7TH DECEMBER, 2022

The four worst habits that can hold your business back from being creative

In today's competitive business world, it is more important than ever to be innovative and creative. However, many businesses find themselves held back by bad habits that crush their creativity.

In this blog post, we will discuss the habits that can hold your business back from being creative. We hope that by becoming aware of these bad habits, you can work to break them and unleash your creativity!

The four worst habits that can hold your business back from being creative

The four worst habits that can hold your business back from being creative are: lack of risk-taking, over-reliance on tried and true methods, failure to embrace change, and complacency

Lack of Risk -Taking:

Many businesses become too comfortable in their current situation and fail to take risks that could bring about greater innovation. This fear of the unknown often stems from a lack of confidence in one's capabilities and is an impediment to creativity. To foster an environment where creativity can thrive, leaders must be willing to take calculated risks and encourage their team members to do the same.

Over-Reliance on Tried and True Methods:

Becoming stuck in a rut is a natural part of life – but it’s one of the worst habits when it comes to staying creative. When businesses rely too heavily on established methods, they tend to miss out on opportunities for growth or improvement that could otherwise be gained. It’s important for companies to constantly assess the effectiveness of their processes and make changes when necessary.

Failure to Embrace Change:

Change can be intimidating, especially if it requires rethinking how things have been done for years. But failure to embrace change is one of the biggest barriers to creativity in any business setting; without new ideas or perspectives, progress will stagnate or even regress. It’s important for businesses to learn how best to manage change and use it as a tool for growth rather than a sign that something has gone wrong.

Complacency:

Complacency is another habit that stifles innovation within organizations; when employees become comfortable in their roles or with processes that have been used for years, they cease looking for new ways forward or improvements that could be made. To combat this bad habit, businesses should foster an atmosphere where employees feel encouraged and rewarded for suggesting new ideas or improvements

How can R&D Tax Credits help?

Research and development (R&D) tax credits are a great way for businesses to incentivize creativity and innovation, as they provide monetary rewards for the work that goes into researching and developing new products or services. By investing in research and development activities, companies can take advantage of these tax credits which can help defray some of the costs associated with exploring new ideas.

In summary

The above habits can hold businesses back from being creative, but with proper management they can be overcome and replaced with more fruitful behaviours. For instance, leaders should strive to create a culture where taking risks is rewarded; teams should actively look for new processes or methods which may benefit them; businesses should prioritize embracing change whenever possible; finally, organizations should promote an atmosphere where complacency is discouraged in favour of proactivity seeking out new opportunities and solutions. By paying attention to these bad habits and working towards eliminating them from the workplace, any business can move forward towards its creative potential!

Additionally, research and development tax credits are a great way for businesses to incentivize creativity and innovation, as they provide monetary rewards for the work that goes into researching and developing new products or services. By investing in research and development activities, companies can take advantage of these tax credits which can help defray some of the costs associated with exploring new ideas.

How the Tax Cloud portal makes claiming R&D Tax Credits easy

No matter what industry your business is in, the Tax Cloud portal works brilliants for SMEs in particular. Entirely online, the portal is accessible 24/7 from any internet-connected device so there’s nothing to download or maintain.

When you log on to Tax Cloud, it’s simply a case of following each of the steps to make an accurate, fully optimised R&D tax relief claim. Guided and supported by our team of R&D tax and funding experts, each stage will only ‘unlock’ once the previous one has been fully completed and checked by our team.

First off, we’ll assess your business and your R&D project to make sure a claim is definitely on the cards. That way you don’t need to waste time starting a claim that may not be successful.

Once you’ve inputted all your figures and your R&D technical report is complete, we’ll go through it with a fine-tooth comb. Then we’ll submit it to HMRC on your behalf. If any questions are raised or there’s any feedback from HMRC, we’ll work on it with you to keep your claim moving forward. This means you can rest assured that not only will your claim stand the best chance of holding up against HMRC scrutiny, but that every single cost has been included leaving nothing on the table.

If you’re still not sure, why not see our recent blog called What are the benefits of a self-service R&D tax portal? You can also take a look at our free demo to learn more about Tax Cloud and how it can work for you.

Whether you’re just looking to find out more or are ready to kick off a claim, our specialist team are here to help. Simply call us on 020 7360 4437 or drop us a message on we'll ring you back.

Barrie Dowsett, ACMA, GCMA
Author Barrie Dowsett, ACMA, GCMA CEO, Tax Cloud
Start your Tax Cloud claim now Discover if you qualify and ensure your R&D tax claim is maximised. Get started
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Myriad Associates are the creators of Tax Cloud, we help enterprises navigate, apply and secure tax incentives and grants. We specialise in R&D Tax Credits, Creative Tax Reliefs, Innovate UK grants, Horizons Europe grants, and R&D Capital Allowance Claims.

  • Submitting R&D tax claims since 2001
  • Strong track record spanning 20+ years delivering R&D tax credit claims
  • Over £70m claimed and counting
  • Industry leading specialists
  • We employ technical, costing and tax experts and tax experts
  • Confident of delivering value to our clients, we offer our R&D tax services on a success fee-only basis.

Meet some of the team behind Tax Cloud

Barrie Dowsett Barrie Dowsett ACMA CGMA Chief Executive Officer
Jillian Chambers Jillian Chambers Technical Analyst/Writer
Lauren Olson Lauren Olson Technical Analyst Manager
Rabia Mohammad Rabia Mohammad Corporate Tax Associate