Business with the Donnos
Join the Donno family each week as we share the real highs and lows of running a business together—mixing practical advice with unfiltered stories from behind the scenes of family life and entrepreneurship.
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Business with the Donnos
Why Smart Business Owners Embrace VAT Instead of Fighting It
Fear of crossing the VAT threshold is stunting the growth of countless UK small businesses. We've witnessed business owners take drastic measures—including temporarily shutting down operations—just to stay below the £90,000 mark and avoid VAT registration. This mindset creates an artificial ceiling that prevents scaling, expansion, and ultimately, success.
The apprehension typically stems from misconceptions about what VAT registration actually means for a business. Many fear the administrative burden or worry about raising prices and losing customers. What they're missing is the complete picture: yes, you'll charge VAT on sales, but you'll also reclaim VAT on business expenses—potentially offsetting much of what you collect. Modern accounting software has dramatically simplified the process, making VAT returns far less daunting than most imagine.
From practical banking tips (using Monzo or Starling "pots" to automatically set aside VAT funds) to exploring simplified schemes like the Flat Rate option, we break down exactly how to handle VAT registration smoothly. We also address common pitfalls, including the dangerous practice of artificially splitting businesses to avoid registration—a strategy that can lead to severe penalties. With Making Tax Digital for Income Tax on the horizon for businesses over £50,000, understanding these threshold psychology issues becomes even more crucial.
We share our unfiltered thoughts on recent experiences too, including Paul's acceptance into the prestigious Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program and Jade's observations on Virgin Voyages' remarkable culture consistency—proving that brand values can permeate every aspect of customer experience. Whether you're approaching the VAT threshold or simply planning for future growth, this episode delivers practical wisdom for building a business without self-imposed limitations.
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Welcome to Business with the Donos, where we talk about family business and everything in between. I'm your host, jay Dono, and I'm here with my dad, paul Dono, and today we are talking about the VAT threshold.
Speaker 2:Are we?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's really exciting, excellent, it was your idea.
Speaker 2:You haven't told the listener we're back.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, we are back.
Speaker 2:I think they would have guessed that, as we're well you know, because we could have done it as a recording on here. We could.
Speaker 1:We are back we are back, yeah, back back yeah, we're back, back, back, back from our cruise from our family cruise yep, family cruise, which was great. I'm going to talk about that a bit more later oh yeah I am okay. Yeah, just in case anyone's interested on what a virgin cruise is like. Are'm going to talk about that a bit more later, are you? I am? Yeah, just in case anyone's interested on what a Virgin Cruiser's like.
Speaker 2:Are you going to talk to the listener about what a plonker you are?
Speaker 1:No, no, no.
Speaker 2:About the question that you asked me just before when I said how's your new electric car that we've got on the company for our electric car fleet? Are you going to speak to people about that? No, no, why not? So shall I just mention it.
Speaker 1:Sounds like you're going to.
Speaker 2:Anyway, I'm still laughing inside, for which I said to you how is the new car? And?
Speaker 1:you went.
Speaker 2:It's all really good, but I can't find the button to turn the rear wiper on.
Speaker 1:Yes, still accurate.
Speaker 2:That is exactly what you said, wasn't it? Yes? Still accurate. That is exactly what you said, wasn't it? Yes? Why couldn't you find the button Jade?
Speaker 1:Because it doesn't have a rear window wiper.
Speaker 2:How long have you been looking for that button?
Speaker 1:Only yesterday, when it was raining.
Speaker 2:So it doesn't have a wiper, does it Jade?
Speaker 1:No, it doesn't have a wiper. I didn't know. Cars came without back window wipers.
Speaker 2:My Tesla hasn't got a wiper.
Speaker 1:Well, I don't pay attention enough to know these things.
Speaker 2:There you go. Anyway, electric car's good though.
Speaker 1:Electric car's very good. Would recommend Very, very good. I've only driven it twice now, but it seems very good. It's got a parking feature where it shows you how to park above, which is very helpful for me.
Speaker 2:Above what.
Speaker 1:It sort of gives you a bird's eye view of your car. Okay, it does. Excellent you don't know, because you've not driven it yet.
Speaker 2:Well, I have had cars with that on. It's not a new thing.
Speaker 1:It's a new thing for me.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, well done.
Speaker 1:Just because you're bougie. Anyway, back to our main topic of the day.
Speaker 2:Back threshold Back threshold.
Speaker 2:Oh, my goodness, what a topic this one is. I think we've just seen so many businesses that we're potentially looking at taking on, where they come to us for help and advice that they just don't want to play the game anymore. And when I say play the game, you know we've had a few this year that don't want to go past the £90,000 VAT threshold, just don't want to do it, don't want to play that game, and will do everything, including close their business down for periods of time, not to go over it that seems silly how on earth can you have the mindset to grow your business if that's going to be a sticking point?
Speaker 2:which then brings us to the whole debate and I know it's been a big debate on should we lower the vac threshold? I mean, what do you think on that debate?
Speaker 1:I think we should I lower the VAT threshold? I mean, what do you think on that debate?
Speaker 2:I think we should. I think the VAT threshold should be at something like £10,000.
Speaker 1:I don't disagree Because I think, having it so high and it's currently at £90,000, that changed last year, I think, or was it this year?
Speaker 2:Yeah, from sort of 80-odd.
Speaker 1:But it causes more problems because people get so used to charging what they're charging up to that point that then when they do have to become vat registered it is quite a shock to them and their business. So if it was lower, it just wouldn't be a shock, it would be the norm yeah, absolutely, and it'll be 11 level playing field, I mean you take our industry.
Speaker 2:You know someone in the service industry a bit of. You know insurances, cpd, regulatory stuff, bit of software etc. You know, as a single one man band, as it were, £90,000 worth of income and, let's say, I don't know £30,000 worth of costs. You can have half decent living on on that sort of money, so that's fine. But then it's restricting your business to go past that, to then take on, you know, staff members etc. Um, you can't do it, you just can't do it.
Speaker 2:And the mentality of people that want to grow their business etc. And then use the vat threshold as a, as a barrier, is just phenomenal really. Um, and also, you know, dare I say it, is it opening up the? Um. You know the cash economy again. You know, will we start to see more cash being used within our economy? We're now starting to see some pubs and restaurants going back to taking cash. Is that because there's more cash sitting around which, you know, from a regulatory point of view, from our point of view, is an absolute nightmare to look at and report on and keep within the guidelines that we're going through? And then, as you see, I'm on a rant now.
Speaker 1:You are on a rant, yes.
Speaker 2:And then you've got making text digital. Okay, so next year you've got 50,000 as the limit. Are people then going to think, oh, I don't really want to do all that reporting to HMRC every quarter. Am I now going to restrict my business and my income to £50,000 that I declare to HMRC? I mean, I think the world's gone mad at the moment. It's bonkers.
Speaker 1:Have you got that out of your system? No, so just to explain a little bit more um about what the vat threshold is like we said it's 90 000 pound, and then you have to charge a tax on what you sell.
Speaker 2:that is what that is and that's what the threshold is.
Speaker 1:Um, which is why, if you've got like a little uh, say you've got a coffee shop, say you're nearing, say you've been charging like five pounds for your sandwich or whatever um, if you then need to become that registered, you're going to have to increase your prices to what go?
Speaker 2:what to?
Speaker 1:five pound fifty six pounds, so you're only gonna put it at ten percent.
Speaker 2:It'll be six percent, it'll be six pounds.
Speaker 1:Six pounds yeah oh, not very good at mental maths six pounds, so you'd have to put your sandwich costs up quite significantly, which would then, in a lot of business eyes, upset their customers and um, you know that. So with that sort of mindset in that people are like, oh, but I don't want to increase my prices, and then I don't even get the benefit and I get all the disruption, what would you say to those businesses?
Speaker 2:I mean I would say, and we I sort of laugh and joke say how much will they put it up by and six pound being to obviously 20 of five pound added on the? The reality is it's not quite that, because there are costs then that you can claim VAT back on. Yes, so whilst there is a 20% cost ie that is paid to HMRC normally every quarter, you do have your input VAT. So if you take your coffee shop, for example they might lease their coffee machine they can claim the VAT back.
Speaker 2:Their accountancy fees they can claim the VAT back. Stationery et cetera claim the VAT back. Marketing expenses claim the VAT back. Some of the food that is cold and raw probably can't claim the VAT back because there's no VAT on that. But there are quite complex issues around the whole thing. You know, is it a cake, Is it not a cake? Is it a biscuit? You know there's a whole big.
Speaker 1:Oh, that reminds me. Oh, I've got to say this Is this your?
Speaker 2:strawberry and cream sandwiches.
Speaker 1:Yes, so M&S have brought out a strawberry and cream sandwich, but is it a cake? And it's causing waves in the accounting industry. It is, this is the sort of excitement we have people.
Speaker 2:I know, and they're saying that it's potentially a cake because the bread has got sugar in it.
Speaker 1:Yes, the bread is sweetened.
Speaker 2:Yes, so therefore being sweetened and with cream and with strawberries in it. Therefore it is a cake and therefore there is no fat on it. And what a debate that is what a debate we're not going to go into that what fun m&s have bought us because yeah, chocolate biscuits.
Speaker 2:Is it covered, not covered, is it got chips? I mean, there's a. There is a big debate around that kind of area. But going back to being vat registered, you know, obviously, if someone wants to, for for argument's sake, compete with us, you know, and they do a tax return for, say, 350 quid, yeah, our tax return has another, you know, 70 quid added onto it because of VAT. So if you're an individual and you're getting a similar return, why would you want to pay your 20%? You know you come and get your you know your fence done here, didn't you? Yes, you know your, your little gardener, gonna turn up, put your fence in and and then he turns around and says well, actually I can do it for 200 pound, but next week it's going to be 240 quid because I'm now going to be VAT registered. What do you do apart from paying cash?
Speaker 2:you know you go and find another gardener, that's you know, can do the same thing for 20 cheaper because it's a fence at the end of the day. So but the person that's got a team of people around them invested in the insurances etc, etc. They are a bigger business. They've done that investment.
Speaker 2:You should have a few more safeguards around that um so you know, it all depends you as a consumer what you want, but as a business it's really difficult when you're getting close to that threshold I mean, would you advise if somebody was coming to you and they're saying I want to start a business, say is this coffee shop again.
Speaker 1:I want to start a new coffee shop. Um, I want to grow it, I want to grow it, I want to have a team, would you advise that they start off that register straight away? Or would you say to work up to it and have that change at 90 000?
Speaker 2:I think it also depends on their investment. You know, if they're going into a new coffee shop, they're investing in the shop, they're buying new equipment etc. If they're that rich, they can claim all that back. So it might take sort of six months or so for it to be an issue anyway, by which time they might be over their vat limit.
Speaker 2:Um, they can go back if they register a year later and claim those large items back from vat point of view but, I think, even if you don't that register at, I think, even if you don't VAT register at that point because you don't have to register when you hit 90, you can register when you start trading. But I would say, even if you're not going to do it, think that you are VAT registered, because then it's not a shock. Make sure your pricing's there as though you're VAT registered. Make sure you're ready to be VAT registered.
Speaker 2:And I think a lot of businesses look at the here and now, particularly with the economic outlook out there at the moment, and they're not seeing the longer term. We've seen it, haven't we? We've seen it where people are going. They're not just around VAT, they're going oh, actually I need to employ someone, and you say, well, that's fine, but you've, you've got enough money here for your lifestyle, but you haven't got enough money to pay going rate wages, um, and I think that that's where people can work with their accountants, um, you know their, their advisors, and just get that mentality straight away yeah, I think so as well.
Speaker 1:I think I mean, if you are looking to start a business, it's probably worth well speak to your accountant, but also it's well worth considering being VAT registered straight away, because it'll give you that um like accountability if you like, and sets your stall out straight away. If you're starting and you're looking to grow, I can't see any reason why you wouldn't.
Speaker 2:No, and also, you know, if you're not very interested, some people might look at it and go don't turn over a great deal. You know they're not that big They've made out. They're really big, they've got a really wacky website, et cetera, but they're not charging VAT, so they can't be turned in more than £90,000.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think that is especially the case if you're selling to other businesses. So if you're, selling to just your normal customers. So you have got that coffee shop. They're probably not going to notice or care whether you're VAT registered. If you are selling to businesses, then that is a bit of a. It's the same sort of prestige as being limited over sole trader, which is a whole nother argument but um but that's a good point as well, isn't it?
Speaker 2:because if your business sells to other businesses that are vat registered, the fact that you're very sure or not is neither here nor there, because you might charge someone 100 pound plus fat, but they can claim that £20 VAT back. So actually to the end customer it's just a £20 cash flow issue, that's all. It's not an actual cost to them because they can claim it back.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they get it back.
Speaker 2:And the other thing that we've seen as well, and I remember years and years ago I used to act for a little TV shop and this was years ago, um now, when I was working in Sudbury and this TV shop was VAT registered for the TV shop, it did repairs in the shop using all the shop equipment etc, etc. And it split its business to avoid that big no-no. And we've seen it where people supply sort of the end user who isn't VAT registered and they supply commercially a product and they wanted to split that business. Now there are some people out there that I suggest may not be completely up to date with VAT law who will allow businesses to split with VAT law, who will allow businesses to split and that effectively gives them 180k's worth of VAT registration.
Speaker 2:But that is wrong and there's so many penalties and case law around this that you really really avoid splitting your business. That in some cases can work, but you know if you're using the same vehicles, the same premises, the same people, everything. It's just you've split it to avoid that. Please don't do that and please get separate advice.
Speaker 1:That's just unbelievable and also, if you're, if you're looking to grow your business, but you put this 90k ceiling on it, that is pretty detrimental to your business growth. You're not gonna ever grow past that and I mean I've I've seen it with one of there's. There is a, a real coffee shop, not my fictional one, um, that I know shuts for days of the year yeah, just so it doesn't go over the vat threshold. Yeah, yeah, which is bonkers to me.
Speaker 2:Well, it is bonkers, because you know they might be very close to it, because we know that it's shut and actually the owner, who's not a client of ours, has actually said it. Why?
Speaker 1:they're doing it. Well, that's how we know, yeah.
Speaker 2:And that's just mad, because the rent's going up, the rates have gone up, the electricity's gone up, everything's gone up, so they're going right, okay. Well, we don't want to go past the VAT threshold and therefore we're not going to make as much profit. I don't know.
Speaker 1:It seems bonkers to me. Yeah, and you can't grow that way. If you're so worried about that, you can't grow or move forward.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:So if somebody does become VAT registered, what do they actually need to do practically to combat that? Yeah, so if you become VAT registered, what? What do they actually need to do practically?
Speaker 2:um, to combat that? Yeah, so if you become VAT registered, um, you've got to account for that. So everything you sell has got VAT on it. There are exceptions to that, but most things you sell have got VAT on it. Um, so you've got to effectively put that little bit of money aside, um, and that gets paid to the revenue every three months. Normally you can do it monthly, but every quarter. But equally, everything you buy you're able to claim that back. So it all goes into a little pot and then the net figure, the VAT payable. So we output that on your sales or you input that on your purchases. Once taken away from the other. That then gives you a figure. Sometimes it could be a refund, but that then gives you a figure. Sometimes it could be a refund, but that then gives you a figure. And then you pay that to hmrc every three months, or monthly, depending on your business. You know, if you was a business like a butcher's, for I'm going to say you might be monthly vat registered because your sales won't have that on.
Speaker 2:But you can claim input, but again, we'd give advice on that sort of thing. So, and and it's as simple as that, and the best way of doing it is through software. Obviously we use Xero, but you know there is obviously Sage, there is QuickBooks, there is FreeAgent, you know all those products that we also can support. On, that deals with that. If you are that coffee shop, go for a decent till that has the software that works it all out for you, that feeds into your software.
Speaker 2:We're actually working with a coffee shop at the moment that does that and it will deal with your output vats. It will deal with that side of it. So actually you don't even got to touch it. You know, maybe get someone like ourselves, if we're not doing the bookkeeping for you, just to look at it every quarter and make sure all those feeds are working and it all reconciles in the background. But it's not that onerous. And some banks, and this is really really good and it really does help people, because what a lot of people don't realize they've got to pay it back to the revenue, you know. So from a point of view, I mean you've heard me say, oh, blimey VAT bills, we've got to find this.
Speaker 2:Yes, every single quarter, Every single quarter, but banks like Monzo have these pods and Starling but you can say to them look, every time I get money in, take 20%, chuck it in a pot. Technically it's sort of like a ring fence deposit account. At the end of the month or at the end of the quarter you're going to have money in there that the software has automatically taken, put to one side. You're not seeing it in your main bank account and you've dealt with your VAT. You've managed it.
Speaker 2:so it's not as big an issue as people think it is and that's probably because I've spoken to my mate down the pub or Fred in the shed who said, oh, you don't want to do that.
Speaker 1:I think people are really scared of doing their VAT returns as well. I mean, the amount of people we have come to us going, oh my goodness, I've got to do a VAT return and obviously we are there to help. So that's that's fine, and I understand why people are frightened of it, but it's not as scary as it looks.
Speaker 2:I think there's quite a lot of rules with what's vatable and what's not, but if you know your industry, you'll probably be all right and you'll have the software helps, and I think if we're not doing the bookkeeping, just getting someone like ourselves to look at it every quarter, just to pick up little things like I mean little daft things like you know, a train fare these are typical, you know, train fare. There's not that on that. It's exempt from that. There's no vat on that postage. There's no vat on that insurance. There's no vat on it.
Speaker 2:These are common mistakes that people make. These these are things we look out for. I'll go yeah, we can't do that, et cetera, et cetera. So you know, and also for businesses that are, you know, don't have high turnovers and I've forgotten the thresholds, it used to be 150,000. I think it's a bit higher you can go on the flat rate scheme for that. So you basically don't even have to account for all your input. Right? You just say right, this is my industry. This percentage of my invoice I will pay to HMRC Makes it even easier.
Speaker 1:Ah, there you go then. So I think our lasting comments on that is don't let the VAT threshold stop you from growing your business. Just be vat registered, get some help from an accountant and grow away. You don't. You don't need to let it stop, you don't need it to be a ceiling on your business, it's just absolutely, it's just counterproductive. It is um. Do you have anything more you need to add to your rant?
Speaker 2:I feel like you got it out, but yeah, indeed, yeah, and we've got a march quarter, which those have got march quarters will realize that you know, next month we've got to pay our VAT bill, so you know. So beans on toast for the rest of the month, pray for Jade, everyone as we pay our extortionate VAT costs. But there you go. That's life. But on a positive, I have saved it. It is ready to be paid.
Speaker 1:Ah, that's good. Well done for managing it properly. That's okay. Okay, well, moving on to our unfiltered minutes. Do you want to do yours first?
Speaker 2:My unfiltered minutes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2:So my unfiltered minutes. Basically, I've got some good news.
Speaker 1:Oh, what's the good news?
Speaker 2:Well, you know, you're doing your MBA.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, you know, obviously I've been asked to attend this year's cohort for Goldman Sachs. Their 10,000 small business program. Yes, it's really prestigious, much more prestigious than your MBA. It's really really prestigious.
Speaker 1:I think my mba is harder everybody, but we'll just no, no, no, no.
Speaker 2:I don't think it is yes, it's, it's three months of intensive training, etc.
Speaker 1:Three months, yeah, not not two years.
Speaker 2:Intensive, yeah, intensive, yeah, okay, it's obviously you know it's a lot harder and there's a lot more work involved in my three months, of course, and I hope you're gonna have the same enthusiasm as I do for you to look for your stuff and read it and support you on your mba oh, like you have with every single one of my assignments well, not all of them. One of them is really boring and how many have I done?
Speaker 1:three, three, that's okay, so you've done two thirds 66.66%.
Speaker 2:That's good to me. So, anyways, I've been asked to join this year's cohort that starts in September.
Speaker 1:Woo.
Speaker 2:The slight overlap with my holiday in Mexico.
Speaker 1:Oh no, I'll just have to go instead.
Speaker 2:But I've got over that now. That's fine, we can deal with that, that's absolutely fine, but yeah, it's really good. So the training is all about focusing on our business, focusing on governance which I really, really love and get to get under the skin of, and really looking at positioning our business one accounts with maybe some of your MBA stuff, with maybe some of your NBA stuff, so that we can grow into the family business that we want moving forwards. And when I say we want, it means I want while sitting on a beach and you're working. Thanks, that's all right.
Speaker 1:For you to be happy sitting on that beach while I'm working. You've got to know that it's a business that I want as well well, you know, I'm sure that it will be at some point.
Speaker 2:I can send you photos oh sure you can.
Speaker 1:Anyway, that is a really good achievement, so well done, dad.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 1:However, the proof is in the pudding as to whether it is easier or harder or the same level as my MBA.
Speaker 2:No, it's harder. It's hard to get onto the programme.
Speaker 1:It is hard to get onto the programme it's also hard to get onto my MBA.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You wouldn't have been able to have gotten onto my MBA.
Speaker 2:I didn't care, didn't want to, I just didn't think it was as good as mine.
Speaker 1:Actually, you might have with your AOT, yeah.
Speaker 2:I think Get you.
Speaker 1:I've got a musical theatre degree.
Speaker 2:I have and anyway I think, the one I didn't read of your assignments. You didn't get a first on that doesn't matter.
Speaker 1:Maybe if you'd have read it, Maybe you'd have got a first.
Speaker 2:Maybe I'd have got a first it just shows you that my input and my support on that no, so the one dad didn't read was all about culture.
Speaker 1:And it was very interesting and he didn't read it.
Speaker 2:But the financial one I read?
Speaker 1:Yes, you did read.
Speaker 2:And were you very pleased that I read it.
Speaker 1:I was pleased you read it and why was that? Because I got some of the figures wrong. As I'm sure everyone could realize, figures aren't my strong point. There's a reason I'm not an accountant, but I had to do a financial module to do my MBA, of which my draft. Even though some of the figures were wrong, my draft got picked out as being one of the best, so I rest my case an MBA is hard people, especially alongside a full-time job.
Speaker 1:But anyway, I think the reasons we're doing both of these things are for really good reason. We want to grow one accounts and we want to be able to help our clients to grow their businesses as well. Um, so we're putting in all this extra effort, although there might be a bit of competition.
Speaker 2:Well, it's no competition, really, is it?
Speaker 1:I disbelief, everyone disbelief you watch.
Speaker 2:This is I can see linkedin going. Oh, jane, to really feel your pain, yes, what about my pain. No one ever feels my pain there's a reason for that.
Speaker 1:There is no pain no pain again no pain again. Anyway, I'm very looking, much looking forward to you having to study for this. I don't think I've ever known you to study, so this is going to be interesting.
Speaker 2:Well, that's because you was only a little baby.
Speaker 1:Exactly.
Speaker 2:If not even that, when I was doing all my stuff all those years ago with the Rapid Results College, all by correspondence course at home, didn't have, I mean, tutors. That I went to didn't have the internet. We went to didn't have the internet. We had to fill in the forms, do the essays, post them, wait a week at least we did have phones so we could phone tutors up.
Speaker 1:That's a positive.
Speaker 2:Not carry a pigeon no, turn me in now, do you? Yes, much easier nowadays didn't have chat GPT, didn't you? Yes, much easier nowadays. Didn't have chat GPT, didn't even have the internet.
Speaker 1:Oh my goodness, or a fax machine back then. Oh, oh no.
Speaker 2:So you know.
Speaker 1:Well, it's all changed now.
Speaker 2:It has, yes.
Speaker 1:Anyway, good luck, Dad. I'm sure we'll talk about it more on our podcast. I'm sure we will.
Speaker 1:My unfiltered minute is about our cruise ah, yeah, we went on one yeah we went on one feels like a long while ago now, but we did go on one. We came back on monday, um, but I wanted to say about, we went on a virgin cruise and I think it was sort of inspiring sounds a bit blah, but I'm going to say inspiring anyway with the way Virgin's sort of culture and like I think, no, his culture ran across everything. We had an app that had communication through every day all written in, like the Virgin speak, if you like. All of the team were happy, smiley, friendly, all with that same like ethos. Everything in that ship ran completely as you would expect from all the correspondence that you had, and I think that is a huge feat and they did an excellent job of that. Yeah, I just thought it was really good. What did you think?
Speaker 2:Oh, it was great. Particularly enjoyed my line dancing.
Speaker 1:Yes, well, even down to the entertainment. The entertainment was all on brand. We had drag queen, bingo, we had the line dancing, we had you could do like a speed puzzle competition. We didn't do that, but you could an 80s party.
Speaker 2:Did you enjoy that?
Speaker 1:you went. I was in bed. Dad went to the 80s party with mom. Me and josh went to bed did you enjoy the pajama party? Also I'm not.
Speaker 2:I'm not a big partier you went to scarlet night I did go to scarlet night, that was fun, yeah yeah, and you obviously stayed up and saw all the magic shows and everything that were on.
Speaker 1:I watched two out of three. Okay, yeah, well done. I watched persephone who did not?
Speaker 2:and that was really good there's a reason I didn't watch persephone I know that's not the point. Well, it is the point, because there wasn't enough room for Katie to be in there and there were people that wanted to stand in front of Katie and we couldn't see any. We just couldn't see it and I got the hump.
Speaker 1:You did get the hump.
Speaker 2:I walked out.
Speaker 1:You did, but still, I watched that one and you didn't, so ha.
Speaker 2:But when that finished, what did you do?
Speaker 1:came to the wine bar. Yeah, with you yeah, okay I did.
Speaker 1:I had an old-fashioned yeah, you did, and then I went to bed, going back to the, the culture and everything, though it then that same culture then, I think, spread through a lot of the guests as well. Everyone was really friendly, like the community on that boat was really nice. You could stand in line for something and you would like, nine times out of ten, be having a conversation with someone you've never met, um, which I think was really. That was really nice. I've never had that before, I don't think, where everyone's been that approachable.
Speaker 1:And even me and Josh went into Dubrovnik and we were sitting having a, a drink, and the lady sitting next to us was from the boat. She saw our wristband, she worked on the boat and then she was talking to us just about life and everything, and that was really nice as well, um, but because everyone was so approachable, it really meant that we got to speak to people from different backgrounds, different cultures, um, which was again really really interesting and a really diverse environment. That was really really great to be able to talk to so many different people. So, yeah, you probably didn't notice I did notice.
Speaker 2:Obviously, the downside was was the fact that it was very american based and they didn't put the british lions game on oh no, so I had to watch it via vpn on my iphone but you made a friend I did, yeah, me and this chap, we watched it. Yeah, which is what I'm saying, yeah I know, but even so, they should still have put the British Lions game on.
Speaker 1:We found Dad in the bar, his iPhone propped up on his beer, sitting next to some random man, and they were both watching this little screen together. It was quite sweet.
Speaker 2:Quite sweet.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, that was my thing. I would 100% recommend the Virgin Voyages cruise. I've got nothing but good things to say about it, and they were great with Katie as well, apart from that Persephone thing. But that wasn't really their their fault. They perhaps could put more things in place to make sure that they've got spaces, but they were good it was more the people that gave you the cabin she had was really good.
Speaker 2:The person looking after her cabin was really good, really helpful, gave her everything she wanted. Um, she sort of like moaned a little bit because they put the life jacket on the top shelf, which was a bit weird considering she's on a wheelchair. Um, and he come back and he was like I'm so sorry, I've completely forgot about that. I knew I had to do it, yeah, and I just thought that was really good. You know, he made a mistake, he fixed it, he apologized, happy days, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Um. So yeah, really really good, really really good and I went to the gym you did go to the gym, well done and I walked around the and we did that bungee class we did the bungee class.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was really fun yeah um and we drank wine, so we drank loads of wine.
Speaker 1:I miss the wine. It's friday. Yeah, it's friday, friday anyway. I think that's everything for today.
Speaker 2:I think so okay then.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you very much for listening to our podcast. If you haven't yet, please subscribe or send us any questions you want us to answer and share it out to all of your business friends. But for now, we'll see you next week. Goodbye, ta-ra.