Many of the people who come to me through taxhelp.uk.com have one main goal when they first get in touch: they want their tax sorted. They want to stop worrying about Self Assessment, make sure they’re claiming everything they’re entitled to, and get HMRC off their back.
That’s completely understandable. And it’s often exactly the right place to start.
But what I’ve noticed over the years is that once someone’s tax affairs are under control, a second question often appears — sometimes quietly, sometimes quite suddenly.
“Okay… so what now?”
They’ve stopped the leaks. They’re no longer behind. The immediate pressure has eased. And then a different kind of thought starts to surface: Is this all there is? Could I be building something stronger, more stable, or more valuable than what I have right now?
This is a very common point in a self-employed person’s journey. Getting your tax sorted removes a huge amount of stress and mental clutter. But it also creates space to think about the bigger picture — and that’s when many people realise they’ve never actually been taught how to run a business properly.
They’re good at what they do. They might be excellent at their craft, their service, or their profession. But running a business involves a completely different set of skills: positioning, pricing, systems, cash flow management, decision-making under uncertainty, and building something that doesn’t completely rely on your personal time and energy.
Most self-employed people never get any formal training in these areas. They learn through trial and error — often expensive trial and error.
That’s why I created the Chocks Away Business Course.
It’s designed specifically for people who are already self-employed or running small businesses and want to move beyond just “getting by” or “doing the work.” It’s practical, straightforward, and focused on the real levers that make a business more robust and less stressful to run.
I don’t see the course as a replacement for getting proper tax and accountancy support. In fact, I see the two as highly complementary. When your tax affairs are clean and well-managed, you have a much clearer view of what’s actually happening in your business. And when you start applying better business thinking, you often end up making smarter decisions around tax planning, investment, and long-term strategy.
Some of my tax clients have gone on to do the course and found it gave them a completely different perspective on what they were building. Others have come to me for tax support after going through the course and realised they needed proper professional help to implement some of the ideas properly.
There’s no single right order. What matters is that you eventually have both pieces in place if you want to build something that lasts.
If you’re in a place where your tax is under control (or you’re working on getting it there) and you’re starting to think about the longer-term future of your business, the course might be worth exploring.
You can find out more about it at jamesmcbrearty.com.
It’s not for everyone. But for the right person, at the right time, it can make a meaningful difference to how they approach their business — and how sustainable that business feels day to day.