Newsletter #107 - 5 Red Letter Days to be won, 50 Bootstrap Marketing ideas, Customer service, 11 Self-Assessment tips and much more...

In this week's Business121:

1. 5 Red Letter Day Experiences for Business121 readers
2. 50 Bootstrap Marketing ideas to promote your business - Part One
3. Don't let customer service go to the dogs
4. VAT accounting for mixed business and non-business purposes
5. Self Assessment - 11 Tips to get ahead of the taxman

Small Business News

6. Do Capital Gains Tax changes break European law?
7. CGT u-turn may help small business people, but not 'entrepreneurs'
8. Capital Gains Tax - Entrepreneurs to pay 10% on first £1 million
9. New CGT proposals leaves British business distinctly unimpressed
10. FSB calls for Revenue to be more lenient on tax return late filers

5 Red Letter Day packages to be won by readers

In case, you missed the email last week, we're currently running our second ever Bytestart survey. Once again we've teamed up with Standard Life to find out what you think about a number of important healthcare issues.

As a 'Thank You' we're giving away 5 Red Letter Day packages. Everybody who completes our survey - which takes less than 5 minutes to complete - will go into our prize draw to win one of the FIVE great packages.

Our Red Letter Day winners can choose from a superb range of experiences. If you're looking for an adrenaline rush you could take to the air at the controls of a light aircraft, take a bungee jump, try your hand at white water rafting or even race a dumper truck!

For those of you that would prefer a more relaxing time, you could pay a visit to Vinopolis, take a whisky masterclass or unwind at the Rasul Herbal Steam Temple.

Other experiences that you could enjoy include, Cocktail Masterclasses, Cowboy Riding Adventures, Horse Riding, Wedgwood Experiences, Whisky Masterclasses, Ice Climbing, Snowboarding for two, Mountain Biking, Karting, learning Circus Skills, Sushi School and RIB Powerboating for two on the Thames.

The survey will take just a few minutes to complete and we'd be very grateful if you could help us by giving us your opinions.

To go into the prize draw and get your chance to win one of the fantastic Red Letter Experiences, all you need to do is submit your email at the end of the survey. Your email will not be used for anything other than entry to the prize draw.

To take part in our survey simply click here.

PS. You're welcome to forward the survey to other small business owners.

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50 Bootstrap Marketing ideas to promote your business - Part One
Your business will live or die by its sales. And to drive your sales you need good marketing. You need to find a way to attract people's attention to your business and its products. If you don't have a big marketing budget the alternative is to 'bootstrap' it. This means marketing your business on a very small budget. It's about using creativity rather than cash to shout about what you're doing.

Our Bootstrap Marketing guide is particularly relevant to business startups but almost every single tip can be used by the more established small business. Here are 25 free bootstrap marketing ideas from Bytestart, with another 25 tips to follow next week.

Don't let customer service go to the dogs
Customer service is like a stone dropped into a pond. When it is done well the effects spread far and wide. When it is done badly exactly the same thing happens. This article from the Times looks at steps small firms can take to get keep customers happy.

VAT accounting for mixed business and non-business purposes
The issue of VAT accounting when the goods involved are put to both business and non-business purposes is perhaps more widespread than many would first consider. It's not widely-known but careful use of the so-called 'Lennartz Accounting' scheme can provide cash flow benefit for a number of organisations. Here's what you need to know.

Self Assessment - 11 Tips to get ahead of the taxman
The January tax returns deadline is looming, but even though HMRC is
clamping down on avoidance and requiring accountants secretly to inform on
clients in certain circumstances, some straightforward good housekeeping
can still produce good rewards. Here's what you need to know about the tax
returns process and some top tips on how to ensure you don?t get caught out
by the taxman.

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SMALL BUSINESS NEWS

Do Capital Gains Tax changes break European law?
Just days after the Chancellor announced his latest Capital Gains Tax changes, a leading accountancy body has raised doubts over the legality of the proposed implementation process.

CGT u-turn may help small business people, but not 'entrepreneurs'
Reaction to the Chancellor's recent u-turn on Capital Gains Tax continues to mount up. Representatives of gateway2investment, say Alistair Darling's CGT 'simplification' won't actually help real entrepreneurs.

Capital Gains Tax - Entrepreneurs to pay 10% on first £1 million
Following many months of lobbying by business groups across the UK, the Chancellor has announced a u-turn on the controversial CGT reforms he proposed in the 2007 Pre-Budget Report.

Chancellor's new CGT proposals leaves British business distinctly unimpressed
We look at how Britain's leading business organisations have received the Chancellors' Capital Gains Tax changes and the £1million lifetime 10% CGT rate for entrepreneurs.

FSB calls for Revenue to be more lenient on tax return late filers
With just a dew days to go until the tax return deadline, the Federation of Small Businesses has called on the Inland Revenue to be more lenient towards late filing of around half a million self assessment tax forms.

** For the latest Small Business News, visit http://www.Bytestart.co.uk **

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