Latest News

Dreaming BIG at All Saints Primary

Richard Askew from Armstrong Watson and Sarah Glass from the Primary Business Partnership played hosts at the 'Dreaming Big' event at All Saints Primary School bringing careers and job titles to life. This school’s Careers and Aspirations day and it was a roaring success, helping light ambition in young minds while also underlining the hard work needed to achieve success in any field.

Whitakers Chocolates - The Key to Sweet Success!

We recently asked William Whitaker, the Managing Director of Whitakers Chocolates 5 questions about the current issues facing his business. find out what he said below.

Celebrating 4 Years of Platinum Partnership with Xero

Armstrong Watson are celebrating four years as a Xero Platinum Partner and the first anniversary of their making business digital client conversion project.

5 Reasons Why We Love Xero!

There was a time when Sage was King of accounting software, and if you asked any business to name an accounting software brand that would have been their answer.  The development of online software has seen a shift in the monopoly to cloud accounting. We partnered with Xero, and here are just some of the reasons we love it:

Real time information

Xero’s focus is on real-time information and not on giving you a historic view of your business. The dashboard gives you a current view of your cash and bank balances and outstanding bills and invoices.

What is the right staffing cost for your business?

After sitting with the Board of DIrectors for a maunfacturing client, reviewing their monthly managment accounts, Tony challenged them on what was the right salary cost for their business? This lead to a review which uncovered some interesting conclusions.

Making Tax Digital – a New Year resolution for 2019!

HMRC is introducing a fundamental change to the way in which VAT returns are being submitted from April 2019.  Are you ready for Making Tax Digital in April?

Xero Cloud Accounting Partner of the Year 2017

We are thrilled to announce that we have been awarded Xero cloud accounting software provider’s ‘UK Accounting Partner of the Year’ at the Xerocon International Conference held in London.

This accolade follows our migration of several thousand clients onto the cloud accounting platform in readiness for the HMRC’s forthcoming ‘Making Tax Digital’ rollout.

Making Tax Digital – are you ready for the biggest change to business administration since VAT?

In the Budget in March 2015, the then Chancellor George Osborne announced that the annual Self Assessment Tax Return was going to be abolished, and individuals and businesses were being brought into the digital age with ’Making Tax Digital’. This has been described as the biggest change to business administration since the introduction of VAT in 1973. Instead of completing an annual Self Assessment Tax Return, information will be submitted to H M Revenue and Customs (HMRC) via a ‘Personal Tax Account’ throughout the year.

Preparing for Making Tax Digital with Xero

Today, we announced jointly with Xero, the migration of several thousand internal clients from Sage onto Xero’s online platform in readiness for the roll-out of HMRC’s new Making Tax Digital rules which come into effect in 2018. The migration confirms our status as Xero’s largest UK accounting partner and one of the UK’s most digitally progressive firms.

The incentive for our uptake of online accounting software was also driven by a need to invest inour future and also to future-proof our clients’ businesses.

Seven key performance indicators retailers should measure to be more profitable

As an advisor to independent retail businesses across Cumbria, I’m often asked if there are ways to be more profitable in an industry savaged by the online world. There is no magic solution to this but what successful retailers have in common is that they use the information they have within their business to help them make better more informed decisions. This in turn helps them make a better return on their business.