Philip King FCICM, former Small Business Commissioner and advisor to PKF Littlejohn Advisory, believes a ‘back to basics’ approach would help many businesses overcome the late-payment challenge. It is an established fact that companies often become insolvent not because they are inherently bad businesses, but simply because they run out of cash. Poor cashflow management, compounded […]
The new financial year is often an opportunity to get organised for the year ahead. For self-employed parents juggling the demands of running a business with caring for their family, it could also be a good time to review the family planner and take a fresh look at the household budget to ensure they’re getting […]
Getting a business off the ground brings with it many challenges. And, when it then comes to scaling up, leaders will have to contend with a whole other set of matters. But the hard work is worth it and rewards plentiful. Only 1% of UK’s SMEs are scale-ups, or firms with high-growth potential, and yet […]
Over the past two decades I have been lucky enough to work with dozens of business and political leaders. The best leaders are those that are able to make professional decisions quickly based on the information available to them. But this does not mean they are immune to procrastination. They are just using tools to […]
Most of us aspire to be remembered fondly and reverently, having left a positive mark on the world, or the business you have been at the helm of. ‘Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.’ (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) As useful as it would be, none of us have a […]
When considering possible exit routes for your business, selling to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) can have several benefits, but a word of caution, this is not an exit route that can just be unilaterally imposed on your management team. I recently met with a business owner who had decided that sale to an EOT […]
Business process outsourcing has skyrocketed since covid, with 48% of companies now outsourcing their work. Whilst saving time and resources, outsourcing your marketing is an effective way to pool real expertise, gain access to advanced marketing tools, minimise overhead and improve return on investment (ROI). With outsourcing, businesses can focus on core activity and provide […]
With the latest Gallup report showing the UK as having only 10% of workers as being ‘highly engaged’, it raises the question of just how do we show employees how much they’re appreciated? We know how important managers are to people’s experiences of work, but Gallup also shares how managers reported as being even less […]
In a world of struggling supply chains and unexpected economic circumstances – ensuring cash flow and profitability is a top priority for many businesses. But shockingly, over half of businesses are still relying on manual checks for their B2B payments – meaning they don’t have a clear view on what their teams are spending and […]
According to the charity Autistica, only around 30% of working-age autistic people are in employment, and they face the largest pay gap of all disability groups. CIPD research published in February 2024 found that one in five neurodivergent employees surveyed have experienced harassment or discrimination at work because of their neurodivergence. Our article published in […]