Practical guides, tools and tips
The Secret Tax Advantage of a Fractional CFO
A good Fractional CFO focuses on more than cashflow and profit maximisation. They keep tax in their sights too. Most business owners have some form of finance support: a bookkeeper keeping the books clean, an accountant preparing the year-end, perhaps a part-time finance director producing management accounts and running forecasts. Each of these roles does what it is scoped to do, and hopefully...
Business Survival 101
When your business is in trouble, survival is the only thing that matters. Not growth. Not innovation. Not exciting new projects. Just keeping the doors open. If you're burning through cash and losses are piling up, you need to stabilise things before you can (or should) do anything else. Here's what to focus on:Know exactly what you have. Check it every single day. Plan it out weekly. You can't...
Risk management isn’t about control—It’s about exposure
Most business owners obsess over the wrong question when it comes to risk. They ask: ‘How do I control this?’. But you can’t control most of what threatens your business. Market shifts, late payments, supplier failures, economic downturns – these are largely outside your influence. The better question is: ‘How exposed am I to this, how quickly could it hurt me, and can I mitigate it?’. The...
The Hidden Cost of Discounts: Which Pricing Strategy Actually Works for Your Business?
BOGOFs, new-customer promos, bundles, loyalty deals, flash sales. Because everyone's doing them, it probably feels like you should. But most business owners don't know which ones actually make financial sense for them. Pick the wrong model and you could be heading for disaster, as the chart below clearly shows. Let's look at three common discounting approaches and explore who they work for...
Why EBITDA alone won’t tell you if your business is healthy
When I speak with small business owners and early-stage founders, I often hear a sense of relief when their EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation) is positive, possibly for the first time. ‘We're profitable on paper!’ they say. Even if it’s only ‘on paper’ (more on that later) it’s still definitely a moment worth celebrating, especially after months of burning...
The Business Killers hiding in plain sight
One of the things about business is that nothing stays still. Markets shift. Customer preferences evolve. Technology changes the rules. What worked brilliantly five years ago might be completely irrelevant today. This constant change keeps it interesting. But it makes it challenging too. Change brings opportunities - new markets, new products, new ways of reaching customers. But it also demands...
Why cash flow matters more than your margin: The strategic decision most business owners miss
I was having coffee with a client last week. She'd just spent three hours negotiating with a packaging supplier. Back and forth on email, then a phone call, then more emails. She'd got them down 5% on their original quote. She was pleased with herself. She'd protected her margin - success. "That's great," I said. "When did you last look at your aged debtors report?" Silence. Turns out she had...
Get started today, download a copy of our free Money Making Machine checklist.
Simple steps you can implement today to boost profit and cash flow fast
Take control of your business finances today
You don’t have to keep guessing!
With the right support your business can be calm, profitable, and built for growth.
info@simplefigures.co.uk