Ever seen a dentist botch a lighting installation? Or have you had to clear up a teacher’s attempt at tiling their bathroom? FMB research has shown that homeowners spend around £42 million a year to salvage work around the home that they’ve tried to do themselves, or abandoned mid-way through.
The lesson from that is that it can be a risky business trying to do the experts’ job. So when it comes to your tax and legal queries, surely it makes sense to apply the same philosophy?
It might sometimes be tempting to go it alone with stuff like that, because getting advice can be expensive. That’s why the FMB offers its members exclusive access to dedicated experts and telephone helplines on a wide range of business issues, so that you have readily available support that’s just a phone call away.
Take for example the messy subject of debt recovery. In an ideal world, the client pays promptly and there’s no problem. However, sometimes polite reminders don’t work and the money you’re owed is nowhere to be seen.
Knowing whether to take more serious action can be tough and the length of time you could spend chasing bad debt can be detrimental to your business, especially if you don’t know how to approach the process.
That’s why the FMB offers debt recovery support through a dedicated support line, whose consultants can advise on the next steps to recover any money owed.
Tax can be an even bigger headache. Staying on top of paying what you know you owe is time consuming enough, but what you’re obliged to pay, and how much, can quickly change.
It’s therefore vital you know where you stand. That’s where the advantage of having a team of trained professionals on call comes in. FMB members have access to a taxation helpline that is able to provide advice on issues from National Insurance and PAYE, to the Aggregates Levy and Planning Gains Supplement. Less time pouring over excel sheets means more time for real work.
Our legal and business helpline exists for a similar reason. Fulfilling your legal obligations as a business owner and employer can be extremely tough and time consuming, not to mention confusing.
A solicitor is going to turn to you if they need a kitchen extension – it makes sense to turn to them if you have any queries over contract law. That’s why the FMB has teamed up with a law specialist to provide expert legal advice.
And the best part is that there’ll be someone available to help you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Having your team’s back is another vital aspect of running your own business. Once again, the FMB has teamed up with a specialist helpline provider to ensure that members get the support they need in the maze-like world of health and safety.
Our health and safety helpline, provides members with expert advice on all health and safety matters on anything from risk assessments and method statements to the CDM Regulations.
FMB health and safety experts can also offer site visits to provide tailored advice at reduced rates Let’s face it, that’s a much better bet than just googling it. Among other things, they will be there for you if you have had a serious incident on site.
The FMB offers all this to its members because we know small businesses can’t afford big teams. If you join today, you’ll get all this support and more, meaning you can focus on doing the parts of the job you love.