Goal-Based Budgeting is the antidote to the incremental lie that cripples scaling businesses. Too many £1M–£10M enterprises rely on last year’s numbers plus a percentage, but this approach starves ambition. The Year-End Reckoning: Part 1 It’s late November. The Christmas planning has begun, the office party logistics are underway, and every founder I speak to…
Excel AI for finance is one of the most powerful tools your business can leverage—but only if you stop using it for trivial calculations and start using it to stress-test your strategy. A scaling business, typically those with £1M- £10M in annual revenue, is sat on a strategic superpower but uses it for triviality. It’s…
Private equity debt lessons are clear in the Toys ‘R’ Us story: excessive leverage can strangle growth and block strategic pivots. The Corporate Autopsy, Vol. VI: Toys ‘R’ Us — The Finale Stop letting infrastructure shackles anchor your growth. We conclude our Corporate Autopsy series by dissecting a tragedy known to every parent and business…
Undifferentiated finance is one of the biggest hidden risks for scaling businesses facing global competitors. The Historian’s Ledger, Vol. VI: The Cornish Mining Bust, Late 19th Century We conclude The Historian’s Ledger by looking to a spectacular, cautionary lesson from British industrial history, focusing on a catastrophic industrial collapse that speaks directly to every scaling…
Intellectual Property as collateral is one of the most powerful yet underused financing strategies in modern business. The Corporate Autopsy, Vol. V: Marvel Entertainment Stop letting infrastructure shackles anchor your growth. Our Corporate Autopsy conducts a forensic examination of successes and failures among global giants to extract the most vital lessons for you, the business…
The Coffee House Model remains one of the most influential—and misunderstood—strategic frameworks in financial history. The Historian’s Ledger, Vol. V: The Foundings of Lloyd’s of London, Late 17th Century We’ve covered failures of innovation, governance, logistics, and internal culture. Today, we address the strategic brilliance of turning complex risk into unbeatable competitive advantage. The Coffee…
Kids Company’s financial failure stands as one of the most high-profile charity collapses in the UK. In this Corporate Autopsy, we uncover how weak financial governance, not lack of passion, caused the downfall of a charity once hailed for helping vulnerable young people. The Corporate Autopsy, Vol. IV: Kids Company Our fourth Corporate Autopsy turns…
Operational financial health is the backbone of every empire, or business. In 1917, the Tsarist regime ignored it, chasing external power while internal systems collapsed. The Historian’s Ledger, Vol. IV: The Fall of the Romanov Dynasty, 1917 We’ve dissected failures of innovation and governance. Today, we address a collapse rooted in a fatal flaw of…
How do you survive the cash dip when your business model shifts overnight?The Corporate Autopsy, Vol. III: Adobe Last week, we discussed the folly of managing creative assets like they were fixed costs. This week, we examine the ultimate act of strategic financial courage: cannibalising a billion-pound revenue stream for the sake of long-term survival….
The Historian’s Ledger, Vol. III: The Allied Logistics of D-Day, 1944 Strategic cashflow management isn’t just a modern financial concept—it’s a principle that decided the fate of nations. The Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944 proves that financial precision can make or break even the most ambitious operations. After weeks spent contemplating failure—the strategic…