Are you working flat out from the moment you wake up, only to find yourself drowning in chaos with cash flow all over the place? Do you look at your business and wonder, "Is it me? Is it the business? Can this even be fixed?"

I get it. I'm Nicola J Barnett, The Business Fixer, and it's time to get your shift together.

Welcome to The Business Fixer Podcast, the show for overwhelmed business owners who are ready to stop surviving and start thriving.

Every Tuesday, we'll dive into my proven Efficiency and Profit Framework to help you build a business that is calm, profitable, and successful for the long haul. Together, we will rip off the plaster, face the truth about your numbers, and fix your business from the foundations up.

This podcast is for you if you want to:

• Keep the Chaos Down: Finally tame the overwhelm by optimizing your workflows, cutting wasted effort, and creating systems that work.
• Get Your Cash Flow Up: Confront the numbers that sting, plug the profit leaks you didn't know you had, and get your finances flowing in the right direction.
• Achieve Lasting Success: Build solid foundations so you can grow with confidence, knowing you've built a resilient and profitable business.

If you're ready to fix the chaos, boost your profits, and finally get the results you deserve, hit that subscribe button now. Your journey to a better business starts here.

Connect with Nicola:

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/nicola-j-barnett

Website: https://info.nicolajbarnett.co.uk/fix-your-business

Want to fix your business? Join The Business Fix With Nicola

Here's what you'll receive when you work with Nicola J. Barnett to get your business on track.

• A Proven Framework: Use the Efficiency & Profit Framework to end overwhelm, get cash flowing, maximize profits, and build a business that won't break you.
• Clarity and Control: The first step is a "Financial Awareness Review," where Nicola will dig through 12 months of your financials to give you the truth about your business and create a 90-day roadmap.
• Hands-On Implementation and Transformation: In "The Business Fix" program, you'll get structured action and accountability to turn awareness into fast results. This will help you fix cash flow leaks, improve profits, and implement smooth systems.
• Full Support for Deep Transformation: For those needing a complete overhaul, the "Survive to Thrive" program offers hands-on support to rebuild your business from the ground up, giving you predictable cash flow and sustainable profitability.
• Ongoing Momentum & Accountability: With the "Strategic Advisory Partnership," you get monthly focused strategy sessions to ensure your progress sticks and your business continues to grow on solid foundations.

Learn More about the Profit & Efficiency Frame work & For a deeper dive into this topic and more, visit our website: p...

Welcome to Get Your Shift Together, the podcast I'm creating for business owners just like you. I'm Nicola J Barnett, the Business Fixer, and I know what it's like to be flat out, stressed about cash, and unsure what to fix first. In this first look at what the show is all about, I'm introducing you to my proven Efficiency and Profit Framework. I’ll explain why simply chasing more sales isn't the answer and how fixing your 'back office' is the real key to success. Join me as I break down my 3-step system designed to help you end the overwhelm, fix your finances, and finally drive the success you deserve. It’s time to take back control.

Join me for the official launch next Tuesday, September 23rd, where we begin with 12-week sprint to fix your business.

Key Takeaways:

1. Start with Awareness: You can't fix a problem you don't understand. The first stage is gaining clarity on the real issues in your business, from cash flow to inefficient systems.
2. Fix the Foundation First: Focus on internal operations before scaling. Improving cash flow and plugging profit leaks builds a strong business that can handle growth.
3. Maintain Momentum: Making changes is one thing; making them stick is another. Set clear goals and implement systems to track progress and ensure long-term success.

Want to fix your business? Join The Business Fix With Nicola

Here's what you'll receive when you work with Nicola J. Barnett to get your business on track.

• A Proven Framework: Use the Efficiency & Profit Framework to end overwhelm, get cash flowing, maximize profits, and build a business that won't break you.
• Clarity and Control: The first step is a "Financial Awareness Review," where Nicola will dig through 12 months of your financials to give you the truth about your business and create a 90-day roadmap.
• Hands-On Implementation and Transformation: In "The Business Fix" program, you'll get structured action and accountability to turn awareness into fast results. This will help you fix cash flow leaks, improve profits, and implement smooth systems.
• Full Support for Deep Transformation: For those needing a complete overhaul, the "Survive to Thrive" program offers hands-on support to rebuild your business from the ground up, giving you predictable cash flow and sustainable profitability.
• Ongoing Momentum & Accountability: With the "Strategic Advisory Partnership," you get monthly focused strategy sessions to ensure your progress sticks and your business continues to grow on solid foundations.

Learn More about the Profit & Efficiency Frame work & For a deeper dive into this topic and more, visit our website: p...

In this first episode of Get Your Shift Together, I’m kicking off my Business Fix Sprint by tackling the crucial first step of the Efficiency and Profit framework: Awareness and Control.

I see so many business owners working twice as hard for half the money because they’re making decisions in the dark, based on financial data that’s lying to them. As I always say, you can't fix what you can't see. I provide a practical, no-nonsense checklist of five questions you must answer honestly about your books—from customer and supplier balances to bank reconciliation and mixed-up expenses.

I'll show you how seemingly small bookkeeping errors can lead to overpaid taxes, damaged reputations, and sleepless nights. This episode is my call to action for you to stop guessing, face the facts, and build your business on the solid foundation of accurate numbers. Stop letting poor data break your business and start getting your shift together.

Key Takeaways

1. Awareness is the First Step to Transformation. You cannot make effective business decisions about pricing, spending, or growth without first having a crystal-clear understanding of your current financial position.

"Awareness is the beginning of transformation. - Nicola J. Barnett

2. Your Financial Data Might Be Lying to You. Small inaccuracies, unreconciled accounts, or old invoices can create a false picture of profitability, costing you thousands and causing immense stress.

"It could be as basic as your data is lying to you. These lies could be costing you thousands, wrecking your sleep." - Nicola J. Barnett

3. Bookkeeping is the Backbone of Your Business. Dismissing bookkeeping as a simple admin task is a critical mistake. If your books are messy, your entire business is built on an unstable foundation.

"Bookkeeping is often seen as a boring admin job... But it's the backbone of everything. Mess your books up and your entire business is unstable." - Nicola J. Barnett

4. Separate Business and Personal Finances. Blurring the lines between your personal and business accounts makes it impossible to know if your business is actually profitable or sustainable.

"When you blur the lines, there's no way to know what's working and what's not. Simple." - Nicola J. Barnett

5. Take Action on One Thing N

Want to fix your business? Join The Business Fix With Nicola

Here's what you'll receive when you work with Nicola J. Barnett to get your business on track.

• A Proven Framework: Use the Efficiency & Profit Framework to end overwhelm, get cash flowing, maximize profits, and build a business that won't break you.
• Clarity and Control: The first step is a "Financial Awareness Review," where Nicola will dig through 12 months of your financials to give you the truth about your business and create a 90-day roadmap.
• Hands-On Implementation and Transformation: In "The Business Fix" program, you'll get structured action and accountability to turn awareness into fast results. This will help you fix cash flow leaks, improve profits, and implement smooth systems.
• Full Support for Deep Transformation: For those needing a complete overhaul, the "Survive to Thrive" program offers hands-on support to rebuild your business from the ground up, giving you predictable cash flow and sustainable profitability.
• Ongoing Momentum & Accountability: With the "Strategic Advisory Partnership," you get monthly focused strategy sessions to ensure your progress sticks and your business continues to grow on solid foundations.

Learn More about the Profit & Efficiency Frame work & For a deeper dive into this topic and more, visit our website: p...

In this episode of Get Your Shift Together, I'm diving deep into a topic that affects so many business owners: why you might be working for peanuts without even realizing it. We often have a "system" for pricing, but where did it come from? Dave down the pub? Or real, factual numbers? Today, I’m pulling back the curtain on your true profit margins. Grab your latest Profit & Loss report, because we’re going to uncover your gross profit margin and see if it aligns with what you think you're earning. The gap between expectation and reality is where your money is disappearing – your "profit leak." I'll share some eye-opening examples of how missed costs, client changes, and even seemingly small expenses can drastically reduce your actual take-home. It’s time to stop the guesswork and start understanding your numbers to build a truly sustainable business.

Key Takeaways:

1. Many businesses operate with arbitrary pricing methods that don't reflect true profitability.

"Where did you get this system from thin air Dave, down the pub? Or maybe someone else just said they was running a similar business and that's what they done. You should have got it from real numbers." - Nicola J. Barnett

2. Understanding your gross profit margin is crucial for identifying profit leaks.

"The gross profit margin shows you how much money you earned from selling what you sell." - Nicola J. Barnett

3. Unaccounted-for costs are often the culprit behind vanishing profits.

"What has not been considered when pricing a job? Have you allocated all labour and subcontractor costs to every job that you price? Have you included packaging and postage? And what costs could have been missed?" - Nicola J. Barnett

4. The disparity between perceived and actual earnings can severely impact a business's sustainability.

"The gap between what you think you charge and what you actually make is where your money is disappearing. This is what we would call a profit leak." - Nicola J. Barnett

5. Relying on guesswork instead of facts for pricing leads to working harder for less.

"Quit making pricing decisions based on guesswork and wishful thinking. - Nicola J. Barnett

Want to fix your business? Join The Business Fix With Nicola

Here's what you'll receive when you work with Nicola J. Barnett to get your business on track.

• A Proven Framework: Use the Efficiency & Profit Framework to end overwhelm, get cash flowing, maximize profits, and build a business that won't break you.
• Clarity and Control: The first step is a "Financial Awareness Review," where Nicola will dig through 12 months of your financials to give you the truth about your business and create a 90-day roadmap.
• Hands-On Implementation and Transformation: In "The Business Fix" program, you'll get structured action and accountability to turn awareness into fast results. This will help you fix cash flow leaks, improve profits, and implement smooth systems.
• Full Support for Deep Transformation: For those needing a complete overhaul, the "Survive to Thrive" program offers hands-on support to rebuild your business from the ground up, giving you predictable cash flow and sustainable profitability.
• Ongoing Momentum & Accountability: With the "Strategic Advisory Partnership," you get monthly focused strategy sessions to ensure your progress sticks and your business continues to grow on solid foundations.

Learn More about the Profit & Efficiency Frame work & For a deeper dive into this topic and more, visit our website: p...

I'm diving into a question that keeps far too many business owners awake at 3 AM: "Where does the cash actually go?" You're working flat out, the jobs are coming in, but you never quite feel financially secure. That constant stress about whether direct debits will clear or if that customer will finally pay as promised is exhausting. You're always hunting for the next job because you're never quite sure if your regular income actually covers your basic costs.

Today, I’m going to show you how to find out exactly what needs sorting with your cash flow so you can finally sleep better at night. You’ll gain crucial clarity on whether your business can truly sustain itself, or what exactly you need to change. Do you need more regular, predictable work, or are those one-off jobs just paying for luxuries your business doesn’t genuinely need? It's time to stop gambling and start building stability. Lets dive in!

Key Takeaways:

1. Understanding your cash flow is crucial for financial peace of mind. Many business owners experience "constant stress about whether there'll be enough money next month" and are "always hunting for the next job because you're never quite sure if your regular income actually covers your basic costs."

2. A simple analysis of bank statements can reveal significant insights.

"Download 3 months of bank statements... you need to sort everything... your income... your expenses." - Nicola J. Barnett

3. Distinguishing between regular and ad hoc income is vital for stability.

"It's important to understand whether your business can survive on predictable income alone or if you're constantly gambling on finding new work." - Nicola J. Barnett

4. Categorizing expenses helps identify unnecessary spending.

"By splitting expenses into 'absolute must-haves,' 'nice to haves,' and 'pure luxury,' businesses can see how much is disappearing on stuff you don't actually need." - Nicola J. Barnett

5. Relying on ad hoc work for basic overheads creates instability.

"If your ad hoc work is covering your must-haves, you're creating constant stress having to find new work all the time." - Nicola J. Barnett

6. Converting ad hoc clients to retainers can transform business stability.

"By moving our year end clients onto m

Want to fix your business? Join The Business Fix With Nicola

Here's what you'll receive when you work with Nicola J. Barnett to get your business on track.

• A Proven Framework: Use the Efficiency & Profit Framework to end overwhelm, get cash flowing, maximize profits, and build a business that won't break you.
• Clarity and Control: The first step is a "Financial Awareness Review," where Nicola will dig through 12 months of your financials to give you the truth about your business and create a 90-day roadmap.
• Hands-On Implementation and Transformation: In "The Business Fix" program, you'll get structured action and accountability to turn awareness into fast results. This will help you fix cash flow leaks, improve profits, and implement smooth systems.
• Full Support for Deep Transformation: For those needing a complete overhaul, the "Survive to Thrive" program offers hands-on support to rebuild your business from the ground up, giving you predictable cash flow and sustainable profitability.
• Ongoing Momentum & Accountability: With the "Strategic Advisory Partnership," you get monthly focused strategy sessions to ensure your progress sticks and your business continues to grow on solid foundations.

Learn More about the Profit & Efficiency Frame work & For a deeper dive into this topic and more, visit our website: p...

In this week’s episode, we wrap up the first crucial step of the Efficiency and Profit Framework: Awareness and Control. I know so many of you feel like you're working twice as hard for half the money, and you just can’t figure out why. This is where awareness comes in—it’s the beginning of all transformation.

I break down what I call the "domino effect," that vicious cycle where one small issue, like dodgy data, leads to bad pricing. This kills your margins, creates poor cash flow, and ultimately leads to panicked decisions that start the cycle all over again.

But here’s the good news: you can get off this not-so-merry-go-round. I share real-life examples and give you three simple, actionable tasks you can do right now to uncover the truth in your business. It's about finding that first domino so you can stop the chain reaction and regain control. This is how we prepare for the next step, where we start fixing what we've uncovered and making real, profitable changes. Let’s get you off that treadmill and onto the path of true profitability.

Key Takeaways

1. Awareness is the starting point for business transformation.

2. Small data errors can trigger a disastrous chain reaction in your business.

3. Fixing one core problem can have a ripple effect of positive change.

Want to fix your business? Join The Business Fix With Nicola

Here's what you'll receive when you work with Nicola J. Barnett to get your business on track.

• A Proven Framework: Use the Efficiency & Profit Framework to end overwhelm, get cash flowing, maximize profits, and build a business that won't break you.
• Clarity and Control: The first step is a "Financial Awareness Review," where Nicola will dig through 12 months of your financials to give you the truth about your business and create a 90-day roadmap.
• Hands-On Implementation and Transformation: In "The Business Fix" program, you'll get structured action and accountability to turn awareness into fast results. This will help you fix cash flow leaks, improve profits, and implement smooth systems.
• Full Support for Deep Transformation: For those needing a complete overhaul, the "Survive to Thrive" program offers hands-on support to rebuild your business from the ground up, giving you predictable cash flow and sustainable profitability.
• Ongoing Momentum & Accountability: With the "Strategic Advisory Partnership," you get monthly focused strategy sessions to ensure your progress sticks and your business continues to grow on solid foundations.

Learn More about the Profit & Efficiency Frame work & For a deeper dive into this topic and more, visit our website: p...

In this episode, I explain why the key to getting your freedom and your weekends back lies in a place most business owners ignore: the back office. I know what you’re thinking—spreadsheets, cash flow, and bookkeeping don't exactly sound exciting. It’s not why any of us started our businesses. But I want to flip that idea on its head. When you learn to love your back office, I promise it will love you back with more profit, more cash, and ultimately, more freedom.

So many of us are stuck on the business treadmill, constantly fighting chaos and wondering when we'll finally feel in control. The statistics are grim—burnout is rampant, and cash flow crises close tens of thousands of businesses every year. I’ve seen this firsthand, from working with businesses on the brink of liquidation to those drowning in manual processes. In every case, the turnaround started not with more sales, but with getting the foundations right.

I introduce my three-stage Efficiency and Profit Framework—Awareness, Action, and Momentum—as a clear path to get you from overwhelmed to in control. This isn't about becoming a finance wizard; it’s about understanding what your business needs to run smoothly without you. It’s about creating the confidence to take a real holiday, to stop checking your bank balance three times a day, and to finally build the life you dreamed of when you started. This is your love story with your back office, and it ends with you getting your shift together.

Key Takeaways

1. Your "boring" back office is actually the source of your freedom.
"It's not about falling in love with spreadsheets... It's about falling in love with what those spreadsheets or even the systems can give you. Peace of mind control, the confidence to make good decisions for your future success." - Nicola J. Barnett

2. Ignoring the foundations of your business has a real and significant cost.
Ignoring poor data, cash flow, and inefficient processes isn't just stressful; it directly leads to lost revenue, burnout, and even business failure. Addressing these issues is not optional for long-term survival and success.

"This isn't to scare you, it's to highlight that ignoring the back office comes at a real cost." - Nicola J. Barnett

3. A structured approach is the key to lasting change and growth.
Feeling overwhelmed can be paral

Want to fix your business? Join The Business Fix With Nicola

Here's what you'll receive when you work with Nicola J. Barnett to get your business on track.

• A Proven Framework: Use the Efficiency & Profit Framework to end overwhelm, get cash flowing, maximize profits, and build a business that won't break you.
• Clarity and Control: The first step is a "Financial Awareness Review," where Nicola will dig through 12 months of your financials to give you the truth about your business and create a 90-day roadmap.
• Hands-On Implementation and Transformation: In "The Business Fix" program, you'll get structured action and accountability to turn awareness into fast results. This will help you fix cash flow leaks, improve profits, and implement smooth systems.
• Full Support for Deep Transformation: For those needing a complete overhaul, the "Survive to Thrive" program offers hands-on support to rebuild your business from the ground up, giving you predictable cash flow and sustainable profitability.
• Ongoing Momentum & Accountability: With the "Strategic Advisory Partnership," you get monthly focused strategy sessions to ensure your progress sticks and your business continues to grow on solid foundations.

Learn More about the Profit & Efficiency Frame work & For a deeper dive into this topic and more, visit our website: p...

Are you the cheap duct tape holding your business together? Stretched thin, worn out, and about to snap? I get it. I’ve been there—running a business that felt more like a babysitting service, checking emails by the pool, and wondering what the point of all the chaos was. This constant firefighting isn't leadership; it's chaos dressed up as responsibility, and it's draining your soul.

In this episode, I'm ditching the patches and showing you how to build a business that actually runs without you. We’re moving from micromanaging to leading, from reacting to architecting. I’ll give you the exact steps to create systems, delegate outcomes (not tasks!), and set boundaries that protect your time and energy. It's time to stop being the bottleneck and finally experience the freedom you started this for. Let's get your shift together.

Key Takeaways

1. Micromanagement is Chaos in Disguise: Constantly checking and doing everything yourself isn't control; it’s an unsustainable cycle that keeps your business dependent on you.

"All that micromanaging and double checking everything that isn't control, that's chaos dressed up as responsibility." - Nicola J. Barnett

2. Systemize to Create Consistency: If a task happens more than once, it needs a system.

"If it happens twice, it's a process. ...Systems create consistency and consistency builds confidence for you and your team." - Nicola J. Barnett

3. Delegate Outcomes, Not Tasks: Empower your team by giving them a clear goal and the freedom to achieve it, rather than a step-by-step list of instructions.

"Stop delegating tasks and start delegating the outcomes... You then need to track the result, not the method. And that's leadership, not micromanagement." - Nicola J. Barnett

4. Protect Your Time to Protect Your Focus: Your ability to think, plan, and lead requires uninterrupted time. Setting boundaries isn't selfish; it’s essential for making better decisions.

"You don't need to be on call 24/7 to be a great leader. In fact, the more space you give yourself, the better your decisions become." - Nicola J. Barnett

5. True Control Comes from Structure, Not Action: Shift your mindset from being the doer to being the architect. Build the right systems so you don’t have to do everything yourself.

"Con

Want to fix your business? Join The Business Fix With Nicola

Here's what you'll receive when you work with Nicola J. Barnett to get your business on track.

• A Proven Framework: Use the Efficiency & Profit Framework to end overwhelm, get cash flowing, maximize profits, and build a business that won't break you.
• Clarity and Control: The first step is a "Financial Awareness Review," where Nicola will dig through 12 months of your financials to give you the truth about your business and create a 90-day roadmap.
• Hands-On Implementation and Transformation: In "The Business Fix" program, you'll get structured action and accountability to turn awareness into fast results. This will help you fix cash flow leaks, improve profits, and implement smooth systems.
• Full Support for Deep Transformation: For those needing a complete overhaul, the "Survive to Thrive" program offers hands-on support to rebuild your business from the ground up, giving you predictable cash flow and sustainable profitability.
• Ongoing Momentum & Accountability: With the "Strategic Advisory Partnership," you get monthly focused strategy sessions to ensure your progress sticks and your business continues to grow on solid foundations.

Learn More about the Profit & Efficiency Frame work & For a deeper dive into this topic and more, visit our website: p...