ASK JT

After two months off, Justin's back. And he's not here to add to the noise. If you've searched Making Tax Digital on YouTube recently, you'll have seen the same thing everywhere — penalties, nightmares, HMRC crackdowns. Justin spent those three months writing a book about MTD instead. It hit the Top 100 finance books in the UK. Which told him something: people aren't looking for more panic. They'r...

If you want to modernise your business systems, marketing and onboarding, learn more about working with me at askjt.co.uk. How do you produce YouTube videos, podcasts, blogs, social posts and PDFs without a marketing team? In this episode, JT takes you behind the scenes of his exact AI and automation setup. Justin explains how one core idea each week becomes a full content system th...

This week I was invited to a student trade show at Northumbria University. I expected a few posters and half-formed ideas. I walked out seeing something much bigger. The problems student entrepreneurs face on day one are the same problems small business owners face ten years later. And the good news is, most of them are avoidable. In this episode I share the real startup lessons that came out of t...

You finish a job, send the invoice, and the client never gets it. You resend it, and it lands in spam. It’s annoying, but it’s also costing small businesses thousands every year. In this episode, Justin Turner explains why it’s not your email system that’s broken — it’s your DNS. He breaks down what DNS actually is (in simple terms), how it links to your website and email, and why missing settings...

This week I share the automation that changed my accountancy firm. It’s simple, repeatable and it freed us from hours of admin. One week Zapier told me we’d automated 360 tasks, and Mailchimp added another 40 emails. Four hundred actions done for us. No mistakes. No prompts. No stress. In this episode I explain why automation beats AI for repeatable work, how it fits into your business, and how yo...

Most Budget breakdowns tell you what changed. This episode tells you what to do about it. JT explains how the 2024 and 2025 Budgets quietly combine into one long rolling tax plan that hits small business owners between now and 2031. You’ll learn the real impact on wages, payroll, dividend tax, rental income, pensions, and the new salary sacrifice cap coming in 2029. More importantly, you’ll get pr...

Struggling to pay your tax bill? You’re not alone. In 2010, I owed HMRC £20,000 and even had a debt officer at my door. In this episode, I share the five steps you must take right now if you can’t pay your tax bill. These strategies will help you stop penalties, protect your business, and give you the breathing space you need. We’ll cover: 1️⃣ How to talk to HMRC the right way 2️⃣ Why filing early...

If you’re working six days a week and still wondering where the money’s gone, this episode is for you. Justin shares the story of a tradesman who was ready to give up — working every day, quoting on weekends, and still earning less than he would as an employee. But the problem wasn’t effort. It was the system. This isn’t just for tradespeople — it’s for anyone who’s tired of being busy but broke....

Year-end doesn’t have to be chaos. In this episode, Justin breaks down 7 practical year-end checks that help UK small business owners save tax, free up cash, and stay in control before the books close. From pensions and tax forecasting to director’s loans, capital spending, and dividends — you’ll learn exactly what to review, when to act, and how to walk into next year stress-free. If you’ve ever...

Is AI coming for accountants? Software like Xero and QuickBooks makes bookkeeping easier, but there’s a big difference between processing numbers and giving real advice. In this episode, I explain why technology can’t replace human accountants — from talking to HMRC, to understanding your goals, to helping you sleep at night. AI can automate admin, but it doesn’t bring years of experience, judgmen...

Guest: 👩‍💼 Carol Butts — Accelerate HR LinkedIn | Search “Carol Butts Accelerate HR” Email: carol@acceleratehr.co.uk Most small businesses only think about HR once something’s already gone wrong but by then, it’s often too late. In this episode of Ask JT, Justin sits down with Carol Butts, founder of Accelerate HR, to unpack the everyday HR traps that quietly cost small employers money and time....

Learn how UK “trivial benefits” work: the £50 per-occasion rule, the £300 director cap, and how to use non-cash gift cards for staff without triggering PAYE/P11D. Clear do’s/don’ts, per-head averaging, and when a PSA can rescue mistakes. Actionable, fast, and HMRC-compliant.

A client asked me recently: “Justin, how do you stay so motivated?” Here’s the truth: I don’t. Some days I’m tired, some days I’m low on energy. But after 20 years of running businesses — from my accountancy firm, to a letting agency, to AskJT — I’ve learned that motivation isn’t what gets results. In this episode I share: Why motivation is unreliable (and why you shouldn’t depend on it) The goals...

Every small business reaches the point where you ask: should I hire? In this episode, I share the honest truth about taking on your first employee, why most of us are bad managers at the start, and how to avoid the biggest mistakes. I talk about: Why you’ll probably be a bad employer at first (and that’s okay) Why stress and sick days are more about management than “lazy staff” The Nicola story –...

If you’re great at what you do but struggle to turn enquiries into clients — this episode is for you. Justin shares the exact sales engine he built inside his accountancy firm that now closes 86% of leads, without pushy tactics, awkward scripts, or time-wasting calls. You’ll hear the story of Tom — a small business owner with a fantastic marketing setup but a painful 15% conversion rate. After wor...

Every week, I see small business owners wasting thousands on marketing that will never work — and the worst part? The mistakes are completely avoidable. In this episode, I share the 5 most common marketing mistakes I see in my accountancy practice, and how you can fix them to stop the leaks and start winning more customers. We’ll cover: Why not collecting customer emails is costing you thousands H...

In this episode of the AskJT Podcast, I’m joined once again by business coach, TEDx speaker, and author Dave Rogers for a deep dive into how technology is reshaping the way small businesses operate and where the human touch still matters most. We explore: Why delaying tech adoption could be costing your business more than you think The double-edged sword of AI and automation in small teams The too...

Most self-employed people in the UK have no pension savings at all. And it's no surprise — the early days of saving feel painfully slow. But what if you knew exactly when the magic starts? In this episode, Justin Turner from AskJT breaks down the game-changing concept of scale of capital, the tipping point where your investments start to work harder than you do. We cover the exact timelines for wh...

In this episode of the AskJT podcast, Justin Turner dives into why electric vehicles (EVs) are transforming company car schemes and how business owners can make the most of it. Learn how EVs create massive tax advantages through benefit-in-kind rules, salary sacrifice schemes, and corporation tax savings. Justin also explains how offering EVs can boost staff retention, lower fuel costs, and reduce...

This week, Justin shares a story that sounds like it’s straight out of a Black Mirror episode, but it really happened. On the day he paid off his mortgage, Justin decided to test HSBC’s voice recognition security system. Instead of using his real voice, he used an AI-generated voice clone, created using ElevenLabs and was granted full access to his account. Twice. In this episode, we explore: How...

In this episode of the AskJT podcast, I’m joined by TEDx speaker, business coach and author Dave Rogers to unpack the very real challenges facing small business owners in today’s economic climate and what to do about them. We talk rising wages, inflation, and cost pressures — and how to respond with smart pricing, customer service, and strategic collaboration. We also dive into: Why growing revenu...

When my tenant gave up on her dream of opening a florist shop, I didn’t chase rent or walk away. I offered her £3,000, three months' rent-free, a free accountancy service, and my help in opening the business within one week. This episode isn’t about flowers. It’s about how I think about risk, momentum, and mentorship. Inside, I share: Why I offered equity and what I wanted How I’d get a business t...

In this episode of the AskJT podcast, Justin reflects on two decades of building businesses and asks the honest question every small business owner should consider: how much is enough? He shares why growing to a team of 9 in his accountancy firm brought security, freedom, and better service, but also why pushing beyond that now feels less rewarding and far more risky. We cover: Why growth to a poi...

If you’re a landlord earning over £30,000 a year from rental income, there’s a big change coming and many property owners still haven’t heard of it. From April 2026, Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax becomes mandatory for landlords earning over £50,000. If your rental income is between £30,000–£50,000, you’ll be brought into the system from April 2027. In this episode, I break down exactly:...

If you're a sole trader earning over £30,000 a year, big changes are coming. HMRC is rolling out Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax — and it’s going to change how you report your income forever. In this episode, Justin breaks down what MTD means in plain English: Who it applies to (and when) What you’ll need to submit (and how often) What software you’ll need And why it’s best to start prepar...