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What are you using for Financial Forecasting

S
Hi Guys

I am curious to find out what everyone is using now for financial forecasting, I used a desktop version of Sage Financial forecasting for many years but it doesn't like modern operating systems and Microsoft 365, I got so frustrated with it losing functionality I built my own system but I am keen to get feedback on what is the "go to application" these days, is it Fathom, Futrli, Vena or something else

Regards

Steve
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App testing problems

S
I have written an app in my spare time aimed at people who run rounds selling sandwiches out of a van. When I first developed the app, I had a local business who was willing to use and test the app for me. Since then, she has retired, and the person who took over has not responded to me. I have also sent out countless emails to businesses outlining the app, and asking if they would be willing to help. The app is designed to let people know when they are around - and also possibly attract more customers. Obviously, testers of the app would be able to use it for free in perpetuity.

Does anyone have any experience of finding people to help test/try a website/app, and do they have any advice or pointers to where I might find someone, or other advice to help?!
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Getting the message out there

M
Hi all, I've just released a product called IdentityHealthCheck which is subscription based at very reasonable rates, its currently on sale with founders discount at 50% off and its currently priced at £250 - £2500 dependant user numbers anybody taking this offer will have the price fixed at founders rate for upto 10 continuous years.

IdentityHealthCheck isn't your standard Identity product. It has 46 patents pending and it should make lif much easier for the C-Suite

Check us out at identityfirst.net. How would you all attempt to get this message out quickly to SME's ?
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Starting and scaling a candy/sweet brand

C
I have a couple of years of experience selling themed candy in the US under my own brand. I found a niche and expanded into it, and so far it has gone well. My main channel there is Amazon. I want to bring that concept to the UK, creating a new candy brand. Based on my research, Amazon is not the right place in the UK for selling food and making money from it.
I have solid branding, suppliers, etc. My plan is to set up a tiktok shop and launch new products there, posting some content myself and then using affiliates to push sales. Once I have proof of sales I want to take that to small shops/distributors, and slowly scale from there. I also want to try and get my sports/football themed sweets into the stadium concession stand space.
Based on my research, retailers will want an approximately 50% gross margin before VAT, whilst distributors will want 25 - 35%. Is that correct? What kind of introductory offers/launch incentives should I offer them to make it a no-brainer to stock my product?
Is this plan at all realistic?
Thanks for any and all advice.
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Vat registration question

C
Hi All. We have recently registered for v.a.t. We import goods from china which we have always paid v.a.t on . We were registered beginning of December. Are we able to claim vat paid , prior to registration , as we still have quite a lot of stock which was purchased prior to registration . Sorry if it’s a stupid question but i have to ask for peace of mind!
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At what point do courier losses just become a cost of doing business?

Z
Hi all,

Quick sanity check with other UK sellers.

Once you’re shipping at decent volume, lost parcels and “delivered but not received” cases seem unavoidable. Damage, missing items, claims going back and forth with couriers, all that fun stuff.

What I’m wondering is this:

Do you still chase compensation every time something goes wrong, or do you eventually accept a certain level of loss and move on because the admin just isn’t worth it?

And if you do claim consistently, who actually deals with it in your business?

Ops, finance, customer service… or does it kind of fall between teams?

Interested to hear how others handle this in reality.
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Can All Of The New AI Influencers And Virtual Idols Be Copyrighted By Their Developers?

H
Hi there. I am currently excited about my recent domain I purchased at auction and I want to get into the whole virtual influencers and ai idols market that is coming from Japan and South Korea where k pop and vitrual influencers are very big business. My question comes from watching many many AI music compositions that are done in the style of the Beatles or the Stones and I wondered whether these bands and their owners have any right to complain that the ai virtual technology is copying their sound. Can they possibly sue and go to court claiming it is too much like them in the sound and lyrics or is that simply impossible? I want to include many of these ai songs and other stuff and don't want to spend the next year or so building my website only to find lawyers telling me to take it down or else.
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Oh dear - critical website issue - one or more modules are missing

Onthebrightside
Having worked totally find I went into my wordpress site today to be advised it has a critical error. I don't own the website but I can update it.

There's a X beside : The required module gd, is not installed, or has been disabled.

Regretfully I don't even know what that means and a quick scan of the internet/youtube turned up nothing. Can anyone please advise whey that's suddenly and issue or what needs to be done about it. I don't think it can be something I did as I haven't been into the website in an age and it was working when I left it. I put a message out to the website builder but she's not been in contact for ages and hasn't responded. Of course we can stop paying her for the use of the website but it doesn't help us much right now :-(

Any advice kindly given would be much appreciated such as - what does it mean, what does it want :)

Regards,
Trish
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Company Registration

J
Hi
I’m a start up setting up a Ltd company,
We are currently negotiating a lease on a commercial property and our solicitor requires the company details before we instruct him.
As the property lease has not yet been finalised I won’t be able to use this as the registered business address so as an interim measure is it best to use my home address with a view to changing it on companies at a later date/once the lease is agreed
Many thanks in advance
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Do you need terms and conditions for your business (companies, sole traders, freelancers and partnerships)?

legaleagle21
I've just launched Termsmith — a tool that generates tailored English law contracts for freelancers, sole traders and small businesses for £1.99 (launch price). It's brand new and I'm looking for early users willing to give honest feedback on output quality. No catch — genuinely want to know if it's good enough to rely on. Thank you!
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Recommendations for low volume but scalable fulfillment in the UK?

Aurok
Hi everyone, I'm new here. I am in the process of setting up a niche business selling graphite composite musical instrument parts. We are very low volume at the moment and shipping straight to individual customers from China. When the website has been launched, I would like to ship speculatively to a warehouse in the UK and then on to UK customers to make the ordering experience more convenient. It would be good to have a solution that can scale with the business once I start exploring B2B potential. My wife has been selling on Ebay for about 15 years but the fulfillment solution she uses isn't going to work for my products unfortunately.

If any of you have recommendations for low volume but scalable fulfillment solutions, I'd welcome your feedback.
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Packaging sourcing

J
Hi folks,



I’m after white fold boxes (40 × 30 × 20 cm) for packing. I need decent quality and fair pricing — ideally with options for buying in bulk but happy to consider smaller quantities too.



If anyone has good supplier recommendations, price examples, or where to find these at a reasonable cost in the UK, please drop them here!



Thanks in advance 😊
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Best place to sell profitable single-product skincare store?

O
Hey I own a single-product Shopify store (skincare niche, specifically dandruff) that did £58,345 in adjusted net profit in the last tax year.

But due to a health issue that limits my focus, I'm looking to sell so I can focus on something else.

The problem is I make the product myself at home.

I do have a manufacturer lined up, and am taking quotes from larger ones… but It presents an issue that any buyer would need to set this up (unless they plan on making it at home too), rather than just immediately buying more stock from the manufacturer to send to a fulfilment center.

Would this massively affect my ability to list on places like Rightbiz or Flippa, or is there a better path? I am willing to fulfill orders and deal with customers for a couple months until they're ready.

Since the store has many loyal customers after 3 years of business, and since it's profitable (the £58k net profit figure is also despite £90k of "bad" advertising costs due to running Google Ads with broken tracking from Jul-Nov) it doesn't make sense to close it.

Thanks,

D
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What apps are trades using for quoting jobs now?

Leon M
I’m trying to simplify the setup a bit — right now it’s a mix of notes, photos, and doing quotes later at home, which isn’t ideal.

There are loads of apps out there (Jobber, Tradify, QuickBooks), but most of them feel quite heavy for solo trades or small teams.

Ideally looking for something mobile-first where you can:
  • keep job details
  • track photos
  • put together quotes
  • not spend evenings doing admin

What are you all actually using day-to-day? Anything that genuinely saves time on-site?
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1 man band Ltd director - I was not trading in 2025/26 and want to make the company dormant - how to approach the final steps?

U
Hi Everyone,

I had been a one- man band Ltd company director for years but decided to stop trading and try my luck with something else. Because I took a year off and was not sure how things would work out, I left my PAYE scheme open for the current tax year (2025/26). However, now I know that I most likely won't be working as Ltd anymore, so I have already ceased the PAYE scheme earlier this year and submitted everything to HMRC via the Basic PAYE Tool I have always used .

Now I have got a little problem with my company tax return filing that I always submitted via their webpage. I was not trading in 2025/26, so it will be a simple £0 filing, but unfortunately, I am not allowed to submit the return now, as I am getting an error saying that I need to wait until the 31st of March. The problem is that on the 31st of March, they are going to close the webpage filing, and from what they say, I will have to use some commercial software.

Is there any workaround, such as a paper copy filing , or an option to change the date to before the 31st (I can't see it anywhere), to avoid all the hassle with setting up everything using a commercial software when all I want is to submit that final tax return and close that topic?

If I leave the company dormant, I know I will still have to submit the confirmation statement every year, but do I still have to submit the company tax return too? If so, would the only way to avoid that be to remove the company from their register?

Cheers
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Query regarding a Alibaba logistics agent

K
Hello, I hope someone can advise me on a query regarding shipping.

I recently started e-commerce, and I am considering placing an order with an Alibaba supplier and using a logistics agent (whom I also found on Alibaba). The supplier will send the goods to the agent, who will then transport them to my door under DDP incoterms.

I don't currently have an EORI number, so I asked the logistics agent if they would use theirs. They informed me that an EORI is not needed for ordinary goods and is only required for special goods. My understanding is that it is needed regardless, but I may be wrong. The agent then assured me that it is not an issue, as they frequently handle CN-UK DDP shipments, and if there is any problem, the logistics agency would resolve it since the shipment falls under DDP incoterms.

My question is: does this sound reasonable, or should I look for an agent who specifically mentions that they have an EORI number they can use for bringing the goods into the UK?

Thanks in advance.
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Sole trader invoicing

M
If you are a sole trader and not VAT registered, Is it a legal requirement to provide each customer an invoice for your service?
Or can you simply keep records of the sale/service by your bank account statement and maybe a receipt? I am thinking of times when it is not feasible, for example, a one off payment from a customer who wishes to pay straight away after your service.

Thanks.
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