Business References: The Polished Turd of Due Diligence Let’s not mess around, when you ask for a reference, you’re not getting the full picture. You’re getting a highlight reel, curated and packaged like a property listing:

You know how it goes. You're three pints deep, it's quiz night at The Dog & Duck, and your mate Gary, the one who once tried to sell watches out of the boot of his Fiat Punto leans over and says: “Oi. We should start a business. 50/50, yeah?”

Starting a business is like doing a pub quiz where the questions change halfway through and the quizmaster’s set fire to the rulebook. It’s not for the faint-hearted or anyone who enjoys a steady wage and regular sleep.

But here’s the reality: HMRC may not be peering through your letterbox, but their digital tentacles are everywhere. They’re less Inspector Morse, more Minority Report with spreadsheets. And they’ve got a grudge against sloppy small businesses.

A decent accountant often saves you more than they charge—and that’s before they even open their spreadsheet wizardry.