Ask the Collective
The questions independent drinks founders ask most — answered. Distilled from years of community knowledge so the good stuff never disappears in the feed again.
What legal and accounting services do members recommend for small drinks businesses?
Members consistently recommend a handful of specialist providers that offer good value for small businesses needing employment contracts, tax advice, and corporate structuring. **Legal services:** - **Seed Legals** — Multiple members praised this service; used for employment contracts, share transfers, director's agreements, and fundraising documentation. Members offer referral introductions. - **iLaw (Justin Ellis)** — Highly recommended by at least one member who cannot recommend enough and will introduce interested parties. **Accounting services:** - **Donald Reid Group** — Several members use this firm. - **Specialist F&B/hospitality accountants** — At least one member uses a newer accountancy firm that specialises in hospitality, food & beverage, and e-commerce, described as well-priced after trying several solutions. **Employment law:** - Members have access to personal introductions to employment lawyers; if you need specific employment law support, ask in the group for a direct introduction. The consensus is to ask for private introductions rather than cold-contact these firms, as several members have referral relationships and may offer deals. Seed Legals appears most frequently recommended across multiple use cases.
What CRM systems do drinks businesses use and recommend?
Members recommend a lightweight CRM that integrates with accounting software. **Capsule** is the main recommendation from the community—praised for ease of use and strong integration with major accounting platforms (Sage, Xero, QuickBooks). This makes it particularly useful for drinks businesses that need to sync customer data with financial records.
What payroll and accounting software do members recommend for small drinks businesses?
Members recommend a few proven combinations for small teams. **Sage** is praised for being very good and easy to run in-house. The most commonly cited pairing is **Xero** combined with **Telleroo** for payments—members report these two integrate seamlessly and work well together for managing payroll files. This setup appears to be the preferred route among the community.