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Melanie Curtis Accountants

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Melanie Curtis Accountants

We help businesses reach for the stars through our range of accounting & business growth services. As you would expect, we are great with numbers.

We are Accountants & Business Growth Specialists who help business owners reach for the stars and achieve the life of their dreams. We work closely and proactively with our entrepreneurial clients to grow their businesses by planning, forecasting, measuring, and reporting for the future. We work with you to provide you with better information enabling you to grow a great business. We offer a wide

range of compliance and business growth services. Our compliance services include annual accounts & corporation tax, VAT & bookkeeping, company secretarial, payroll, auto enrolment, self-assessment, and start ups & formations. We also offer business growth services which include management accounts & reporting, coaching, business plans, strategic planning, and profit improvement. We offer 3 levels of service too, so business owners can choose how closely they would like to work with us and exactly which services they would like. So if you're looking for leading accountants in Berkshire, you've come to the right place.

30/07/2026

Construction business owners turning over £1M–£10M 👷

Here's a question... Do you know your business's break-even point? 💭

Not your turnover. Not your profit. The amount you need to invoice each month just to cover your costs. Because if you don't know that number... How do you know whether you're having a good month?

As your business grows, so do your fixed costs: Wages, vehicles, insurance, software, premises and finance repayments.

Which means your break-even point keeps changing. I've seen businesses celebrate winning a big contract... Only to discover later that it wasn't generating the margin they thought.

Knowing your break-even point helps you answer questions like: How much work do we need in the pipeline? Are we pricing jobs properly? Can we afford to recruit? Are we actually growing profitably?

It's one of the simplest numbers to understand... But one of the most powerful.

👇 So here's my question: Do you know what your business needs to invoice each month before it starts making a profit?

28/07/2026

Construction business owners turning over £1M–£10M 👷

One of the biggest myths in business is: "If we're making a profit, we must have plenty of cash." 💷

Unfortunately, that's not always true. I've seen profitable businesses struggle to pay suppliers... While other businesses making less profit have healthy cash flow. Why? Because profit and cash are two very different things.

Cash can be tied up in: Unpaid customer invoices, work in progress, VAT owed to HMRC, loan repayments and stock and materials. That's why looking at your bank balance alone doesn't tell you how your business is really performing.

A profitable business can still experience cash flow pressure. And a business with strong cash flow today can still run into problems tomorrow if it isn't being monitored.

The strongest business owners don't just ask: "How much profit have we made?" They also ask: "Where is our cash, and what's it doing?" 💡

Understanding the difference between profit and cash is one of the biggest steps towards making better business decisions.

👇 So here's my question: Do you review your cash flow forecast as regularly as you review your profit?

27/07/2026

Construction business owners turning over £1M–£10M 👷

Last week, I explained Payments on Account to a client. Not in tax jargon. Not with complicated HMRC wording. Just in plain English.

And he said: "That's the first time anyone has explained it in a way that actually makes sense." 💡 That really stuck with me. Because a lot of business owners don't mind paying tax.

What frustrates them is not understanding: Why they're paying it, when it's due, what it relates to and why another bill seems to appear out of nowhere

And honestly... If you don't understand something about your business finances, you should feel able to ask. There is no such thing as a silly question when it's your money, your business and your peace of mind.

A good accountant shouldn't just tell you the answer. They should help you understand it. Because when you understand your numbers better... You make better decisions. 📈

So here's my question... Is your accountant explaining things in a way that actually makes sense to you? 👇

24/07/2026

Construction business owners turning over £1M–£10M:

It's Friday… So here's a quick game of Construction Business Owner Bingo 😂

How many of these have happened to you this week?
"Can I have a quick word?"
"The client's changed their mind."
"The supplier says it'll be here tomorrow."
"We've found something unexpected."
"Can you just approve this invoice?"
"The VAT bill's due."
"We'll sort the variation out later."
"It'll only take five minutes."
"Can you jump on one quick call?"

If you managed to tick every box… Congratulations! 🎉 You've officially had a normal week running a construction business.

On a serious note, though… Construction is one of the most demanding industries to run a business in. There are constant moving parts, changing priorities and decisions to make. That's why having good systems, reliable financial information and the right people around you makes such a difference.

It doesn't stop the surprises… But it does make them a lot easier to deal with.

Happy Friday everyone, and I hope you manage to switch off and enjoy the weekend. ☀️

👇 What's the one thing that happened this week that should definitely be added to the bingo card?

22/07/2026

Construction business owners turning over £1M–£10M:

One thing I've learned after 22 years in business… 💭

Comparison is exhausting. It's easy to look at LinkedIn and think everyone else has: Bigger projects, bigger teams, bigger turnover and more success

But what you don't see is: The sleepless nights, the difficult decisions, the setbacks, the risks they've taken and the lessons they've learned.

Every business has its own story. Some are in year one. Some are in year twenty. Some are growing rapidly. Others are rebuilding after a difficult period. And that's okay.

I've worked with hundreds of business owners over the years, and one thing is true of every single one of them: The only meaningful comparison is with where your business was 12 months ago.

Are you making better decisions? Do you understand your numbers more? Is your business stronger than it was last year? If the answer is yes, you're moving in the right direction. 📈

Success isn't about keeping up with everyone else. It's about building a business you're proud of, at a pace that's right for you.

So here's my question: When you look back over the last 12 months, what's the biggest lesson your business has taught you?

20/07/2026

Construction business owners turning over £1M–£10M:

One of the biggest frustrations I hear from business owners is: "Why am I paying tax... again?"

With the end of July approaching, many directors will have a Payment on Account due. And it's one of the most misunderstood tax payments there is.

Last week, I was explaining the system to a new client. After a few minutes, he stopped me and said: "That's the first time anyone has explained it in a way that actually makes sense." It reminded me that the tax itself often isn't the biggest problem. It's understanding why you're paying it.

In simple terms: If your personal tax bill is over a certain level, HMRC may ask you to make advance payments towards your next year's tax. Those payments are called Payments on Account. They're usually due on 31 January and 31 July. They're not an extra tax bill. They're simply a payment towards your next tax liability.

The challenge is… If you're not expecting it, July can feel like you've been taxed twice. That's why planning ahead is so important. Understanding what's coming means there are fewer surprises and better cash flow planning.

After all, good advice isn't just about calculating the tax. It's about making sure you understand it too.

If you'd like me to explain how Payments on Account work in plain English, or you're unsure what you'll need to pay this July, feel free to send me a message or comment below. I'm always happy to help.

16/07/2026

Construction business owners turning over £1M–£10M:

When was the last time you changed your mind about what you wanted from your business? Because I think a lot of owners quietly do.

When they start out, they want: More turnover, more clients and more growth. And that's completely understandable. But after a few years, I often see priorities change.

Suddenly the things that matter most become: More time, better people, less stress, predictable cash flow, being able to take a proper holiday and having confidence in the numbers Not because they've lost ambition. Because they've gained perspective.

One of the biggest lessons business ownership teaches you is that success isn't a fixed destination. What success looks like at £500k turnover might be very different to what success looks like at £5m. And that's okay.

The important thing is being honest with yourself about what you're actually trying to build. Because there's no point climbing a ladder for 20 years... Only to discover it was leaning against the wrong wall!

So here's the question: Has your definition of success changed since you started your business?

14/07/2026

Construction business owners turning over £1M–£10M:

One of the easiest ways to lose profit in construction? Doing extra work without properly pricing and agreeing variations upfront.

It happens all the time. The job changes slightly. The client asks for “a few extras”. The team just cracks on to keep things moving. Then later… Nobody wants to pay for it.

Because what should have been: A pricing conversation. Turns into: A fee dispute And that’s where margins quietly disappear.

The strongest construction businesses are usually disciplined about: Pricing variations early, getting approval in writing, tracking extras properly and having commercial conversations upfront. Not afterwards.

Because once the work is already done… Your negotiating position usually weakens massively. And across multiple projects, those “small extras” can add up to serious money. That’s why protecting margin isn’t just about winning profitable jobs. It’s about managing variations properly too.

So here’s the question: How much profit do you think your construction business loses through poorly managed extras and variations?

13/07/2026

Construction business owners turning over £1M–£10M:

One of the biggest mistakes I see? Business owners waiting too long to make a decision.

Not because they don't know there's a problem. Because they're hoping it'll sort itself out. It rarely does.

I've seen businesses delay: Increasing prices, chasing overdue invoices, replacing outdated systems, reviewing overheads and letting poor performers go.

And every month they wait... The problem usually becomes more expensive.

The best business owners I've worked with over the last 22 years aren't the ones who never have problems. They're the ones who spot issues early and deal with them. Because making a difficult decision today is often much cheaper than making the same decision six months later.

Running a successful business isn't about avoiding difficult conversations. It's about having them before they become a crisis.

So here's the question:
What's one decision you've been putting off that your future self will thank you for making today?

09/07/2026

Construction business owners turning over £1M–£10M:

With England taking on Norway this Saturday in the World Cup quarter-final, there'll be plenty of people watching the scoreboard. ⚽🏆

But here's the thing... The scoreboard only tells you the result.

It doesn't tell you: How hard the team worked, where the game was won or lost, which tactics worked, who created the chances and what needs to improve next time. Running a business is exactly the same.

Your bank balance is your scoreboard. It's useful... But it doesn't tell you: Which jobs are making you money, where your margins are slipping, which customers are most profitable and whether cash flow is about to become an issue

That's where good management information makes all the difference. Because the best decisions are made using the whole picture... Not just the final score.

Good luck to England this weekend! 🤞⚽

And here's my question: If your bank balance is the scoreboard... What information helps you understand how your business is really performing?

Address

Wokingham

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5:30pm
Tuesday	9am - 5:30pm
Wednesday	9am - 5:30pm
Thursday	9am - 5:30pm
Friday	9am - 5:30pm

Website

http://melaniecurtisaccountants.co.uk/, https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wokingham-networking-club-spring-into-networking-ti

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