Where the f**k is our VAT number?! – Tom Carrington Smith – Medium
Where the f**k is our VAT number?!
Some people can remember numbers easily. Rob, my co-founder, can tell you the registered company address and VAT number for every company he has ever incorporated, just like that.
I, on the other hand, have to have it written down or stored somewhere. And ‘somewhere’ can be loosely defined. For years, I just asked Rob every time I needed anything. Understandably, it got annoying.
I know the registered company address and VAT Number is in my to do list. It’s in an email draft, on our Google drive, and in the front of every new notebook. It’s everywhere, but strangely nowhere too. The same goes for my office padlock code and our wifi password. With these, I made them impossibly complex so they would be more secure… which I promptly undermine by leaving them all over the place.
I came to the office on a Sunday a few weeks back — it was to pick something up, not work crazy startup hours, don’t panic — and set off the loudest alarm in the world, ever…because I couldn’t find the code.
Cue phoning Rob in a panic, and then another team mate who I didn’t know was still on holiday, until I finally got pointed towards the company the runs the building. All in the knowledge that I really should have known what the door code is, or at least where to find it!
And I’m not the only one. If new hires ever see our handbook again after their first day I’d be pretty surprised.
The same goes for all the software and tools we use. Keeping track of what they are, what the links are, who signed up to them and even what we’ve paid for them is a nightmare.
Things like this are not the reason you start a business, but they are a fact of life.
It’s pretty obvious that there should be a place where all this information is easily available, for the right people, at the right time.
That’s why we built Company Profiles on Charlie ;)
What are the key features of your new Company Profile? Take a look…
The header on Office pages pulls in the Google Map (incase you’re having a REALLY tough morning).
‘Notes’ is the perfect place for all the little bits of information you have lying around…
..and the ideal spot to remind everyone of the stuff that REALLY matters.
What software and tools do we use, what’s the login, who owns it…? Sorted.
Finally, a place to find documents that usually lost in the deep, dark sea of Google Drive.
Jump on Charlie to see more :)
CharlieHR is the free HR platform for small businesses. Building a company is hard, running one shouldn’t be. Find out more here.
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Where the f**k is our VAT number?! – Tom Carrington Smith – Medium
Where the f**k is our VAT number?!
Some people can remember numbers easily. Rob, my co-founder, can tell you the registered company address and VAT number for every company he has ever incorporated, just like that.
I, on the other hand, have to have it written down or stored somewhere. And ‘somewhere’ can be loosely defined. For years, I just asked Rob every time I needed anything. Understandably, it got annoying.
I know the registered company address and VAT Number is in my to do list. It’s in an email draft, on our Google drive, and in the front of every new notebook. It’s everywhere, but strangely nowhere too. The same goes for my office padlock code and our wifi password. With these, I made them impossibly complex so they would be more secure… which I promptly undermine by leaving them all over the place.
I came to the office on a Sunday a few weeks back — it was to pick something up, not work crazy startup hours, don’t panic — and set off the loudest alarm in the world, ever…because I couldn’t find the code.
Cue phoning Rob in a panic, and then another team mate who I didn’t know was still on holiday, until I finally got pointed towards the company the runs the building. All in the knowledge that I really should have known what the door code is, or at least where to find it!
And I’m not the only one. If 
new hires ever see our handbook again after their first day I’d be pretty surprised.
The same goes for all the software and tools we use. Keeping track of what they are, what the links are, who signed up to them and even what we’ve paid for them is a nightmare.
Things like this are not the reason you start a business, but they are a fact of life.
It’s pretty obvious that there should be a place where all this information is easily available, for the right people, at the right time.
That’s why we built Company Profiles on Charlie ;)
What are the key features of your new Company Profile? Take a look…
The header on Office pages pulls in the Google Map (incase you’re having a REALLY tough morning).
‘Notes’ is the perfect place for all the little bits of information you have lying around…
..and the ideal spot to remind everyone of the stuff that REALLY matters.
What software and tools do we use, what’s the login, who owns it…? Sorted.
Finally, a place to find documents that usually lost in the deep, dark sea of Google Drive.
Jump on Charlie to see more :)
CharlieHR is the free HR platform for small businesses. Building a company is hard, running one shouldn’t be. Find out more here.
Clapping shows how much you appreciated Tom Carrington Smith’s story.
Never miss a story from Tom Carrington Smith, when you sign up for Medium. Learn more
Never miss a story from Tom Carrington Smith