Sometimes I wonder what the point of trying is

butterbear

Hello All

I've posted a couple of times but am more a lurker however I need to vent......

My partner has taken over a business, he was managing it previously but I wont bore you with all the details.

Basically he has been working roughly 80 hours a week to try and get this business going (it a coffee, lunch, bar venue with conference facilities) he has worked this amount of hours as he has been unable to afford to hire anyone, I have been helping out, as has his mum- both unpaid, (we have a son of 9, and I work part time too) today he has received his business rates bill- £1100 A MONTH!!!

Now I understand that services have to be paid for but this just feel like legal robbery- he has to pay for his bins to be collected privatlely as the council do not empty them.

He is now feeling throughly fed up, and I must admit I find it disgusting that they charge this sort of amount, the business is not making a large amount of money, just about covering rent, power, water stock etc, he is only taking a low wage basically to cover our home bills, and relying on people helping to get it going- it is starting to pick up slowly but then this bill...

Writing this I am starting to feel really angry, the town where we live is slowly becoming a ghost town, empty shops all over, and with rates like this I'm starting to understand why. We need businesses to be able to grow and employ people not crash out before they have even had a chance

He has just rang me at work to vent his frustrations and I must admit I'm feeling it to... what is the point of bothering, what are they thinking... how can any business have a chance when they have to find that kind of money grrrr i feel so f***ed off i want to go to the toilets and cry :0(

Joons

Totally agree with you, it's daylight robbery. I saw on the budget they are supposed to be helping small businesses, perhaps a ray of light in the dungeoun?

Lara44

Has he looked into government Business Rate relief? I hope he qualifies

podperson

That does seem extremely high, as Lara says check if he's entitled to Small Business Rates Relief. Or even if he's not he can still apply for it to be worked out on a small business multiplier which may save a bit.

balletshoes

while its definitely a good idea to look into rate relief etc, I think there are a couple of things you need to accept when taking over a new business -

its really hard work, its expensive (in the first couple of years especially) its frustrating, and if you're in the leisure/service industry it can be risky as well.

Rant away - sometimes over the years I've felt like my OH's business was just a huge money pit, with no light at the end of the tunnel. I don't have the self-employed mindset I'm afraid, and it serves me better if I know very little about the finances, as the bills would give me heart failure.

If your OH needs your help with the business and you're happy to do so, you might need to try to separate business time from home/family time, so you don't feel like you're constantly focusing on/talking about just the business.

Is there a local business gateway organisation which could help with the start-up guidance?

butterbear

Thank you for you responses I shall pass tell him to try applying for small business relief etc

Thank you again, it reassuring that I'm not alone in thinking it all crazy lol :0)

TeamLowe

Just to add for clarity - business rates don't all go to your local council, the local council collect them on behalf of the government who then send a bit back.

so you'll have to be angry at the national government too

SuzieSue

I totally agree with you and really sympathise with you. Business rates just go up and up every year and all the Government seems to worry about is corporation tax which is irrelevant for most small businesses as they probably won't make much, if any, profit. Business rates just seem to be ignored but I am sure they are why so many shops and other businesses go under. I work for a small company and our rates are nearly £7,000 a month which is almost as much as our rent.

bap98189

Surely this wasn't a surprise? You must have known how much the business rates would be before starting the business.

heretolearn_2

Rates are assessed on the size of the property with no connection to the income/profit of the business. How was it a surprise though? Did he not see the business accounts before he took it over?

But, vent away, there are times when running a small business really sucks. It is a huge demand on time and resources and a lot of sacrifice in the early few years. It's worth putting in the effort to make it successful - once it is then the advantages of being a business owner start to kick in. But to start off with, it's often quite hellish.

Bluemeanie_2

You literally get nothing you can see for your rates. The right to open your door to the public is it! My husband has a small business (a shop) and people can't grasp how high the overheads are when you say how much we turn over.