smith cooper brochure - 2015
TRANSCRIPT
For thinking that counts.
www.smithcooper.co.uk
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Your guide to us
ContentsAbout us
Our services
Smith Cooper companies
What our clients say
Get in touch
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Your guide to us
Smith Cooper will change the way you think about an accountancy practice. It’s our offer of bespoke and specialist services, highly experienced staff and in-depth market knowledge that have led us to become one of the most progressive firms of accountants and business advisors across the Midlands.
Working as an extended part of your team, we offer a range of accountancy and business advisory services tailored to your individual needs, offering solutions that make a real difference.
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Your guide to us
Over the last 30 years, Smith Cooper has become one of the largest independently owned and preferred accountancy and business advisory firms for owner managed businesses across the Midlands.
Our firm has offices in seven localities where our clients need us the most…and we are still growing! Over the past year, we have appointed new knowledgeable, experienced and talented recruits for a number of service lines.
We specialise in providing bespoke advisory services to both corporate and individual clients wanting a long term relationship and our team is made up of highly experienced and well-trained experts, many of which have
big 4 backgrounds. These dedicated experts are able to offer you solutions and services designed specifically for your organisation to make a real difference.
We also boast numerous accreditations including being part of the Alliott group, Microsoft Gold and Sage partners and ACQ Award Winners.
Our main aim is to add true value to your business and to achieve this; we offer unlimited support from an expert partner and highly skilled team. Our close working relationship with clients and ease of access to partners, directors and managers, enables the delivery of fast, quality advice and implementation assistance.
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Your guide to us
Our Services
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Your guide to us
Accounting & Compliance
VATTransaction Support
Audit & Assurance Business Advisory
Business Recovery & Insolvency Corporate Finance Employment Services
Funding Solutions HR Payroll
Restructuring Rescue & Corporate Recovery Tax Tax Investigation Service
Transaction Support VAT
At Smith Cooper, our specialist services have been designed with one main aim in mind - support for our clients through each stage of the business life cycle.
Our highly experienced team help you tackle the complexities of modern business, offering you solutions and services tailored to your exact requirements.
We can help with:
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Your guide to us
ACCOUNTING & COMPLIANCE
Accurate accounting is key to making sure your business is compliant and your obligations are fulfilled. But at Smith Cooper, we think effective accounting should extend far beyond compliance alone.
We pride ourselves on combining sharp professionalism with friendliness and efficiency and our aim is simple – provide a service that supports you and your business to grow and become more profitable.
Our team is experienced in:
Management accounts Preparing and submitting accounts, VAT and tax
returns Taxation advice and help with tax credits Business plans and forecasting Payroll services and HR support Help for business start-ups Company secretarial services
Whether you are a new start-up or an established business, our team not only determine the health and efficiency of your business through our accounting and compliance services, but go one step further taking the time to recommend what can be done to help you improve profitability – and we do it all for a price you can afford.
Our experts take the time to truly understand your business, working alongside you as part of your team. This close working relationship means we always have your goals in mind and that we can offer a joined up service to identify other potential areas of specialist advice, such as tax planning, which may be required.
Meet our Accounting & Compliance experts here
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Your guide to us
For Smith Cooper, an audit is an opportunity for us to understand your business in its entirety. Whilst checking and verification are an integral part, for us – an audit is much more than just a compliance exercise. We don’t just look at your books – we look at your whole business.
Our Partner led audit team take the time to work alongside you and your business to pre-empt any potential issues and ensure that they are addressed early. Our highly qualified team will arrive fully briefed with a good insight into the sector in which you operate, using this knowledge to bring value to the audit process.
Our team is experienced in:
Statutory audits, aligned with your business goals Compliance with special regulations: Charities Schools and academies Pension schemes Solicitors’ accounts rules FCA accounts Limited liability partnerships Audit and reporting for academies and other
educational establishments Due diligence and forensic accounting
We are committed to audits of high quality, delivered by teams with high technical standards who take the time to listen, analyse your business, discuss your specific needs and tailor our approach accordingly.
AUDIT & ASSURANCE
Meet our Audit & Assurance experts here
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Your guide to us
Today the business world faces more challenges than ever before. To succeed, business owners need to rely on exceptional thinkers; those who see the big picture, find innovative solutions and work with you to reach both your personal and corporate goals.
Our specialists are dedicated in helping you tackle the complexities of modern business offering you advice, not just options.
The Smith Cooper Business Advisory Services team is made up of individuals with professional backgrounds ranging from banking and corporate finance to recovery and insolvency, which means whether your business is experiencing sunshine or showers, there’s rarely a situation outside of our knowledge and, after dealing with us we’re confident that you’ll consider us a trusted advisor.
Some of the things we could help you with:
Profit improvement & tax mitigation Strategic business support Creation, implementation and fusion of business and
financial strategy Restructuring Representation at board meetings Growth and succession planning Management team mentoring services Commercial disputes & negotiations Advice in relation to banking & debt structuring Fundraising
No matter where you are in the business life cycle, we can help.
BUSINESS ADVISORY
Meet our Business Advisory experts here
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You don’t start out in business or your working life anticipating financial difficulties but unfortunately, it is an ever common risk. If it does happen to you, you will need advice from experienced insolvency practitioners who are not only able to help navigate through a complex problem by providing candid, proactive commercial advice on your options but who also understand the emotional difficulties you are facing too.
Financial pressures present themselves in many ways: a statutory demand, a winding-up petition, inability to pay amounts due to suppliers including the Crown, a bad debt, or personal guarantees being called upon. Whatever your situation, our expert team understand that time is of the essence with debt matters.
We pride ourselves on getting in to advise early, so the sooner we are able to understand the problems you face, the more likely we are to be able to provide options and acceptable solutions for all parties, including main stakeholders and your creditors.
We appreciate that at times like these, the demands on your finances are high and cash is not readily available. For that reason, your initial meeting with one of our insolvency specialists will take place free of charge. At this point, we will determine your financial position and discuss the best strategic options for you to adopt at this most sensitive and pressured time.
BUSINESS RECOVERY & INSOLVENCY
Meet our Business Recovery & Insolvency experts here
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Finding the right corporate finance advisor who has the enthusiasm, experience, knowledge and commitment to help you fulfil your needs and aspirations is a difficult task.
At Smith Cooper Corporate Finance, our ethos is simple – we work with our clients to ensure they are successful. To do this, we start by thoroughly understanding your objectives and business issues, building a trusting relationship before formulating highly flexible, innovative solutions that fit your needs.
Our team specialises in high-intensity project management of deals typically in the £2m to £35m value range. This service is partner-led and supported by senior corporate finance staff qualified in accountancy, corporate finance and banking. We select the right people
to provide you with the service you need.Key services include:
Acquisitions Disposals Succession planning Management Buy-Outs and Buy-Ins Acquisition search Fundraising
Fees are largely success-based, proof of our confidence in our ability to deliver results, time and time again.
CORPORATE FINANCE
Meet our Corporate Finance experts here
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Your guide to us
At Smith Cooper, we can help you wade through the complex and ever changing employment regulation and taxation landscape. Whether you need us to provide simple support, help design and implement valuable improvements, or take the burden of compliance off your hands so you can concentrate on running your business, our experts are on hand to help.
We understand that being an employer is difficult, and with the introduction of schemes such as PAYE and RTI coupled with HMRC’s aggressive targeting campaigns, the need for pragmatic and experienced advisors is growing.
Our Employment Services team don’t just focus on compliance; we also take a wider look at your business with the aim of transforming your employee offering and identifying possible savings from the cost of employment.
We can help with: Payroll Outsourced HR Employment legislation Performance-management of employees and
recruitment Reward strategies for employees Employment taxation
EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
Meet our Employment Services experts here
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Your guide to us
At Smith Cooper, we share your vision for growth. We know that finding the resources needed to run projects and invest in your business is a constant challenge, we understand that sometimes, a little help goes a long way and can make a huge difference and, most importantly, we are dedicated in helping you achieve your personal and business goals.
One way you can make big changes to your business is by obtaining funding. From bank lending to grants and asset finance, there are numerous options available to you and your business.
The prospect of having extra resources available to you is undeniably an exciting one however, it is important to remember the task of securing such investments is a notoriously perplexing and often very difficult process. In today’s economic climate this has become even more challenging and whilst the organisation providing the funding can provide some guidance, a trusted advisor who can help you put your case forward is a huge advantage.
Whilst there are numerous sources of funding available, it is important to know where to look and how best to approach the funders. Our dedicated specialists are constantly kept in the know about funding opportunities and so, are able to advise you on the best funding solutions available to you as well as help you with the application process, giving you a better chance of obtaining the funding needed.
In short, Smith Cooper are a one stop shop for all of your business and personal finance needs including:
Commercial and Investment Mortgages Raising finance for cash flow Accessing grants and soft loans Short Term Loans Development Finance Asset Finance Writing of business plans and forecasting financials
FUNDING SOLUTIONS
Meet our Funding Solutions experts here
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For time-pressed business managers, staying on top of the ever-changing HR legislation can be a highly demanding and seemingly impossible task. Following any policy or procedure that has become out of date could immediately put you in breach of the law. Smith Cooper HR provides professional, practical and cost-effective HR advice to all business sectors. Working largely with clients who have HR needs, but cannot justify the expense of a full or part time resource, our service allows you access to the knowledge and expertise of senior HR professionals at a fraction of the cost of employing your own HR manager on a retained or ad hoc basis.
We believe in pragmatic HR – offering real world solutions, not textbook ones, based on our professionals’ many years of experience working in industry. We guide clients through the increasingly complex and potentially costly minefield of employment legislation, assisting in difficult employee meetings or advising by phone.
Our HR services extend beyond employment legislation. We work on a project basis helping clients to performance-manage their employees, delivering focused reward strategies, or recruiting the right people for the right roles.
Our clients return for our advice due to our direct, straight-forward approach and our ability to respond quickly with flexible solutions that really work for them.
Our range of employer services includes:
Payroll Outsourced HR Employment legislation Performance-management of employees and
recruitment Reward strategies for employees Employment taxation
HR
FREE HR REVIEWOur dedicated HR team offer all businesses a free visit and HR
review.
For further information, call Viv Tolley on 01332 332 021
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Regular changes to payroll legislation can be very difficult to keep up with, so it makes sense to use our highly experienced team to deal with all of these on your behalf.
Our payroll bureau provides a cost effective service to businesses of any size, in any sector. We build our service around your needs, however complex your salaries, enabling you and your staff to concentrate on what matters most – doing business.
For many businesses the burden of complicated payroll legislation has become very difficult to cope with. Payroll now includes much more than accounting for tax and NI and there has been a dramatic rise in penalties for non-compliance.
Advantages of using our payroll services include:
Staff are freed-up to do other work No need to buy and learn expensive payroll software Reduced risk of exposing confidential payroll
information to unauthorised staff The worry of completing monthly payroll on time is
removed – even during holidays and illness Completion of all HMRC reports is included We provide full disaster recovery
Our range of employer services includes:
Payroll Outsourced HR Employment legislation Performance-management of employees and
recruitment Reward strategies for employees Employment taxation
PAYROLL
Meet our Payroll experts here
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Smith Cooper provides directors of distressed and under-performing businesses positive practical and proactive commercial advice allowing them to retain control of their business.
If your business is struggling and time, new ideas and working capital are in short supply, it can be difficult for you as an owner-manager to formulate an action plan that addresses the problems you’re experiencing. Left unaddressed, decline will typically end in a failing business and it’s our job to prevent that from happening.
Using our hands-on Corporate Recovery experience, Smith Cooper can help formulate, communicate and implement a strategic restructuring and turnaround plan
that works for the business and its main stakeholders. Our specialists can also help you handle some of the tough decisions and negotiations.
The very make up of our team of business advisory experts demonstrates our commitment to turning your business around. Our involvement adds credibility with all main stakeholders, particularly HM Revenue & Customs, and demonstrates that your business is working proactively to address its current difficulties.
RESTRUCTURING RESCUE & CORPORATE RECOVERY
Meet our Restructuring Rescue & Corporate Recovery experts here
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Your guide to us
Tax regulations and rules change so often that strategies which could have reduced your taxes yesterday may not work today.
Successful companies consider tax implications before they make business decisions, so they do not pay more than their legal obligation. This makes tax compliance and structuring a crucial element in your business strategy.
Whether your tax needs are immediate or longer-term, we’ll deploy specialist tax, financial services and business planning expertise to gain a thorough insight into your circumstances, objectives and risk preference.
Some of the things we can help you with include:
Personal tax planning: income tax, capital gains tax and inheritance tax Corporation tax: completing annual tax returns
including capital allowance and R&D claims Tax implications of acquisitions and disposals VAT Trust taxes Property taxes Remuneration planning, employee benefits and share
incentive schemes HM Revenue and Customs enquiries/investigations Employment tax HMRC investigations, disputes and appeals
TAX Did you know...We were voted Midlands Based
Tax Planning Firm of the Year 2014!
Meet our Tax experts here
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Your guide to us
In these times of austerity the government is pursuing tax revenue. HMRC are targeting both businesses and individuals who they believe have underpaid their tax. They do not need a reason to investigate you.
Unfortunately innocent businesses and individuals get caught up in the process and are under threat of investigation. This is a difficult time for many businesses and individuals, you may feel that the last thing you need is the inconvenience and expense of a tax investigation.
There doesn’t need to be a reason for HMRC to trigger an investigation. Every tax payer who submits a tax return is at risk. No-one is immune.
Win or lose, you always have to pay the cost of handling the investigation, which is usually over and above your advisors normal fees so the costs involved could be substantial.
Disruptive, intrusive and expensive; when HMRC investigate you or your business it can drag on for a year or more saddling you with spiralling costs and rocketing stress levels.
The Fee Protection service will pay for our professional fees that result from most types of HMRC enquiry or investigation (details are listed in the service Summary).
We will be free to work on your case for as long as it takes to resolve the situation up to the policy limit. It’s one less thing for you to worry about during this difficult time.
This service is backed by an insurance policy that we hold with Professional Fee Protection Limited (PfP®).
TAX INVESTIGATION SERVICE
Learn more about our Tax Investigation Service here
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Your guide to us
We understand that any lending or investment decision must be given the fullest consideration and so, the role of our Transaction Support team is to help you maximise the return on your deal.
Our team of experts provide clients with an external, objective investigation into the current state of the business (or target), its prospects, vulnerabilities and opportunities. Whilst it is not our place to tell you whether to make an investment or not, we can help you by critically assessing, in a clear and unambiguous report, the information which you use to decide whether, or on what terms, to make that investment.
Where we distinguish ourselves is in the level of business insight and in the clarity of the reports we provide you with – we aim to add value to the investment process, not merely be an insurance policy for the investor.
Some of the things we can help with include:
Due Diligence Pre-lending reviews
TRANSACTION SUPPORT
Meet our Transaction Support experts here
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Your guide to us
Value Added Tax is one of the most complex and onerous tax regimes imposed on business – so complex that many businesses inadvertently overpay or underpay VAT. Our VAT team has a wealth of experience including that gained from working in HMRC. We understand how HMRC operate and how to work with them to deliver the best results for your business.
Our experts have the practical knowledge to steer you through your VAT problems. We are ideally placed to provide VAT advice ranging from compliance issues to more complex commercial transactions.
We can help with: VAT registration and deregistration Land and property transactions Partial exemption and capital goods scheme issues Cross border and international supplies of goods
and services HMRC investigations Disputes and appeals VAT inspections Challenging penalties and demands for security Planning and structuring VAT transactions
VAT
Meet our VAT experts here
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Your guide to us
Smith Cooper Companies
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Your guide to us
AboutKnowing every detail of your IT System is great technically but we go to great lengths to understand what your IT does for you. Which applications are critical? Which services if unavailable will cost your business the most? These are questions we help you answer, we then try and help you plan on how best to maintain these applications and services, within your budget, to give you a real plan in the event of a disaster.
We all know IT issues occur, but it is how we deal with those issues that helps us stand out from other IT Managed Service Providers. Rather than trying to react and service issues as they arise we use our smart tools that are installed on to your devices to fix issues in the background, automatically and with little or no end user input.
Paul HowardDirector
Danny MillsDirector
Get in touch:01332 374 444
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Your guide to us
Richard BrewsterDirector
Chris SmithDirector
Smith Cooper System Partners Ltd are a Sage software business partner providing a wide range of integrated software solutions to the UK SME market. The key premise of our company is being “Easy to deal with” whilst maintaining high standards of professionalism, award winning support and sharing our extensive knowledge & experience with enthusiasm.
About
Call us now: 0844 669 9998
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We partner with some of the leading, top network and telecoms providers in the country to ensure we offer our customers not only the best communications solutions available in the market, but a solution that meets the exact needs of their business, with real-time management tools. We ensure that these services are delivered with a premium, personal customer service. Each of our customers benefits from a dedicated account manager,
with the additional support of our in-house admin and support team. Customers also receive regular reviews on their account to ensure they remain
on the best service for their current usage and business needs.
Scott HarrhyDirector
Learn more. E-mail us on:[email protected]
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Richard GarsideManaging Director
At Smith Cooper Independent Financial Services Limited (SCIFS) we employ specialist advisors with the highest qualifications, covering all areas of financial planning from the simplest personal advice to the most technical and complex corporate transactions.
We take deep knowledge, experience and expertise very seriously and strive to always stay ahead. In doing so, we deliver the best independent advice, selecting products to meet your specific needs from the whole of the financial services market.
We never assume ‘one size fits all’, we tailor a bespoke service to fit both your needs and your budget.
Independent Financial Solutions
About
Get in touch: 01455 614 500
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What our clients say
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“““”Smith Cooper are always timely, thorough and efficient and the work they do for us is second to none. The staff and partners consistently provide a high degree of insight and expertise and we are very happy with their work. Not only do they provide great accounting services, but I know I can count on them to give me sound and reasoned business advice.
As an owner manager expected to comprehend so many complicated business issues, I have an absolute need for critical, relevant support. Smith Cooper provides me with the quality support I need and I have found their counsel and wisdom invaluable. They are not afraid to tell the negative as well as the positive side to a client if it needs to be said, an attribute I both admire and respect. I am very happy to have Smith Cooper represent my company both now and in the future.
Smith Cooper have been our auditors and advisors for over five years and during this time we have built up an excellent working relationship, which is invaluable during these challenging times. They initially spent a lot of time just getting to know our management team and the business as a whole, this way they were able to add value to the business.
Julian MillerFinancial Director Adshead Ratcliffe & Co Ltd
Ross McManusManaging Director MP Bio Science Ltd
Mark LeeOwner and Managing DirectorKeramikos Limited
Read more of our client testimonials here
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Your guide to us
Get in touch
Buxton
2a Grove ParadeBuxton
SK17 6AJ
01298 24536
Birmingham
158 Edmund StreetBirmingham
B3 2HB
0121 236 6789
Ashbourne
54 St John StreetAshbourneDE6 1GH
01335 343 141
Nottingham
2 Lace Market SqureNottingham
NG1 1PB
0115 945 4300
Telford
M54 Space CentreHalesfield Business Park
Halesfield 8Telford
TF7 4QN
01952 601 [email protected]
Derby
St Helen’s HouseKing Street
DerbyDE1 3EE
01332 332 021