Corporate Services

Strategic Advice

We pride ourselves on our long-term relationships with our clients, which have in many cases spanned generations, both in our business and theirs. For many of our clients, we are their Most Trusted Advisor, helping them navigate through many of the business decisions they face on a daily basis. 

Advice for starting a business

Most people who start up in business do so because they have a good business proposition and the enterprise and commitment to see it through.  However, all the tax and financial implications with starting up can be quite daunting, and even off-putting, to the budding entrepreneur.

 

We can also help you:

  • Decide on the most suitable structure for your business – sole trader, partnership, or limited company. 
  • Prepare a business plan, cashflow projections, budgets, and trading forecasts.
  • Assess your finance requirements, advise on the best sources of finance, and assist with the necessary proposals;
  • Assist in incorporating a company, if required
  • Complete any registration requirements the Revenue Commissioners 
  • Deal with all company secretarial obligations, including setting up the Statutory registers;
  • Help you put the right accounting systems in place for the business

Advisory services for existing businesses

There are lots of ways we can advise you on your business decisions, and provide strategic and practical support to help you achieve your goals

We understand the one thing business owners lack is time – quality time to think about the direction and focus of their business.

Our team know the type of questions to ask to bring together a fresh perspective.  We have the technical expertise, business knowledge and financial understanding to support you so that you can focus on what’s important – growing your business.

Generating traction to implement your strategy is very often the stumbling block for many businesses – we can introduce you to effective tools and approaches to achieve and maintain traction, and stay involved, to keep you and your team accountable.

Some of the ways we can help include:

  • Act as a sounding board – We listen to business owners’ ideas, concerns or opportunities, and add value by bringing our experience and expertise to meetings to act as adviser, challenger or facilitator
  • Future Readiness review – we can work with business owners to perform a forward-looking and action-focused assessment of their business with a view to identifying actions they can take to capitalise on market opportunities; improve risk management; address specific challenges raised; optimise business performance; and ultimately build business value
  • Strategic Planning sessions – We work with business owners to take time away from the day-to-day pressures and distractions and focus on their personal goals, reviewing the recent performance of the business and help them identify issues and opportunities that can address to realise their future business strategy
  • Profit Improvement reviews – informed by a businesses’ existing management information and plans we can help with taking a systematic and strategic look at what else you can do to grow your business and identify action areas that will make the biggest difference
  • Ongoing business strategy meetings – Committing to regular sessions is a powerful way to really help your businesses gain momentum and achieve your goals. We’ll bring a new perspective, one that understands your business, and act as a critical external voice in challenging management.

Tax

Effective Tax management forms part of the strategic decision-making process. With decades of corporate and personal tax planning experience, we offer the right advice to efficiently and effectively minimise exposure while delivering the best outcome for all. As tax advisers, our objective is to work closely with you to ensure you pay meet all you tax compliance obligations while paying the minimum tax required by law. We will help you to understand the tax implications of your actions, in order that you can plan ahead and conduct your affairs in a tax efficient way.

Personal tax

Everyone who is subject to taxation needs professional advice and support if they are to optimise their tax position and ensure they meet the compliance requirements. Our team can provide you with year-round advice on all aspects of personal taxation.

Estate planning

Few of us like to think about dying; however, the relevant legislation requires us to plan well in advance for how we would like wishes to be carried out once we pass on, without creating tax problems for our successors. This means making the necessary provisions now. There are many tax opportunities available and the earlier arrangements are made, the greater the chance of taking full advantage of our complicated tax system.

 

It is important when planning to transfer an estate that adequate provision is made and getting the right balance requires considerable skill and foresight – along with a detailed knowledge of the current tax regime. We provide a discreet comprehensive estate planning service that includes:

  • Help with planning and reviewing a will
  • Making full use of exemptions and lower tax rates on lifetime transfers
  • Optimising lifetime transfers between family members
  • Transferring agricultural or business property

Explaining the use of life assurance to cover potential inheritance tax liabilities.

Financial Management

With significant direct business management experience, the Partners in Whiteside Cullinan are uniquely positioned to advise and guide companies and organisations on the correct structures and procedures to maximise the benefits of prudent and judicious financial management. Combined with the correct strategic and tax advice, our financial management skills optimise profitability, growth and stability.

Exit strategies

For anyone in business, it’s important to give consideration to their exit strategy. Will you withdraw from the business, leaving it for the next generation, or will you hope to sell the business? If you intend to hand the business over, do you have a workable succession plan? If you intend to sell, how will you value the business, find a suitable buyer, etc.? Are you aware of all the tax implications of the timing of disposals.   

We can help business owners to make informed decisions about how they would like to move to life after their current role.

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