Expertise, projects & commentary for UK business
Compressed recovery plans are attractive because they signal control. In practice, they often reward visible activity while leaving the causes of underperformance intact. A credible turnaround starts with evidence, sequencing and explicit stopping rules.
Customer concentration is usually discussed as a sales risk. For many UK SMEs it is a cash-flow and governance risk that can become a survival event within one notice period. This stress test sets out practical thresholds and actions.
The 2026 business rates revaluation has changed the cash profile for many smaller UK businesses. Here is a practical way to model the impact, question the bill and build a reserve before the next instalment.
A recent UK transformation engagement came close to failing for reasons that were visible in week one. This is a candid post-mortem, and the three diagnostic questions I now ask before accepting any change programme.
Comparing a fractional retainer with a senior salary on an annualised basis is the fastest way to reach the wrong conclusion. The useful comparison is not cost per year, but cost per decision that actually changes the trajectory of the business.
Most owner-managed businesses survive the owner's absence. Fewer perform during it. The difference between the two is rarely effort or goodwill — it is whether the organisation has been given the authority, the information and the rehearsal it needs.
Many UK businesses are layering AI tools onto unclear processes, diffuse decision rights and inconsistent customer journeys — then wondering why the promised productivity never appears. Before the next tool rollout, three unglamorous fixes are worth more than any pilot.
Most expansion plans arrive with a revenue forecast and very little else. These twelve diagnostic questions, grouped around cash conversion, customer concentration, supplier terms and tax timing, are the ones I would want answered before a UK business commits to hiring, stock or new premises in 2026.