# Shapes > Digital Accounting & Marketing for better businesses ## Pages - [The Buttery Coworking Space](https://shapes.team/the-buttery-coworking-space/) - [Chris Milsom](https://shapes.team/about-us/chris-milsom/) - [SumUp for sports teams](https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/sumup-for-sports-teams/) - [What marketing can we afford?](https://shapes.team/create-your-own-marketing-package/) - [AI Policy](https://shapes.team/ai-policy/) - [London FA Partners](https://shapes.team/football/london-fa-partners/) - [Football Top Tips Download](https://shapes.team/football-accounting-best-practice/) - [Football](https://shapes.team/football/) - [Helen Sabine](https://shapes.team/about-us/helen-sabine/) - [Find your accounting package](https://shapes.team/how-much-does-an-accountant-cost/) - [Making Tax Digital](https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/tax-optimisation/making-tax-digital/) - [Kent FA Partners](https://shapes.team/football/kent-fa-partners/) - [Tax Investigations](https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/tax-optimisation/tax-investigations/) - [Shaping Communities](https://shapes.team/about-us/shaping-communities/) - [Digital Marketing Packages](https://shapes.team/packages/digital-marketing-packages/) - [Combined Packages](https://shapes.team/packages/combined-packages/) - [Pricing & Packages](https://shapes.team/packages/) - [Accounts Preparation](https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/accounts-preparation/) - [Sue Leadbeater](https://shapes.team/about-us/sue-leadbeater/) - [Campaign](https://shapes.team/services/shapes-marketing/campaign/) - [Video & Photo](https://shapes.team/services/shapes-marketing/video-photography/) - [Strategic Workshops](https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/strategic-workshops/) - [Rachel Fellows](https://shapes.team/about-us/rachel-fellows/) - [Katy Priestley](https://shapes.team/about-us/katy-priestley/) - [Jim Leeves](https://shapes.team/about-us/jim-leeves/) - [UX Design](https://shapes.team/services/shapes-marketing/ux-design/) - [Digital Strategy](https://shapes.team/services/shapes-marketing/digital-strategy/) - [Better Accounting](https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/better-accounting-management/) - [Budgets & Forecasting](https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/budgets-forecasting/) - [Digital Finance Systems](https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/digital-finance-systems/) - [Governance](https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/governance/) - [Tax](https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/tax-optimisation/) - [Accountants in Canterbury, Kent](https://shapes.team/accountants-in-canterbury-kent/) - [Services](https://shapes.team/services/) - [Steve Kreeger](https://shapes.team/about-us/steve-kreeger/) - [Accounting Packages](https://shapes.team/packages/accounting-packages/) - [Graphic Design](https://shapes.team/services/shapes-marketing/graphic-design/) - [Branding & Logos](https://shapes.team/services/shapes-marketing/brand/) - [Websites](https://shapes.team/services/shapes-marketing/websites/) - [Xero Accountants](https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/xero-accountants/) - [Employment Hero](https://shapes.team/employment-hero/) - [News & Insights](https://shapes.team/news-insights/) - [Home](https://shapes.team/) - [Teamsheet](https://shapes.team/teamsheet/) - [Go Cardless](https://shapes.team/go-cardless/) - [Thanks for the RSVP!](https://shapes.team/thanks-for-the-rsvp/) - [Client Stories](https://shapes.team/stories/) - [Landlords](https://shapes.team/landlords/) - [Referrals](https://shapes.team/referrals/) - [Herne Bay FC Women](https://shapes.team/herne-bay-fc-women/) - [About Us](https://shapes.team/about-us/) - [Contact](https://shapes.team/contact/) - [Shapes Marketing](https://shapes.team/services/shapes-marketing/) - [Shapes Accounting](https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/) - [Signup](https://shapes.team/signup/) - [Privacy Policy](https://shapes.team/privacy-policy/) ## Posts - [Business Expenditure 101 Are You Claiming Everything You're Entitled To?](https://shapes.team/news-insights/business-expenditure-101-are-you-claiming-everything-youre-entitled-to/) - [How Vinyl & Xero boosted our turnover by 140% in 1 year](https://shapes.team/news-insights/15043-2/) - [P11Done Right: What They Are, Why They Matter, and What You Need to Know](https://shapes.team/news-insights/p11ds-what-they-are-why-they-matter-and-what-you-need-to-know/) - [Football Clubs Are Sitting on Content Goldmines](https://shapes.team/news-insights/football-clubs-are-sitting-on-content-goldmines-and-treating-them-like-car-boot-sales/) - [VAT Registration and Amateur Football Clubs: What you need to know](https://shapes.team/news-insights/vat-registration-and-amateur-football-clubs-what-you-need-to-know/) - [Shapes acquires Bright Accounting Solutions Ltd](https://shapes.team/news-insights/shapes-acquires-bright-accounting-solutions-ltd/) - [Shapes top things to look at before 5th of April deadline](https://shapes.team/news-insights/shapes-top-things-to-look-at-before-5th-of-april-deadline/) - [AI is making your brand sound like everyone else's (but you’re not alone)](https://shapes.team/news-insights/ai-brand-sounding-the-same/) - [What's the most tax-efficient salary for a director in 2026/27?](https://shapes.team/news-insights/whats-the-most-tax-efficient-salary-for-a-director-in-2026-27/) - [How Shapes is Preparing for MTD: Bringing Freedom, Relief & Delight](https://shapes.team/news-insights/how-shapes-is-preparing-for-mtd-bringing-freedom-relief-delight/) - [Making Tax Digital: Why We're Embracing the Change](https://shapes.team/news-insights/making-tax-digital-why-were-embracing-the-change/) - [Celebrating the end of 2025 in style!](https://shapes.team/news-insights/celebrating-the-end-of-2025-in-style/) - [Companies House ID verification: what you need to know](https://shapes.team/news-insights/companies-house-id-verification-what-you-need-to-know/) - [Shapes partner with Canterbury Eagles](https://shapes.team/news-insights/shapes-partner-with-canterbury-eagles/) - [Pros and cons of football club structures - A quick reference guide](https://shapes.team/news-insights/pros-and-cons-of-football-club-structures-a-quick-reference-guide/) - [Creating a Budget for Your Grassroots Football Club - A Simple Guide](https://shapes.team/news-insights/start-your-season-right-4-finance-basics-every-club-needs-2/) - [Start your season right: 4 Finance basics every club needs](https://shapes.team/news-insights/start-your-season-right-4-finance-basics-every-club-needs/) - [Xero Silver to Gold status unlocked!](https://shapes.team/news-insights/xero-silver-to-gold-status-unlocked/) - [Shapes becomes official brand & marketing partner to Kent FA](https://shapes.team/news-insights/kent-fa-marketing-partner/) - [Shapes shortlisted for Xero small accounting firm of the year](https://shapes.team/news-insights/shapes-shortlisted-for-xero-small-accounting-firm-of-the-year/) - [Shapes becomes official accounting partner to London FA](https://shapes.team/news-insights/shapes-becomes-official-accounting-partner-to-london-fa/) - [April 5th is closing in](https://shapes.team/news-insights/april-5th-is-closing-in/) - [Welcome to Shapes Team, Helen!](https://shapes.team/news-insights/welcome-to-shapes-team-helen/) - [2024... what a ride!](https://shapes.team/news-insights/2024-what-a-ride/) - [My experience so far at Shapes](https://shapes.team/news-insights/my-experience-so-far-at-shapes/) - [Accounting Best Practice videos for Kent FA](https://shapes.team/news-insights/kentfa-accounting-videos/) - [Shapes become an ICAEW authorised training employer](https://shapes.team/news-insights/shapes-become-an-icaew-authorised-training-employer/) - [Bank of England's first interest rate cut for ages!](https://shapes.team/news-insights/bank-of-englands-first-interest-rate-cut-for-ages/) - [6 Steps to getting your invoices paid faster](https://shapes.team/news-insights/5-steps-to-getting-your-invoices-paid-faster-2/) - [Shapes team up with Payroll Sorted](https://shapes.team/news-insights/shapes-team-up-with-payroll-sorted/) - [How to Set Up Custom Invoices in Xero](https://shapes.team/news-insights/how-to-set-up-custom-invoices-in-xero/) - [Welcome Candida to Shapes Team!](https://shapes.team/news-insights/welcome-candida-to-shapes-team/) - [How to Set Up Automated Reminders in Xero](https://shapes.team/news-insights/how-to-set-up-automated-reminders-in-xero/) - [Welcome Katy to Shapes Team!](https://shapes.team/news-insights/welcome-katy-to-shapes-team/) - [The experience I gained as a marketing intern over six months](https://shapes.team/news-insights/the-experience-i-gained-as-a-marketing-intern-over-six-months/) - [Finalists in the UK Startup Awards 2024!](https://shapes.team/news-insights/finalists-in-the-uk-startup-awards-2024/) - [10 Ways Digital Accounting Can Help Your Business Grow](https://shapes.team/news-insights/10-ways-digital-accounting-can-help-your-business-grow/) - [Shapes becomes exclusive accounting partner to Kent FA](https://shapes.team/news-insights/shapes-becomes-exclusive-accounting-partner-to-kent-fa/) - [How to get rid of petty cash once and for all!](https://shapes.team/news-insights/how-to-get-rid-of-petty-cash-once-and-for-all/) - [Requirements for Company Directors with Companies House](https://shapes.team/news-insights/requirements-for-company-directors-with-companies-house/) - [Xero Bronze to Silver in just 5 months!](https://shapes.team/news-insights/xero-bronze-to-silver-in-just-5-months/) - [Why cloud accounting makes you a better business](https://shapes.team/news-insights/why-cloud-accounting-makes-you-a-better-business/) - [New Season, New Kit (sponsored by Shapes!)](https://shapes.team/news-insights/new-season-new-kit-sponsored-by-shapes/) - [Our first 100 days in numbers!](https://shapes.team/news-insights/our-first-100-days-in-numbers/) - [Shapes sponsors Herne Bay FC Women](https://shapes.team/news-insights/shapes-sponsors-herne-bay-fc-women/) ## Portfolio - [Enterprise level AI bookkeeping & accounting](https://shapes.team/stories/ledgr/) - [A roar-some brand for the Powell-Cotton Team](https://shapes.team/stories/a-roar-some-brand-for-the-powell-cotton-team/) - [Brand uplift for a mindfulness charity](https://shapes.team/stories/brand-uplift-for-a-mindfulness-charity/) - [Transformational accounts support for bemix](https://shapes.team/stories/bemix/) - [Accounting & Marketing for Martinvale Clinic](https://shapes.team/stories/martinvale-clinic/) - [Digital Systems & tax planning for scout + redeem](https://shapes.team/stories/scout-redeem/) - [Sky high socials for Herne Bay FC Women](https://shapes.team/stories/bringing-herne-bay-fc-women-to-the-national-stage/) - [Increasing web UX and traffic for SDS](https://shapes.team/stories/increasing-web-ux-and-traffic-for-sds/) - [Brand & exhibition design for SDS](https://shapes.team/stories/sds-expo/) - [Website refresh & tax blogs for Zest Homes](https://shapes.team/stories/zest-homes/) - [Kent Community Foundation digital transformation](https://shapes.team/stories/kent-community-foundation-digital-transformation/) # # Detailed Content ## Pages - Published: 2026-06-08 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/the-buttery-coworking-space/ The Buttery is a coworking space at Highland Court Farm, Bridge, Canterbury. Weekly and monthly desk hire available with ultrafast wifi, free parking, tea and coffee. Ideal for freelancers, remote workers and small businesses in Kent. We also have rooms for longer term hire. - Published: 2026-03-19 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/about-us/chris-milsom/ Chris Milsom ACA and CTA is a Director and Tax Specialist at Shapes. He brings deep expertise in tax planning and compliance for small businesses and limited companies across the UK. - Published: 2026-02-10 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/sumup-for-sports-teams/ Shapes helps grassroots football clubs and sports teams set up SumUp for easy card payments at the gate, bar and events. Simple to set up, no monthly fees and works across all devices. - Published: 2025-12-28 - Modified: 2025-12-28 - URL: https://shapes.team/create-your-own-marketing-package/ Your company Your accounts Your people Your tech Finding your shape... We won’t be long... we’re fitting your needs to one of our best looking shapes... - Published: 2025-12-16 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/ai-policy/ Shapes AI policy sets out how we use artificial intelligence responsibly in our accounting and marketing work, our commitment to transparency, and how AI tools are used to support our team and clients. - Published: 2025-07-16 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/football/london-fa-partners/ Shapes is the official accounting partner to the London FA, supporting clubs and leagues across London with digital accounting best practice, Xero setup and governance guidance. - Published: 2025-05-28 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/football-accounting-best-practice/ Free download from Shapes covering accounting best practice for grassroots football clubs. Includes guidance on managing club finances, VAT, bank accounts and digital tools for treasurers and club officials. - Published: 2025-05-28 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/football/ Shapes works with grassroots football clubs across Kent and London as the official partner to the Kent FA and London FA. We provide digital accounting, Xero setup, budgeting and marketing support for amateur clubs of all sizes. - Published: 2025-02-04 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/about-us/helen-sabine/ Helen Sabine MPhys ACA is an accountant at Shapes. She supports clients with day to day accounting, Xero management and financial reporting. - Published: 2025-01-08 - Modified: 2025-04-09 - URL: https://shapes.team/how-much-does-an-accountant-cost/ Your company Your accounts Your people Your tech Finding your shape... We won’t be long... we’re fitting your needs to one of our best looking shapes... - Published: 2024-11-26 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/tax-optimisation/making-tax-digital/ Shapes helps small businesses and sole traders prepare for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. We manage the transition to compliant software, set up Xero and ensure clients are ready for HMRC deadlines. - Published: 2024-11-20 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/football/kent-fa-partners/ Shapes is the exclusive accounting and marketing partner to the Kent FA, supporting over 750 clubs and 30 leagues across Kent with digital accounting leadership, Xero setup and best practice marketing guidance. - Published: 2024-11-15 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/tax-optimisation/tax-investigations/ Shapes supports clients through HMRC tax investigations, providing expert representation, document preparation and advice throughout the process. We help small businesses and directors navigate enquiries with confidence. - Published: 2024-10-25 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/about-us/shaping-communities/ Shapes gives back to the communities it works in through sponsorship, partnerships and pro bono support. We work with local sports clubs, charities and community organisations across Kent. - Published: 2024-10-18 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/packages/digital-marketing-packages/ Shapes digital marketing packages for small businesses. Flexible retainer options covering social media content, graphic design, campaign management and digital strategy. Extend your marketing team without the overhead with Shapes' CaaS retainers: 'Creativity as a Service' - Published: 2024-10-07 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/packages/combined-packages/ Shapes combined accounting and marketing packages bring both services together under one roof. Talk to us about a bespoke package that covers your accounting and marketing needs in one monthly relationship. - Published: 2024-10-07 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/packages/ Shapes pricing and packages for accounting, digital marketing and combined accounting and marketing services. Flexible packages designed for small businesses who want expert support without the overhead of a full in-house team. - Published: 2024-09-20 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/accounts-preparation/ Shapes prepares annual accounts and statutory filings for limited companies, sole traders and partnerships. We handle Companies House submissions, corporation tax returns and year end accounts so you don't have to. - Published: 2024-09-19 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/about-us/sue-leadbeater/ Sue Leadbeater FCG is the Company Secretarial Lead at Shapes, managing governance, Companies House filings and company administration for Shapes clients. - Published: 2024-09-17 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/services/shapes-marketing/campaign/ Shapes runs paid and organic marketing campaigns for small businesses. From Google Ads and social media advertising to content campaigns and email marketing, we plan, build and manage campaigns that deliver results. - Published: 2024-09-17 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/services/shapes-marketing/video-photography/ Shapes produces video and photography for small businesses, including brand films, social media content, product photography and event coverage. Based in Canterbury, Kent, working with clients across the UK. - Published: 2024-09-06 - Modified: 2024-12-02 - URL: https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/strategic-workshops/ Strategic Workshops Workshops and strategic direction to help you navigate change and complex business moments. Better Businesses We get it, running a business can be hard work. Our workshops and tools help bring freedom and clarity for better businesses. Better Teams We love helping you explore strengths & weaknesses & run workshops to identify opportunities where you can improve. Change Management Overcome complex change as a team. Change is hard, until it becomes normal... We think that better organisations are strong in all of these areas - are you there yet? In our Shapes Team Sheet workshop, we share what we do in each of these areas, help you identify your strengths & weaknesses, and explore tactics to help you build resilience and strength across your organisational Team Sheet. Pat Lencioni's 6 Types of Working Genius massively impacts the way we understand and enjoy the work we do. What are your geniuses, competencies and frustrations? Wonder Invention Discernment Galvanising Enablement Tenacity We've all worked with someone who is a challenge to work with. It might even be happening to you right now. Through our Ideal Team Player strategic workshop, we'll help you understand why that might be and what you can do to be a better team player. Do you understand where your project is going wrong? Have you got a big project about to start you'd like it to go right? We break change management down into components and use models to plan the approach with you and your... - Published: 2024-09-06 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/about-us/rachel-fellows/ Rachel Fellows is Head of Marketing at Shapes, leading strategy, content and digital campaigns for Shapes and its clients. She specialises in content strategy, search and campaign analytics and marketing for small businesses. - Published: 2024-09-06 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/about-us/katy-priestley/ Katy Priestley is an accountant and director at Shapes, supporting clients with bookkeeping, Xero management and monthly accounting. - Published: 2024-09-06 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/about-us/jim-leeves/ Jim Leeves ACA is the lead accountant at Shapes, overseeing accounting quality, client relationships and ICAEW training. He signs off all accounting work before it reaches clients. - Published: 2024-09-06 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/services/shapes-marketing/ux-design/ Shapes provides UX design services for small businesses and organisations. We research user behaviour, map user journeys and design digital experiences that work intuitively across all devices. - Published: 2024-09-06 - Modified: 2024-12-02 - URL: https://shapes.team/services/shapes-marketing/digital-strategy/ Digital Strategy Doing 'stuff' online is pointless without tactics & strategic planning. Goals with purpose Just having goals isn't enough. Defining the why behind the goals gives exciting clarity and momentum. Visualised roadmaps Roadmaps are our sat nav to any digital implementation. We'll design a strategic journey for doing what, how and when. Success in numbers Because we set clear goals means we can set clear metrics to measure. Everything defined, clearly tracked and optimised. What are you trying to actually achieve through digital? We'll document and set some clear objectives, building overarching strategic direction through a variety of workshop activities. Brand goals and current position Market share, and digital marketing activity to date Wider business objectives A touch on SWOT on your digital marketing Timelines, blockers and opportunities Strategy has to be focussed on the people we're trying to communicate to. We'll dig into your audiences in a variety of ways depending on the budget and requirements. Persona workshops Demographic user testing / research User journey maps Stakeholder workshops Customer touchpoints Digital placement - where do your customers 'live' digtally? We've locked in your goals and we know your audiences, and where they live digitally, what they are like and what their interests are. Next up we build the plans for action. A roadmap of what steps we should take to achieve our goals Reporting on insights and recommendations to date Playbook for various possible tactics to help achieve goals A strategy is only of course the first step... - Published: 2024-09-06 - Modified: 2025-10-09 - URL: https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/better-accounting-management/ Better Accounting Every business needs accounting done right. We do it better. Financial Clarity Gain crystal-clear insights into your business's financial health. Time back in your day Focus on growing your business while we handle the numbers. Compliance Assured Accurate tax returns, submitted on time ensuring full compliance. Often a consuming task that not many want to do. Well, except bookkeepers. Good bookkeeping helps you make smarter decisions about your business. Our customised approach, with everything coded and analysed using Xero, ensures your books are always up-to-date, giving you more time in your day, and a much clearer view of your company finances. One of the most important (but less joyful) moments of business is paying your bills. We'll help keep your suppliers and team happy and remove the stress of planning your cashflow and payments. We manage your accounts payable, ensuring timely payments are made with the use of partner apps like Telleroo & Approval Max, helping make your life easier! Woohoo! VAT submissions can be the stuff of nightmares for many. We'll prepare and submit your VAT returns on time, maximising any eligible tax claims and ensuring compliance with HMRC regulations, keeping you in the loop throughout. Work in the construction industry? For construction industry clients, we manage CIS deductions and returns, keeping you compliant with industry-specific tax requirements. Not sure what you're meant to be doing? Give us a call to chat things through. Every good company needs a regular handle on their accounts and finances. We... - Published: 2024-09-06 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/budgets-forecasting/ Shapes helps small businesses build financial budgets and forecasts using Xero. We turn your numbers into a clear plan, helping you make confident decisions about hiring, investment and growth. - Published: 2024-09-06 - Modified: 2025-10-09 - URL: https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/digital-finance-systems/ Digital Finance Systems Connecting digital tools and automations, saving your company money and your team loads of time! Get time back ! Streamline financial processes, eliminate manual tasks and reduce errors. We can free up valuable time for all the stuff you should be doing. Real-time insights Live, up to date views on your financial data, helping make quicker decisions and confidently respond to business challenges. Integrated systems Countless systems that don't talk to each other? You're not alone, but it doesn't have to be this way! Integrated data for the win! We conduct a comprehensive assessment of your current finance systems and processes, identifying inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and areas ripe for digital transformation. Our 177 point checklist helps make sure your Xero software is performing like a pro We pinpoint gaps in your existing setup, evaluating where digital solutions can enhance accuracy, and financial efficiencies. We direct you to digital tools that align with your business budgets, needs, size, and future requirements, offering expert guidance and implementation. We work with you and your team to establish an implementation strategy, set priorities and requirements around your goals, your tech and your team. We hold your hand through the whole process, and ensure a smooth transition from old to new, with minimal disruption. So you've got all the shiny new integrated systems and they all talk to each other - woohoo! We're around as long as you need us, for whatever support you need us for. SEE WHAT WE DID Systems implementation... - Published: 2024-09-06 - Modified: 2024-12-02 - URL: https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/governance/ Governance We'll deal with Companies House & manage all the forms so you don't have to. Company Setup Running a company means filling in forms regularly at Companies House. We can guide, prepare and file all the forms you need. Changing Shape? Whether you are issuing new shares, transferring shares or changing company personnel, we can prepare everything for you. Charity Filing Annual Return and accounts filings for charities are different to companies. With our extensive charity experience, we can support with these too. Exciting times - you're setting up a new company! We'll help you think about all the areas of company set up to get you up and running. There are some things that need to be considered at the outset which could save you time and energy down the line if you do it correctly at the start. There are lots of things that need to be prepared to document certain decisions made by companies. Some of these need filing at Companies House while others don't. We can prepare and file all the forms you need. Some of the most common include: Directors changes Year end changes Board minutes Dividend vouchers Address changes Share Capital changes Changing shape in your business sometimes means changing shareholdings. We help you understand what approvals you need to transfer shares, help you understand tax implications, and prepare all the correct paperwork to get everything approved. As experienced trustees and charity governance experts, we can also advise on lots of areas of... - Published: 2024-09-06 - Modified: 2024-12-02 - URL: https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/tax-optimisation/ Tax Helping you navigate and understand tax so you can trust you're doing it right. Tax Planning Understand what the tax implications are for your business before it's too late. Not sure what tax you'll owe and when? We'll fix that! Tax Optimisation Make the most of the expenses, tax allowances and benefits available to you and your business with our support, tips and advice. Tax Agents As assigned tax agents, we act on your behalf, filing your returns for all kinds of taxes with HMRC for you. Whether you're a sole trader, limited company director or landlord we can handle your personal tax affairs and help reduce your tax liability where possible. Be ready for the upcoming Making Tax Digital changes Know what tax you'll be paying when Be ahead of next year, with no sudden bills to pay We help you plan and reduce Corporation Tax liabilities through smart planning and regular communication. Plan large expenditure Maximise tax reliefs available Let us do the work for you What a relief! We help you understand the VAT & CIS rules and remain compliant. We can also help you register for these taxes if you need to, and make the filing seamless with Xero. From salary to bonuses, dividends and company car decisions and how much pension contributions to make... it can be a minefield to make the right decisions. The options are endless too. We'll help you build an optimal strategy for your needs and goals. We offer all... - Published: 2024-08-26 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/accountants-in-canterbury-kent/ Shapes is a local accounting firm based in Canterbury, Kent. We provide Xero-powered accounting, tax planning, budgets and forecasting and accounts preparation for small businesses and sole traders across Kent and the South East. - Published: 2024-08-21 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/services/ Full list of Shapes services covering digital accounting and creative marketing. Accounting services include Xero setup, tax, budgets and forecasting, accounts preparation and governance. Marketing services include branding, graphic design, websites, video, digital strategy and campaigns. - Published: 2024-08-20 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/about-us/steve-kreeger/ Steve Kreeger is an experienced creative and UX design lead. He's led teams and projects for clients across the world and leads all the creative process at Shapes for us and our clients. Steve also founded Plot, the content creation platform for accountants. - Published: 2024-07-18 - Modified: 2024-12-02 - URL: https://shapes.team/packages/accounting-packages/ Accounting Packages Our packages are designed to help businesses at different stages of their journey. Can't see one that fits you? Send us a message to see what would work for you and your business. TriangleFrom£325pm Xero accounting software Digitised expenses VAT review & submissions Year-end accounts & governance Remuneration planning Personal tax returns Quarterly check-ins Book a free intro call todaySquareFrom£695pm Everything in Triangle, plus: Bookkeeping Quarterly management accounts Monthly check-ins Book a free intro call todayCircleFrom£1,495pm Everything in Square, plus: Dedicated finance inbox management Payment runs Debtor chasing Cashflow forecasting Book a free intro call today Optional extras *Tax investigation included as standard in all packages Payment runs Debtor chasing Cashflow forecasting Long term forecasts Budgeting Registered office Xero training Payroll How we work Monthly payments Monthly payments helps both you and us plan better cashflow - win win! All of our ongoing or larger work is invoiced monthly, no hidden extras. Part of your team We're not fans of 'do the job and see you next year'. We want to build relationship with you, to feel part of your extended team, constantly improving what we do for you. Values Our values underpin all we do. Simplicity, Integrity, Transparency, Energy and Space. We'd love to unpack these for you when we meet! Experience better accounting We're shaped differently. Tshirts & jeans, vs shirt & tie. Digital vibes vs paper & spreadsheets - Published: 2024-07-17 - Modified: 2024-12-02 - URL: https://shapes.team/services/shapes-marketing/graphic-design/ Graphic Design Compelling graphics, copy & designs for all the places you need them. We work with many of our clients on helping create regular 'always on' brand content for their social channels and websites. Your "on-tap" graphics & creative team. Graphics & branded content Corporate PDFs Website asstes Social media posts Video & content days Retainer model - monthly, quarterly, annual commitments If you're not on socials you're missing huge audiences. If you're not consistent on socials, then your audiences forget about you. Our social content services help you stay visible, regular and on brand. Planned content calendars Graphics always on brand Templates created for your team to jump into Support or full schedule management Reporting on metrics that matter to you Outside of social, there are often assets that you'll need designed from PDFs to interactive digital experiences, presentation decks, email assets and exhibition or event products. Got an idea? We've got the creative solution. Extensive product partners for merch Multiple ethical suppliers in supply chain Always looking for the best for your investment SEE WHAT WE DID Graphic design Custom illustration Product graphic design for merch Custom icon suite Full exhibition stand design Start a conversation today Get your accounts and business back in shape. - Published: 2024-07-17 - Modified: 2026-06-22 - URL: https://shapes.team/services/shapes-marketing/brand/ Brand & Identity Design Balancing strategy & visual storytelling with clever logo design, brand assets and guidelines. Recent Logos Delighted to have partnered with these wonderful people to design their brands How we work our magic We work through a variety of workshops and design processes to land on that perfect story for your brand. Our brand identity workshops walk your team through who you are, what you do, where you're headed, and what that could look like, covering: Audiences Current brand position Vision, values & why Proposition Colour, look & feel Everyone gets to draw! Your brand is so important to get right for your team, your company and your customers, now and in the future. We walk you through all of these areas to ensure your brand is shaping up perfectly from all the angles. Audience definition and strategy Brand essence - what do you feel like? lion or penguin? fluffy cushions or hard as nails? Design elements - we call them 'devices' Photography, illustrations Tone of voice - what do you sound like? Whats our common language? Brand visual identity - colour, logo, fonts, layouts, mockups, brand placement Most brand identity projects really do differ depending on the requirements of the company, the rollout, and the elements that your company needs to move forwards with. Our brand identity projects start from £5k which gets you core assets, and some design principles, all facilitated by wonderful brand workshops. Give Steve a shout and grab a chat to walk... - Published: 2024-07-17 - Modified: 2024-12-02 - URL: https://shapes.team/services/shapes-marketing/websites/ Websites Creating beautiful websites, that help your business to succeed online. With years of experience working on sites from some of the world's biggest brands, we design websites structured and underpinned by digital strategy and user experience. High performing websites Beautiful design UX driven SEO friendly Fast loading Hosted on the world's leading servers Understanding who will use your new site, what their entry points will be and how they will journey through it sets us up for successful web experiences. We have a toolbox of activities and workshops we run, helping us get to the juicy stuff quickly. Persona workshops Customer journey maps Analytics & insights We'd argue that everything online involves UX design. However most commonly wireframes are seen as the key output and visual asset of any UX activity. We'll take you through the process of component and page design starting right here. Sketches for initial ideas Lo fidelity wireframes using tools such as Balsamiq, Figma or Miro Hi fidelity wireframes on Figma Live, clickable prototype journeys UI is often seen as the 'pretty' layer added to UX design. We'd argue they work hand in hand throughout. Principles and assets created through UI design process map directly to decisions made in the UX and research process. Buttons & all states (hover, click, active, inactive) Web typeface sizes & responsive views Colour contrast & accessible design Scale of copy & microcopy considered UX laws considered throughout Brand application We build sites stand alone, or within the WordPress CMS... - Published: 2024-07-17 - Modified: 2025-03-26 - URL: https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/xero-accountants/ Xero Accountants Replace stress with clarity & simplicity Shape your accounting with Xero for an experience that makes you go 'ahhh' Moving is quick and easy with Shapes Convert up to 24 months of your Sage, SageOnline & QuickBooks accounts to Xero for free. We take care of everything We match and convert everything for you Xero training for you and your team Need help setting up or transitioning your current financial records to cloud accounting? We are experts at implementing Xero and other technology to streamline and improve your current systems. See all your transactions in one place, and reconcile or match them at a click of a button Not often in the office? No problem! With the Xero app, you can see all the live data you need, as well as trigger invoices and payments on the go. Generate quotes and turn them into invoices with ease once confirmed We can set you up with custom templates, and invoice designs, built around your workflow. Start a conversation today Get your accounts and business in shape. - Published: 2024-07-17 - Modified: 2024-07-17 - URL: https://shapes.team/employment-hero/ HR shizzle, simpified Collect one-off payments instantly with GoCardless. Direct from your customer’s bank account to yours. Instant confirmation Optimise payer conversion Reduce fees Less stress! No more chasing! Collect recurring bank-to-bank payments from customers worldwide through GoCardless. Even create payment plans for your customers & recurring invoices! No more failed payments Plan your cash flow better Reduce costs Setup recurring invoices &
save time! See all your payments, customers, payouts, subscriptions and more in a simple dashboard. Keep on top of all your payments in one place. Easy to use interface Connect apps like Xero View and access reports (with upgraded plan) GoCardless connects straight into Xero, allowing you to reconcile transactions and income straight in Xero. Predictable cash flow Lower-cost alternative to cards Popular with your payers Get 90 days fee free when you sign up and claim this limited time offer with Shapes and GoCardless. We Are Shapes limited gets a small referral fee from GoCardless when you sign up after you have completed any transactions. Sign Up Today & Start Getting Paid Quicker! Get 90 days free when you sign up now. Contact Us Connect - Published: 2024-07-03 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/ Shapes is a digital accounting and creative marketing agency based in Canterbury, Kent. We help small businesses across the UK with Xero-powered accounting, brand identity, website design and digital marketing. Two essential business functions, one expert team. - Published: 2024-06-08 - Modified: 2026-02-06 - URL: https://shapes.team/teamsheet/ The Shapes business teamsheet Analyse your business with our teamsheet. How well do you score? Knowing your mission, your vision and having this documented and constantly shared among your teamKnowing WHAT numbers and data to track - and WHY is more important than just capturing everything. Make use of the numbers. Understanding any risks and managing these through planning contingencies are vital. What happens if... Values can just sit on a shelf or PDF. Make sure your values are A - known B - built into your team's culture through behaviourHaving a strategy for your business is vital to success. How will you succeed next year? When and why should you bring on more team? ... Budget - so many businesses don't actually set budgets annually. Setting a budget helps you plan (and track! ) against company performanceBenchmarking is a common practice in marketing, but have you considered it for helping you build your strategy, measure your impact and journey? Everyone needs to keep learning. Team development is a real growth opportunity for your company. Empower your team to learn new skills and abilities. Goals. The outcomes of our strategy - celebrate the wins, and set new achievable goals regulalry as a business in all you do. Getting regular feedback from your clients and customers is vital to gather a voice for helping you shape the direction you go next. Make sure you respond too with improvements. Often not always something business leaders think about, especially at the startup phases,... - Published: 2024-01-16 - Modified: 2025-11-19 - URL: https://shapes.team/go-cardless/ Get paid. Faster. Collect one-off payments instantly with GoCardless. Direct from your customer’s bank account to yours. Instant confirmation Optimise payer conversion Reduce fees Less stress! No more chasing! Collect recurring bank-to-bank payments from customers worldwide through GoCardless. Even create payment plans for your customers & recurring invoices! No more failed payments Plan your cash flow better Reduce costs Setup recurring invoices &
save time! See all your payments, customers, payouts, subscriptions and more in a simple dashboard. Keep on top of all your payments in one place. Easy to use interface Connect apps like Xero View and access reports (with upgraded plan) GoCardless connects straight into Xero, allowing you to reconcile transactions and income straight in Xero. Predictable cash flow Lower-cost alternative to cards Popular with your payers Get 90 days fee free when you sign up and claim this limited time offer with Shapes and GoCardless. We Are Shapes limited gets a small referral fee from GoCardless when you sign up after you have completed any transactions. Sign Up Today & Start Getting Paid Quicker! Get 90 days free when you sign up now. - Published: 2023-10-27 - Modified: 2023-11-14 - URL: https://shapes.team/thanks-for-the-rsvp/ Thanks for the RSVP! Whether you're heading over on 1st or not, we look forward to seeing you more in 2024 (can we even say stuff like this yet in November? ! ) Whilst you're here - check out our latest insights - Published: 2023-10-19 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/stories/ Case studies and client stories from Shapes. See how we have helped small businesses, clinics, charities and football clubs with accounting, branding, website design and digital marketing. - Published: 2023-10-11 - Modified: 2025-12-28 - URL: https://shapes.team/landlords/ We get it. In the current climate, landlords are feeling pressure everywhere financially. Here at Shapes we can help you plan for a profitable future, whether you're a first time landlord or you come with a wide portfolio. Understand tax properly Know what to pay and when Plan ahead for the future Book a call with Jim Book now Send us an email Contact us - Published: 2023-09-26 - Modified: 2024-11-29 - URL: https://shapes.team/referrals/ REFERRAL We'd love you to refer us on to someone you know How does it work? Have a chat with them Got someone in mind who you think could benefit from partnering with Shapes? Have a chat with them, then speak to Steve or Jim and let us know who you're thinking of. Introduce us If the company is a good fit (we can't work with all companies) we'll plan the best way for you to refer us. An email intro is often best from you to us, copying them in. We do the rest ! Once introduced and they jump on board to work with Shapes, we'll let you know. We might even send you a little thankyou... 🫶 See our latest news & insights - Published: 2023-07-28 - Modified: 2024-11-26 - URL: https://shapes.team/herne-bay-fc-women/ Shirt sponsors 2023-25 Supporting women's football Women's World Cup & Xero Herne Bay FC Women’s team are all really excited about working with Steve and Jim at Shapes to help achieve our ambitions both on and off the pitch. Our Media day they ran has already brought the team together and morale is high going into the new season - Published: 2023-06-29 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/about-us/ Shapes is a growing team of accountants and marketers based at Highland Court Farm, Bridge, Canterbury. We work with small businesses, football clubs and community organisations across the UK, combining digital accounting expertise with creative marketing. - Published: 2023-06-16 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/contact/ Get in touch with the Shapes team. We are based in Canterbury, Kent and work with clients across the UK. Contact us to discuss accounting, marketing or combined packages for your business. - Published: 2023-06-16 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/services/shapes-marketing/ Shapes creative marketing services for small businesses. We offer brand identity, logo design, graphic design, UX and website design, video and photography, digital strategy and paid and organic campaign management. - Published: 2023-06-12 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/services/shapes-accounting/ Shapes accounting services powered by Xero. We help small businesses get a live view of their finances, capture receipts digitally, manage bank feeds and make better business decisions with real-time reporting. Gold Xero partner based in Canterbury, Kent. - Published: 2023-06-08 - Modified: 2024-11-26 - URL: https://shapes.team/signup/ Sign up to Shapes email to get the latest and greatest insights in your inbox, helping small businesses and organisations with better accounting & marketing. 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 - Published: 2023-06-06 - Modified: 2025-12-16 - URL: https://shapes.team/privacy-policy/ Privacy & Cookies We wish this was about baking in the privacy of your own home, but sadly its more boring than that Who we are Suggested text: Our website address is: https://shapes. team Cookies Suggested text: If you complete a form on our site you may opt in to saving your name, email address and website in cookies. 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The __cf_bm cookie is necessary for the proper functioning of these bot solutions. session__cflbWhen enabling session affinity with Cloudflare Load Balancer, Cloudflare sets a __cflb cookie with a unique value on the... ## Posts - Published: 2026-06-17 - Modified: 2026-06-17 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/business-expenditure-101-are-you-claiming-everything-youre-entitled-to/ Business Expenditure 101 Are You Claiming Everything You're Entitled To? A guide for UK small business owners and sole traders Most small business owners and sole traders know they can claim expenses. But in practice, plenty of people end up paying more tax than they need to, simply because they're not claiming everything they're allowed to. This article runs through the core principles and some of the most commonly missed categories. The Golden Rule: Wholly and Exclusively HMRC's test for an allowable expense is that the cost must be incurred "wholly and exclusively" for the purposes of your trade. In plain English: if you spent the money because of your business, you can generally claim it. There's a grey area where costs have both a personal and business element. In those cases, you may still be able to claim the business portion, but you need to be able to justify the split. The key is keeping good records and being consistent. Expenses People Commonly Miss 1. Use of Home as Office If you work from home, even part of the time, you can claim a contribution towards your household costs. HMRC offers a flat-rate simplified option (currently £10 per month for 25 hours per month, rising to £18 per month and £26 per month for higher hours), which requires no detailed records. Alternatively, you can calculate the actual proportion of costs such as heating, electricity, and broadband attributable to business use, which is often higher. 2. Mileage and Vehicle Costs... - Published: 2026-06-02 - Modified: 2026-06-02 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/15043-2/ Sometimes the apps or software you use in your business just become part of the furniture. Often thats because you use them for so long that they are just "how we do it here". For us the 'part of the furniture' is seen differently. We choose apps that we want to dwell in, spend time with and are happy to see when we spin up our macbooks for the day's work. Vinyl and Xero are two of these we genuinely enjoy having as part of our chosen furniture! (and Plotkit of course... )Last year we recorded record growth after just 3 years, and this year things aren't slowing down. The apps you choose to run your business with are not just 'things' on a screen - they really can help propel you forwards as a business. Give the article read for more ! https://blog. xero. com/au/accountants-bookkeepers/shapes-accounting-karbon-vinyl-app-stack - Published: 2026-05-28 - Modified: 2026-06-02 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/p11ds-what-they-are-why-they-matter-and-what-you-need-to-know/ P11Ds: what they are, why they matter and what you need to know Every year we send our clients a request asking whether they need to file a P11D form. This annual check is necessary as circumstances can change year on year. So here's everything you need to know about them. What is a P11D? A P11D is a form you send to HMRC that tells them about the extras you give employees beyond their salary. This could be things like a company car, private health insurance, an interest-free loan or even a gym membership the company pays for. These aren't cash, but they still have a value, HMRC wants to know about them because they're taxable. There are actually two forms involved which you may need to know about. The P11D reports the individual benefits for each employee or director and the P11D(b) is the employer's summary form that tells HMRC how much Class 1A National Insurance you owe on those benefits. Think of it as the bill that follows the list. Do you need to file one? The main question is, do you provide benefits to any employee or director that aren't run through payroll? If it’s a yes then you probably need a P11D. If it’s reimbursing genuine business expenses (wholly and exclusively for work) then you're usually fine. If you’re not sure? That's exactly why we check in with you every year to make sure What needs to go on it? Here’s a list of common... - Published: 2026-05-15 - Modified: 2026-06-02 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/football-clubs-are-sitting-on-content-goldmines-and-treating-them-like-car-boot-sales/ Every football club in the country has the same problem. They create more content moments in a single match day than most businesses generate in a month, yet they share it with all the enthusiasm of someone flogging last season's kit at a car boot sale. Walk past any local pitch on Saturday morning and you'll witness dozens of stories unfolding. A striker finally breaks their goal drought. A defender makes a last-minute tackle that saves the game. Parents celebrate from the sidelines. The manager gives an impromptu tactical masterclass during the break. Most of this disappears into memory. The few moments that do get captured usually end up as grainy phone footage posted once to Facebook with "Great win yesterday lads! " and then forgotten. The Car Boot Sale Mentality The pattern repeats across clubs everywhere. Someone takes photos during the game. They post them a day later and tick content off their mental to-do list. This approach treats each piece of content like a single-use item at a car boot sale. Take it or leave it. Once it's gone, it's gone. But that striker's celebration contains multiple stories. The goal itself. The teammates who set up the play. The relief on the manager's face. The parents jumping in the background. Each angle offers a different way to connect with your community. The Missed Connections Clubs operating in car boot mode miss these connections entirely. They document events without considering who might be interested in different aspects of the... - Published: 2026-05-07 - Modified: 2026-05-07 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/vat-registration-and-amateur-football-clubs-what-you-need-to-know/ Most amateur football clubs don't think of themselves as businesses. But HMRC does, at least when it comes to VAT. If your club's income is growing, the VAT registration threshold is something your committee needs to keep an eye on. Here's what you should know, in plain English. The basics The current VAT registration threshold is £90,000. That figure has been in place since April 2024 and hasn't changed for 2026/27. If your club's taxable turnover goes above £90,000 in any rolling 12-month period, you're legally required to register for VAT. There's also a forward-looking test: if you expect to exceed £90,000 in the next 30 days alone (say, because of a large sponsorship deal or facility hire contract), you need to register before it happens. The deregistration threshold (the point at which you can apply to leave the VAT system) is £88,000. What counts as taxable turnover? This is the important bit. Not all of a football club's income counts towards the VAT threshold, but more of it might than you think. Income that IS typically taxable (and counts towards the £90,000): Sponsorship income Advertising income Bar and catering sales Social event ticket sales and function hire Admission charges for spectators Kit and merchandise sales Parking charges Buggy or equipment hire (where not essential to sport) Social or non-playing membership subscriptions Gaming machine income Income that may be VAT exempt (and does NOT count towards the threshold): Under VAT Notice 701/45, certain sporting services are exempt from VAT, but... - Published: 2026-04-11 - Modified: 2026-04-13 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/shapes-acquires-bright-accounting-solutions-ltd/ We are delighted to announce the acquisition of local Kent firm Bright Accounting Solutions Ltd It's been several months in the making, and a lot of admin, but we're delighted to confirm that Shapes has agreed to purchase a local accounting firm, Bright Accounting Solutions Limited. Bright was setup almost 10 years ago this year by Chris Milsom FCA CTA, based in the Aylesham area serving clients large and small across East Kent, and a handful of UK and international clients. We're delighted to welcome all of Bright's clients over to Shapes, and excited about supporting a new pool of businesses across the area grow and evolve the shape of their business through better accounting and marketing support. As part of the acquisition, Chris has joined Shapes Accounting as a Director and is now a co-owner in We Are Shapes Limited alongside Steve, Jim and Katy. If you are a Bright client and have only just heard this news (we hope not! ) then you can find out all about the transition and the process you can expect from your new Shapes team on the transition website here. Huge thanks go to both Sue Leadbeater and Aly Young for their help and support in getting all the company secretarial and legal work completed superfast ! Meet Chris As a highly experienced chartered accountant (FCA), and a CTA too (Chartered Tax Advisor), Chris brings to Shapes a specialist offer around complex tax matters, including corporate tax, inheritance tax, and international tax... - Published: 2026-03-26 - Modified: 2026-03-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/shapes-top-things-to-look-at-before-5th-of-april-deadline/ The tax year closes on 5 April 2026, so we've pulled together the things that are most worth acting on, (depending on your situation) that can help bring that tax bill down. Take five minutes to read this, there might be something here that saves you real money!   FOR EVERYONE - LET'S TALK ISA'S Use your ISA allowance of £20,000 (it doesn't roll over) An ISA is a savings or investment account where your money grows completely tax-free no income tax, no tax on growth which means no tax on the interest, no tax when you take it out. You can put in up to £20,000 this tax year. Don't use it by 5 April? It's gone. Forever. BONUS: Couples: you each get £20,000 that's £40,000 between you, all sheltered from tax. Under 40? The Lifetime ISA is worth knowing about The Lifetime ISA (LISA) is one of the most generous things the government still offers. Put in up to £4,000 per year, and they add 25% on top that's up to £1,000 free money every year. It's designed for buying your first home or retirement savings. So what's the catch? You must open one before your 40th birthday. Once you hit 40, the door closes permanently. If you're approaching that age, opening one now, even with just £1, secures your eligibility. You can keep contributing until you're 50. However a LISA sits within your 20k allowance not on top of it. More Info here Got Kids? Don't forget... - Published: 2026-03-18 - Modified: 2026-03-18 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/ai-brand-sounding-the-same/ You’re reading a competitor’s latest blog post and it’s sounding very familiar. Same structure. Same cadence. Same opening line about how "in today's fast-paced world x,y,z”. Jump over to LinkedIn and it’s looking like the equivalent of the village in Royston Vasey, a weird uncanny valley where every piece of content reads like the back of a cereal box. You read it and you know it’s just... off. The problem is everything is the same and it's quietly becoming one of the biggest threats to brand differentiation in the age of AI-generated content. Default settings are running the show Let’s get it straight, only you can sound like you. Everyone knows it, but the LLM’s are getting better at mimicking that spontaneity of language. Large language models are trained on copious amounts of internet text, but they’re looking for the most common patterns, the most repeated phrases, the most "acceptable" sentence structures. When you ask an AI to write content without firm guardrails, it doesn't reach for your brand's unique personality. It reaches for the most middle of the road it can. What you end up with is a kind of beige professionalism. Yeah it’s competent, readable but it’s utterly forgettable. Suddenly every brand has a "passionate team committed to delivering exceptional results. " (because who wants to shout about an uninterested team delivering mediocre results? ). Do you feel called out if every one of your newsletters opens with a rhetorical question and closes with a call to action... - Published: 2026-03-12 - Modified: 2026-03-12 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/whats-the-most-tax-efficient-salary-for-a-director-in-2026-27/ If you run a limited company, one of the most common questions accountants get asked is: "How much should I pay myself? " It sounds simple. It isn't, but we can make it straightforward. The short answer for most directors in 2026/27 is £12,570 per year (£1,048 per month). But the right answer for you depends on your setup. Here's what you need to know. Why salary matters more than you might think As a director and shareholder of a limited company, you're not stuck with just a salary. The most tax-efficient approach is usually a combination of salary and dividends, keeping your salary low to minimise National Insurance (NI), and topping up your income with dividends, which are taxed at lower rates. But "keeping your salary low" doesn't mean setting it to zero. There are real consequences to getting this wrong. The three key thresholds for 2026/27 There are three salary levels worth knowing about. Each aligns with a different National Insurance or tax threshold: Option 1 — £5,000 (the NI Secondary Threshold) At £5,000, your company pays no Employer's NI at all. Simple and administratively clean. The catch? £5,000 falls below the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL) of £6,500, which means this salary won't count as a qualifying year towards your State Pension. If building your pension entitlement matters to you, this option isn't ideal. Option 2 — £6,500 (the Lower Earnings Limit) At £6,500, you get the State Pension qualifying year without paying any employee NI yourself. Your... - Published: 2026-02-23 - Modified: 2026-02-26 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/how-shapes-is-preparing-for-mtd-bringing-freedom-relief-delight/ With MTD for Income Tax launching in April 2026, here's how we're approaching the transition at Shapes. While it won't affect a huge number of our clients, those who are impacted will get proper support. Our philosophy is simple: bring freedom, relief and delight to those we work with – and that looks different for everyone. Awareness over assumption Our biggest priority? Making sure people actually know what's happening. We're not assuming people understand MTD or whether it applies to them. Many sole traders and landlords simply aren't aware of the changes coming. We're running a proper communications campaign – clear, straightforward explanations of what MTD is, who's affected, and the timelines. No jargon, just helpful information that makes sense. Finding who needs support We're identifying everyone falling within the MTD thresholds: Sole traders and/or landlords with combined income above £50,000 (April 2026) Combined income £30,000-£50,000 (April 2027) Combined income £20,000-£30,000 (April 2028) Once identified, we're reaching out individually to explain their timeline and recommend the right Xero plan. Personal, practical, and planned well in advance. Why we're passionate about Xero We've chosen Xero as our MTD solution, and honestly? We're genuinely excited. This isn't just accounting software – it's a complete game-changer for how clients run their businesses. Our team knows Xero inside out. But more than that, Xero transforms how clients interact with their finances. Real-time data, bank feeds, mobile access, instant reporting – everything MTD needs and so much more. For clients already using Xero, they're ahead... - Published: 2026-02-11 - Modified: 2026-02-11 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/making-tax-digital-why-were-embracing-the-change/ Let's be honest about MTD for a second. It's sparked plenty of debate, and not all of it positive. But here at Shapes, we've got a different take. MTD is happening. That's settled. So we're choosing to look at what's actually on offer here. And when you dig into it, there's a lot to get excited about. Your numbers, finally up to date Think about the typical scenario we see all the time. A client runs their business from their bank balance. They think they're doing okay because there's money in the account. Then January comes round and suddenly that £5,000 you just spent in December was actually needed to pay HMRC and now you're in a panic. MTD changes this completely. With quarterly updates, you're keeping on top of your numbers throughout the year. You know where you stand. No nasty surprises in January. Cashflow clarity you can actually use We talk about cashflow all the time with our clients, and for good reason. No money means no business. Managing it well means no impulse purchasing with money that's ring-fenced for other things. When you know what's actually available to spend, money starts to build and you make better decisions. When you're maintaining digital records and updating HMRC quarterly, you're building a habit of looking at your numbers regularly. You start to spot patterns. March is always tight? Make sure you've got reserves ready. October is strong? That's when you invest in new equipment. The Xero factor Here's where... - Published: 2025-12-22 - Modified: 2026-01-14 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/celebrating-the-end-of-2025-in-style/ The annual Shapes Christmas event was back for the 3rd year... and we loved it! On Thursday 11th December we hosted our 3rd annual "Shapes, clients & friends" event, to celebrate both the end of the year, thank our fantastic team, clients, partners and supporters, and to just simply have a dollop of delight with a bunch of great people. This year we moved the event from our venue to the stunning Night Yard wedding venue just a stones throw at the back of our office, and it did not disappoint! What a brilliant festive setting for a wonderful evening. We were delighted to be able to have Adam and Emilie from Adam's Scalextric with us for the evening - featuring a 4 track, 6 player car racing track, with lap times and a leaderboard just like on Top Gear. Adam set up his business only in the last few months of 2025, so was great to be able to support a fledgling startup with something we all love, and it appears our clients love a bit of competitive racing too! We also hosted two of our wonderful clients as paid services for our clients to experience. Kåta Creative for whom we've produced the brand and identity, and helped build their business planning and accounting since starting in 2024 offered a glass etching to take away candles or glasses on the night. Kåta offer creative workshops and products in person and in their online shop. We also had the incredible... - Published: 2025-11-26 - Modified: 2026-01-26 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/companies-house-id-verification-what-you-need-to-know/ If you're a company director, you've probably heard murmurs about new identity verification rules from Companies House. Well, the wait is over – the changes are now live, and we wanted to give you a clear rundown of what's happening and how we can help. What's changed? From 18 November 2025, Companies House required all individual directors and persons with significant control (PSCs) to verify their identity. This is part of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 – essentially the government's effort to crack down on fraud and make the companies register more trustworthy. The good news? It's a one-off process. Once you're verified, you'll receive a personal code that works across all your director and PSC roles. No need to do it again for each company you're involved with. When do I need to do this? Here's where it gets a bit nuanced: For new directors (appointed from 18 November 2025 onwards): You must verify your identity before your appointment can be registered. No verification, no appointment – it's as simple as that. For existing directors: You need to confirm your verification when your company files its next annual confirmation statement. This gives most businesses a 12-month transition window. For PSCs: The deadline depends on your circumstances, but broadly follows a similar pattern tied to confirmation statements or birth month. The key point: your earliest deadline across all your roles is the one that matters. If you're a director of multiple companies, check which confirmation statement comes... - Published: 2025-10-09 - Modified: 2025-10-13 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/shapes-partner-with-canterbury-eagles/ Announcing our official kit sponsorship of Canterbury Eagles U15s! Here We Go! ! We are delighted to announce that Shapes has become the official shirt sponsor for Canterbury Eagles U15s on all their home and away kit. This partnership extends our support for football in Kent as we add the boys youth team to our portfolio of sponsored teams across women, U18 girls, men's and a girls academy. Go Eagles! Even more football See more about all the things we offer football clubs in our football hub page here - Published: 2025-10-03 - Modified: 2025-10-13 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/pros-and-cons-of-football-club-structures-a-quick-reference-guide/ Unregistered clubs (unincorporated associations) Pros: Free and quick to set up with no registration required Very flexible – you can change your rules easily Minimal paperwork and no annual filing requirements Perfect for small clubs just starting out Cons: Committee members personally liable for debts and contracts Club can't own property or sign contracts in its own name Difficult to secure grants or bank loans Individuals could be personally sued if something goes wrong Assets must be held by individuals rather than the club Registered CASCs (community amateur sports clubs) Pros: 80% business rates relief saves significant money Gift Aid on donations brings in extra income Corporation tax exemption on qualifying income Recognised status that funders understand Keeps amateur sport at the heart of your club Cons: Membership fees capped at £1,612 per year per person Playing costs limited to £520 per year per person Total player payments restricted to £10,000 per year Income limit of £100,000 from trading and property Locked in once registered – leaving triggers tax repayment Doesn't provide limited liability unless you also incorporate Amateur requirements may limit club development Community interest companies (CICs) Pros: Separate legal entity can own property and sign contracts Limited liability protects individual members Asset lock ensures funds benefit the community Access to community-specific grants and social investment Quicker to set up than a charity Can still make profits and pay dividends (capped at 35%) Cons: No charity tax benefits Can't access many charity-only grants Extra annual CIC report required Asset... - Published: 2025-09-09 - Modified: 2025-10-13 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/start-your-season-right-4-finance-basics-every-club-needs-2/ Running a grassroots football club without a budget is like playing a match without knowing the score. A budget helps you plan ahead, avoid nasty surprises, and make sure your club stays financially healthy throughout the season. Here's a straightforward process that any committee member can follow – no finance degree required. Plan ahead. It's better to have a pleasant surprise than an unpleasant one! Step 1: List All Your Income Sources Start by writing down every way your club brings in money. Common income sources include: Player registration fees Match day fees (subs) Sponsorship deals Fundraising events (quiz nights, tournaments) Bar or canteen sales Grants from local councils or football associations Kit sales Be realistic with your estimates. Look at last season's figures if you have them, and remember that not every player pays on time. Step 2: List All Your Expenses Next, list everything your club spends money on. Don't forget anything – even small costs add up over a season: Pitch hire or maintenance League registration and match fees Referee costs Kit and equipment (balls, cones, first aid supplies) Insurance Training facilities Transport for away matches End of season presentation costs Website and administration costs Step 3: Create Monthly Breakdowns Football clubs don't receive or spend money evenly throughout the year. Break down when money comes in and goes out: Registration fees might all arrive in August/September Pitch hire might be monthly Insurance could be one annual payment Sponsorship might come in quarterly This monthly view helps... - Published: 2025-08-07 - Modified: 2025-10-13 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/start-your-season-right-4-finance-basics-every-club-needs/ Let it begin! Pre-season training isn't just for players. Getting your club's finances match-fit before the first whistle will save headaches throughout the season. As the start of the season is upon us here’s 4 things we think you should be thinking about at your club. You wouldn't send a team out without training or tactics. Don't run your club without proper financial foundations either. 1. Make sure you have a budget Think of your budget as your season tactics sheet. List what money you expect coming in (subs, sponsors, bar takings) and what's going out (pitch hire, kit, ref fees). Keep it simple - even a basic spreadsheet helps you spot problems before they happen. It’s particularly important to have up to date information to base your budget on. 2. Keep everything visible Your treasurer shouldn't be the only one who knows the club's bank balance. Share monthly updates at committee meetings. When everyone can see the numbers, you'll get better ideas and fewer surprises. Plus, transparency builds trust with members and parents. 3. Chase those payments! Late payers drain your club's energy. Set clear payment deadlines for subs and sponsors and stick to them. Send friendly reminders before payment due dates and consider offering monthly payment plans - smaller regular amounts are easier for families to manage than big lump sums. Using payment solutions like GoCardless or SumUp are great ways to keep on top of things. 4. Use smart accounting and reporting tools Ditch the shoebox of... - Published: 2025-08-01 - Modified: 2025-10-09 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/xero-silver-to-gold-status-unlocked/ We made it to Gold! We've just made it to Xero Gold status just at the end of our second year of trading as a company. We are over the moon, and cannot thank both our clients and the team at Xero enough for helping us to get this achievement. This gold status positions us as a robust and experienced partner for Xero use to companies across the world, and we're already well on our way to the next level - Platinum! In the A-Team, Mr. T (yes we're quoting Mr. T) refers to why he wear's gold in his outfits, and Steve and Jim we kinda like that too. “Gold was a gift to Jesus. If it’s good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for me! ” ~ Mr. T - Published: 2025-07-17 - Modified: 2025-10-13 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/kent-fa-marketing-partner/ Announcing an extention to our partnership with the Kent FA! Here We Go! ! We are delighted to announce that Shapes has become the official brand & marketing partner to the Kent FA for the coming 2 seasons, 2025-2027. Brand & Positioning The partnership will see us delivering advice, guidance and best practice support for over 700 football clubs and 32 leagues across Kent, helping clubs to see themselves as brands, and guide them to build robust and energetic strategies that position and excite their players and local communities. Social media help and support Through the partnership, the Shapes team will be providing training and ideas on how to use tools such as Adobe Express, Canva and social management tools to create efficiencies and consistencies for clubs across Kent. There are countless talented social and creative people within football clubs already, but many clubs struggle with really telling a compelling story about life at their club. We'd love to see this become a standard way of football socials, helping clubs realise the stories within and use creative ways to tell them. Shapes is a digital accounting and digital marketing agency, specifically helping small businesses and organisations across the UK. Started in 2023, by founders Steve & Jim, we offer a unique mix of accounting and marketing direction and support. Steve and Jim are passionate football fans and support the grassroots game in many ways, cheering on their own kids from the sidelines, coaching, even running the line on occasion, and... - Published: 2025-06-25 - Modified: 2025-06-25 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/shapes-shortlisted-for-xero-small-accounting-firm-of-the-year/ Say whaaaat! This morning we got the incredible news that the last 2 years of hard work, energy, effort and love for what we do in and around Xero for our clients has been recognised by Xero as we are shortlisted for UK small firm of the year in the 2025 Xero Awards! The prestigious awards from one of the world's leading accounting software apps is highly competitive, and for us, just simply being in the mix here is hugely exciting! The awards, which happen this September will have the accounting world's eyes on who the winners may be, and we are so excited for the event no doubt taking the whole team ! Many of you know that Jim used to work for Xero which taught him so much on great team, great accounting service, and the rise to excellence, so this nomination is extra special for Jim: - Published: 2025-06-19 - Modified: 2025-10-13 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/shapes-becomes-official-accounting-partner-to-london-fa/ Announcing a new partnership with the London FA We are delighted to announce that Shapes has become the official accounting partner to the London FA for the coming 2 seasons, 2025-2027. The partnership will see us delivering advice, guidance and best practice support for over 950 football clubs across London facilitating football for over 72,500 registered affiliated players. Through this partnership, Shapes will provide a tailored face-to-face workshop for clubs and leagues on financial planning and accounts management, and bite-sized videos for the London FA website too, similar to the support we already offer to Kent FA. Strategic Priorities London FA has 5 strategic priorities in its framework, and we're delighted to be supporting across all 5 of these through guidance on accounting apps and systems, financial planning for your football club, accounting must-haves and best practice how-to's. Improve playing choice and experience Deliver equal opportunities for women & girls to play Build more & improve existing facilities Tackle poor behaviours Develop a valued network of volunteers, coaches & referees Shapes is a digital accounting and digital marketing agency, specifically helping small businesses and organisations across the UK. Started in 2023, by founders Steve & Jim, we offer a unique mix of accounting and marketing direction and support. Steve and Jim both grew up in London and have been huge football fans all their lives. Steve played in the Clapton FC youth teams in the late 90s and Jim's boyhood hero David Seaman inspired a (very) short lived goalkeeping career.... - Published: 2025-03-17 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/april-5th-is-closing-in/ Maximise Your Tax Benefits Before April 5th With April 5th just around the corner, it's time to focus on maximising your tax reliefs for the 2024/2025 financial year, now is the perfect time to review your finances and ensure you're taking advantage of all available tax reliefs. Let's explore how you can make the most of the opportunities available to you! Personal Allowances and Reliefs Personal Allowance Everyone has a Personal Allowance of £12,570 for the 2024/2025 tax year. This is the amount you can earn before paying any income tax. It's important to note that this allowance decreases by £1 for every £2 you earn over £100,000, meaning those with an income of £125,140 or more have no Personal Allowance. With careful tax planning, there are ways to preserve your Personal Allowance when your income is approaching the £100,000 mark or above. Marriage Allowance If you're married or in a civil partnership, and one partner earns less than the Personal Allowance while the other is a basic rate taxpayer, the lower earner can transfer 10% of their Personal Allowance (£1,257) to their partner. Example: If you earn £8,000 and your spouse earns £35,000, you can transfer £1,257 of your unused allowance to them. This reduces their tax bill by approximately £251 per year. Pension Contributions Contributing to a pension is one of the most tax-efficient ways to save for retirement. There are important differences between personal and employer contributions, each with their own benefits: Personal Pension Contributions When you... - Published: 2025-02-03 - Modified: 2025-02-14 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/welcome-to-shapes-team-helen/ We've signed another team member! Helen joins us as a full time accountant alongside Jim and Katy, bolstering our output and capacity for more accounting clients into 2025. Born and bred in Kent, Helen finds joy in solving problems for clients and bringing clear simplicity to all she produces for clients. Helen joins Shapes team as a new full time chartered accountant bringing years of experience and a wealth of knowledge and excellent organisation to our clients' accounting delivery and consultancy. A big Formula One fan, Helen also loves a glass of milk, a good traditional quiz night and board games - we could do with the help on the team quiz night front thats for sure! No pressure, Helen! Watch our big reveal video below, and find out more about Helen here! - Published: 2024-12-18 - Modified: 2024-12-18 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/2024-what-a-ride/ 2024 wrapup! Well, that’s been a blast! At the start of 2024 who would have guessed that we would have ... Become Exclusive Accounting Partner for the Kent FA Appeared on webinars for industry leading tech providers Hired our first full time members of our team ( Katy & Candida) Built AI tools into lots more of what we do (Yes, Claude! ) Sponsored a racing car Drunk at least 1000 cups of coffee (ok that one was easier to guess! ) Added on average one new client to our growing portfolio every week Supported lots more businesses with the move to Xero Seen the Herne Bay FC Women’s team play QPR in the FA Cup & get over 1m social impressions During the last year we’ve also crafted our 4 strategic pillars that will see us continue to move things forward in 2025 Incredible customer experiences Compelling storytelling Unbeatable culture Rise to the top We’re not going to lie, we’re all in need of a bit of a lie down, but before we do, we wanted to say thanks to everyone who have been with us on the ride that’s been 2024. So, whether you are a client, a team member, or a supporter, whether you’ve followed us online or you’ve never seen one of our posts. If we see you in person every day, or if we’ve only met once, thanks. Thanks for helping us build Shapes. Thanks for helping us deliver on our dream to bring a... - Published: 2024-12-17 - Modified: 2024-12-16 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/my-experience-so-far-at-shapes/ Since April, I have been interning at shapes as a trainee accountant as a part of my T-level accounting college course which has greatly increased my knowledge and skillset in the industry. DAS 2024! Shortly after joining Shapes, I attended DAS 2024 with Steve, Sue and Jim- I wasn’t really sure what to expect from an ‘accounting show’ at first but upon arrival I discovered that it was going to be a great day and opportunity to connect with companies who are shaping the future of accountancy. Although it was the definition of being thrown in the deep end with the limited knowledge that I had at the time, I feel it served as a chance to get some real world advice and knowledge from people already in the industry as well as a good occasion to connect with the Shapes team. Starting with Xero The certification program was structured into different modules, each focusing on specific aspects of the software. I started with the fundamentals, learning about the dashboard, bank reconciliation, and basic transactions. As I moved through the certification as the weeks went by, I began to tackle more complex modules such as creating financial reports and setting up charts of accounts. Once I had got through all of the modules, I was awarded with a Xero certification! Kent FA In my first couple of months at Shapes, we were invited to conduct a presentation to lots of local football clubs about the importance of keeping their accounts... - Published: 2024-12-09 - Modified: 2024-12-17 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/kentfa-accounting-videos/ Accounting best practice video series produced for the Kent FA Since kicking of our partnership as the exclusive accounting partner to the Kent FA back in May 2024, we've been working with their team in the background to find ways to ensure we facilitate and support clubs as best we can. This month sees the launch of the new Kent FA website section for accounting for clubs and leagues. Featuring PDF guides, content and videos to help clubs with 4 key areas of running their setup. Introduction to digital accounting Making & Receiving Payments HMRC and your Club/League Reporting, forecasting and cash flow PLUS! 7 top tips for football club accounting best practice As huge football fans, we’re delighted to be supporting over 700clubs, 32 leagues and over 69,000+ players in the Kent game with our partnership. See the videos, content and more on what we're doing for Kent FA here Reach out to us if you want to find out more Kent FA partners See more about our partnership with the Kent FA here - Published: 2024-12-05 - Modified: 2024-12-05 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/shapes-become-an-icaew-authorised-training-employer/ Shapes become an ICAEW authorised training employer As a chartered accountant, Jim has to be registered with an official body, called ICAEW. As a world-leading improvement regulator for accountants and accounting practices, ICAEW supervise and monitor around 11,500 firms, holding them, and all ICAEW members and students, to the highest standards of professional competency and conduct. We're delighted to confirm that We Are Shapes Ltd (thats our official name) has been approved as an authorised training employer, meaning we are able to train ACA students within our team and office location. "Another brick in the wall" We're delighted to be able to confirm this, and after just 18months in operation this is another excellent milestone for Shapes team. Get your accounting in shape Interested in getting support for your own career with Shapes? Get in touch with Jim today. - Published: 2024-11-04 - Modified: 2024-12-05 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/bank-of-englands-first-interest-rate-cut-for-ages/ Interest Rates: Bank of England Makes Historic Cut to 4. 75% The Bank of England has finally pressed the pause button on rising interest rates, dropping them from 5% to 4. 75%. While this is good news, don't get too excited - rates are still much higher than what we've seen in recent years. Here’s some interesting information about this cut and what it could mean for you: Got a mortgage? If you're paying off a £200,000 home loan on a tracker or variable rate, you'll save about £30 each month. That's enough for a nice takeaway or to help with the weekly shop! Saving your pennies? If you've tucked away £10,000 in savings, you'll earn roughly £25 less in interest over the year. Not ideal, but it won't break the bank. Borrowed some money? Imagine you've borrowed £100,000 - your monthly payments could drop by about £20. It might not sound like much, but over a year, that's money back in your pocket! The good stuff doesn’t stop there: Perhaps you’re mortgage hunting? You now might find slightly better deals. Credit cards and loans could be a tiny bit cheaper but make all the difference, whether it be a new loan or a loan to consolidate debt, every little helps, right? Running a business? This might be your moment to borrow for that expansion you've been dreaming about. Think of it this way: This 0. 25% cut is like turning down your heating just a touch - you'll feel... - Published: 2024-11-04 - Modified: 2024-11-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/5-steps-to-getting-your-invoices-paid-faster-2/ Adding payment services to your sales invoices in Xero allows customers to pay online easily and quickly using the 'Pay Now' button. This speeds up payment collection, improves cash flow, and provides a convenient payment option for customers, enhancing their overall experience. Here are some commonly used payment services you can integrate with Xero: 1. Stripe: Allows customers to pay invoices using credit and debit cards. 2. PayPal: Enables payments through PayPal accounts or credit and debit cards. 3. GoCardless: Facilitates direct debit payments. 4. Square: Supports payments via credit and debit cards. 5. Apple Pay: Provides an option for customers to pay using Apple Pay through Stripe. To integrate these services, you need to follow the steps in the Xero settings to authorise and connect your accounts, making it easy for customers to pay your invoices online. Step 1 Log in to your Xero account. Click on business on the main navigation, then click on online payments Step 2: Access Payment Services Click on Add a new Payment Service. Step 3: Add a Payment Service Select a Payment Service you want to set up and then the Provider (such as Stripe, PayPal, etc. ) from the list. Step 4: Connect to the Payment Service Follow the prompts to either sign up or log in to your payment service account. Authorise the connection between Xero and your payment service provider. Step 5: Enable Payment Services on Invoices Go to "Manage connected services" in the "Online Payments" menu. Under your list... - Published: 2024-07-05 - Modified: 2024-11-19 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/shapes-team-up-with-payroll-sorted/ Shapes teams up with Payroll Sorted for better payroll provision Exciting news from Shapes HQ this week. We’ve teamed up with Payroll Sorted to enable us to scale our offering for small businesses who want to outsource their payroll. Payroll Sorted offer expert payroll support to over one hundred accounting firms in the UK, have been operating for over a decade and can handle everything from weekly variable payroll, to payroll benefits and dealing with all the pension scheme compliance you need. We’re delighted to have them as part of our team, and they position us to be able to take on clients with more complex needs in this critical area while we can focus on the strategic aspects of the business. We’re massively excited about this relationship and we know it’ll be a great move for our clients too! Reach out to us if you want to find out more! - Published: 2024-06-12 - Modified: 2024-11-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/how-to-set-up-custom-invoices-in-xero/ Using custom sales invoice templates in Xero lets businesses create personalised invoices with their logo, colours, layout, and payment details. This makes invoices look professional, tailored and consistent and shows your customers how and when to pay, making the invoicing process easier and more efficient.   How to Set Up Custom Invoices in Xero:   Step 1 Log into Xero Go to Settings Step 2: Access Invoice Settings Click on the "Invoice Settings" Step 3: Select "New Branding Theme" Step 4: Update information that you want showing on your invoices Branding Options Choose page size Define margins on invoice Select font style Customise document titles (e. g. , "Sales Invoice" instead of Tax Invoice) Set Up VAT Settings Ensure correct VAT rates are displayed Choose VAT inclusive/exclusive display Payment Information UK bank account details Sort code and account number BACS payment references Include any specific payment terms If you have set up payment services (link to previous article) select which payment service you require on this invoice Add Payment Terms & Other relevant information Due date (e. g. , 30 days) Early payment discounts Late payment terms (referring to UK Late Payment Legislation) Include statutory right to claim interest and compensation Add notes about reverse charge VAT if relevant to your industry Header Details Your trading name Business address Contact information Website (optional) Click "Save" Step 5: Click "Options" Click "Upload logo" Recommended size: at least 300px wide File types: JPG, PNG, GIF Step 6: Create test invoice Check all... - Published: 2024-05-29 - Modified: 2024-11-26 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/welcome-candida-to-shapes-team/ We've signed another team member! Hot on the heels of Katy joining Shapes at the start of the month, we are delighted to announce that we have Candida Correia joining the Shapes team as Digital & Marketing Creative. Originally from South Africa , Candida studied a Digital Arts with a 1st class honours degree at the University of Kent, followed by a year in industry at Nintendo co-designing assets for some of their world renowned character brand names, and creating social graphics for a global Nintendo audience. Candida loves photography, football and good food! Watch our big reveal video below, and find out more about Candida here! - Published: 2024-05-05 - Modified: 2024-11-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/how-to-set-up-automated-reminders-in-xero/ Automated reminders for sales invoices in Xero help ensure timely payments by notifying customers about upcoming, due, or overdue invoices. This reduces the need for manual follow-ups, improves cash flow, decreases the likelihood of late payments, and enhances customer relationships by maintaining consistent communication.   How to Set Up Automated Reminders in Xero:   Step 1 Access your Xero account and navigate to the dashboard. Step 2: Access Invoice Settings Click on the "Business" menu and select "Invoices. " Step 3: In the Invoices page, click on the "Invoice Reminders" button. . Step 4: Enable Automated Reminders In the "Invoice Reminders" page, select "Email customers when an invoice is... . " Step 5: Customise Reminder Settings Set the conditions for reminders, such as the number of days before or after the due date when reminders should be sent. Customise the reminder messages to suit your tone and requirements. Step 6: Save and Activate Review your settings and click "Save. " Ensure reminders are activated and will be sent out according to your specified schedule. By setting up automated reminders in Xero, you can streamline your invoicing process, improve payment timeliness, and focus on other important business tasks. - Published: 2024-05-03 - Modified: 2024-11-26 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/welcome-katy-to-shapes-team/ When we started Shapes, we knew we wanted to build a team. How quickly and how big that team got was really down to time! However, just short of our 1st birthday, we're delighted to confirm that we have signed Katy Priestley as our Director of Accounting Services Katy's experience spans years at one of the UKs top 30 accounting firms, and brings a wealth of experience in outsourced finance management and managing accounting teams. Katy lives near Lincoln, and will be in Shapes HQ once a month for a few days as well as out and about at all the industry events with us - we're very excited to have her join the team! Watch our big reveal video below, and find out more about Katy here! - Published: 2024-04-29 - Modified: 2024-11-19 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/the-experience-i-gained-as-a-marketing-intern-over-six-months/ Over the past six months I've embarked on an enriching journey into the world of marketing during my internship at Shapes. This experience is a part of my T-level in Digital Production, Design, and Development at Canterbury College and has not only broadened my understanding of marketing but has equipped me with valuable skills that I'll carry forward in my career. Starting at Advent From day one I began with designing app visuals for the apps for Advent using Canva. This opportunity quickly evolved into a versatile skill set as I use Canva for various projects, including client work like creating engaging visuals for the Herne Bay Women's Football Team. Furthermore, using Figma, I learned the art of transforming physical ideas into digital masterpieces for clients like Kent Trainers. Creative mind My internship was filled with creativity, especially in content creation across diverse platforms. From planning and producing TikTok videos to crafting professional LinkedIn and Instagram posts, I sharpened my ability to tailor content for specific audiences while upholding brand integrity, a crucial aspect of modern marketing. Hover over the Spotify logo to reveal text... This is a graphic I created in Canva for the apps for advent. I had to locate all the logos of different shapes and sizes and make each graphic for every day all identical in layout and style. SEO analysis Diving into SEO analysis, using tools like SEMrush and Screaming Frog, I analysed website performance across different metrics, helping to shape strategic decisions and optimise... - Published: 2024-04-02 - Modified: 2024-11-19 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/finalists-in-the-uk-startup-awards-2024/ We're delighted to announce that we have been shortlisted for the UK Startup Awards in the 'Rising Star' category for the South East of England. In the coming weeks, a rigorous judging round will take place, culminating in the selection and announcement of winners for each category in each region online on Wednesday 8th May. The winners will not only hold the prestigious title of regional champions but will also advance to compete for the national title at the UK StartUp Awards national final. We've beaten off some fierce competition to become finalists, and are in the mix with some wonderful services and product companies, so whatever happens in the coming weeks, we're delighted to have come this far! With Shapes only 10 months old at this stage, we cannot believe how far we've come, the splash we're making in both the accounting industry and the wider small business community in Kent and the South East, and the connections we are making. Our shape is growing... can we help you evolve yours? - Published: 2024-03-16 - Modified: 2024-11-19 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/10-ways-digital-accounting-can-help-your-business-grow/ Digital accounting can help your business grow in a number of ways. Here's our top ten reasons why digital accounting can have a positive impact on your small business: Save time and money: Digital accounting software can automate many of the tasks involved in accounting, freeing up your time and money for other aspects of your business. Improve accuracy: Digital accounting software is highly accurate, reducing the risk of human error. Get real-time insights: Digital accounting software provides real-time insights into your financial performance. This information can help you make better business decisions. Scale your business easily: Digital accounting software can scale with your business, making it easy to add new users and features as needed. Collaborate with your accountant: Digital accounting software makes it easy to collaborate with your accountant. You can share data and reports electronically, and your accountant can access your financial data from anywhere. Improve your customer service: Digital accounting software can help you improve your customer service by making it easy to send invoices, process payments, and track customer transactions. Make tax season easier: Digital accounting software can make tax season easier by helping you prepare your taxes quickly and accurately. Get funded: If you are seeking funding for your business, digital accounting software can help you make a good impression on investors and lenders. Improve your business valuation: A well-maintained digital accounting system can increase the value of your business. Make your business more attractive to buyers: If you are considering selling your business,... - Published: 2024-03-11 - Modified: 2024-11-19 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/shapes-becomes-exclusive-accounting-partner-to-kent-fa/ We are delighted to announce a new partnership with the Kent FA. Starting immediately, Shapes have signed an agreement as the exclusive accounting partner to the Kent FA, supporting football clubs and leagues across the region. As huge football fans, we're delighted to announce this Partnership with the Kent FA which will run for the entire 2024-25 and 2025-26 season. In conjunction with the Kent FA, Shapes will help clubs, leagues and people within clubs to understand best practice when it comes to running their finances, and to implement better accounting tools. What we'll do We'll be running webinars, in person training and providing a series of helpful guides and resources for clubs and leagues to utilise across their setup. We're already starting to build these out in the background and can't wait to see the impact these will have. We'll showcase how to create efficiencies, improvements and more transparency, raising the level of accounting standards in grassroots football, across Kent. Xero and the FA With our strong partnership with Xero who are a partner with the FA for The Lionesses as well grassroots football. We'll be able to support football teams, clubs and leagues with their Xero set up or migration projects too. Better numbers off the pitch mean better numbers on it. For more on the Kent FA, see www. kentfa. com For more on Xero see www. xero. com/uk/thefa Launch video Better Accounting? If you're interested in better accounting for your business, team or organisation, get in... - Published: 2023-11-19 - Modified: 2024-11-19 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/how-to-get-rid-of-petty-cash-once-and-for-all/ What level are you on? Level 0 = "hey team, who has the petty cash tin? " / "Where shall I put this receipt? " Level 1 - Pleo debit cards for the team = no more petty cash 🪪 Level 2 - hook up Fetch by Pleo = no more downloading > uploading email invoices - it does it for you! Level 3 - You also have Xero and you've hooked up Pleo? ! Level 4 - You are working with Shapes already and you have all of level 1-3? Oh wow! Lets go to dinner, darling. My shout. I'll grab the Pleo card... What you on about, Steve? You might have seen on our socials that we post quite a lot about Pleo as Shapes, and often why we recommend it as a solution to get rid of those petty cash tins in your office. You know - the red and blue ones with the tiny key that people leave in the tin or it'll get lost, meaning its as secure as a prison with no walls. But whats PLEO? I'm glad you asked. Pleo is a Well, it gets better. Pleo has a tool call Fetch. Fetch finds the receipt automatically in your Gmail, Outlook or Microsoft 365 inbox. You literally just spend money - and the reporting happens for you. "WHAT THE ACTUAL" I can hear you say... Yes its real. Give us a shout if you want better accounting for your team - Published: 2023-10-25 - Modified: 2024-11-19 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/requirements-for-company-directors-with-companies-house/ Being a company director brings with it certain responsibilities and obligations that you have to fulfil with Companies House. We got our co-sec lead, Sue onto creating this list of the top 8 most vital things to ensure you are on top of when it comes to those responsibilities. When a person becomes a director of a company, their appointment must be notified to Companies House within 14 days. Similarly, if a director resigns from their position, this information must also be reported to Companies House within the same timeframe. As a director, you are required to provide your personal details, including all of these below to Companies House Full name Date of birth Occupation Residential address Service address The service address will be publicly available, while the residential address will not be disclosed. Directors must give their consent to act as a director of the company. This consent can be given during the appointment process or at any time later, but it must be in writing and kept by the company. Companies are required to maintain a register of Directors, which includes details such as their names, addresses, and dates of appointment. This register must be kept up to date and be available for public inspection. It's basically an address book on file of your Directors and their appointment dates. Directors have certain statutory duties, such as acting in the best interests of the company, promoting its success, exercising reasonable care, skill, and diligence, and avoiding conflicts of interest.... - Published: 2023-10-19 - Modified: 2024-11-19 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/xero-bronze-to-silver-in-just-5-months/ We started Shapes on 19th May 2023 and began to take on clients almost immediately into our Xero platform. Xero provides accounting partners like Shapes various levels of status depending on the scale of their service to clients. Bronze is up first, awarded once you achieve 25 points with active Xero subscriptions/services. We reached that relatively quickly in our first month! Woop! ? ? ? ? But Bronze is not enough, oh no. 5 months to the day we incorporated the business, we have just hit Silver status! ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Watch our really serious video celebrating hitting silver below... Bring on the gold! ? ? ? ? - Published: 2023-10-03 - Modified: 2024-11-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/why-cloud-accounting-makes-you-a-better-business/ Why cloud accounting makes you a better business Here's the spoiler... It reduces stress ! It provides live accounting It saves you hours - or even days - per year (in one of our recent pitches we heard a client say that processing their invoices takes them 6 full days a month! - We're confident with digital transformation we can drop that by 4-5 days! ) Core financial data at your fingertips Transforms your business planning capabilities Way back (like way, way back before smart phones and apps) I remember people talking about this new thing called the internet and 'email'. Theres a brilliant clip from a morning American 'Today' show : Tech changes and as businesses, we have to move with it. Just like back in 1994, when we all started getting AOL and Yahoo email addresses to be like the cool kids, 20 years later, "the cloud" became a thing. And with the advancement of apps, smartphones and internet & wifi infrastructure running your business on the cloud in every way is now common place. Now, none of this is new, cloud accounting has been around for years. But for many businesses, we're still operating in spreadsheets and manual processes. The accounting challenge for small businesses The challenge, is often that for many businesses making significant changes from old to new systems, applications, processes is a huge headache, a massive task and a mountain that within the business, "we just can't take that on right now" The beauty... - Published: 2023-08-31 - Modified: 2024-11-19 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/new-season-new-kit-sponsored-by-shapes/ You might know by now, but within the first couple of months of starting Shapes - our accounting and marketing firm for small businesses - we decided to sponsor a football team. You can read more about the details here on what our partnership means. Once the kit turned up, Steve's creative juices got flowing and came up with a whole new idea... what if we did a kit reveal video? So we hired in a rotation disc, and one rainy evening in Herne Bay we persuaded three of the team to come and spend some time shooting a video for the kit reveal. We had plans for shots in the changing room, physio room, on the pitch, in the stands, and even in the kit room... but sadly for our plans and mad ideas, we could only get access to the managers office, which is about 4ft x 6ft ... basically you can fit a desk in and a chair... Thinking on his feet, Steve came up with a different idea. Moody Simple Secretive Celebratory The results are brilliant, and despite the room restrictions, we're delighted how the film came out, and got some brilliant traction in the fans forums on Facebook and Twitter. - Published: 2023-08-19 - Modified: 2024-11-19 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/our-first-100-days-in-numbers/ Days & counting! We did it! We made it to 100 days as a new startup and we're still here! We Are Shapes Ltd was formed on 19th May 2023, the day we both finished our jobs. Jim was working for Xero at the time, and Steve worked as Head of UX at a global B2B agency in London. Looking back over these 100 days, we've done way beyond what we ever thought we might achieve, and are excited for the next 100 and what that brings us! We've done so much ! - Published: 2023-08-01 - Modified: 2023-09-18 - URL: https://shapes.team/news-insights/shapes-sponsors-herne-bay-fc-women/ We are delighted to share that we have sponsored Herne Bay FC women's first team as the main shirt sponsor for 2 seasons. Starting in 2023-24 season, we've funded the cost of the team's shirts, and have agreed a partnership with HBFCW for the next 2 years as media partners. We'll be producing content, training both team and volunteers in social content management and design, as well as taking photos at key moments in the season. To kick start our relationship with a bang, once the new shirts arrived, we'll be running a media day with the team and creating social content to celebrate our involvement, as well as raise the profile of the women's game in Herne Bay and surrounding areas. Come on the Bay! ## Portfolio - Published: 2026-06-22 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/stories/ledgr/ Shapes worked with Ledgr AI on brand identity, UX design and website build for their AI-powered bookkeeping platform. We ran brand and UX workshops to develop a future-facing identity and helped translate a complex product into a clear, compelling digital experience. - Published: 2024-11-19 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/stories/brand-uplift-for-a-mindfulness-charity/ Shapes delivered a brand refresh for a mindfulness charity, updating their visual identity to better reflect their values and reach new audiences. Work included brand strategy, updated design assets and guidance on applying the new look consistently. - Published: 2024-11-06 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/stories/bemix/ Shapes provided accounting support for bemix, a Kent-based charity supporting people with learning disabilities. We helped bring structure and clarity to their finances, improving processes and giving the team better visibility of their numbers. - Published: 2024-11-06 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/stories/martinvale-clinic/ Shapes handles both accounting and marketing for Martinvale Clinic, a private healthcare practice. We manage their Xero accounting, financial reporting and social media content, giving the team more time to focus on their patients. - Published: 2024-10-21 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/stories/scout-redeem/ Shapes helped scout and redeem overhaul their digital finance systems and put tax planning in place. We set up Xero, connected their tools and created a cleaner, more efficient back office for the growing business. - Published: 2024-10-20 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/stories/bringing-herne-bay-fc-women-to-the-national-stage/ Shapes became the kit sponsor and social media partner for Herne Bay FC Women, growing their online presence and bringing their matchday story to a national audience. Engagement grew significantly through consistent, high quality content. - Published: 2024-10-14 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/stories/increasing-web-ux-and-traffic-for-sds/ Shapes redesigned the website UX for SDS, improving navigation, page structure and content hierarchy to increase organic traffic and reduce bounce rate. The project included UX research, wireframing and a full site rebuild. - Published: 2024-06-21 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/stories/sds-expo/ Shapes created brand and exhibition design materials for SDS ahead of a major industry event. Work included exhibition stand graphics, printed collateral and digital assets, all built around a refreshed brand visual system. - Published: 2023-10-19 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/stories/zest-homes/ Shapes refreshed the Zest Homes website and produced a series of landlord tax blog posts to drive organic search traffic. Work covered UX improvements, copywriting and ongoing content to support their audience of property investors. - Published: 2022-11-19 - Modified: 2026-06-27 - URL: https://shapes.team/stories/kent-community-foundation-digital-transformation/ Shapes supported Kent Community Foundation through a digital transformation project, improving their website, digital systems and online presence. Work helped the charity communicate their impact more clearly and operate more efficiently.