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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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
• 
  

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

In this episode, we’re diving into one of the most powerful tools you can steal from corporate, the rolling cashflow forecast.

This simple habit is the heartbeat of every successful business. It gives you clarity about what’s coming in, what’s going out, and when it’s happening, so you can make smart, confident decisions without the panic.

You’ll learn:

• What a rolling cashflow forecast actually is and how it works
• Why profit doesn’t pay the bills, but cash does
• How to build a simple version for your own business in under ten minutes a week
• The key questions a finance director would ask to keep your business financially steady
• 
  

This isn’t about guessing or spreadsheets for the sake of it. It’s about creating calm, clarity and control with your money.

Connect with me on LinkedIn and let me know you have started the cash flow forecast, bit of accountability there!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Series 3: Steal From Corporate, where I’m pulling back the curtain on how big businesses manage their money and showing you how to steal the best bits for your own.

In this episode, I’m sharing the simple truth: corporates aren’t clever, they’re just consistent. They plan, measure, and review over and over again, creating rhythm and predictability that gives them control.

We’ll look at what that means for small business owners like you, and how building your own version of structure doesn’t tie you down, it gives you more freedom, more clarity, and more peace of mind.

You’ll learn:

• The one thing corporates do every month that keeps them financially calm.
• How to bring that same rhythm into your own business (without drowning in spreadsheets).
• Three key areas where structure changes everything: cashflow, expenses, and monthly reviews.

This isn’t about turning into a corporate robot, it’s about running your business with the calm and confidence of a CEO.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.