More growth? More numbers. More complexity. And definitely more decisions. If you’re one of the 73% of UK small businesses feeling hopeful about 2025, now’s the time to strengthen your finance function so your business can keep up. The challenge is turning that positive outlook into tangible progress, and that’s where a well-built finance function comes in. It’s what connects your ambition to real, data-driven decisions. In this guide, we’ll walk you through what a strong finance function really looks like, and how to build one that grows with your business.

Financial reporting is a cornerstone of any successful small business. It means keeping accurate, up-to-date records of every transaction and having a clear system to track income, expenses and profit. This involves producing regular statements (like profit-and-loss reports, balance sheets and cash flow statements) that are easy to understand. With this foundation, every pound is accounted for and the owner always knows the company’s financial position.

Growth brings complexity. As transactions pile up, what once worked, like basic bookkeeping or a part-time accountant - may no longer cut it. That’s when your finance function needs to evolve. At this point, many UK businesses start comparing options: Financial Controller vs Finance Director (FD). Both are important, but they serve different purposes. Understanding the difference helps you make the right choice. If you're unsure which one your company needs, or whether it’s time to invest in both, this guide breaks down the distinction, explores current UK trends shaping these roles with the latest data.

At some point, keeping track of accounting, following financial rules, and planning for the future can be too much to manage alone. That’s when hiring a financial controller can really help. Businesses have multiple options: hiring an in-house financial controller, engaging a fractional controller for part-time support, or outsourcing the function to an external provider. The right choice depends on your company's size, budget, and operational complexity. In this guide, we’ll explore these options, what to look for in a financial controller, and how to navigate the hiring process effectively.

When managing the finances of your small or medium-sized enterprise (SME), the distinction between an accountant and a financial controller is often blurred. In this post, we’ll break down why having both an accountant and a financial controller can make a big difference for your business.

When considering hiring external help for your small business's finance tasks, it's common to first think about the money it can save. Yet, this decision goes beyond merely reducing expenses. In this article, we explore how entrusting your financial operations to external experts can save you more than just money, including time, resources, and the hassle of managing complex financial tasks.

A fully outsourced finance department is a financial management solution where you can contract an external company to take care of all your financial tasks, from maintaining accurate records to preparing financial statements and providing strategic direction. But how do you know if you need to outsource your finance department to a third-party partner? This article discusses five common signs to look for and factors you must consider when choosing the best partner for your business.

No matter the size of your business, accounting functions are one of the essential elements to get right. When volumes are increasing, accounting departments can often get overwhelmed, which can cause delayed payments and bad reporting cycles. External financial service providers can provide a solution that can grow with your business needs and allow you to focus on core activities. But what services can you outsource exactly?

Finding the best financial solution for your growing business is a challenging task but one that leaders cannot ignore. In this article, we will outline what strategies organisations can utilise to maintain adequate finance function while scaling the business.

Making a company more efficient should be a goal for every business owner. Business efficiency refers to the fundamental reduction of wasted resources used to produce output, whether the latter be physical products or services. As a result, efficiency determines how effectively a business converts inputs such as capital, labour, and materials into outputs like revenue, goods, and services.