies House Actually Want From You

You don’t need to be an expert.

But you do need to know:

• what gets filed,

• when it gets filed,

• and that missing deadlines = penalties

“I didn’t know” is sadly not a valid excuse.

5. Treating Receipts Like They’re Ancient Artifacts

We ask for receipts.

You say, “Yes, I’ll send them.”

Three weeks later… nothing.

Meanwhile, modern apps can scan and upload a receipt in literally 3 seconds.

Poor record keeping:

• wastes time,

• increases your fees,

• and can mean you pay more tax than necessary.

All because of a tiny bit of paper.

6. Not Knowing If You’re Actually Making Money Each Month

This is the big one.

Some business owners genuinely do not know if they are profitable month to month.

That’s like driving a car with no dashboard and hoping for the best.

Monthly numbers = control, clarity, and fewer nasty surprises.

This isn’t “nice to have”. It’s critical.

Final Thought

If you avoid these six mistakes:

• Your accountant will love you

• Your business will run smoother

• And you’ll stop losing time and money to preventable chaos

And honestly… life will just feel easier.

If you recognised yourself in any of these, don’t worry — you’re in very good company.

Just maybe… time to fix it.