Get Financially FIT with Debbie Bailey

In this episode, Debbie Bailey tackles one of the most overlooked parts of running a business: follow-up. From the sofa cleaner who lost two years of repeat bookings to the window cleaner who drove past the same house for two years without ever knocking, Debbie shares real stories that show exactly what it costs when we don't stay in touch.

She breaks down who you should be following up with (it's a longer list than you think), why most of us don't do it, fear of being annoying, fear of rejection, or simply no system and how to reframe all of it. Plus the "I don't have time" myth, thoroughly busted.

If you only take one thing away from this episode: follow up. It's that simple, and it works.

Who to follow up with:

• Every enquiry into your business
• Current customers
• Past customers
• People who've engaged positively with your social posts
• Followers who've interacted with you
• People who've replied to your emails
• People who've recommended you
• People who've left you a testimonial
• Collaboration opportunities
• Press opportunities
• Previous bookings

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Most managing directors at the £1–5m stage are chasing one headline number.

Revenue.

Growth.

Cash.

And that appears to make sense.

But when you focus on one KPI in isolation, you can hit it and still damage the business underneath it.

In this episode, I break down:

• Why growth without guardrails can erode profit
• What happens when behaviour is driven by narrow measurement
• The gym example: revenue up, retention ignored, profitability under pressure
• Why corporates never look at a KPI in isolation

You don’t need a complex dashboard but you need to understand what your headline number is and what sits beside it to protect the business long term.

If you’re leading a growing business and want more control without the read tape, this episode is for you.

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Risk rarely shows up where you expect it.

In this episode of Get Financially Fit, Debbie Bailey explores the kind of risk that sits quietly in the background while the numbers look fine, the sort that keeps business owners awake at 3am but never appears in the P&L until it’s too late.

Drawing on a real client story and her experience in corporate finance, Debbie explains how larger organisations think about risk as design, not fear and how MDs of £1–5m businesses can apply the same thinking without adding layers of process or complexity.

You’ll hear why unmanaged risk often shows up personally before it shows up financially, how simple structural decisions can create calm, and the one question Debbie would ask if she were sitting next to you as your Finance Director.

This episode is for managing directors who want to grow their business without carrying all the risk themselves.

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You can be profitable and still feel stuck.

You can have cash in the bank and still feel nervous.

And you can look at your numbers regularly and still feel unsure what decision to make next.

In this episode, I explain why that happens and why profit, cash and the balance sheet only make sense when you look at them together.

This isn’t about learning accounting.

It’s about understanding why decision-making feels hard when you’re only looking at one part of the picture.

I share how finance directors actually use profit, cash and the balance sheet together to help CEOs:

• understand what’s really going on in the business
• avoid cash squeezes and tax surprises
• make confident decisions about pay, growth and investment
• stop reacting month to month

If you’ve ever thought, “The business is profitable… so why does this still feel stressful?”

this episode will help you see why and what to look at differently.

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The balance sheet is one of the most misunderstood reports in a small business and one of the most important.

In this episode of Get Financially FIT with Debbie Hancock, Debbie explains how corporates really use the balance sheet as a control and decision-making tool, not just a year-end formality.

Drawing on real-world examples from gyms and growing businesses, Debbie walks through:

• what the balance sheet actually shows (and what it doesn’t)
• how mistakes here often lead to overpaying tax
• why payroll, VAT and fixed assets are common problem areas
• how the balance sheet affects dividends, cash confidence and business value
• and what a CEO should be looking at — without needing to become an accountant
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This episode is about understanding your business position properly, asking better questions, and using the balance sheet the way a Finance Director would, so your profit, tax and decisions are grounded in reality.

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Every corporate finance team runs a monthly budget vs actuals review.

Not because it’s glamorous, but because it keeps the business honest, stable and moving in the right direction.

Most small businesses never do this and it shows up in stress, confusion, and that feeling of “I’m busy, but I’ve no idea where the money’s going.”

In this episode, I walk you through the exact process an FD would guide a CEO through, including:

• what budget vs actuals really shows you
• how to understand the story behind your numbers
• the difference between timing issues and structural changes
• what creeping costs reveal
• and how to make one or two clear decisions each month that protect your profit

This isn’t about perfection.

It’s about clarity, control and running your business like a CEO, not reacting month to month.

If you’ve ever wished your profit matched your effort, this is the episode to start with.

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This final episode of 2025 isn’t about targets, tactics, or spreadsheets.

It’s a pause, a moment to breathe, reflect, and recognise who you’ve become this year.

Instead of diving straight into budgets vs actuals, I’m guiding you through something I do every December for myself and my clients: a human and financial review using the Four Ls: what you Loved, the Lessons you learned, what you Loathed, and what you Longed for.

In this episode, I share my own reflections from 2025, from shutting off in the Canadian Rockies, getting married, running parkruns again, navigating grief, to the surprising joy of starting a second business. And I walk you through the questions that help you understand whether your business is supporting the life you want… or getting in the way of it.

We end with my own “delusional goals” for 2026 and a gentle invitation for you to set yours too.

A grounding, human episode, perfect for closing out the year with clarity instead of pressure.

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In this episode of Get Financially FIT, Debbie Hancock breaks down one of the most overlooked areas of small business finance: stock.

Stock isn’t just “stuff on shelves”, it’s money, it lives on your balance sheet, and it affects your profit, your cashflow, your insurance, and your ability to run your business with confidence.

Debbie shares two real stories from clients:

• one who accidentally overstated profit and overpaid £10,000 in tax because stock was coded incorrectly

• another who wasn’t counting stock at all and only discovered missing stock (and missing profit) once proper checks were in place

You’ll learn why corporates count stock so often, why systems matter more than spreadsheets, and how simple routines can stop profit quietly disappearing.

Debbie also explains how stock impacts decision-making, lead times, storage costs, and insurance and why accurate stock levels protect your business long before anything goes wrong.

If you hold any kind of physical product or material, this episode will give you clarity, confidence, and practical steps to take straight away.

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Welcome back to Get Financially Fit with Debbie Hancock and to Series Three: Steal from Corporate.

This week, we’re talking about something corporates are quietly brilliant at, expense discipline. But this isn’t about cutting back or endless sign-off forms. It’s about spending with intention and making sure every pound in your business is working hard for you.

You’ll learn:

• How corporates keep spending purposeful and linked to goals
• Simple ways to review your own expenses each month and quarter
• The questions a finance director asks before saying “yes” to a cost
• Why cutting costs isn’t the goal, spending smart is

You’ll finish this episode feeling clearer, more in control, and probably with a bit of extra cash hiding in plain sight.

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Welcome back to Get Financially Fit with Debbie Hancock and Series Three: Steal from Corporate.

In this episode, we’re talking about one of the simplest but most powerful corporate habits, the pay run. This isn’t about payroll admin. It’s about being intentional with when and how you pay your suppliers so you can manage cash confidently, protect your cashflow and keep your business steady.

You’ll learn:

• Why paying invoices early can actually hurt your business
• How a weekly pay run creates rhythm, predictability and calm
• What questions to ask before you hit “pay”
• How to align your pay run with your cashflow forecast for total visibility

This isn’t about being corporate. it’s about running your business smartly, supporting your suppliers with reliability, and building your own financial freedom.

Connect with me on LinkedIn and let me know if you have payruns in your business.

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