UK Business IQ

Fixing Cash Flow, Pricing and Profit with Barbora RedBarbora Red loves being an accountant, but it is the people behind the numbers who make the job worthwhile for her. What struck me in our conversation was how much she cares about business owners who deliver something valuable, yet struggle to pay themselves or feel anxious about opening their banking app. She wants them to feel calmer, understand their options and build a business that supports the life they actually want.Barbora is the founder of Red Viking Finance Ltd, based in Edinburgh and working with businesses across the UK. Her route into accountancy started in corporate London, took her into parkour training and then into working in the parkour world, where she discovered how much she enjoyed running a small business. After a couple of years, she began working with more businesses and kept finding that the questions holding them back came down to money. She went on to qualify as an accountant and establish her own practice, although we did not discuss the calendar years of those moves. Today, her team handles day-to-day accounting and tax needs while she focuses on strategic finance support and CFO services.A note on the financial discussionThis conversation is for general information and does not constitute personalised accounting, tax or financial advice. Barbora discusses pricing, profitability, cash flow and business planning, but the right approach depends on your circumstances. Speak to an appropriately qualified adviser before making changes, and manage payment timing within your agreed terms and legal obligations.The conversationWe talk about what changes when your accountant becomes someone you can ask for help before a decision, rather than someone you hear from when a tax bill arrives. Barbora explains why rising sales do not necessarily mean a healthier business, how fear can influence pricing, and why financial information only becomes useful when you can understand it. We also explore the trust involved in sharing your books and being honest about what is not working.What to take awayThe first thing I would pass on is the distinction between being busy, being profitable and having cash available. Those are not the same thing. Barbora starts with tidy, current books so she can help an owner examine costs, capacity and pricing, then look at whether the money from those sales is actually reaching the bank. Winning more work isn't automatically the answer if the price doesn't cover delivery or the business cannot collect payment.Another key point is that a financial plan must fit both the person and the business. Some owners want spreadsheets and graphs; others need a clear explanation or a story that makes the figures understandable. Barbora combines that tailored approach with regular reviews, keeping the owner's pay, time and personal priorities in the conversation rather than treating them as whatever is left over.Timestamps00:00 Meet Barbora, an accountant who genuinely loves the job02:00 How parkour opened the door to a different working life04:00 Supporting the people who create things she never will06:00 Why fear of tax and finance can turn into avoidance08:00 Beyond filing accounts: hiring, capacity and paying yourself10:00 Building the business around the life you want12:00 Why your accountant's network can be useful too14:00 What attention to detail says about a working relationship16:00 Tidying the books to see where profit is being lost18:00 The fear behind charging too little20:00 Confidence, comparison and underselling your own value22:00 Financial plans for people who do not love spreadsheets24:00 Why a profitable business can still run short of cash25:00 Taking the discomfort out of chasing invoices27:00 Why the work depends on the business and the decision ahead28:00 How Barbora keeps capacity available for strategic clients30:00 Finding the right fit between accountant and business owner32:00 Turning an agreed strategy into the normal way of working34:00 Recognising when financial uncertainty needs attention35:00 Why money should not be a difficult subject to discuss36:00 Finding Barbora and her closing thoughtsConnect with BarboraYou can book a meeting with BarboraFind out more about Red Viking FinanceBarbora on InstagramConnect on LinkedInWould you like to be featured on UK Business IQ? If you are a business owner, founder, or expert ready to stop being the best-kept secret, this is your platform. Share your story, build your authority and get your expertise in front of an engaged business audience.Apply today at www.ukbusinessiq.co.ukIf you have any questions or would like to find out more about being featured on UK Business IQ, connect with Geoff directly on LinkedIn at and send him a DM. He would love to hear from you.

Fixing Retail Operations and Stock Control with Jim LenaghanJim Lenaghan would rather tell you his software is the wrong fit than sell you something that lets your business down. Visiting him at RMS in Selkirk, I met someone whose belief in honest advice comes from years of helping customers, taking difficult decisions and building a business he can stand behind.Jim is Managing Director of RMS, but his route into retail technology wasn't straightforward. After studying information technology, he worked in the poll tax rebate section at Borders Regional Council in the late eighties and early nineties, then helped school leavers develop IT skills. Redundancy took him into mill dispatch work, and around 1994 he was juggling mill shifts with a return to council work before taking a full-time council role through to the late nineties. An IT Support Centre project led him into a local computer business, where he became a director, followed by web design and electronic point of sale. He founded RMS in August 2004 and now supports businesses with retail operations software and hardware, with customers stretching from the Shetland Islands to the Seychelles.A note on this conversationJim shares his own experiences, recollections and views as Managing Director of RMS. His comments about previous business relationships are his personal account and have not been independently verified for these notes. This conversation is for general information, not tailored technology, financial or legal advice. Customer examples and reported time savings are specific to the circumstances described, not guarantees of results, and discussion of future AI capabilities should not be read as confirmation that every feature is currently available.Why this conversation mattersWe get into what happens when stock control, purchasing and reporting aren't working together, and why buying another system may not solve the underlying problem. Jim explains how he approaches finding the right fit, from asking awkward questions to testing processes before a wider rollout. We also explore where AI could take repetitive administration off people's hands, without taking people out of the decisions that matter.What I took awayA new system needs a clear understanding of how the business actually runs. Jim's approach starts with scoping purchasing, promotions, stock handling and integrations, rather than expecting the customer to squeeze everything into the software. For a retailer considering a change, the practical lesson is to make time for that preparation, test the setup properly and agree what success looks like before rolling it out further.The other point worth taking back to your team is that better information should lead to better decisions, not simply more reports. Jim describes a customer who reports saving around five hours a week through a specialised report, and explains why knowing which stock isn't moving matters alongside knowing what sells. His view of AI follows the same principle: reduce repetitive tasks, retain appropriate oversight and give people more time to run the business.Timestamps00:00 Meeting Jim in Selkirk and tracing the roots of RMS02:00 Redundancy, mill work and the long route back into IT04:00 Computer support, web design and a move into point of sale06:00 Selling Microsoft retail software and the decision to go independently07:00 Founding RMS in August 2004 and building a business that lasts08:00 Why stock control, business processes and margins belong together10:00 A customer example of cutting manual work, and what implementation takes12:00 Why testing one store matters before rolling out to the rest14:00 AI purchasing agents, stock replenishment and keeping control16:00 Investing in technology before ageing equipment becomes a risk17:00 The reporting example that saves a customer five hours a week18:00 Stock that isn't moving, and how quickly retail technology is changing20:00 Could AI reduce the owner's morning administration?22:00 The first meeting: establishing whether RMS is actually the right fit24:00 Honest answers and difficult questions make better business relationships25:00 Why thin product descriptions were holding the RMS website back26:00 Turning a lengthy product-listing process into automation28:00 How to contact RMS and find its business resources29:00 Looking ahead after more than two decades in businessConnect with Jim and RMSVisit RMS at www.rmspos.co.uk or connect with Jim on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jlenaghan/. Jim directs listeners to the RMS website for contact details and enquiry forms, and also mentions the company's newsletter and blogs.Would you like to be featured on UK Business IQ?If you are a business owner, founder or expert who is ready to stop being the best-kept secret, this is your platform. Share your story, build your authority and get your expertise in front of an engaged business audience.Apply today at www.ukbusinessiq.co.ukIf you have any questions or would like to find out more about being featured on UK Business IQ, connect with Geoff directly on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/geoffnicholsonuk and send him a DM. He would love to hear from you.The views, figures and results described in this episode are Jim Lenaghan's own, based on his experience running RMS, and refer to specific businesses and circumstances. They are not guarantees of what any business will achieve. References to other companies reflect his personal opinion. Listeners should take advice and seek a proper scoping of their own requirements before choosing or changing business systems.

Marketing for Introverts with Helen HardingHelen Harding knew how to market other people, but putting herself in the spotlight was a very different experience. We’ve known each other for 20 years, and what I appreciate about Helen is her practical, grounded approach to something that can feel deeply uncomfortable. If you care about helping people but struggle with being visible, her experience will feel reassuringly familiar.Helen started in marketing services several decades ago, working in graphic design, studio management and print buying before moving into brand management. She then retrained in health and wellbeing and spent 14 years as a practitioner, discovering first-hand that knowing about marketing doesn’t automatically make promoting yourself easy. She continued helping others with their marketing alongside that work and, over the last few years, has made that her focus, helping people find ways to market themselves that suit who they are. We don’t cover the exact calendar years of those career changes, but that combination of marketing experience and running a practice is central to her approach.A note on this conversationHelen shares her experience of marketing and running a practitioner business. This discussion is for general information, not tailored business, clinical or mental health advice, and the approaches discussed do not guarantee clients, income or particular results. Although we refer to health and wellbeing practices, we are discussing their marketing rather than recommending treatments. Any use of AI should remain human-led, with its output checked before publication.What we talk aboutWe get into the uncomfortable gap between being good at helping people and being comfortable telling people what you do. Helen explains why copying someone else’s marketing formula can leave you exhausted, and how to build relationships without becoming a louder version of yourself. We also talk honestly about AI, choosing where to spend your time online and setting a weekly marketing commitment you can actually keep.What to take back to your businessThe first thing I’d take from this conversation is that you need to know what you want your business to become before deciding how to market it. A small local practice and a larger online business will need different choices, and neither is automatically the better ambition. Start by making sure the people you already know understand what you do, then build on the qualities they already trust in you. Helen’s own turning point came when she stopped fighting her sensible, pragmatic nature and recognised that those were precisely the qualities some clients wanted.The other useful shift is to think of marketing as three relationship jobs: helping new people discover you, nurturing people who already know you and staying connected with those who have worked with you. Helen suggests setting a minimum weekly activity that serves those jobs, with anything extra treated as a bonus rather than another obligation. That gives you a more manageable starting point than trying to be everywhere, and it keeps technology in its proper place: AI can help you organise and draft your ideas, but your judgement, voice and relationships still need to lead.Find your place in the conversation00:00 Why a marketer found promoting herself so daunting02:00 The business responsibilities practitioner training can leave you unprepared for04:00 Finding your voice when everyone says you need more content05:00 Start with your own definition of a successful business06:00 Why your existing network deserves your attention first08:00 The three jobs your marketing actually needs to do09:00 What Helen’s visibility exercise revealed about perfection11:00 How accepting her sensible side changed Helen’s marketing13:00 Sharing your story without giving away your privacy14:00 Finding your message through your values and motivations16:00 Making peace with strengths you might have overlooked17:00 Can AI ease the pressure of creating content?19:00 Getting AI to draw out your ideas rather than replace them21:00 Using AI for support without handing over business decisions23:00 Why clients need a relationship with you, not your AI tool24:00 Choosing one social platform, or deciding not to use it26:00 Setting a minimum weekly marketing commitment28:00 The follow-up that keeps relationships alive29:00 Where to find Helen and explore her workConnect with HelenVisit Helen’s website at https://www.helenharding.co.uk/ for her latest offers, thoughts and free resources. To connect on LinkedIn, search for Helen Harding UK: [LinkedIn profile URL not confirmed].The book discussed is *How the World Sees You* by Sally Hogshead: Helen also describes a 10-day experience focused on confidence around visibility: [Direct URL and current availability not confirmed].Would you like to be featured on UK Business IQ? If you are a business owner, founder, or expert ready to stop being the best-kept secret, this is your platform. Share your story, build your authority and get your expertise in front of an engaged business audience. Apply today at www.ukbusinessiq.co.ukIf you have any questions or would like to find out more about being featured on UK Business IQ, connect with Geoff directly on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/geoffnicholsonuk and send him a DM. He would love to hear from you.

Why Your Business Insurance Is Probably Wrong: Sarah Travers on What Brokers Actually DoNobody likes insurance. It's a grudge purchase; it happens once a year, and most business owners renew without really looking at it. In this episode, Sarah Travers, Client Director at Greenwood Moreland Insurance Consultants, brings thirty-four years of commercial insurance broking experience to explain why that's exactly the problem, and what a broker actually does that going direct or renewing on autopilot doesn't.Why this conversation mattersEvery business owner in this audience holds some form of insurance, but very few properly understand what it covers, what it excludes, or whether it still reflects the business as it exists today. Sarah explains why the moment that really matters isn't when you buy the policy, it's when you need to use it, and why inflation has quietly left many properties underinsured for what it would actually cost to rebuild them.About the guestSarah Travers is Client Director at Greenwood Moreland Insurance Consultants, based in Hamilton, with offices in Fraserburgh and Glasgow city centre. She has worked in commercial insurance broking for thirty-four years, moving through several industry acquisitions along the way, and works with business owners, commercial landlords and SMEs to make sure their cover is fit for purpose, not just on paper but at the moment of a claim.In this episodeHow Sarah got into insurance broking, and what's kept her in the industry for thirty-four yearsWhat an insurance broker actually does, and why a computer can't give you the advice a broker canThe cover most businesses don't realise they need, including cyber and professional indemnityWhy so many properties are underinsured right now, and the desktop valuation process that catches itWhat to ask on your first call with a broker if you've never used one beforeHow often you should be reviewing your cover, and why the review matters as much as the original purchaseKey takeawaysA policy is only as good as the conversation behind it. Reviewing your sums insured every year catches changes that inflation and business growth quietly createGoing direct or using a comparison site gives you a series of yes-or-no questions. A broker gives you advice based on your actual circumstancesCyber and professional indemnity are among the most commonly missed types of cover for growing businessesUnderinsurance, particularly on property rebuild costs, is one of the biggest risks businesses face right nowTimestamps00:00 Introduction00:01 How Sarah got into insurance broking00:03 What an insurance broker actually does00:04 Why use a broker instead of going direct00:07 The cover most people don't realise they need00:10 The biggest misconception about insurance00:12 The underinsurance and rebuild cost problem00:16 What to ask on your first call with a broker00:18 How often you should review your cover00:22 What's changed most in 34 years00:25 Where to find Sarah and Greenwood MorelandLinksSarah Travers: Website greenwoodmoreland.co.uk,LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/sarah-travers-17987932/,Email [email protected] note on the contentThe views and experiences shared by Sarah Travers in this episode reflect her own professional experience in commercial insurance broking, and are shared for general interest and discussion. They do not constitute financial or insurance advice, and listeners should speak to a suitably qualified and regulated insurance broker or adviser about their own specific circumstances before making any changes to their cover.Final thoughtSarah's story is a reminder that insurance only really proves its worth at the moment of a claim, not the moment of purchase. If today's conversation made you wonder whether your own cover still fits your business, that's probably worth a proper review rather than a guess.

From NHS Radiologist to Rewilding Humans: Dr Jenny Connor on Nutrition, Burnout and Leadership PerformanceFor forty years, Dr Jenny Connor worked as an NHS radiologist. Today she runs a wild food forest and education centre in County Durham, and coaches business owners and senior leaders through burnout using nutrition, not willpower. In this episode she explains why so many high performing leaders are running on empty, and how food might be the fastest route back to energy, clarity and calm.Why this conversation mattersBurnout is often treated as a mindset problem to be solved with more discipline or more rest. Jenny's experience, both personal and clinical, points to something more specific: the food we eat has a direct, measurable effect on how our brains and bodies function, and getting that right can resolve symptoms that leaders have quietly lived with for years, including brain fog, poor sleep, short temper and low energy.About the guestDr Jenny Connor spent around forty years in the NHS, including twenty-seven years as a consultant radiologist in Sunderland. Alongside her medical career she developed a smallholding into a wild food forest and founded the School of Sustainable Living and Wellbeing. After her own health transformed through changing her diet, she trained in plant-based nutrition, quantum neurobiology and hypnotherapy, and now runs Cup of Life, coaching business leaders and organisations on health and performance.In this episodeJenny's route from NHS consultant to farmer, educator and coachThe classic burnout profile she sees in business leaders, and why it often shows up first at home rather than at workWhy chronic stress gets "stuck" in the body, and what that does to focus and decision makingThe link between nutrition and cellular health, and why the body rebuilds itself constantlyPractical first steps for anyone recognising themselves in this conversationHow this approach applies to teams and organisations, not just individualsKey takeawaysChronic, low-grade stress without resolution keeps the analytical brain switched down, affecting focus and decision making at workCorrecting nutrition can resolve symptoms of stress and exhaustion without necessarily working on mindset directlyChange tends to work best through small, manageable steps rather than an abrupt overhaulStaff wellbeing can go far beyond occasional initiatives, into structured, whole person supportTimestamps00:00 Introduction01:00 From NHS radiologist to rewilded farm05:00 Turning vegan and feeling amazing07:00 Coaching qualifications and quantum neurobiology12:00 What quantum neurobiology actually means19:00 The classic burnout profile in business leaders23:00 Why the stress response gets stuck in a loop25:00 Nutrition, cell replacement and why food matters33:00 The evidence: disease reversal and athletic performance36:00 Where to start if this is you40:00 What changes first: energy and clarity43:00 Bringing this into teams and organisations50:00 Where to find JennyLinksDr Jenny ConnorWebsite: cupoflife.co.ukLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jenny-connor-64b216151Email: [email protected]: A Success Guide to Plant-Based Eating on Amazon: [Amazon placeholder]Free consultation booking: [Website placeholder – cupoflife.co.uk/calendar]UK Business IQ[Episode link placeholder]Health information disclaimerThis episode contains Jenny Connor’s personal and professional perspectives on nutrition, lifestyle and wellbeing. The discussion is for general information and education only and should not be treated as individual medical or nutritional advice. Anyone managing a medical condition, taking medication or considering significant dietary changes should seek appropriate advice from a qualified healthcare professional.Final thoughtJenny's story reminds us that performance at the top of a business isn't purely a mindset issue. Sometimes the most direct route back to clarity, energy and better decisions starts with what is on the plate.