Fresh Perspectives

Most business owners don't know what funding options are available to them. They go to their bank, they get a yes or a no, and they treat that as the final answer. It isn't. The funding market in 2026 is broader, more varied and more accessible than most SME owners realise. The gap is knowledge, not opportunity.

In this second episode with Lee Humble, UK Head of Corporate Finance at Azets, Rob Brown gets into the practical detail. Which sectors attract the best financing terms right now. How regional variation in lending activity affects SME owners outside the major cities. What the execution risks are that kill deals even when everything else looks solid. And what the structures appearing more frequently in mid-market transactions actually mean for the business owner sitting across the table.

Lee has seen every version of this conversation across hundreds of transactions. His view on the most common mistake business owners make when it comes to financing is worth the listen alone. The money is out there. Knowing how to access it, on the right terms, at the right time, is the skill that separates the businesses that grow from the ones that stall.

Connect with Lee Humble on LinkedIn.

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Fresh Perspectives is the business podcast from Azets where advisers, experts and leaders share fresh thinking to help you move forward with confidence.

Each episode explores real-world challenges and opportunities for business owners and entrepreneurs, from finance and growth to leadership and technology.

Formerly Bang The Drum, the show continues Azets’ commitment to sharing practical advice, new ideas and inspiring stories from across the business community.

This podcast has featured at #1 in the Apple Podcast charts for Management podcasts and #19 in the Apple Podcasts charts for Business podcasts.

Follow and subscribe to Fresh Perspectives on your favourite player, leave a review and share it with others who you think might enjoy it.

Find more about Azets at www.azets.com.

Contact us at [email protected].

The rules of business finance have changed. Interest rates have moved, lender priorities have shifted and the structures being used to get deals done look nothing like they did three years ago. If you are thinking about buying a business, selling one or just want to understand your financing options better, this episode is essential listening.

In this episode of Fresh Perspectives, Rob Brown talks with Lee Humble, UK Head of Corporate Finance at Azets, about how the debt market has evolved and what it means for SME owners navigating it right now. Lee advises businesses across the UK on transactions, funding and corporate finance and has a front row seat to how money is actually moving in the market today.

Lee and Rob cover the rise of private credit and how it sits alongside traditional banking, why lenders are now focused on cash generation and resilience above almost everything else, why asset backing matters again and what happens when sellers are still pricing their businesses as if rates never moved.

Connect with Lee Humble on LinkedIn.

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Fresh Perspectives is the business podcast from Azets where advisers, experts and leaders share fresh thinking to help you move forward with confidence.

Each episode explores real-world challenges and opportunities for business owners and entrepreneurs, from finance and growth to leadership and technology.

Formerly Bang The Drum, the show continues Azets’ commitment to sharing practical advice, new ideas and inspiring stories from across the business community.

This podcast has featured at #1 in the Apple Podcast charts for Management podcasts and #19 in the Apple Podcasts charts for Business podcasts.

Follow and subscribe to Fresh Perspectives on your favourite player, leave a review and share it with others who you think might enjoy it.

Find more about Azets at www.azets.com.

Contact us at [email protected].

HMRC has changed how it scrutinises charities. It now uses AI-supported analytics to cross-reference tax filings, public records, social media and more than 30 external databases. Even minor inconsistencies can trigger a review. For charity trustees and finance leads, this is not a distant risk. It is a live one.

In this episode of Fresh Perspectives, Rob Brown talks with Siobhan Holmes, Partner specialising in charities and not-for-profit organisations at Azets, about the rise of Strategic Risk Reviews and what they mean for the sector. Siobhan has more than 25 years of experience advising charities on compliance, governance and tax and has a clear view of what HMRC is looking for and why the pace of activity has increased.

Siobhan and Rob cover what a Strategic Risk Review actually is, why HMRC introduced them, what triggers one and what the consequences can be once a review is underway. The message for any trustee or finance lead in the charity sector is direct: the time to get your records in order is before the letter arrives, not after. If you are responsible for a charity's financial governance, this conversation is essential.

Connect with Siobhan Holmes on LinkedIn.

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Fresh Perspectives is the business podcast from Azets where advisers, experts and leaders share fresh thinking to help you move forward with confidence.

Each episode explores real-world challenges and opportunities for business owners and entrepreneurs, from finance and growth to leadership and technology.

Formerly Bang The Drum, the show continues Azets’ commitment to sharing practical advice, new ideas and inspiring stories from across the business community.

This podcast has featured at #1 in the Apple Podcast charts for Management podcasts and #19 in the Apple Podcasts charts for Business podcasts.

Follow and subscribe to Fresh Perspectives on your favourite player, leave a review and share it with others who you think might enjoy it.

Find more about Azets at www.azets.com.

Contact us at [email protected].

Britain built its reputation on the back of people who took risks. The entrepreneurs who started with nothing, backed themselves and built something. That spirit hasn't disappeared. But the conditions around it have changed and the tax system is a significant part of the story.

In this episode of Fresh Perspectives, Rob Brown talks with Praveen Gupta, UK Head of Tax at Azets, about what the current tax landscape is doing to entrepreneurs and the wider economy that depends on them. Praveen works directly with business builders across the UK and brings both the technical expertise and the personal conviction that comes from seeing this play out in real client conversations every week.

Praveen and Rob cover the climate facing entrepreneurs right now, the structural barriers that the tax system creates at the moments when businesses need headroom most, and the economic and societal cost of getting this wrong. In the second half they turn to what better looks like.

Specific reforms, underused levers and the message Praveen would take directly to the Chancellor. If you are building a business, advising one or making decisions about whether to take the leap, this episode is worth your time.

Connect with Praveen Gupta on LinkedIn.

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Fresh Perspectives is the business podcast from Azets where advisers, experts and leaders share fresh thinking to help you move forward with confidence.

Each episode explores real-world challenges and opportunities for business owners and entrepreneurs, from finance and growth to leadership and technology.

Formerly Bang The Drum, the show continues Azets’ commitment to sharing practical advice, new ideas and inspiring stories from across the business community.

This podcast has featured at #1 in the Apple Podcast charts for Management podcasts and #19 in the Apple Podcasts charts for Business podcasts.

Follow and subscribe to Fresh Perspectives on your favourite player, leave a review and share it with others who you think might enjoy it.

Find more about Azets at www.azets.com.

Contact us at [email protected].

Only 41% of UK SMEs say their workforce has the skills to use AI effectively. Only 45% say their AI investments have delivered a measurable return. Donald Boyd is not surprised. He has watched firms buy AI products without understanding their own processes first and then wonder why nothing changed.

In this episode of Fresh Perspectives, Rob Brown talks with Donald Boyd, UK Head of Growth at Azets, about what is actually happening with AI adoption inside UK SMEs. Donald's view is direct. The best use of AI right now is not AI out of the box. It is a root-and-branch understanding of business processes first. What many SMEs are buying instead is AI lipstick on existing software at higher prices.

Donald and Rob also get into Making Tax Digital, why the shift from once-a-year compliance to four or five annual touchpoints is a commercial opportunity disguised as a regulatory burden, the case for government R&D support targeted at business process analysis rather than AI credits and why hiring a young person may be the most practical AI strategy available to a 10-person firm right now.

Connect with Donald Boyd on LinkedIn.

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Fresh Perspectives is the business podcast from Azets where advisers, experts and leaders share fresh thinking to help you move forward with confidence.

Each episode explores real-world challenges and opportunities for business owners and entrepreneurs, from finance and growth to leadership and technology.

Formerly Bang The Drum, the show continues Azets’ commitment to sharing practical advice, new ideas and inspiring stories from across the business community.

This podcast has featured at #1 in the Apple Podcast charts for Management podcasts and #19 in the Apple Podcasts charts for Business podcasts.

Follow and subscribe to Fresh Perspectives on your favourite player, leave a review and share it with others who you think might enjoy it.

Find more about Azets at www.azets.com.

Contact us at [email protected].

The Azets Barometer told us something interesting. Split almost down the middle. 46% of SMEs pessimistic. 43% optimistic. Donald Boyd has been advising SME businesses for over 30 years and says the data reflects reality. It depends on the business. It depends on the owner. And right now, the average sentiment is uncertain.

In this episode of Fresh Perspectives, Rob Brown talks with Donald Boyd, UK Head of Growth at Azets, about the real mood inside UK businesses as we reach the middle of 2026. Donald draws on direct client conversations, not surveys, to explain what is happening on the ground. Labour costs are the number one pressure. Margins are tightening. And a chunk of the SME market is, in his words, in recession.

Donald and Rob cover what separates the businesses navigating this from the ones that will not make it through, why the 13-week cash flow is the single most practical tool most SMEs still are not using and what good advisory looks like when a business owner is running out of runway. The message is direct. If you are running your business off a bank statement, you need to have a serious conversation with your advisors.

Connect with Donald Boyd on LinkedIn.

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Fresh Perspectives is the business podcast from Azets where advisers, experts and leaders share fresh thinking to help you move forward with confidence.

Each episode explores real-world challenges and opportunities for business owners and entrepreneurs, from finance and growth to leadership and technology.

Formerly Bang The Drum, the show continues Azets’ commitment to sharing practical advice, new ideas and inspiring stories from across the business community.

This podcast has featured at #1 in the Apple Podcast charts for Management podcasts and #19 in the Apple Podcasts charts for Business podcasts.

Follow and subscribe to Fresh Perspectives on your favourite player, leave a review and share it with others who you think might enjoy it.

Find more about Azets at www.azets.com.

Contact us at [email protected].

Most business owners think about funding when they need it. By that point, their options have already narrowed. Whether you are investing in technology, expanding into new markets, making an acquisition or just funding the next stage of growth, the question of how to finance it is one of the most consequential decisions a business makes. Get it right and your capital structure works for you. Get it wrong and it works against you.

In this episode of Fresh Perspectives, Rob Brown is joined by two Azets specialists: Mark Barrie, UK Head of Debt Advisory, and Lee Humble, UK Head of Corporate Finance. Together they break down the real difference between debt and equity, what each brings beyond the money itself and the misconceptions that cost business owners flexibility and options.

Mark and Lee cover how lenders are assessing opportunities in the current market, the mistakes businesses make when they raise finance, and why choosing on price alone is one of the most expensive decisions you can make. The fresh take from both is clear: give yourself time, give yourself options and take advice from people who do this every day.

Connect with Mark Barrie on LinkedIn.

Connect with Lee Humble on LinkedIn.

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Fresh Perspectives is the business podcast from Azets where advisers, experts and leaders share fresh thinking to help you move forward with confidence.

Each episode explores real-world challenges and opportunities for business owners and entrepreneurs, from finance and growth to leadership and technology.

Formerly Bang The Drum, the show continues Azets’ commitment to sharing practical advice, new ideas and inspiring stories from across the business community.

This podcast has featured at #1 in the Apple Podcast charts for Management podcasts and #19 in the Apple Podcasts charts for Business podcasts.

Follow and subscribe to Fresh Perspectives on your favourite player, leave a review and share it with others who you think might enjoy it.

Find more about Azets at www.azets.com.

Contact us at [email protected].

One business owner had stacked so many loans that his monthly repayments hit £35,000. He was profitable. He was thinking about selling up because the debt had become unbearable. Mark Barrie's team reviewed his position, went to market and consolidated everything into a single facility. Monthly repayments dropped to under £10,000. He took the business off the market. That story sits at the heart of this episode.

In this episode of Fresh Perspectives, Rob Brown talks with Mark Barrie, Head of Debt Advisory at Azets, about what financial headroom actually means in practice, how to tell if yours is reducing and what the first steps look like for a business that wants to get ahead of its funding position before it becomes a problem. Mark brings 20 years of banking experience alongside his work at Azets and has a direct, practical view of where businesses go wrong and what good looks like.

Mark and Rob cover the warning signs that a business should review its funding, why the cash flow forecast is the most important document most businesses are not producing properly, what the risks of leaving refinancing too late actually are and what good financial headroom looks like in the current environment. The Fresh Take lands simply: build a cash flow forecast. It sounds basic. Most businesses still are not doing it properly.

Connect with Mark Barrie on LinkedIn.

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Fresh Perspectives is the business podcast from Azets where advisers, experts and leaders share fresh thinking to help you move forward with confidence.

Each episode explores real-world challenges and opportunities for business owners and entrepreneurs, from finance and growth to leadership and technology.

Formerly Bang The Drum, the show continues Azets’ commitment to sharing practical advice, new ideas and inspiring stories from across the business community.

This podcast has featured at #1 in the Apple Podcast charts for Management podcasts and #19 in the Apple Podcasts charts for Business podcasts.

Follow and subscribe to Fresh Perspectives on your favourite player, leave a review and share it with others who you think might enjoy it.

Find more about Azets at www.azets.com.

Contact us at [email protected].

When Peter Gallanagh wants to know how a business is really doing, he does not ask the owner. He asks the receptionist. That instinct for ground-level truth is what runs through this conversation.

In this second episode drawn from Rob Brown's fireside chat with Peter, UK&I CEO at Azets, the focus shifts to what great accounting advice looks like in practice. Peter talks about keeping a personal client portfolio despite running a business of 3,500 people, why the Azets Barometer tells him more about cumulative pressure than any single data point, and how he balances the demands of multiple stakeholders above and below against a purpose built around clients, colleagues and communities.

Peter and Rob also get into how leaders reset after a hard year, what renowned football manager Alex Ferguson's 20 minutes of reflection says about the mindset required at the top, and why communication is the difference between a great plan and a business that actually moves.

Connect with Peter Gallanagh on LinkedIn.

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Fresh Perspectives is the business podcast from Azets where advisers, experts and leaders share fresh thinking to help you move forward with confidence.

Each episode explores real-world challenges and opportunities for business owners and entrepreneurs, from finance and growth to leadership and technology.

Formerly Bang The Drum, the show continues Azets’ commitment to sharing practical advice, new ideas and inspiring stories from across the business community.

This podcast has featured at #1 in the Apple Podcast charts for Management podcasts and #19 in the Apple Podcasts charts for Business podcasts.

Follow and subscribe to Fresh Perspectives on your favourite player, leave a review and share it with others who you think might enjoy it.

Find more about Azets at www.azets.com.

Contact us at [email protected].

SMEs are not fearful right now. They are cautious. There is a difference, and Peter Gallanagh, UK&I CEO at Azets, is clear about what it means in practice.

In this episode of Fresh Perspectives, Rob Brown talks with Peter about the pressure building across the UK's small and mid-sized business community. Not one single issue but a cumulative weight of inflationary pressure, taxation changes, labour shortages and higher borrowing costs landing all at once. The businesses navigating it best are not the ones predicting the future perfectly. They are the ones adapting to it fastest.

Peter and Rob cover what it takes to lead well in an ambiguous environment, why not taking decisions is more dangerous than taking wrong ones, and what the trusted advisor relationship looks like when a business owner is exhausted and the financial advice barely scratches the surface of what they actually need. Peter's message is direct: it is not always the business at all costs. Sometimes it is the person at all costs. Knowing the difference is what separates a good advisor from a great one.

Connect with Peter Gallanagh on LinkedIn.

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Fresh Perspectives is the business podcast from Azets where advisers, experts and leaders share fresh thinking to help you move forward with confidence.

Each episode explores real-world challenges and opportunities for business owners and entrepreneurs, from finance and growth to leadership and technology.

Formerly Bang The Drum, the show continues Azets’ commitment to sharing practical advice, new ideas and inspiring stories from across the business community.

This podcast has featured at #1 in the Apple Podcast charts for Management podcasts and #19 in the Apple Podcasts charts for Business podcasts.

Follow and subscribe to Fresh Perspectives on your favourite player, leave a review and share it with others who you think might enjoy it.

Find more about Azets at www.azets.com.

Contact us at [email protected].