Profit Cash Growth

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
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⭐ Get a Free copy of Claire's book Profit By Numbers: https://www.profitcashgrowth.com/book
 
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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!
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⭐ 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.

Rachel Reeves announced seven policy changes outside of the normal fiscal calendar, and Claire Hancott breaks down exactly what they mean for business owners and the people running them. From the mileage rate increase that's been frozen for 15 years to the VAT cut on kids' hospitality that might never reach consumers, this episode cuts through the noise to tell you what actually changes for your business and what is just headlines.
Key topics covered:
The 12-month vehicle excise duty holiday for HGVs and why it will not move the dial for most transport businesses immediately
Mileage rates rising from 45p to 55p per mile, backdated to April 6, and the double-edged sword for employers who pay staff mileage
The fuel duty freeze and what it actually means in pounds and pence for HGV operators
The VAT cut to 5% on children's hospitality and attractions, and why most businesses will not pass it on to consumers
Free bus travel for children in August only, food tariff cuts on 100 products, and the limited help for farmers
⭐ 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 should your monthly management accounts actually look like, and what should they be telling you? In this episode, Claire walks business owners through exactly what Profit Cash Growth delivers to clients on a monthly basis, from the executive summary to the cash flow forecast to the taxes tab, and explains why the goal of every number is to drive a decision in the next 30 days.
Key topics covered:
Why monthly reporting is about tactics and quarterly reporting is about strategy
The five sections of a great monthly management pack, and what goes in each one
Why an executive summary is the most important page in any report, and what it should contain
How flagged commentary and trend graphs surface the exceptions that actually matter
The difference between a report that generates decisions and one that just gets filed
How deep-dive ad hoc analysis works alongside monthly reporting to answer the questions that numbers raise
⭐ 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 6 & 7 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.

Your year-end accounts are not a management tool. For business owners turning over seven figures, waiting for annual accounts to understand how your business is performing is not just inefficient; it is genuinely dangerous. In this episode, Claire breaks down exactly why statutory accounts were never designed to help you run your business, and what better financial reporting actually looks like.
Key topics covered:
Why annual accounts can contain numbers that are up to 21 months old by the time you see them
The five specific reasons statutory accounts should never be used to make business decisions
Why the format mandated by Companies House is designed for compliance, not commercial clarity
How the goals of year-end accounts actively conflict with the goals of running a profitable business
What management accounts should look like compared to what most business owners are actually getting
PCG's bespoke reporting portal and what it means to finally see your business in real time
⭐ 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 6 & 7 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.

In this episode we took a factory tour of Bremont, one of the UK's only luxury watch manufacturers, and walked away with something we didn't expect: a masterclass in how to build a brand that commands premium prices, generates genuine desire, and attracts exactly the right customers. This episode is for any business owner who wants to understand how positioning, scarcity, and storytelling translate into real commercial results.
Key topics covered:
How Bremont, founded in 2002, built a brand that feels like it has a century of heritage behind it
Why deliberately making and selling less can be more profitable than chasing volume
The power of a genuine origin story and why most business owners undersell theirs
How engineered scarcity works in practice, from limited edition watches to the Martin Baker ejector seat club
Why finding where your audience already gathers beats trying to find them one by one
The six marketing lessons every seven figure business owner can apply right now
⭐ 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 6 & 7 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.