Sue Hirst is the founder of CAD partners, which is a team of Financial Controllers who have helped thousands of business owners to maximise Profit, Cashflow and Business Value. CAD partners have achieved this by providing plain English education about the value of Financial Control within small business.
The value of thinking strategically about Financial Control is often overlooked, hence the high incidence of small business failure. There is a big payoff in terms of business success when Financial Control is treated as importantly as other aspects of business management, rather than just being used for taxation return purposes.
A solid understanding of pricing, costing, working capital and overheads is a must for business success. Sue provides understanding by simple, plain English explanation of the basic financial workings in business.
True success is not about 'sailing through unscathed' but how you overcome set-backs and hurdles - Unknown
Getting a business loan can often seem like an enormous task: what do the banks want to know and how do they even assess an application? If you’re thinking about applying for a loan, these handy tips will help make sure you get approved!
For many business owners, the primary goal each year is to grow their business. And when they think of 'business growth', sales is the first thing that comes to mind. But growth is about much more than that.
There’s always a mad rush of activity leading into the End of Financial Year (EOFY), but what about Beginning of Financial Year (BOFY)? This is a perfect time to make financial improvements that will boost your business success and increase profits.
If you’ve never conducted a risk management assessment on your business you might find yourself asleep at the helm one day with a (proverbial) iceberg fast approaching.
The subject of penalty rates has been a hot topic in the news recently. Without wishing to wade into the political debate, it’s still worth looking at how a business owner should manage the situation.
What is business confidence and what boxes do you have to tick to achieve it? These five key areas are the best places to start.
A big boost in sales seems like a dream come true, but it can also lead to cash-flow problems. Here’s how to manage increased sales growth like a pro.
Every penny you don’t spend in your business adds to your bottom line. Here are twenty tips to help you cut costs.
Understanding how much it costs you to provide your product or service to your customers is vital to running a profitable small business. This case study will help you understand why small business costs are so important.
Literally thousands of people offer business advice; some are fantastic and some are dreadful. This article will help you find a great advisor and work with them effectively.
There’s no point being in business if you’re not making money and keeping some of it for yourself. Could any of the following ideas improve profitability or cash flow for your business?
Gone are the days when the last couple of tax returns would suffice to get a business loan. The banks, spooked by the credit crunch, now require precise information before lending you money. So what sort of shape are your business accounts in?
Those who’ve attempted to get new lending or renew an existing loan will know how hard it is right now, so how do you grow your business without borrowing?
If you can keep your cool while economic mayhem abounds, you could set up your business for not just survival, but for greater profit and cashflow when things improve. Here are some money management tips to thrive and survive in the downturn.
A budget is a guide to financial performance of the business and a way to quickly identify overspending and potentially loss making situations. Here are answers to the most common questions asked about small business budgeting.
There are a variety of methods for determining the price of your goods and services. To ensure you price right for maximum profit, let’s look at some of the merits and pifalls of different pricing strategies.
An age-old question accountants get asked by business clients is “How come I’ve made a profit but I don’t have any cash?”. Solving cash-flow problems is an issue for many businesses.
A challenge for any solo business owner is how to get others to help run the business, so that it doesn’t completely take over your life. You can look over everybody’s shoulder all of the time or you can invest in business systems to free yourself.
A successfully managed work-in-progress system for your solo business can help you improve profitability, cashflow and customer satisifaction.
Stock needs to be available for sale when your customer is ready to buy. But because it sucks up cash to have it waiting to be sold, it is good stock management to keep stock on the shelf for the shortest possible time.
Accounts Payable may seem like a dull subject but when handled properly it can provide many opportunities to improve your cashflow and profit. This article discusses how to use your Accounts Payable to your advantage.
In my last article I discussed ways to improve business invoicing and steps to avoid bad debts. In this article I'll discuss recovering money and ways to speed up payment after the invoice has been sent out to your customer.
How well you handle business invoicing can make or break your business. There are a number of different methods, so let’s look at some of the key factors in running a successful accounts receivable process in a typical small business.
How can a business making plenty of sales possibly go bust, you may wonder? The answer is cash. Your cash can be in a surprising number of places other than where it belongs - in your account.