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Short, practical finance videos and written guides for agencies, the numbers behind cash, pricing, billing and reporting, explained plainly. Sort by topic to find what you need.
▶ WatchProfit is not cash
You made a profit last month. So why is there no money in the bank? If that question sounds familiar, you've met the most misunderstood…
▶ WatchHow long will your company survive? (Cash runway & burn rate)
There's one number that tells you how long your business can survive if nothing changes. Most owners can't tell you what it is off the…
▶ WatchCan you afford more overhead subscriptions?
Your team wants another tool. It's only £40 a month. What's the harm? Well, "only £40 a month" is how a lot of agencies quietly build a…
Setting client payment terms (and why upfront wins)
Standard 30 day terms feel normal. They also mean you do the work, pay your people, pay your suppliers, and then wait a month to get…
Rate cards: why you need one and how to build it
If someone asked you right now, "what do you charge per day?", could you answer with a number you can defend? A rate card is how you…
How to invoice a client properly
An invoice isn't admin. It's the moment your work turns into cash, or the moment it gets stuck for another month because you missed one…
The four ways to bill (and how each hits your cash)
How you bill is as important as how much you bill. The same piece of work can be great for cash or terrible for it, depending on the…
Billable vs non-billable hours (and why utilisation matters)
You pay your team for every hour they work. You only get paid for some of them. The gap between those two numbers has a name, and it…
Reviewing project performance (was it actually profitable?)
The project's finished, the client's happy, so it made money. Right? Not necessarily. The scariest projects are the ones that felt fine…
WIP: the money you've earned but not yet billed
There's often a big pile of value sitting in your business that isn't in your bank, isn't on an invoice, and is easy to forget. It's…
How revenue is recognised : Part 1: the basics
When exactly are you allowed to call money "revenue"? It's not when the cash arrives, and it's not when you win the deal. Getting this…
How revenue is recognised : Part 2: accrued, deferred & variance
Sometimes you've earned revenue you haven't billed. Sometimes you've been paid for work you haven't done. Both are normal, both sit on…
P&L and Balance Sheet: how one month lands on both
Every transaction shows up in two places: the P&L and the balance sheet. Once you can see how something lands on both, the accounts stop…
The accounts that make your P&L honest: prepayments, accruals, VAT and payroll
A handful of accounts trip people up every month: prepayments, accruals, VAT, PAYE. They feel technical, but their job is simple. They…
Reading the balance sheet : Part 1: is it healthy?
Most people glance at the balance sheet and move on. But it quietly answers the question that matters most: if things got tight, could…
Reading the balance sheet : Part 2: the ratios that grade it
Healthy" is a feeling. Ratios turn it into a grade. Four simple ones tell you whether your business can pay its bills and how much risk…
Client contracts : Part 1: scope, payment, IP & confidentiality
A contract isn't just legal protection. It decides your scope, your margin, and your risk before the work even starts. You don't need to…
Client contracts : Part 2: termination, liability & insurance
This is where an attractive piece of work can turn into a serious risk. Three clauses decide how much you're really on the hook for:…
Profit is not cash
Why a profitable month can still feel awful: timing, unbilled costs, depreciation and the gap between profit on paper and cash in the bank.
You don't understand the balance sheet
The key balance sheet lines every account director should feel comfortable with, from deferred revenue to retained earnings.
Mastering client contracts
Scope, payment, IP, termination, liability, insurance and confidentiality, and how to protect agency margin and manage risk.
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