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

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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.

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.