Our Work with Small Businesses in Newcastle upon Tyne

Category: Cash Flow Planning

The owner of a small cafe close to Grainger Street was unsure why takings looked steady but the bank balance kept shrinking. We went through three months of till receipts against supplier invoices line by line and rebuilt a weekly cash flow sheet in a plain spreadsheet format.

Two recurring costs, a linen service and a coffee supplier surcharge, were flagged as worth renegotiating. The owner now updates the sheet herself each Monday morning.

Category: Pricing Strategy

This joinery business had kept the same quote sheet for over two years while timber and hardware costs rose. We compared current material prices from three local merchants against the old rate card and worked out a realistic hourly labour rate based on recent job timesheets.

The result was a simplified rate card split into three job categories, making quotes quicker to produce and easier to justify to customers.

Category: Staff Planning

The owner of a small gift shop was working every Saturday and most Sundays herself because she was unsure whether extra part-time staff would pay for themselves. We reviewed six months of till data against opening hours to identify the busiest two-hour windows.

A revised rota placed part-time staff during those windows only, freeing the owner to take alternate weekends off while keeping wage costs proportional to sales.

Category: Bookkeeping Setup

A two-person electrical firm was storing paper receipts in a box and struggling to work out which jobs were actually profitable. We set up a spreadsheet split by job number, with columns for materials, travel and hours logged.

After a one-hour walkthrough, both partners were able to update it themselves after each job, giving them a clearer picture of margins by the end of the following quarter.

Category: Supplier Review

A bakery had been on the same flour and packaging contract for years, with prices rising each renewal. We requested quotes from three alternative suppliers, comparing not just unit price but delivery minimums and lead times.

Rather than switching, the bakery used the comparison as leverage to negotiate a reduced rate with its existing supplier, keeping the relationship while lowering costs.

Category: Business Planning

A first-time business owner planning to open a hairdressing salon needed a written plan to support a funding application. We worked through fit-out costs, chair rental income, staffing and a 12-month forecast, using figures from comparable salons in the area as a reference point.

The finished plan set out a break-even point and monthly targets that the owner could track once the salon opened.

Category: Ongoing Advisory

A small accountancy office first worked with us on setting up client billing schedules. A year later, they returned to check whether their margins could support a fourth staff member before making an offer.

We reviewed twelve months of income against fixed costs and modelled the added salary against expected client growth, giving the partners a clear answer before they extended the offer.