Figures Without Fear

Have you ever looked at your marketing and thought, "I'm doing everything I'm supposed to be doing... so why isn't it bringing in more customers?" The truth is, most small business owners are incredibly busy with their marketing. They're posting on social media, going networking, sending emails and updating their websites. But very few of them are actually measuring whether any of it is working. A...

Welcome to another episode of Figures Without Fear. Today, I want to ask you a simple question: do you actually know which of your offers make you money? Not which ones sell the most. Not which ones get the best feedback. Not which ones your clients tell you they love. The ones that genuinely contribute to your profits and help you pay yourself properly. Because one of the biggest surprises I see...

Most small business owners think they are the biggest asset in their business. And at the start, that's probably true. Your skills, knowledge and expertise are the reason your business exists in the first place. But here's a question that might make you a little uncomfortable... 👉 Are you still the asset? Or have you accidentally become the bottleneck? It's not always an easy question to answer....

Welcome back to Figures Without Fear, the podcast that helps new and small business owners understand the numbers in their business without needing an accounting qualification to do it. Today, I want to talk about something that most business owners never stop to calculate, but that could be having a huge impact on their profits. What does it actually cost you to acquire a customer? Now, most busi...

Welcome back to Figures Without Fear. This week's episode is a little more personal than usual because I'm sharing a lesson that took me years, and quite a lot of money, to learn. Like many business owners, I started my business because I wanted more freedom, more flexibility and the ability to pay myself a decent income. For me, that number was £5,000 a month. The problem was, I convinced myself...

Are you pricing your products and services based on what your business actually needs… or are you simply charging what everyone else seems to be charging? Because if you're working hard, making sales, staying busy, and still struggling to pay yourself properly at the end of the month, your pricing could be the real problem. In this week's episode of Figures Without Fear, I'm tackling one of the bi...

Most small business owners think the answer to making more money is getting more customers. But what if the real problem isn’t sales… What if it’s what’s happening to the money after it comes into the business? Because I see this all the time: Busy businesses. Fully booked diaries. Money coming in regularly. …and yet the business owner still isn’t paying themselves properly. Why? Because turnover...

As sole traders we are taught to pay ourselves whatever is left at the end of the month. But what if that amount is not enough? The problem is not too little turnover The problem is not too few clients or customers The problem is not understanding the difference between gross profit and net profit. And that misunderstanding quietly kills businesses. You can be: ✔ Making sales ✔ Growing revenue ✔ S...

Let me ask you something… How many potential customers have you spoken to recently… that just quietly disappeared? No follow-up. No system. No idea what happened next. Because if you’re anything like most business owners—I’ve been there too—you’re relying on memory, messages, and a bit of hope to manage your sales. And that’s where things start slipping through the cracks. Great conversations… gon...

Let me ask you something… Have you ever looked at your business and thought, “I just need to make more money”? So you push harder. More sales. More clients. More pressure. And on the surface, it looks like it’s working. Your revenue goes up. Your business grows. But somehow… nothing really changes for you. You’re busier than ever. More stressed than before. And still not paying yourself what you’r...

Let’s talk about something most business owners don’t realise until they’re deep into it… Your break-even number probably isn’t what you think it is. On paper, it seems simple. Earn enough to cover your costs, and you’re good… right? But in reality, it’s rarely that straightforward. You can be busy. You can have money coming in. You can even feel like things are working… And still not be properly...

Starting a business is exciting. You’ve got the ideas, you’ve got the energy, and you’ve got a vision. You know what you want and as long as you stay positive and just keep going you will get there, right? But here’s the truth most people don’t tell you: Just because you started a business doesn’t mean you’re acting like the CEO. A real CEO doesn’t just do things — they make decisions based on cla...

It sounds completely backwards, doesn’t it? More customers should mean more success. More growth. More money. That’s what we’re taught, what we see online, and what most business advice seems to push us toward. “Get more clients.” “Fill your diary.” “Grow your audience.” And while none of those things are wrong, they can quietly lead you into a trap if you’re not careful. Have a listen to this wee...

Last week, I shared why profit matters more than turnover — and why revenue alone can be a misleading number. This week, I want to build on that. Because even when business owners understand profit… They still fall into one of the most common traps: Being busy instead of being profitable. And the two are not the same thing. The Illusion of Being Busy In the early stages of running a business, bein...

Turnover looks impressive. But it can also be dangerously misleading. For many new business owners, revenue becomes the primary scoreboard. You hit £50k, £100k, £250k — and it feels like progress. And I get it, it’s what people in your networks keep talking about, it’s what you think you should be focusing on – and I thought the same thing. Since I very first started my business I had this idea th...

Let me ask you a simple question… Are you paying yourself like the leader of your business… or like someone just doing the work inside it? Because there’s a big difference. And it shows up in your income, your confidence, and how you make decisions. When you pay yourself like an employee, it often looks like this: You take what’s “left over” You wait until a “good month” to pay yourself properly Y...

Starting a business is exciting isn’t it? You have an idea. You build something or make something. You start getting customers. You start seeing money go into your bank account and it starts to feel real – I can do this, I am doing this… But there’s a quiet trap many new business owners fall into… Have a listen to this week's episode and make sure you not only know what this trap is, but how to av...

Most new business owners think profit is the be all and end all in business. It’s not. Cashflow is. You can be “profitable on paper” — meaning your sales look good and your accountant says you’ve made money — and still run out of cash in your bank account. And when the bank account runs dry, the business stops. It doesn’t matter how talented you are. It doesn’t matter how many leads are “intereste...

Have you ever wondered why your business is not generating the level of income you want—or need—to sustain your desired lifestyle? – whatever that might be… This is something I struggled with for years. Like most people, when I started my business I had dreams of earning a shed load of money and being able to buy all the things, go all the places and enjoy a lifestyle that gave me the time to be a...

If you’re new to business, the financial side can feel intimidating, I know it was for me and that’s what put me off digging into it because I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what it was telling me – what if it’s bad, what if I’m failing, If I see that I’m not doing well it will spoil my energy, – and that’s what held me back for so long. And I don’t want that for you. So, let’s strip it back. No jar...

If the word budget makes you squirm, tense up and you want to go and hide under the duvet, you’re not alone. But here’s the truth: A budget is not about restriction. It’s about control, it’s about clarity, and it’s about confidence.   This week’s episode will walk you through budgeting in very simple terms, explain why it matters so much, and help you take your first steps with two easy exercises...

Most small business owners think of time as something they spend. But the truth is: Time is a measurable asset — and one of your most valuable. When you learn to measure where your time goes, you not only gain clarity, you also gain control.

Over the last five editions, we’ve looked at the numbers that influence your sales, your income, and your confidence as a business owner. Today, we’re shifting our attention to something that has a huge impact on your results — but is often overlooked: Where your leads actually come from...

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been building the foundations for understanding your numbers — leads, conversations,  activities, and income patterns. Today we’re diving into a number that many small business owners don’t track, yet it has the power to transform your confidence and your revenue almost immediately ...

I’m going to begin this week’s episode with a few simple—but very revealing—questions. Take a moment to think about them and answer as honestly as you can: How many leads do you need before you make a sale? How many conversations do you typically have before someone buys? How many website visitors do you need before you get a customer? How many times do you need to follow up or prompt someone befo...