Networking Now

We have just got our VAT number, so very chuffed with that, as I harp on at least twice a week about Affordability and Credibility, it may not seem a big thing to some people, but we felt that it should be there for our VAT registered clients, 15% (17.5%) can add up to a hell of a lot with some of the invoices we do.

We did not set it up for altruistic reasons, but the credibility factor was a major part, if you want to attract more businesses I think it is a must.

So now, here I sit, happy as a fat kid in a cake shop (waiting for Kerri to get ready!), we have got almost everything in place for ourselves and our clients, I do not hide the fact that I work from our Kitchen table, and every client we have has come back to us (except new ones, but they will!) so it is obviously not an issue for them, but I think that is due to the pricing and quality of the work, but for new clients to come onboard you need to show a certain level of professionalism, and a kitchen table just does not show that.

Do you offer your clients the chance of claiming 15-17.5% back, is it worth it? Should everyone do it? Do you only deal with VAT companies?

This is something I will be doing next summer when I am back in the UK (too much hassle at the moment having things delivered to the UK and posted on) as I agree it just gives everyone a little extra comfort. As a small company when dealing with people and having to say I'm not VAT registered sometimes feels a little wrong even if it is completely justified.

We've always been VAT registered as we both felt it was vital for the same reasons - credibility and profesionalism.

While we don't avoid non-VAT-registered businesses, it certainly does make you wonder when you encounter one - not that size is an issue for us - because we make no bones about the fact that we are a small company (2-3 man band with the ability to bring in sub-contractors who are highly trusted and with whom we have worked for 5+ years).

An interesting twist on this is trust - do you tend to trust smaller companies more to deliver on their promises, versus the ability of large corporates to continue providing their "mass produced" generic services? :)