Being a Business Owner

Hosted by Alexis Charkiw

Business Entrepreneurship

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Episodes

112

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-GB

About the show

Nobody hands you a manual when you start a business, let along grow one! That's why I created this podcast, the closest thing 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.

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60 recent

October 20, 2026Episode 2425 min

Don't Just Believe The Hype: How To Form Your Own Opinion When A Business Gets Bad Press

When software I use every day got hit with a wave of online criticism, my feed was full of it, and it would have been easy to get swept along with it. The posts were angry, the comments were piling up, and everyone had a take. But instead of reacting, I did some digging, and what I found changed how I read the headlines. Here's how I went about it, and how you can do the same for any brand, product or influencer in your own industry. I'm sharing: Why a wave of online criticism rarely tells the full story. How I looked past the headlines to form my own view. What three separate moments taught me about how brands handle public backlash. Why constant change and AI headlines are leaving business owners feeling more defensive. Why it's worth reviewing what you pay for, from software to memberships, and whether each one still earns its place. Forming your own opinion takes a little more effort than joining in. But it's the only way to make decisions that are genuinely right for your business. Let's Connect: Website LinkedIn Instagram TikTok Be sure to check out: Right Click Accounting The RCA Hub Useful Links: A Note on Our Partnership with Amelia Sordell and Xero | Gen3 Marketing Response from Xero regarding Amelia Sordell Rachel Harris LinkedIn Brand Guidelines Post Xero Company Accounts and Tax Software Aaron Patrick Automated Reports Post Ask The Accountant Podcast

October 13, 2026Episode 2316 min

What HMRC's Digital Plans Mean For Your Business (Straight From The Digital Accountancy Show)

I went to the Digital Accountancy Show at ExCeL London, and two sessions from HMRC stood out as the ones most likely to affect UK business owners: their digital transformation plans, and how e-invoicing will work. This week I'm sharing: What HMRC told us about its digital transformation plans, and why it wants more software developers involved in Making Tax Digital. Why HMRC chose not to make a business bank account mandatory for the MTD roll-out Which VAT-registered businesses e-invoicing will affect, and which it won't. How "four corners" e-invoicing works, from your accounting software to your customer's. Why it's worth getting your processes ready 6 to 12 months before the deadline, and how to use AI safely while you do. Change can be overwhelming but there's plenty of time and the businesses that start preparing early are the ones that won't be scrambling when it becomes mandatory. Let's Connect: Website LinkedIn Instagram TikTok Be sure to check out: Right Click Accounting The RCA Hub Useful Links: The Maple Project The Digital Accountancy Show Preparing for Mandatory E-Invoicing in the UK Peppol Interoperability Network for E-Invoicing

October 6, 2026Episode 2215 min

Is The UK Still A Good Place To Build A Business?

If running a business in the UK feels harder than it used to, you're not imagining it. Rising costs, tax changes and a general sense of stagnation are weighing on a lot of business owners right now, and it's worth saying out loud. I'm sharing how I'm thinking about it, why I don't think it means giving up, and a new resource I've built to help. I'm sharing: Why so many UK business owners are feeling the squeeze, and why that strain is valid. Why relocating or restructuring isn't as simple as it sounds, and why proper advice matters first. How to find local support and funding that might already be available to you. How to set goals for 2027 that go beyond turnover, starting with what your business actually gives you. Introducing the Right Click Hub: key tax dates, templates, resources and live co-working sessions. Growth might be slower right now, but that doesn't have to dampen the reasons you started. If your business still gives you freedom, purpose or something you love doing, that's worth protecting. Let's Connect: Website LinkedIn Instagram TikTok Be sure to check out: Right Click Accounting The RCA Hub Useful Links: Accountex Recap Podcast (S2 EP5) The Financial Times The RCA Hub

September 29, 2026Episode 2114 min

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

September 22, 2026Episode 2014 min

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

September 15, 2026Episode 1915 min

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

September 8, 2026Episode 1812 min

£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

September 1, 2026Episode 1716 min

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

August 25, 2026Episode 1613 min

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

August 18, 2026Episode 1517 min

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