“She screwed me.. didn’t meant to but she made a mess of the VAT and the fine is nearly 300,000… I’m tempted to sell this pain in the neck as it’s not fun anymore…”
“I told you so…” jumped to my mind but I nearly bit my tongue keeping my mouth shut.
You see, my friend owns a business and back in the day I had encouraged him strongly to outsource his VAT reporting and accounting and not try to save a buck by hiring clowns for cheap.
It would have cost him 18,000 for the year but it would have been done properly and there would have been no fines.
But he insisted he could hire someone internally to help him do all the accounting and tax reporting and save a ton of money in the process.
He was wrong… and the consequences are piling up.
You see the fines are more than just the number that hits his wallet.
It’s the time and effort he needs to spend now in collating records, contacting lawyers, and doing what he needs to do so that he can correctly handle this issue.
Time and effort that is not focused on his business.
So he tried to save money but ended up paying a huge fine and missing out on potential clients and deals, which cost him a fortune in the end.
The moral of this tale is as clear as day: penny-wise can indeed be pound-foolish. When it comes to growing a business or key essentials, it’s not the place to pinch pennies, especially when hundreds of thousands are on the line.
Investing in expertise isn’t an expense; it’s an investment in yourself and insurance against the kind of catastrophe my friend is facing. He learnt it the hard way, but you don’t have to.
Time is your most precious asset. Ensure you are spending it wisely.
(Tomorrow we’ll talk about a major risk in your business that we often overlook. This risk can instantly ruin everything you’ve worked for…any guesses?)