Without the distraction of the self-assessment filing deadline, the beginning of the new year could be a natural time to reflect on possibilities for the coming year, rather than chasing clients for missing tax return information and motivating staff to get the returns filed before the end of the month.

For example, have you considered what services you could offer clients during 2019?

Here’s our stab at a list:

• Client goal setting sessions for 2019.
• Brexit supply chain impact assessments. Even if clients don’t actively buy or sell goods from or to the EU, you won’t have to travel far down the supply chain to find a business that does.
• Coaching clients on EU import/export changes post Brexit.
• Business fitness consultancy, if we are going to survive the Brexit changes, we need to be business fit.
• Round up the VAT registered traders (turnover in excess of £85,000) that have still not landed in the digital world and get them signed up to your preferred MTD filing software – Xero, etc.
• Make a list of the specialist tax or business consultancy services that you have delivered for clients in the past and identify clients or prospects that could benefit from these services in 2019.

Practicing what you preach, goals for your practice could include:

• When did you last take a serious look at strategies to reduce your investment in work in progress and debtors?
• How could you increase cross-sales to clients?
• What can be done to enrol new clients, and reduce the cost of conversion?

Perhaps you could risk at minimum one day off this month to start the “blue-sky” thinking process?