The fourth cause of poor cashflow - Your debt or capital structure

Anna Stubbs • April 19, 2024

Often a reduction in interest charges as well as significant cashflow improvements can be achieved with a regular review of existing debt.

A good place to start is to list all bank loans, mortgages, finance company loans, hire purchases, credit card debts, and any other debts (don’t include amounts owed to suppliers in this list). Add columns to cover:

  • The amount of the debt owed
  • The interest rate being charged
  • Whether the interest is charged on a fixed or floating rate basis
  • Repayment terms (the number of years the debt is to be repaid over)


Perhaps your debt can be consolidated, financed by one lender and paid off over a longer term. This will help you retain more cash in the business which is vital for growth (or even just to cover expenses and your drawings).

Are the drawings you take from the business for personal expenses placing pressure on cashflow? If so, that might mean that we need to look at strategies to lift the profitability of the business. It might mean that your drawings are just too high for the business to support right now. The business may need an injection of capital to fund its growth.

Here’s an interesting exercise for you to do. List out your annual personal expenditure in detailed categories; everything from rent, childcare, groceries and eating out. You may need to prepare yourself for a shock. If you’re serious about this, we have a Personal Budget Template that you can use to make life easier.

Getting your debt and capital structure right makes a big difference to the cashflow in your business. This is a subject that we have a lot of experience in. The first step is to prepare an updated personal budget and a Cashflow Forecast, then measure the extra cash the business will have as a result of making some simple changes. We can help you calculate this extra cash at our Cashflow & Profit Improvement Meeting.

Doing a forecast for the first time seems scary, but once you’ve done it, you’ll realise that it’s one of the most essential business tools you’ll ever put in place. We can do the forecast with you. You’ll sleep better for it!

By Anna Stubbs January 29, 2026
Having adequate access to adequate funding is fundamental for any startup. In the early stages of getting your enterprise off the ground, you need working capital to reach the all-important minimum viable product (MVP) stage, rent premises and hire staff. But where does this initial funding come from? Let’s look at the UK Government's Start Up Loan scheme and the funding options it offers.
By Anna Stubbs January 29, 2026
Question: “Can cost-saving measures in the business truly be a key driver of profits?” Running a profitable business is one of your key goals as an owner. Without profits, there’s no capital to reinvest in the business, no funds to grow the company and no money for your own dividend payment at the end of the financial year. So, is cost-saving the answer in these challenging economic times? Answer: “Careful management of costs is a fundamental way to improve your profit margins and profitability as an enterprise” Cost-saving measures will have a direct and measurable impact on your profits. This is usually achieved via two main mechanisms. Firstly, reducing your variable costs (like raw materials or direct labour) increases your gross profit margin. This retains more revenue from each sale you make as a business. Secondly, lowering fixed overheads (such as rent or software licenses) directly reduces the total expenses on your profit and loss statement, leading to a higher net profit. This immediate bottom-line improvement makes you a more financially healthy prospect to investors and lenders – which, in turn, can often make it easier to access funding and grow the business. Want to know more about cost-saving measures?  Talk to the team about your profit goals and we’ll advise you on the key ways you can reduce your overheads and expenses to drive improved profits.
By Anna Stubbs January 29, 2026
We all hope that our pathway along the business journey will be smooth and uncomplicated. But the reality is that accidents can happen, along with unplanned injuries, damaging weather events and legal suits from disgruntled clients. So, what can you do to protect your business from these potential negative consequences? The answer is to take out the relevant business insurance for your company.