22/10/2026 No Comments
Cashflow usually gets the attention first. That is understandable. When cash gets tight, the pressure is immediate. Wages still need paying. Suppliers still need managing. Tax bills still arrive. Customers still need chasing. A cashflow problem is visible, uncomfortable and hard to ignore. But in many owner-managed businesses, margin sends the warning earlier. The business […]... Read More
15/10/2026 No Comments
In a tougher economy, cash problems rarely arrive overnight. They normally show up quietly first. A good customer starts paying a little later. A project takes longer than expected. Supplier costs move again. The team feels busier, but the bank balance does not seem to improve. The owner tells themselves the next round of invoices […]... Read More
08/10/2026 No Comments
Over the last couple of months, I have seen a pattern showing up more often with owner-managed businesses. The issue is not always that sales have disappeared. In some cases, the order book still looks healthy. The pipeline still has activity. Customers are still placing work, asking for quotes, approving jobs and expecting delivery. But […]... Read More
01/10/2026 No Comments
You are in the middle of something important when a message comes through. “Can I just check this with you before I reply to the client?” A few minutes later, someone else asks whether they can approve a small cost. Then a manager wants your view on how to handle a supplier issue. None of […]... Read More
24/09/2026 No Comments
Most owners do not have an effort problem. They have a dependency problem. The business has grown, the team is busier, the number of decisions has increased, and there are more customers, more projects and more moving parts. Yet too much of the thinking, deciding, checking, chasing and problem-solving still runs through the owner. The […]... Read More
17/09/2026 No Comments
There is a particular kind of frustration that comes from solving the same problem more than once. The first time, it feels like business. Something goes wrong, someone steps in, the issue gets sorted and everyone moves on. The second time, it is irritating. By the third or fourth time, you start to wonder why […]... Read More
