10 tips for business owners heading into the new financial year
Before anything else, give yourself permission to step away. Easter offers a natural pause. Or one of the May Bank Holiday weekends.
Salary v Dividends – How should you pay yourself in 2026?
Now that the self‑assessment deadline has passed, many directors are taking a fresh look at how they take profits from their companies. The choice between salary and dividends isn’t just about “what saves the most tax.” It also affects pensions, state benefits, borrowing ability, and long‑term financial planning.
Five Years On: Helping business owners to grow and succeed in challenging conditions
Kevin Petley reflects on five years with elephants child, and the many challenges business owners have had to tackle during that time. He’s worked with over 50 businesses during those five years on Business Growth Plans and providing board advisory support.
What Could the Autumn Budget Mean for Growing SMEs? Thinking Ahead with Head, Heart and Hand
For SMEs in growth mode thinking about expansion, this month's Budget from the Chancellor could be more than a policy update—it may be a moment to pause, reflect, and prepare for what’s next.
Harnessing business growth and creating the option to sell your business in the UK’s defence industry
The defence sector is estimated to contribute around £10 billion to £12 billion a year to the UK economy. Comprising a range of long-standing and new businesses, this rapidly growing industry has always been crucial to the country’s operation and security – but now, its impact is set to strengthen even further as the government assigns more spend to it.
Creating a Marketing Plan That Works for Your Small Business
All businesses, no matter their size, should have a marketing plan.
There’s no time like the present – plan your business’s growth, funding or exit today
No matter how many times we hear it in small talk, it still doesn’t feel possible that summer is here.
Build your business on solid foundations – don’t overlook the business basics of management and control
Louis Cooper our new Board, Governance and Risk Advisor, looks at need for good governance principles and how they can help you drive your goals and objectives to achieve your strategy.
Women on Boards
Ahead of International Women’s Day, Louis Cooper, one of our affiliates who specialises in Board, Non-Executive Director and Board Committee development and Governance, Risk and Assurance, has shared his thoughts on gender representation at Board level.
Strategies to grow your business
The size, shape and scale of businesses operating in the SME sector is often characterized by the supplier, and the customer, having an interpersonal relationship rather than a transactional relationship that can be common in larger entities.