How I helped a £320m building services firm unlock £8m in cash — in just 3 months. By reducing WIP days and maintaining DSO, we delivered fast, measurable impact without compromising operational flow.
Working capital is serious business… but the stories behind it can be comedy gold.
Over the years, I’ve heard CFOs, CEOs, and finance teams say things that would make a cash flow manager’s eye twitch.
They’re funny — until you realise how much money they’re costing.
Here are seven of my favourite myths and misadventures from the field.
Cash isn’t just a finance department concern – it’s the lifeblood of every decision made across the business. Whether it’s a sales rep negotiating payment terms, a buyer locking in supplier contracts, or a production lead ramping up output, each choice either frees up or ties down working capital. Building a cash-centric culture means shifting the mindset from siloed optimisation to enterprise-wide liquidity awareness. When teams understand how their actions shape cash flow, resilience and agility follow.
Effective working capital management is critical for businesses of all sizes but even experienced companies can stumble. In this article, we spotlight five common working capital mistakes, such as mismatched payment terms, overstocking inventory, and hesitancy about chasing payments. By recognising these pitfalls early and taking smart corrective action, you can keep your finances healthy and your operations running smoothly.
Unlocking cash trapped in working capital isn’t just about quick fixes, it starts with a thorough diagnosis. By combining in-depth data analysis with real-world insight from business process owners, this approach uncovers the true drivers behind inefficiency, whether in Order-to-Cash, Procure-to-Pay, or Forecast to Fulfil. Only by first diagnosing the root causes can organisations design tailored initiatives that deliver sustainable liquidity improvements and support growth.
Is your business sitting on untapped cash? Discover five actionable ways to unlock working capital, boost resilience, and turn liquidity into a competitive advantage, without waiting for a crisis to strike.
Working capital isn’t just a finance term, it’s the lifeblood of your business. Discover what it really means, why it matters, and how to efficiently turn business activities into cash. This is the first in a series of posts where I will start to unpick the key improvement levers in each area of working capital as well as two critical enablers, culture and technology.
How I helped a £320m building services firm unlock £8m in cash — in just 3 months. By reducing WIP days and maintaining DSO, we delivered fast, measurable impact without compromising operational flow.
Working capital is serious business… but the stories behind it can be comedy gold. Over the years, I’ve heard CFOs, CEOs, and finance teams say things that would make a cash flow manager’s eye twitch. They’re funny — until you realise how much money they’re costing. Here are seven of my favourite myths and misadventures from the field.
Effective working capital management is critical for businesses of all sizes but even experienced companies can stumble. In this article, we spotlight five common working capital mistakes, such as mismatched payment terms, overstocking inventory, and hesitancy about chasing payments. By recognising these pitfalls early and taking smart corrective action, you can keep your finances healthy and your operations running smoothly.
