I was pretty scared when I changed from a 9-5 office worker commuting into London every day to a working from home freelance consultant. I knew nothing about starting up and running my own business, registering as a sole trader, doing my own taxes, sending out invoices and making sure I got paid for my work!
Luckily, my parents have their own business and I was able to get plenty of advice and support from them when it came to getting started. Without this valuable help, it would have been a real struggle making my way. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a business mentor to hand, so when I heard about the SAS Business Box which offers advice, resources and tools for small businesses I was excited to learn more.
When you run your own business whether you’re a one-man band like me or a small company with employees, it’s usually the business owner that has to do the legwork (especially in the beginning), have a grip on every aspect of the business and make all the crucial decisions on their own which can be overwhelming!
Having relevant and up-to-date knowledge backing you up when making any business decision leads to a more successful outcome and that’s where the SAS Business Box comes in. The SAS Business Box is an online repository that allows small business owners to study up on a range of topics enabling them to feel empowered, comfortable and confident in the day to day running of their business.
Some of the resources include:
- Revenue Target Calculator.
- Indexes and Directories of relevant information such as allowable expenses and VAT information.
- Chargeable days calculator.
- A range of downloadable templates and checklists including cash flow forecasting, invoice templates, expense claim forms and health and safety risk assessment templates.
- A selection of videos covering various topics such as understanding standard accounting for VAT and practical tips on how to do your bookkeeping.
- Access to a library of articles written in plain English to help maximise understanding by minimising the use of business jargon.
- Last but not least, a lovely welcome gift! (no spoilers here).
Although it took me a little while to get used to the navigation, the SAS Business Box has proven to be an excellent resource covering a number of key areas you would want to know about as a small business owner. Browse through the categories (money, team and legal) to find relevant topics and then choose to bookmark them for a later date, curating your very own Box of knowledge.
I have particularly enjoyed checking out the downloadable templates which are really comprehensive and make it easy to track and record important elements of your business such as cash flow. When I started my business I made myself templates similar to this so it’s great to compare and find areas of improvement for my records. I am glad to see that my digital ‘filing cabinet’ system is similar to the one they recommend!
I definitely think that if you’re someone just starting out on their business journey, or someone wanting a refresh in the basics, the SAS Business Box is worth a look. I award the SAS Business Box 4 out of 5 stars.
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