Being a Business Owner

Alexis Charkiw
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  • Entrepreneurship

Nobody hands you a manual when you start a business. That's why I created this podcast, the closest thing to one I could build. Hey, I'm Alexis Charkiw and I cover the stuff that actually keeps business owners up at night (money, strategy, AI, growth) and I promise to always explain it in plain English. You belong in this conversation, and I want you to feel that way every single episode.

  1. 4d ago

    Digitisation vs Digitalisation: The Difference That Could Shape Your Business In 2027

    There's a word doing the rounds in accounting circles that most business owners have never heard, and once you understand it, it could change how you plan for next year. DIGITisation and DIGITALisation sound almost identical, but they mean very different things for how your business runs. One is about moving an old process onto a screen. The other is about rethinking that process completely for the digital age, including e-invoicing, which is coming for VAT-registered businesses. I'm sharing: The actual difference between digitisation and digitalisation, and why it's more than just semantics. What e-invoicing is, who it'll affect, and why it's a genuine step change rather than just a new format. A real example from my own business of turning a paper checklist into something AI now helps manage. Why this isn't about replacing people with AI, but opening up what's actually possible. You don't need to overhaul everything overnight. But knowing the difference between fixing what you have and reimagining it completely could shape how your business grows next year.   Let's Connect: Website LinkedIn Instagram TikTok   Be sure to check out: Ways to work with me Right Click Accounting Blackline Academy   Useful Links: Preparing for Mandatory E-Invoicing in the UK (Blog) AccountingWeb podcast with Richard Sergeant

  2. Sep 22

    Checking Your Tax Code Could Save You From A Surprise Tax Bill

    If your tax code changes, you'd assume HMRC tells you and your employer straight away. Right now, that's not always happening, and it affects both sides. I've seen the same issue crop up across multiple employers and employees recently, including within my own company: an employee's tax code changes, but the employer never receives the official notice to update it. It's even happening to me right now, on both sides of the payslip. So this week I'm sharing: What a tax code notice actually is, and what should happen when a tax code changes. The pattern I'm seeing where an employee's tax code changes, but their employer never receives the notice to update it. What to do as an employee if your payslip doesn't match the tax code HMRC has told you, rather than assuming it'll sort itself out. What employers can, and legally can't, do to help when this happens, and why staying on top of it protects your PAYE liability too. The genuinely baffling moment HMRC offered to resolve it by fax. Whether you're the one being taxed or the one running payroll, it's worth checking rather than assuming everything's correct. A five-minute look now could save an unexpected bill, a longer wait for a refund, or a payroll headache down the line.   Let's Connect: Website LinkedIn Instagram TikTok   Be sure to check out: Ways to work with me Right Click Accounting Blackline Academy   Useful Links: ACAS Government Gateway

  3. Sep 15

    What It's Actually Like Going To IdeasFest For The First Time

    Thinking about going to IdeasFest? Here's an honest, first-timer's take before you buy a ticket. I went for the first time this year, and it was a genuinely mixed experience: some of it brilliant, some of it overwhelming, and worth knowing about before you commit your time and money. I'm sharing: What it's really like as a first-timer, from the missing Wi-Fi to figuring out where the talks actually were. Why some of the content felt too surface-level for me, while still being exactly what someone else needed to hear. The real cost of attending, tickets, hotel, food and the time you lose to recovering afterwards. The two talks I ended up speaking at completely unplanned, and how that went. Why post-event burnout is real, and why I don't think you need to rush back online straight after. Not every event has to change your life to be worth going to. Sometimes it's enough to just show up, take it all in, and figure out afterwards what it actually meant for you.   Let's Connect: Website LinkedIn Instagram TikTok   Be sure to check out: Ways to work with me Right Click Accounting Blackline Academy   Useful Links: Ideas Fest Libby Walklett - The Ethical Bookkeeper Tara Askham - She Starts Smart Grace Hardy - Hardy Accounting

  4. Sep 8

    £90,000 Can Be A Healthy Turnover And Nobody Else Gets To Decide That

    A stranger on LinkedIn decided a business owner's £90,000 turnover wasn't "healthy." Yet they had no context of what it actually took to get there. A comment thread about VAT registration turned into one accountant judging another accountant's client, and it struck a nerve with me. Turnover means nothing without the story behind it, and business owners deserve better than being judged by the people meant to support them. I'm sharing: The LinkedIn comment that questioned whether hitting the VAT threshold really counts as a "healthy turnover". Why the same number can mean completely different things depending on someone's circumstances. Why so many business owners feel too nervous to ask their accountant a "stupid" question. Why judgment from anyone you pay for advice should be a red flag, not something you just accept. Why now's the time to advocate for yourself if a service provider isn't giving you what you actually need. Nobody gets to decide what counts as success in your business except you. They weren't there for the late nights, the risk, or the reason you started in the first place. Let's Connect: Website LinkedIn Instagram TikTok   Be sure to check out: Ways to work with me Right Click Accounting Blackline Academy

  5. Sep 1

    Five Regulatory Changes Hitting UK Business Owners All At Once

    Episode Title: Five Regulatory Changes Hitting UK Business Owners All At Once   Description: Right now, UK business owners are facing several major regulatory and legislative changes landing at once, each one separate, each one significant, and together they're creating real pressure. This episode walks through what's changing and why it matters, without expecting you to become an expert in any of it. I'm sharing: Making Tax Digital, and why HMRC are starting to mandate anyone who hasn't already registered The AML supervision reform, which will move anti-money laundering oversight for accountants and other regulated professionals to the FCA The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, including new identity verification rules for company directors The Employment Rights Bill, and why it's making some businesses hire more cautiously Data protection and AI, and why now's a good time to review how your business handles data under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 If you're feeling the pressure of it all landing at once, that's a real, shared experience, not a sign you're falling behind.   Let's Connect: Website LinkedIn Instagram TikTok   Be sure to check out: Ways to work with me Right Click Accounting Blackline Academy   Useful Links: S2 EP9 - "What the heck is MTD" MTD for Limited Companies MTD for Self Employed AML Supervision Reform Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act - Transition Plan Employment Rights Act 2025 Data (Use and Access) Act 2025

  6. Aug 25

    Why I Stopped Trying To Be Everything To Every Client

    Saying no to a potential client can feel like leaving money on the table. But sometimes it's the smartest decision you can make. Software that used to do one thing well is now trying to do everything at once, and keeping up with it all was becoming impossible. So earlier this year, I made the decision to become a Xero-only accountancy practice, even though it meant turning away clients using other systems. I'm sharing: Why software that used to have one clear purpose is now trying to do everything, and what that's doing to businesses trying to keep up. The decision to become a Xero-only practice, and why it meant saying no to some potential clients. Why I don't think my team can do a brilliant job if they're spread across too many systems at once. Why being upfront about what we can and can't support matters more to me than saying yes to everyone. Because I'm a firm believer that doing fewer things brilliantly will always beat trying to be everything to everyone!   Let's Connect: Website LinkedIn Instagram TikTok   Be sure to check out: Ways to work with me Right Click Accounting Blackline Academy   Useful Links: Monday.com Pinterest CapCut Xero

  7. Aug 18

    Should Your Accountant Tell You When They Start Using AI?

    Earlier this year, I emailed my clients to explain a new partnership between two platforms I use, Xero and Anthropic, the company behind an AI tool called Claude. I gave every client the choice to opt in, opt out, or have a chat if they weren't sure. Then someone questioned why I'd bothered, since accountants don't usually announce every software change. I'm always interested in other people's point of view so started thinking about their opinion and why I felt different when it comes to AI. I'm sharing: Why I chose to proactively tell clients about a new AI partnership, and gave them a real say in whether to use it. The pushback I got and why someone believed AI deserves no more transparency than any other software update. What actually makes AI fundamentally different from traditional software, in a way that affects your financial data. Why even the companies building AI can't fully explain how it reaches its answers. Why staying informed doesn't mean becoming an expert, it just means paying attention. Transparency isn't about being an AI expert. It's about giving people the choice to understand what's actually happening with their own information.   Let's Connect: Website LinkedIn Instagram TikTok   Be sure to check out: Ways to work with me Right Click Accounting Blackline Academy   Useful Links: AAT Bookkeeper Community Call Diary Of A CEO with Daniel Kokotajlo

  8. Aug 11

    The Opportunities You Almost Talk Yourself Out Of Are Usually The Ones That Grow Your Business The Most

    Every big opportunity I've taken this year started the same way: nerves, doubt, and almost saying no. Saying yes to a speaking event outside my comfort zone led directly to becoming a fractional CFO for a growing tech company. Now I've said yes again, to exhibiting for the very first time, at The Business Show at ExCeL London this November, and the nerves are back. I'm sharing: The link between one nervous "yes" to speak at an event, and the completely new career chapter it opened up. Why I always visit an event as an attendee first, before I ever commit to being an exhibitor. Everything that goes into exhibiting long before the day itself: furniture, banners, talk length, budget, the lot. Why Blackline Academy and Right Click are exhibiting side by side at ExCeL, and what that actually means for anyone who visits the stand. Why I'm sharing all of this in real time, nerves included, rather than after it's already polished. Every big moment on socials is built on months of quiet prep that nobody sees, and I think that's worth showing every now and then.   Let's Connect: Website LinkedIn Instagram TikTok   Be sure to check out: Ways to work with me Right Click Accounting Blackline Academy   Useful Links: Business Show Live - Event

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About

Nobody hands you a manual when you start a business. That's why I created this podcast, the closest thing to one I could build. Hey, I'm Alexis Charkiw and I cover the stuff that actually keeps business owners up at night (money, strategy, AI, growth) and I promise to always explain it in plain English. You belong in this conversation, and I want you to feel that way every single episode.

Information

  • Creator
    Alexis Charkiw
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    108
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2023
  • Show Website
    Being a Business Owner