Why did I set up Blue Ink?
Dear Fellow Business Owner,
My name is Mark Ponsonby. I’m a bookkeeper from Barnstaple, and I help tradespeople and other local businesses manage their books… avoid stressful last-minute tax returns… and increase their profits by spending less time counting receipts, and more time with customers.
Now let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, I got talking to a guy in my local pub. He had been offered a wad of cash for painting the gables of two properties down the road. But there was a problem: he didn’t have a car. As fate would have it, I was looking for a change in work. So I offered him a deal:
“I’ll provide the car if you teach me how to paint and decorate.”
All I had to do was buy a roof rack and a set of ladders. We painted the gables and collected our fee, and the morning after that, we drove around 60’s and 70’s housing estates looking for gables and windows with ‘ropey’ paintwork. We knocked on doors... introduced ourselves as a decorating company... and asked if they’d like a quote.
And 9 times out of 10… we got the job!
We were off to the races, and the first few months were fruitful. We got lots of business. Mind you... so did our local!
Anyway.
Before long, we had a problem.
If the weather was poor, we were knackered. And in the second summer, it rained almost every day. It was a nightmare. We did manage to find some indoor work and window cleaning. But during the down times, we started to worry. Not just about everyday bills like food and petrol, we hadn't saved any money for the tax man...
On a good week, we went down the pub. On a bad week, we started worrying again. And so the cycle continued.
As the end of the year approached, it became a massive headache. We scrambled to complete a tax return, just about managing to scrape the money together. But I vowed to never repeat that experience.
Fast forward a few years (okay, several...) and I found myself self-employed again, working with councils and helping them advertise their services. I thought back to how unprepared I was in my decorating days and the financial mayhem I got myself into. But there was a big difference.
This time, I was in control!
There was no stress. I made sure I knew where the money was by carefully keeping my own books, and filing my own end of year accounts. And I found I actually enjoyed it! It was almost therapeutic. Then one day, I struck up a conversation with a couple of bookkeepers down the pub (notice a pattern here?)
And I liked what I heard. See, I knew how it felt to not know the income and outgoings of your own business. And I could enjoy helping others avoid this. So I trained as a bookkeeper, and started Blue Ink Bookkeeping.
Now, I help North Devon tradespeople and other local businesses manage their books and complete their tax returns. My clients tell me they like the fact I understand the stresses and strains of being self-employed, and communicate with them regularly. So here are some of the benefits of working with me (or any other good, reliable bookkeeper):
If that sounds interesting to you, here’s what to do next:
Contact me and we can arrange a free consultation. Tell me about your business and why you are considering using (or changing) bookkeepers. There is no obligation. If after this you think I could benefit your business, we will make a plan.
To stress-free bookkeeping,
Mark Ponsonby
My name is Mark Ponsonby. I’m a bookkeeper from Barnstaple, and I help tradespeople and other local businesses manage their books… avoid stressful last-minute tax returns… and increase their profits by spending less time counting receipts, and more time with customers.
Now let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, I got talking to a guy in my local pub. He had been offered a wad of cash for painting the gables of two properties down the road. But there was a problem: he didn’t have a car. As fate would have it, I was looking for a change in work. So I offered him a deal:
“I’ll provide the car if you teach me how to paint and decorate.”
All I had to do was buy a roof rack and a set of ladders. We painted the gables and collected our fee, and the morning after that, we drove around 60’s and 70’s housing estates looking for gables and windows with ‘ropey’ paintwork. We knocked on doors... introduced ourselves as a decorating company... and asked if they’d like a quote.
And 9 times out of 10… we got the job!
We were off to the races, and the first few months were fruitful. We got lots of business. Mind you... so did our local!
Anyway.
Before long, we had a problem.
If the weather was poor, we were knackered. And in the second summer, it rained almost every day. It was a nightmare. We did manage to find some indoor work and window cleaning. But during the down times, we started to worry. Not just about everyday bills like food and petrol, we hadn't saved any money for the tax man...
On a good week, we went down the pub. On a bad week, we started worrying again. And so the cycle continued.
As the end of the year approached, it became a massive headache. We scrambled to complete a tax return, just about managing to scrape the money together. But I vowed to never repeat that experience.
Fast forward a few years (okay, several...) and I found myself self-employed again, working with councils and helping them advertise their services. I thought back to how unprepared I was in my decorating days and the financial mayhem I got myself into. But there was a big difference.
This time, I was in control!
There was no stress. I made sure I knew where the money was by carefully keeping my own books, and filing my own end of year accounts. And I found I actually enjoyed it! It was almost therapeutic. Then one day, I struck up a conversation with a couple of bookkeepers down the pub (notice a pattern here?)
And I liked what I heard. See, I knew how it felt to not know the income and outgoings of your own business. And I could enjoy helping others avoid this. So I trained as a bookkeeper, and started Blue Ink Bookkeeping.
Now, I help North Devon tradespeople and other local businesses manage their books and complete their tax returns. My clients tell me they like the fact I understand the stresses and strains of being self-employed, and communicate with them regularly. So here are some of the benefits of working with me (or any other good, reliable bookkeeper):
- Know the finances of your business right now and not when your accounts were last filed.
- Increase profits by spending more billable time with customers
- Save time by not having to go through your receipts regularly.
If that sounds interesting to you, here’s what to do next:
Contact me and we can arrange a free consultation. Tell me about your business and why you are considering using (or changing) bookkeepers. There is no obligation. If after this you think I could benefit your business, we will make a plan.
To stress-free bookkeeping,
Mark Ponsonby
