Posted by Ben at 2:11 pm
We’re chuffed to announce that our 3rd property will be opening shortly, on Bonhill Street. We’ve got 6 private studios and 42 open plan co-working desks available, but it is filling up fast! If you are interested in viewing the property please get in touch.
Posted by Ben at 12:35 pm
We’re very pleased to announce that we will be opening a new building in January! The new property is 5,000 square feet, and will be split between open plan co-working space and private studios.
Private studios will range from around 200 square feet to 500 square feet, and are filling fast. If you would like to arrange a viewing and secure a space, please get in touch.
Posted by matte8000 at 12:05 pm
There is a paradigm shift happening in the agency space which is centered around specialisation and lean operations.
Long established agencies, many whom have grafted their digital teams onto more traditional advertising roots, are overpriced and cannot compete in more specialist areas such as cross platform mobile apps. The technologies change at such a rapid rate that training staff in new areas becomes economically infeasible.
Many agencies are therefore resorting to outsourcing to smaller more agile companies. They are also finding themselves increasingly up against these companies in the pitch room.
Surely this is nothing new? What’s changed is the general attitude in the industry towards small specialist agencies and startups.
Co-working spaces like the Hoxton Mix actively encourage small agencies to pitch together for larger contracts from big corporates. The benefits to the corporates are clear, deep specialist knowledge across a variety of cutting edge capabilities alongside flexible and lower cost rates.
The Hoxton Mix has residents highly skilled in Digital PR, cross platform mobile and web app development, digital 3D animation, music, photography, legal and financial services and even venture capital.
They are able to rapidly deploy a highly skilled and highly motivated team to meet any pitch criteria within hours because of the close ties between the residents and the previous working history. They are able to be ultra competitive on price because of the lack of overheads by working in co-working spaces.
Most crucially, the pitches are being entertained by large corporates because of the increased awareness of small agencies and entrepreneurs boosted by the efforts of initiatives like the Tech City Investment Organisation and Google Campus.
They are being entertained and they are being won. Co-working is on the rise and is changing the industry as we speak. Organisations need to understand this and take action to avoid becoming another hulking shell in a plane graveyard.
Posted by Chris at 4:48 pm
VAT can be a daunting task, fortunately the HMRC offers a number of VAT schemes designed to make filling your VAT return easier. The Flat Rate Scheme provides a good option for small businesses and contractors who turnover less than 150,000 net, and are able to convert sales into profit.
How does the Flat Rate Scheme work?
The Flat Rate Scheme simplifies VAT returns by paying a predetermined percentage of sales to HMRC without having to calculate the difference between sales input, and purchases output. The predetermined percentage is defined by business sector. Below is a link to the HMRC site with a full list of the business sector rates, and a selection of business sector rates that might apply to you:
Computer and IT consultancy or data processing 14.5%
Advertising 11%
Flat Rate Scheme percentage rates:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/vat/start/schemes/flat-rate.htm
First year discount
For the first year of being registered for VAT the HMRC offers a 1% discount from your standard business sector rate. So a Computer / IT consultant would use 13.5% for the first year, following which it would increase to 14.5%.
I am VAT registered already, should I move to Flat Rate Scheme?
In order to establish if you should move there is a simple calculation you can perform:
Step 1)
Take your gross sales for your previous VAT quarter and multiply it by your appropriate business sector rate (based on industry rates above).
Step 2)
Compare the result to box 5 on your previous VAT return.
Step 3)
If your total is less, then you would have saved money using Flat Rate Scheme in that VAT quarter.
Claiming back VAT under the Flat Rate Scheme
Under the Flat Rate Scheme you typically cannot claim back the VAT you spend on capital assets for your business. However, you may be able to claim back the VAT on certain capital asset purchases with a VAT inclusive price of £2,000 or more.
I should not apply if…
You mostly buy items which contain VAT at the standard rate of 20%. As a rule you cannot reclaim the VAT back on your purchases.
You predominantly make zero-rated or VAT exempt sales.
How do I apply?
You can apply for the Flat Rate Scheme with form "VAT 600", which is available from HMRC website (www.hmrc.gov.uk), search for "vat 600".
To download the form in a PDF format, please click here.
Posted by Ben at 2:22 pm
We thought we’d start a series of articles on services that we use that have really helped us as a small business. These services will focus on great value for money, as well as flexibility and ease of use. We’re big fans of web based applications too, since you can use them whilst out and about as well as at home.
Google Apps for Business
Choosing to use Google Apps for our email, calendaring, file sharing and online spreadsheets and word documents was probably the best decision we have made when it comes to choosing services. If you are not going to use more than 10 accounts, it’s also completely free.
Google Apps is basically Gmail, Google Docs and Google Calendar, but for your business. You can use your own email address, and can even use your own company domain to access these services (e.g. mail.mygreatco.com).
You can sign up here:
http://www.google.com/enterprise/apps/business/pricing.html
All you will need is a domain name (we’d recommend http://www.namecheap.com) and a little bit of technical knowledge to get set up. Google Apps is great for a number of reasons:
Don’t worry about the hassle of managing your own email – let Google worry about it!
Posted by Ben at 12:02 pm
We’ve started using GoCardless to take one-off and subscription payments online. Alongside desk rental, we offer mail and telephone forwarding as part of our virtual office solution. Given the virtual nature of our product, we wanted an easy way for customers to pay online.
PayLinks from GoCardless was the perfect solution. We had GoCardless set up in 3 minutes – it’s incredibly simple, and didn’t require any technical knowledge.
Anyone can use PayLinks to start collecting money online in minutes. Check out GoCardless.
Posted by ross at 2:18 pm
A team from Hoxton Mix are taking part in Tech Bikers epic London to Paris bike ride between 21st September – 22nd September.
Tech Bikers is a collaboration of the London tech startup community to help children in need by supporting Room to Read.
The ride sees the coming together of UK and French startups, VCs, bloggers and techies.
A fantastic event for a great cause, and an excellent way to ‘Network on Wheels’. The ride covers 200 miles (320km) in 3 days. The route travels through picturesque French and English countryside passing historic sites and natural attractions along the way. Finishing up in the heart of tech city Shoreditch for a celebratory reception and dinner.
If you’re interested in the ride and want to support Room to Read you can visit http://techbikers.eventbrite.com/ to register
Posted by Ben at 12:22 pm
Market Fresh Vietnamese
Just opened on the corner of Paul Street and Great Eastern Street. Going to check it out in about 30 minutes – will report back!
Update!
Very good Banh Mi. Had the BBQ Pork. Meat was a fraction dry but otherwise really good. The place was very busy which is a good sign. Thoroughly recommended!
Posted by Ben at 10:32 am
We are delighted to announce that Zipcar and The Hoxton Mix have teamed up to give our residents a great offer on joining.
Zipcar is the UK’s largest pay as you go car club giving members access to wheels when they want them. You can take a Zipcar from as little as £4.75 an hour or a Zipvan from £8.75 an hour (prices include insurance, 40 miles of free fuel, and the congestion charge).
All Hoxton Mix residents are eligible for a FREE 1 year Zipcar for business account (normally £118.80) and one free driver (£12 each). With a Zipcar for business account you can add as many drivers as you need and have access to a fleet of over 1,800 vehicles across London, including plenty in the Old Street area.
Posted by Chris at 12:18 pm
On a sunny evening deep in the heart of Shoreditch The Hoxton Mix Mixer #7 curated the “Next Tech” evening at Digital Shoreditch.
We had a great crowd of close to 350 attendees, inspiring keynotes, insightful chats, and an open-mic session followed by a drinks reception.
We want to highlight and thank our keynote speakers Adewale Oshineye (Google+), Alex May, Rob Bateman and James Oury (Oury Clark) for their inspiring and pioneering talks!
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the sponsors Oury Clark and Google+ who made our The Hoxton Mix Mixer #7 at Digital Shoreditch such a huge success, without their generosity, this would not have been possible.
Great thanks as well to our wonderful event hosts, Digital Shoreditch especially to Kam Star, and to their great staff. You guys rock!
We hope everyone enjoyed the evening and we look forward to seeing you soon at The Hoxton Mix Mixer #8.
Your Hoxton Mix Team
Copyright © 2013 The Hoxton Mix Limited.
