Blog

Sometimes, what seems like a disaster can turn out to be a blessing in disguise. When a key member of your finance team unexpectedly leaves, your immediate reaction might be...

When a Fractional Finance Director (FFD) joins a new business, one of the first things they’ll look at is how to improve your cash flow. They do this by diving...

Paula, our brilliant Candidate Assessment Facilitator, joined Artemis Clarke in late 2023.  Paula is now the person who interviews candidates who have made it through the first four stages of...

Would Santa approve? This Chief Financial Officer knew nothing about the job!  As we jingle into the festive season, it’s useful to remember the value of having good people around...

It’s no secret that recessions or economic slow-downs can be a challenge for business owners. Not knowing how things are likely to evolve over the next few months or longer...

One of the key surprises for many business owners is how much information is involved in all aspects of running a business.  Of course, you expect to need sales reports...

Have you heard the term ‘Fractional Finance Director/Fractional FD’ and wondered what it actually means? More importantly, should you consider taking on a Fractional Finance Director in your business?   ...

Unconscious bias in your recruitment process is bad for business and for your diversity and inclusivity goals. You only need to look at the many organisations which aim to be...

When hiring for a senior finance level position – such as Finance Director, Chief Finance Officer or Fractional Finance Director, it’s easy to get caught up in technical skills and...

As a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) owner, you already understand the importance of having a strong finance team. As your business grows, so should your finance function. At some...

When you think of networking, you might picture the classic small business networking event; lots of people gathered in a room, persuading each other to buy their service. While that...

Last updated 12th April 2023 How your Fixed Asset Register impacts profitability If the tax man or woman asked you how up to date your fixed asset register is, could...

Last updated 5th April 2023 What you can learn about your business finances from the Trial Balance Entrepreneurs wear many hats, from business leader, head of operations, HR and even...

Last updated: 29th March 2023 Protect the financial health of your business with good Payroll Accounts You run a fast-growing business and you have big ambitions for the future. But what got you here...

Last updated 22nd March 2023 Do you really know who you owe money to? Do you have any idea how much you owe your creditors, and when you are supposed...

Last updated: 15th March 2023 What your aged debtors report tells you about late payers Is dealing with late payments a constant theme in your business? Do clients frequently take...

Last updated 8th March 2023 Does your bank account tell you what’s going on in your business? Do all of the reports from which you manage your business, including aged...

Last updated 1st March 2023 Why your business isn’t as profitable as you think it should be. Is your businesses experiencing growth, but the cash flow is still tight? You...

So, you think you might like to move over into a more portfolio career, potentially as a Part-Time or Fractional Finance Director for those growing SMEs? Well, first of all,...

One of the most important parts of any recruitment process is, as you already know, the interview. You’ve already wowed the recruitment team with your finance skills. The interview is...

One of the most popular routes to exit a business is by selling your business to a third-party trade buyer in a trade sale or via a business auction arrangement....

A common way for an SME business owner to consider disposing of their business is by offering it for sale to the existing management team – often referred to as...

In one of our recent blogs (link here) we looked at the six most common exit strategies for owners of SMEs. This month we are going to take a closer...

Finance directors may be seen by some as glorified accountants – someone controlling the finances of a business. However, their role revolves much more around strategy and planning than ensuring...

One of the biggest decisions that you will need to make early on in the sale process is who to appoint as your advisors. These will include financial advisors, lawyers...

Sale strategies for your business Once you have made the decision to sell your business and taken any steps necessary to prepare for sale, you will need to consider who...

Last month we looked at some of the areas of your business that you can focus on in the months, or even years, prior to sale in order to potentially...

Over the next few months we are going to be writing a series of blogs that may be of interest if you are thinking of selling your business. Some of...

In our last blog looking at specific industry sectors we are going to focus on SaaS businesses. For anyone who may not have previously come across this term it applies...

It is time for the third of our blogs looking at KPIs in specific industry sectors. We have already reviewed KPIs in the service and manufacturing sectors. This month we...

In the second of our blogs on KPIs in specific industries we are going to looks at some that may be useful in a manufacturing company. When we looked at...

KPIs should track the progress of a business towards a specific goal. Different types of businesses will want to measure different KPIs. Even businesses in the same industry may want...

You may have seen some, or all, of our recent series of six blogs on how different elements of the role of your finance team can be critical to giving...

Did you know March is Women’s History month? A month in which we celebrate and encourage women’s contributions to history, culture, and society.  Artemis Clarke has always been a women-led business...

The way we conduct job interviews has changed due to Coronavirus, with in-person interviews being almost completely replaced by video interviews instead.  Although the technology to run video interviews and conferencing has been...

As the business grows, most business owners will need to decide if and when to start outsourcing, asking the question – “should I hire more staff to handle specific functions and tasks, or...

How to relax at Christmas You may be reading this, thinking ‘but I already know how to relax at Christmas perfectly well, thank you”, and we’re certainly not trying to...

This month we’re pleased to bring you a guest post which has been written for us by Michelle Carpenter-Hanson. Michelle is an entrepreneur and experienced HR consultant, so when we wanted some...

As the CEO or MD of a fast growing business, it can be very hard to realise that the people you hired in the early days, who have shown great...

Many SMEs exist without a formal Business Plan in place, believing that they don’t need one unless they’re applying for finance or seeking investment. ​Certainly in the early days it...

Whether you’re retiring or selling to move on to your next challenge, rigorous exit planning is essential. If you’re looking to sell the business, you’ll want to achieve the best...

Any business can run into difficulties without consistent and effective systems in place for managing cash flow. Without cash, your business is in danger of failing – even if it’s...

How much control do you have over your finance systems and cashflow – really? You might think you’ve got a pretty tight grip on things, but if you haven’t put...

We work with a number of part time FDs who support local SMEs in a variety of industries.  One of our longest standing partnerships is with Myles Arnott who has...

At any time, the skills and experience of a talented Finance Director can deliver huge value to a small business, but never more so than during challenging times such as...

There’s been a rise in flexible working patterns over recent years and employees and employers often find a traditional 9-5 office-based role doesn’t suit businesses today. This is particularly pertinent...

Keeping up to date with regulations and legislation is essential for professionals working in the finance field. But with updates frequent from HMRC and other sources, how can you keep...

  In a previous blog post, “Do you have the right soft skills?”, we talked about the importance of a candidate’s soft skills, such as teamwork, communication skills, conflict resolution,...

In a previous blog post, “Five ways to be a great employee”, we looked at what makes a great employee and outlined five factors that employers may consider when evaluating...

The working landscape has changed dramatically over the past few decades; we seem to be busier and more stressed yet have less time to relax. Whilst we all know of...

Can you satisfy these 6 key areas to demonstrate you’re fit for investment? A business may need investment for a variety of reasons such as product development or a desire...

A surprisingly high number of businesses are not as on top of their finances as they should be and the recent Patisserie Valerie financial irregularities demonstrate why it’s more important...

Have you realised the dream of cloud-based financial tools? It seems that the market has exploded with cloud-based systems over the past few years. Given the lower costs involved and...

The start of the year is often a great time to take a step back and look at what business goals we’ve achieved over the past year, including what worked and...

Following on from our blog last month, “What’s your exit plan?” where we looked at what you need to think about when considering selling your business, this article focuses specifically...

As a successful entrepreneur or business owner, you won’t want the business you’ve built up to simply stop when you retire or move to new interests. However, anecdotal evidence shows...

Well, it’s December again – a time of year when all the partying and celebrating can really take its toll and wreak havoc with our productivity and wellbeing at work. ...

There are so many different theories about leadership that it can be overwhelming to know where to even begin. A quick Google search reveals that there are three main styles...

It’s that time of the year again when we sit down to watch The Apprentice and marvel at how dysfunctional a team of ‘business people’ can really be. Whether or not you’re a fan,...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a hot topic. It seems like every day there is a new story about AI taking over the world. (Well it’s certainly taking over the media,...