Startup and Accounting

Are you considering starting up a new enterprise?  Or already started and facing many challenges?
 
Azur can help you.  We assist in preparing: business plans, forecasts, finance and funding applications.  We set up the appropriate books and records and accounting for you, advise on accounting software, prepare management accounts, propose internal guidelines and controls and provide financial director and payroll services.

Business Plans
What is the vision for your business? Where do you want to get too? Azur can facilitate the business planning process with you and your team.  We will work with you to clarify your vision and build your strategy. We will work with you to establish the value drivers in your organisation.
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  • Who are you key customers and suppliers and what is your competitive advantage? 
  • Will you have any contracts in place?
  • Who are your competitors?
  • What are your anticipated revenues streams and profitability from each product, service and customer?
  • Do you have a point of difference, a unique selling point?
  • What structure will your organisation take?
  • What are your management and staffing requirements? What are you anticipated operating, overhead and infrastructure costs?
  • Do you have cash flow projections?
  • What is your breakeven point? 
  • How long will it take to get there?
  • How are you financing the initial stages and how are you covering those finance costs?
  • Do you have flexibility in your plan and can you adapt to different scenarios?

Azur can assist you in preparing business plans for internal purposes, to meet the banks requirements or to provide to potential investors.

Financing
How are you going to finance your new or current venture? Do you have a loan facility set up with your bank? Are you bringing in equity partners or contemplating issuing debt?

Azur can explain to you some of your options.  We will assess what would be the most viable and efficient financing structure.

We can prepare loan applications for you and liaise with the banks.  We can put together the information the bank will need, such as a business plan, cash flow projections, budgets and forecasts.

If you are looking to raise equity finance, we can prepare an investment memorandum and identify and approach investors on your behalf.

Structuring Advice
What structure do you have in mind?  A Sole trader, partnership, limited company? We can explain to you the pros and cons and get a suitable vehicle established.  Are you looking to change the structure of your business?

Do you have other shareholders?  Do you have a shareholder’s agreements in place?  We can assist and advise you on some of the practical issues to be included in an agreement, such as: shareholder’s duties and responsibilities, how profits are to be distributed, dealing with shareholder disputes, valuation issues, dealing with new shareholders and shareholders who are leaving.

Books and Records
How are you keeping or going to keep your books and records? Manually or electronically?  What level of information do you need to retain? How are you going to file it? Who is responsible for keeping the records and ensuring records are accurately kept?

Azur will guide you through the process.  Establish an easy and efficient books and records system for you so that you are in control. ​

Account and Accounting
Who is preparing your accounting records?  Are they suitably qualified? Can they also prepare accurate and useful monthly management accounts and performance reports? Can they track performance against budgets and ascertain strengths and weaknesses?

Azur can assist you in the full spectrum of accounting services: data entry, bookkeeping, journal entries, bank reconciliations, sales and purchase ledger reconciliations, stock take reconciliations, fixed asset registers, adhering to accounting standards, preparing monthly management accounts and financial statements.

Are you using a manual or electronic system for recoding accounting entries? We can advise you on the best system.  Once you have selected an accounting package we can then set it up for you.

Payroll Services
  • Are you providing a timely payroll service? 
  • On top of your payroll submissions?
  • Up-to-date on payroll taxes, NHI and SSB payments?
  • Are you paying too much or too little?

Azur can help.  We can provide a fully outsourced efficient payroll function, so that you can concentrate on running your business

Financial Controller Services
Do you need a financial controller or financial director but don’t have the need for a full time position? Do you have an accounting team in place, but need someone more senior to supervise the process and provide accurate, useful and timely financial information to the board and management team?

Azur can help. We can oversee your accounting function on an agreed regular basis, either as a fixed fee or on an hourly basis. We can prepare accurate monthly management accounts, prepare budgets and forecasts and track performance, provide a treasury function, advise on accounting team recruitment and required qualifications and advise on systems and controls.