Profit Cash Growth

We recorded this an hour after the Budget landed cutting through the headlines to what actually affects owners of seven figure businesses: tax on exits, property income, business rates, payroll costs and the much-hyped Founders Relief. If you run a business and want the plain-English version, this is for you. Key topics covered: Business Asset Disposal Relief: the lifetime limit halved from £1 million to £500,000, and what it really costs you Why Founders Relief sounds generous but only suits a tiny group of businesses Business rates: who gets relief, and why the freeze is not what it sounds like Higher income tax rates on property and savings income, and what it means for landlords The small print nobody mentioned: mandatory direct debits for VAT and PAYE, payrolling of benefits from April 2027, e-invoicing, and HMRC’s new powers The profit extraction consultation and what to watch if you ever plan to buy out a shareholder ⭐ Rate, Review & Share this episode with fellow business owners, and let's grow together! ⭐ Take the Finance Fitness Scorecard https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/finance-fitness-score ⭐ Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get Expert Advice Straight to Your Inbox: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/subscribe ⭐ Get a Free copy of Claire's book Profit By Numbers: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/book VALUABLE RESOURCES Website LinkedIn YouTube Facebook ABOUT THE HOST: Claire Hancott through Profit Cash Growth helps 7 & 8 figure business owners to increase their profit, improve their cashflow and grow their business using their numbers. As a finance director & chartered management accountant, Claire has nearly 20 years’ experience in finance and running businesses of her own. This gives her a unique insight into the information and support business owners need to grow a financially successful business. Claire passionately believes that every business should be run by the numbers because the numbers in your business are telling you a story about what is and isn’t working and where your opportunities lie. Claire’s mission is to provide insightful management accounts, reports and advice to business owners and support them to make smarter decisions. *The content of this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

Struggling to pay a tax bill is far more common than most business owners realise, and the way you handle it can affect your borrowing for years. In this episode Claire explains how HMRC time to pay arrangements work, which tax bill to defer first when you have several due, and what to think about before you pick up the phone. It’s useful for owners of six and seven figure businesses with lumpy or seasonal cash flow. Key topics covered: How an HMRC time to pay arrangement works, and why agreeing it before the due date can avoid penalties Why a quarter of VAT-registered businesses were penalised for late payment last year Why corporation tax is usually the bill to defer, and PAYE and VAT the ones to protect How interest on VAT and PAYE costs more than it looks, because it isn’t tax deductible How HMRC debt on your balance sheet can affect bank lending, overdrafts and commercial mortgages Why time to pay has tripled since 2020, and why a 12 to 36 month cash flow forecast should come before any decision ⭐ Rate, Review & Share this episode with fellow business owners, and let's grow together! ⭐ Take the Finance Fitness Scorecard https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/finance-fitness-score ⭐ Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get Expert Advice Straight to Your Inbox: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/subscribe ⭐ Get a Free copy of Claire's book Profit By Numbers: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/book VALUABLE RESOURCES Website LinkedIn YouTube Facebook ABOUT THE HOST: Claire Hancott through Profit Cash Growth helps 7 & 8 figure business owners to increase their profit, improve their cashflow and grow their business using their numbers. As a finance director & chartered management accountant, Claire has nearly 20 years’ experience in finance and running businesses of her own. This gives her a unique insight into the information and support business owners need to grow a financially successful business. Claire passionately believes that every business should be run by the numbers because the numbers in your business are telling you a story about what is and isn’t working and where your opportunities lie. Claire’s mission is to provide insightful management accounts, reports and advice to business owners and support them to make smarter decisions. *The content of this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

What does it actually mean when someone says a country, or a business, is in trouble? In this episode, Claire and Simon take a headline number, debt to GDP, and test it the way you would test a business: against turnover, against assets, and against what those assets are really worth. It is useful for any business owner who has ever looked at one figure and drawn a big conclusion from it. Key topics covered: Why debt to GDP is really debt compared to turnover, and why nobody values a business that way How the four parts of a balance sheet (income, expenses, assets and liabilities) change the picture Why the same set of numbers can look solid or alarming depending on the ratio you choose Book value versus real value, and why assets recorded at cost rarely show what they are worth How buyers and brokers can put wildly different prices on the same business What confirmation bias does to the way we read our own numbers ⭐ Rate, Review & Share this episode with fellow business owners, and let's grow together! ⭐ Take the Finance Fitness Scorecard https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/finance-fitness-score ⭐ Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get Expert Advice Straight to Your Inbox: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/subscribe ⭐ Get a Free copy of Claire's book Profit By Numbers: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/book VALUABLE RESOURCES Website LinkedIn YouTube Facebook ABOUT THE HOST: Claire Hancott through Profit Cash Growth helps 7 & 8 figure business owners to increase their profit, improve their cashflow and grow their business using their numbers. As a finance director & chartered management accountant, Claire has nearly 20 years’ experience in finance and running businesses of her own. This gives her a unique insight into the information and support business owners need to grow a financially successful business. Claire passionately believes that every business should be run by the numbers because the numbers in your business are telling you a story about what is and isn’t working and where your opportunities lie. Claire’s mission is to provide insightful management accounts, reports and advice to business owners and support them to make smarter decisions. *The content of this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

Not all revenue is equal. In this episode, Claire and Simon break business revenue into five types, from project and consultancy fees to repeat customer sales, and look at how each one behaves in a downturn, what it does to your cash flow and what it does to the value of your business. It is useful for any business owner who wants to build something that pays well now and is worth more when they sell. Key topics covered: The five types of revenue a business can have, and why none of them is a silver bullet Why specialist project work can be highly profitable and still be the easiest revenue to underprice The renewal cliff edge on annual contracts, and why clustered renewal dates can keep owners awake at night When a 12-month contract is genuinely justified and when it simply protects the business Why one-off and repeat customer revenue depend so heavily on your market and your marketing How a buyer thinks about future revenue, and why the best business to run is not always the best business to sell ⭐ Rate, Review & Share this episode with fellow business owners, and let's grow together! ⭐ Take the Finance Fitness Scorecard https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/finance-fitness-score ⭐ Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get Expert Advice Straight to Your Inbox: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/subscribe ⭐ Get a Free copy of Claire's book Profit By Numbers: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/book VALUABLE RESOURCES Website LinkedIn YouTube Facebook ABOUT THE HOST: Claire Hancott through Profit Cash Growth helps 7 & 8 figure business owners to increase their profit, improve their cashflow and grow their business using their numbers. As a finance director & chartered management accountant, Claire has nearly 20 years’ experience in finance and running businesses of her own. This gives her a unique insight into the information and support business owners need to grow a financially successful business. Claire passionately believes that every business should be run by the numbers because the numbers in your business are telling you a story about what is and isn’t working and where your opportunities lie. Claire’s mission is to provide insightful management accounts, reports and advice to business owners and support them to make smarter decisions. *The content of this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

If your business is sitting on surplus cash right now, this episode tackles the question every profitable owner eventually faces: property, or back into the business? We dig into the real economics of investing spare cash in commercial versus residential property, why leverage changes the maths entirely, and when the smarter move is actually to reinvest in yourself. Key Topics Covered: Why buying your own trading premises is close to a no-brainer, and why letting out commercial property to others is a different risk entirely The case for residential buy-to-let through a limited company, and why quality beats yield How leverage turns a flat property market into an 18 to 23% return on capital employed Why illiquidity is a feature, not a bug, when it comes to protecting you from your own worst financial decisions The real decision most business owners are actually facing: property, or reinvesting surplus cash back into a growing business Why building security first, then taking risks in business, worked better than doing it the other way round ⭐ Rate, Review & Share this episode with fellow business owners, and let's grow together! ⭐ Take the Finance Fitness Scorecard https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/finance-fitness-score ⭐ Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get Expert Advice Straight to Your Inbox: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/subscribe ⭐ Get a Free copy of Claire's book Profit By Numbers: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/book VALUABLE RESOURCES Website LinkedIn YouTube Facebook ABOUT THE HOST: Claire Hancott through Profit Cash Growth helps 7 & 8 figure business owners to increase their profit, improve their cashflow and grow their business using their numbers. As a finance director & chartered management accountant, Claire has nearly 20 years’ experience in finance and running businesses of her own. This gives her a unique insight into the information and support business owners need to grow a financially successful business. Claire passionately believes that every business should be run by the numbers because the numbers in your business are telling you a story about what is and isn’t working and where your opportunities lie. Claire’s mission is to provide insightful management accounts, reports and advice to business owners and support them to make smarter decisions. *The content of this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

Rising sales don't always mean a healthier business, and right now some of the UK's best known brands are proving it. In this episode, Claire and her co-host unpack "profitless prosperity," the point in an economic cycle where revenue keeps climbing but profit quietly falls away, and what it means for business owners watching their own numbers do exactly that. Key Topics Covered: What profitless prosperity means, and why household name UK brands are reporting it right now Three traps that drain profit while revenue keeps climbing: the inflation trap, the volume trap, and the fixed cost squeeze Historical parallels, from the 1920s agricultural crisis to the 1990s dot com bubble Practical ways to protect margin: dynamic pricing, longer supplier contracts, bundling instead of discounting, and fractional outsourcing Why cutting price to protect volume can quietly turn you into a busy fool What might come next, and how business owners can prepare ⭐ Rate, Review & Share this episode with fellow business owners, and let's grow together! ⭐ Take the Finance Fitness Scorecard https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/finance-fitness-score ⭐ Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get Expert Advice Straight to Your Inbox: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/subscribe ⭐ Get a Free copy of Claire's book Profit By Numbers: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/book VALUABLE RESOURCES Website LinkedIn YouTube Facebook ABOUT THE HOST: Claire Hancott through Profit Cash Growth helps 7 & 8 figure business owners to increase their profit, improve their cashflow and grow their business using their numbers. As a finance director & chartered management accountant, Claire has nearly 20 years’ experience in finance and running businesses of her own. This gives her a unique insight into the information and support business owners need to grow a financially successful business. Claire passionately believes that every business should be run by the numbers because the numbers in your business are telling you a story about what is and isn’t working and where your opportunities lie. Claire’s mission is to provide insightful management accounts, reports and advice to business owners and support them to make smarter decisions. *The content of this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

There's a rumour doing the rounds that HMRC has built a £100 million AI supercomputer that's scanning your social media to catch you out. In this episode, we separate the scaremongering from what HMRC's Connect system actually does, and why the real risk for most business owners has nothing to do with AI and everything to do with whether their own numbers add up to each other. If you've ever wondered whether HMRC is watching you, or worried that a genuine mistake could turn into an investigation, this episode will put your mind at ease and show you what actually matters. Key Topics Covered What HMRC's Connect system really does and why it's not the AI conspiracy people think The difference between a genuine mistake and tax evasion, and why that distinction matters Why your turnover, VAT, and payroll figures all need to tell the same story When HMRC can and cannot use social media or bank data to investigate you Why a good accountant should already be catching these mismatches before HMRC does What to do if you receive an HMRC letter questioning your figures ⭐ Rate, Review & Share this episode with fellow business owners, and let's grow together! ⭐ Take the Finance Fitness Scorecard https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/finance-fitness-score ⭐ Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get Expert Advice Straight to Your Inbox: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/subscribe ⭐ Get a Free copy of Claire's book Profit By Numbers: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/book VALUABLE RESOURCES Website LinkedIn YouTube Facebook ABOUT THE HOST: Claire Hancott through Profit Cash Growth helps 7 & 8 figure business owners to increase their profit, improve their cashflow and grow their business using their numbers. As a finance director & chartered management accountant, Claire has nearly 20 years’ experience in finance and running businesses of her own. This gives her a unique insight into the information and support business owners need to grow a financially successful business. Claire passionately believes that every business should be run by the numbers because the numbers in your business are telling you a story about what is and isn’t working and where your opportunities lie. Claire’s mission is to provide insightful management accounts, reports and advice to business owners and support them to make smarter decisions. *The content of this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

Having more than one limited company feels like smart planning until it pushes your business into a completely different tax regime. In this episode, we unpack why the £1.5 million corporation tax threshold isn't a single number, it's a number that gets divided across every company you control, and why that catches so many growing businesses off guard. If you've ever set up a company because "that's what everyone does" for property or acquisitions, this one is for you. Key Topics Covered Why the corporation tax "large company" threshold gets split between every company you own The real difference between paying tax annually and paying it in quarterly instalments How op-co, prop-co, and hold-co structures can bring the threshold down without you realising it The associated companies rule and how family shareholdings can unexpectedly count against you Practical ways to balance profit across multiple companies to avoid a cash flow cliff edge When it makes sense to simplify or consolidate your company structure ⭐ Rate, Review & Share this episode with fellow business owners, and let's grow together! ⭐ Take the Finance Fitness Scorecard https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/finance-fitness-score ⭐ Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get Expert Advice Straight to Your Inbox: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/subscribe ⭐ Get a Free copy of Claire's book Profit By Numbers: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/book VALUABLE RESOURCES Website LinkedIn YouTube Facebook ABOUT THE HOST: Claire Hancott through Profit Cash Growth helps 7 & 8 figure business owners to increase their profit, improve their cashflow and grow their business using their numbers. As a finance director & chartered management accountant, Claire has nearly 20 years’ experience in finance and running businesses of her own. This gives her a unique insight into the information and support business owners need to grow a financially successful business. Claire passionately believes that every business should be run by the numbers because the numbers in your business are telling you a story about what is and isn’t working and where your opportunities lie. Claire’s mission is to provide insightful management accounts, reports and advice to business owners and support them to make smarter decisions. *The content of this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

Claire covers one of the most overlooked tax reliefs for business owners who own their own building: capital allowances on commercial property. Prompted by a listener story about a business that missed out on hundreds of thousands of pounds in claims, this episode breaks down what capital allowances actually are, why most accountants never mention them, and what to do before you sign anything on a commercial property purchase. Key Topics Covered What capital allowances are and why they only apply to business assets, not everyday expenses The difference between full expensing, integral features, and structures and buildings allowance, and why the split matters Why most high street accountants miss this claim entirely and why that isn't really their fault The "shake the building upside down" test for working out what qualifies Why timing is everything, and how the opportunity can disappear the moment a property sale completes What to do before buying a commercial property to make sure you don't leave money on the table ⭐ Rate, Review & Share this episode with fellow business owners, and let's grow together! ⭐ Take the Finance Fitness Scorecard https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/finance-fitness-score ⭐ Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get Expert Advice Straight to Your Inbox: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/subscribe ⭐ Get a Free copy of Claire's book Profit By Numbers: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/book VALUABLE RESOURCES Website LinkedIn YouTube Facebook ABOUT THE HOST: Claire Hancott through Profit Cash Growth helps 7 & 8 figure business owners to increase their profit, improve their cashflow and grow their business using their numbers. As a finance director & chartered management accountant, Claire has nearly 20 years’ experience in finance and running businesses of her own. This gives her a unique insight into the information and support business owners need to grow a financially successful business. Claire passionately believes that every business should be run by the numbers because the numbers in your business are telling you a story about what is and isn’t working and where your opportunities lie. Claire’s mission is to provide insightful management accounts, reports and advice to business owners and support them to make smarter decisions. *The content of this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

We go head to head in a battle off: the five things that have genuinely moved the needle for our businesses over the last 25 years. No rehearsed answers, no overlap discussed in advance, just two founders picking apart what actually built the business versus what just felt busy. It's a useful exercise for any owner who wants to get clear on what would hurt most if it disappeared tomorrow. Key Topics Covered Why LinkedIn became Claire's number one channel for leads, and the debate over whether it's actually scalable How the smartphone and tools like Claude Code turned Simon into someone building internal software with no coding background Using AI as a thought partner to challenge decisions and shortcut the learning curve on things like SEO Why Xero opening up its API changed what was possible for both businesses, and what that means for any owner relying on one core piece of software Podcasting, AirPods, and self-education as an underrated growth lever The apprenticeship levy as a way to attract and train talent without competing purely on salary What COVID-19 actually taught them about steady growth versus sudden windfalls, and why "predictable" isn't always what it's cracked up to be ⭐ Rate, Review & Share this episode with fellow business owners, and let's grow together! ⭐ Take the Finance Fitness Scorecard https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/finance-fitness-score ⭐ Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get Expert Advice Straight to Your Inbox: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/subscribe ⭐ Get a Free copy of Claire's book Profit By Numbers: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/book VALUABLE RESOURCES Website LinkedIn YouTube Facebook ABOUT THE HOST: Claire Hancott through Profit Cash Growth helps 7 & 8 figure business owners to increase their profit, improve their cashflow and grow their business using their numbers. As a finance director & chartered management accountant, Claire has nearly 20 years’ experience in finance and running businesses of her own. This gives her a unique insight into the information and support business owners need to grow a financially successful business. Claire passionately believes that every business should be run by the numbers because the numbers in your business are telling you a story about what is and isn’t working and where your opportunities lie. Claire’s mission is to provide insightful management accounts, reports and advice to business owners and support them to make smarter decisions. *The content of this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

Most business owners have never heard of the apprenticeship levy, and it's costing them thousands of pounds in training they could be getting for free or close to it. In this episode, Claire and Simon explain exactly how the levy works, why it isn't just for school leavers, and how any business, including the owner themselves, can use it to fund everything from AI upskilling to a full charter accountancy qualification. Key topics covered: What the apprenticeship levy actually is and who pays into it Why small businesses can access the fund without ever paying into it themselves The difference between funding for under-25s and over-25s, and what that means for cost How short, modular courses now sit alongside longer professional qualifications Real examples of courses available right now, from AI implementation to sales and operations Why training providers handle almost all of the admin, and what's actually required from you as the employer ⭐ Rate, Review & Share this episode with fellow business owners, and let's grow together! ⭐ Take the Finance Fitness Scorecard https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/finance-fitness-score ⭐ Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get Expert Advice Straight to Your Inbox: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/subscribe ⭐ Get a Free copy of Claire's book Profit By Numbers: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/book VALUABLE RESOURCES Website LinkedIn YouTube Facebook ABOUT THE HOST: Claire Hancott through Profit Cash Growth helps 7 & 8 figure business owners to increase their profit, improve their cashflow and grow their business using their numbers. As a finance director & chartered management accountant, Claire has nearly 20 years’ experience in finance and running businesses of her own. This gives her a unique insight into the information and support business owners need to grow a financially successful business. Claire passionately believes that every business should be run by the numbers because the numbers in your business are telling you a story about what is and isn’t working and where your opportunities lie. Claire’s mission is to provide insightful management accounts, reports and advice to business owners and support them to make smarter decisions. *The content of this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

Most business owners only track the time between issuing an invoice and getting paid, and wonder why cash still feels tight. In this episode, Claire Hancott breaks down the customer journey cash cycle: the full picture of how long money is actually out of your business before it comes back in. If you're spending on marketing, taking on new work, or thinking about scaling up, this episode shows you exactly what you need to know before you commit more cash. Key topics covered: Why invoice-to-cash (your DSO) is only one small part of the real cash flow picture The four stages of the customer journey cash cycle, from lead generation to cash in the bank How to calculate your own cash cycle in days, and why that number matters more as you grow Why slow invoicing is one of the easiest and most costly gaps to fix in any business How to use your cash cycle number to work out exactly how much spare cash you need before ramping up marketing spend Why this calculation becomes essential when raising funding or approaching investors ⭐ Rate, Review & Share this episode with fellow business owners, and let's grow together! ⭐ Take the Finance Fitness Scorecard https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/finance-fitness-score ⭐ Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get Expert Advice Straight to Your Inbox: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/subscribe ⭐ Get a Free copy of Claire's book Profit By Numbers: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/book VALUABLE RESOURCES Website LinkedIn YouTube Facebook ABOUT THE HOST: Claire Hancott through Profit Cash Growth helps 7 & 8 figure business owners to increase their profit, improve their cashflow and grow their business using their numbers. As a finance director & chartered management accountant, Claire has nearly 20 years’ experience in finance and running businesses of her own. This gives her a unique insight into the information and support business owners need to grow a financially successful business. Claire passionately believes that every business should be run by the numbers because the numbers in your business are telling you a story about what is and isn’t working and where your opportunities lie. Claire’s mission is to provide insightful management accounts, reports and advice to business owners and support them to make smarter decisions. *The content of this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

Claire talks through three real client scenarios from the last few weeks where business owners came to her wanting to take on debt, and she told all three of them not to. This episode breaks down why, what she suggested instead, and how a genuine growth opportunity can look identical to a cash flow problem you haven't fixed yet. If you're weighing up a loan right now, listen before you sign anything. Key Topics Covered: Why a seven figure business wanted funding to accelerate growth, and why the numbers showed the existing business couldn't actually generate enough cash to repay the loan The difference between scaling a profitable business and scaling a loss Why directors taking dividends out of the business can mask a much thinner profit picture than it appears A seasonal business considering an expensive unsecured loan to cover a short eight week cash flow gap, and the two cheaper alternatives that solved it instead How a business that had just acquired another company avoided getting locked into invoice financing by using an underused asset instead Why the right answer to "should I take on debt" always depends on what you're actually trying to achieve ⭐ Rate, Review & Share this episode with fellow business owners, and let's grow together! ⭐ Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get Expert Advice Straight to Your Inbox: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/subscribe ⭐ Get a Free copy of Claire's book Profit By Numbers: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/book VALUABLE RESOURCES Website LinkedIn YouTube Facebook ABOUT THE HOST: Claire Hancott through Profit Cash Growth helps 7 & 8 figure business owners to increase their profit, improve their cashflow and grow their business using their numbers. As a finance director & chartered management accountant, Claire has nearly 20 years’ experience in finance and running businesses of her own. This gives her a unique insight into the information and support business owners need to grow a financially successful business. Claire passionately believes that every business should be run by the numbers because the numbers in your business are telling you a story about what is and isn’t working and where your opportunities lie. Claire’s mission is to provide insightful management accounts, reports and advice to business owners and support them to make smarter decisions. *The content of this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

Should you be including your labour costs in your gross profit? Claire breaks down why this simple question trips up more business owners than almost any other line on the P&L, and why getting it wrong can make a good month look bad and a bad month look good. If your gross margin swings wildly for reasons you can't explain, this episode is for you. Key Topics Covered: Why seasonal businesses that load subcontractor costs into cost of sales end up thinking their gross profit is worse than it actually is Why putting fixed salaries into gross margin distorts the number every time sales move up or down The three-step approach to working out which staff costs belong in cost of sales How to get 75 to 80 percent of the way there without tracking every minute of every day What utilisation and capacity data reveals once you separate client-facing time from everything else Why this sits closer to management accounting than traditional compliance-focused accounting ⭐ Rate, Review & Share this episode with fellow business owners, and let's grow together! ⭐ Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get Expert Advice Straight to Your Inbox: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/subscribe ⭐ Get a Free copy of Claire's book Profit By Numbers: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/book VALUABLE RESOURCES Website LinkedIn YouTube Facebook ABOUT THE HOST: Claire Hancott through Profit Cash Growth helps 7 & 8 figure business owners to increase their profit, improve their cashflow and grow their business using their numbers. As a finance director & chartered management accountant, Claire has nearly 20 years’ experience in finance and running businesses of her own. This gives her a unique insight into the information and support business owners need to grow a financially successful business. Claire passionately believes that every business should be run by the numbers because the numbers in your business are telling you a story about what is and isn’t working and where your opportunities lie. Claire’s mission is to provide insightful management accounts, reports and advice to business owners and support them to make smarter decisions. *The content of this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

Why do businesses actually fail? Not the vague, one-size-fits-all answer, but the five specific ways it really happens to owner-managed businesses turning over between £1 million and £20 million. In this episode, Claire and Simon work through the five most common causes of business failure, then rank them from least to most dangerous based on what Claire sees across hundreds of client businesses. This one is essential listening for any founder who wants to spot the warning signs before they become terminal. Key Topics Covered: Why business success has a thousand causes but business failure tends to fall into only a handful of patterns Taking on too much or the wrong kind of debt, and why repayment terms rarely match the return an asset generates Over-reliance on a single customer, contract, or connected supply chain, and why this risk hides in plain sight Overtrading and losing control during a growth phase Disproportionate ratios, from long payment terms to an oversized payroll, and why these quietly strangle cash flow Why poor financial visibility is the root cause sitting underneath almost every other failure mode ⭐ Rate, Review & Share this episode with fellow business owners, and let's grow together! ⭐ Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get Expert Advice Straight to Your Inbox: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/subscribe ⭐ Get a Free copy of Claire's book Profit By Numbers: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/book VALUABLE RESOURCES Website LinkedIn YouTube Facebook ABOUT THE HOST: Claire Hancott through Profit Cash Growth helps 7 & 8 figure business owners to increase their profit, improve their cashflow and grow their business using their numbers. As a finance director & chartered management accountant, Claire has nearly 20 years’ experience in finance and running businesses of her own. This gives her a unique insight into the information and support business owners need to grow a financially successful business. Claire passionately believes that every business should be run by the numbers because the numbers in your business are telling you a story about what is and isn’t working and where your opportunities lie. Claire’s mission is to provide insightful management accounts, reports and advice to business owners and support them to make smarter decisions. *The content of this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

Most business owners think "cash flow" means one number on one report. Claire breaks down why that single view is exactly what leaves profitable businesses caught short, unable to pay a VAT bill they never saw coming. In this episode, Claire walks through the three distinct ways every business needs to look at its cash, and why relying on just one of them creates a blind spot that can catch even a genuinely profitable business off guard. Key Topics Covered: Why a business can be profitable for 18 months and still not have enough cash to pay its VAT bill The three types of cash reporting every business owner should be getting monthly: the cash flow forecast, the cash flow statement, and the "whose cash is it" breakdown How a rolling 13-week cash flow forecast protects you from tax bill surprises Why profitable businesses still run out of cash once loans, dividends, and stock are accounted for The difference between service, stock, and asset-based businesses when it comes to cash flow risk Why roughly 80% of the businesses PCG works with are unknowingly living off money that belongs to HMRC Get the free 13‑week template (email marketing@profitcashgrowth.com) or view a live demo of our reporting at profitcashgrowth.com. ⭐ Rate, Review & Share this episode with fellow business owners, and let's grow together! ⭐ Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get Expert Advice Straight to Your Inbox: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/subscribe ⭐ Get a Free copy of Claire's book Profit By Numbers: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/book VALUABLE RESOURCES Website LinkedIn YouTube Facebook ABOUT THE HOST: Claire Hancott through Profit Cash Growth helps 7 & 8 figure business owners to increase their profit, improve their cashflow and grow their business using their numbers. As a finance director & chartered management accountant, Claire has nearly 20 years’ experience in finance and running businesses of her own. This gives her a unique insight into the information and support business owners need to grow a financially successful business. Claire passionately believes that every business should be run by the numbers because the numbers in your business are telling you a story about what is and isn’t working and where your opportunities lie. Claire’s mission is to provide insightful management accounts, reports and advice to business owners and support them to make smarter decisions. *The content of this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

How did Poland go from earning 16p for every pound a British person earned to 83p in just 25 years? And more importantly, what does that extraordinary economic transformation mean for the way you run your business? In this episode, Claire and Simon break down the eight key decisions that turned Poland into Europe's greatest economic success story, and apply each one directly to what growing businesses can learn from them. Key Topics Covered The eight things Poland got right, from shock therapy and keeping its own currency to EU membership and cross-party political consensus, and the business equivalent of each Why ripping the band-aid off in one go is almost always better than slow, managed change that drags on for years The danger of tying your hands: the one-customer problem, the one-channel problem, and the debt covenant trap Why laying the right foundations before you grow determines whether the growth actually sticks Cross-departmental buy-in and why the businesses that sustain growth are the ones where every hire understands the vision The role fear plays in driving performance, and why comfort is the enemy of ambition ⭐ Rate, Review & Share this episode with fellow business owners, and let's grow together! ⭐ Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get Expert Advice Straight to Your Inbox: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/subscribe ⭐ Get a Free copy of Claire's book Profit By Numbers: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/book VALUABLE RESOURCES Website LinkedIn YouTube Facebook ABOUT THE HOST: Claire Hancott through Profit Cash Growth helps 7 & 8 figure business owners to increase their profit, improve their cashflow and grow their business using their numbers. As a finance director & chartered management accountant, Claire has nearly 20 years’ experience in finance and running businesses of her own. This gives her a unique insight into the information and support business owners need to grow a financially successful business. Claire passionately believes that every business should be run by the numbers because the numbers in your business are telling you a story about what is and isn’t working and where your opportunities lie. Claire’s mission is to provide insightful management accounts, reports and advice to business owners and support them to make smarter decisions. *The content of this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

What would Andy Burnham's Britain actually mean for your business? In this episode, Claire and Simon run through the policies being floated under potential new leadership, from national insurance changes and business rate cuts to flat-rate inheritance tax and a radical property tax overhaul. This is a frank, commercial take on what might change, what's already been ruled out, and why the gap between GDP growth and how business owners actually feel deserves more attention than it gets. Key Topics Covered Why the economy can be growing and business owners still feel like they're going backwards, and what that disconnect means The proposed reversal of the employer national insurance increase and whether 1.2% really moves the dial A 20% business rate cut for hospitality, retail, and leisure, funded by a levy on super warehouses Flat-rate inheritance tax at 10% for everyone, and why it's cleverer than it first looks Abolishing stamp duty and replacing it with an annual property tax, and who this really hurts Devolution of spending decisions and whether Andy's vision for the North can actually work In PCG Extra, we discuss Spread.Finance : a Xero-connected tool that automates accruals, prepayments and deferred revenue to make management accounts more accurate. For business owners wanting clearer numbers and better cash decisions, visit https://www.spread.finance to book a demo. ⭐ Rate, Review & Share this episode with fellow business owners, and let's grow together! ⭐ Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get Expert Advice Straight to Your Inbox: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/subscribe ⭐ Get a Free copy of Claire's book Profit By Numbers: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/book VALUABLE RESOURCES Website LinkedIn YouTube Facebook ABOUT THE HOST: Claire Hancott through Profit Cash Growth helps 7 & 8 figure business owners to increase their profit, improve their cashflow and grow their business using their numbers. As a finance director & chartered management accountant, Claire has nearly 20 years’ experience in finance and running businesses of her own. This gives her a unique insight into the information and support business owners need to grow a financially successful business. Claire passionately believes that every business should be run by the numbers because the numbers in your business are telling you a story about what is and isn’t working and where your opportunities lie. Claire’s mission is to provide insightful management accounts, reports and advice to business owners and support them to make smarter decisions. *The content of this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

This week Claire breaks down a court case that sounds like a joke but has serious implications for any business that sells products or services as part of a bundle. The KFC sauce pot VAT case has opened the door for businesses across food, retail, and beyond to look again at how they are charging VAT, and possibly claim some of it back. If you run a business that bundles products or services together for one price, this episode is worth ten minutes of your time. Key Topics Covered: The Queens Court Limited versus HMRC case and what it actually decided Why bundling products together can mean you are charging the wrong rate of VAT How HMRC can approve a VAT claim and then challenge a bigger one for the exact same issue Real examples of businesses that have found thousands of pounds in unclaimed VAT simply by having someone look properly Which types of businesses are most likely to be affected (hint: it is not just fast food) Why "no win no fee" VAT claim companies are not the answer ⭐ Rate, Review & Share this episode with fellow business owners, and let's grow together! ⭐ Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get Expert Advice Straight to Your Inbox: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/subscribe ⭐ Get a Free copy of Claire's book Profit By Numbers: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/book VALUABLE RESOURCES Website LinkedIn YouTube Facebook ABOUT THE HOST: Claire Hancott through Profit Cash Growth helps 7 & 8 figure business owners to increase their profit, improve their cashflow and grow their business using their numbers. As a finance director & chartered management accountant, Claire has nearly 20 years’ experience in finance and running businesses of her own. This gives her a unique insight into the information and support business owners need to grow a financially successful business. Claire passionately believes that every business should be run by the numbers because the numbers in your business are telling you a story about what is and isn’t working and where your opportunities lie. Claire’s mission is to provide insightful management accounts, reports and advice to business owners and support them to make smarter decisions. *The content of this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

This week Simon and Claire dig into the biggest business story of the year so far: SpaceX's $1.7 trillion stock market flotation, which has made Elon Musk the world's first trillionaire. They use it as the jumping-off point for a plain-English deep dive into what an IPO actually is, where the idea came from, and whether any of this matters if you're running a six or seven figure business rather than a space company. Key Topics Covered: SpaceX's record-breaking $75 billion raise and what it means for Elon Musk's net worth What an IPO (Initial Public Offering) actually means, explained in plain English The history of public share offerings, from shipping expeditions to the modern stock market The difference between private investment, the AIM market, and a full public listing Why companies choose to go public, and the risks that come with it Whether mega-IPOs and trillion-dollar valuations are good for the wider economy ⭐ Rate, Review & Share this episode with fellow business owners, and let's grow together! ⭐ Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get Expert Advice Straight to Your Inbox: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/subscribe ⭐ Get a Free copy of Claire's book Profit By Numbers: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/book VALUABLE RESOURCES Website LinkedIn YouTube Facebook ABOUT THE HOST: Claire Hancott through Profit Cash Growth helps 7 & 8 figure business owners to increase their profit, improve their cashflow and grow their business using their numbers. As a finance director & chartered management accountant, Claire has nearly 20 years’ experience in finance and running businesses of her own. This gives her a unique insight into the information and support business owners need to grow a financially successful business. Claire passionately believes that every business should be run by the numbers because the numbers in your business are telling you a story about what is and isn’t working and where your opportunities lie. Claire’s mission is to provide insightful management accounts, reports and advice to business owners and support them to make smarter decisions. *The content of this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.