Part 3 of 3 in the DaM Good Business series: The Profit Gap This piece builds on Part 1  (the IPSE data on the self-employed gender pay gap) and Part 2 (the psychology behind why women undercharge). You can read it as a standalone, but the full picture is worth having. Employees have pay gaps. Self-employed founders have profit gaps. These sound like the same problem. They're not. And I think conflating them is part of why the advice directed at self-employed women so often

Part 2 of 3 in the DaM Good Business series: The Profit Gap If you're joining us here, start with Part 1  — we're looking at why the self-employed gender pay gap persists even when women are setting their own rates. The most common advice given to self-employed women who are undercharging is some variation of: back yourself, raise your prices, know your worth. It's well-intentioned, but it's incomplete. Not because confidence doesn't matter — it absolutely does. But because f

Part 1 of 3 in the DaM Good Business series: The Profit Gap There's a stat that stopped me in my tracks last week. New research from IPSE  — the UK's self-employed association — found that self-employed women earn £51 less per day than their male counterparts . Over a full working year, that's £12,266 gone. * poof * And that's without a single employer deciding what we're paid. Ooof. Here's the part that stings: the self-employed gender pay gap, expressed as a percentage, is

A business isn’t just “a business” when it’s your business. I've learnt this from setting up, and closing, my own businesses. Because it's not just an investment of time and money. You are investing a bit of yourself. Your passion. Your patience. Your sweat and tears. It's an emotional and energetic investment. And yet that part is often overlooked when people talk about business success. When people say “it’s just business” , they usually mean it’s about numbers. You know t

If you’ve ever opened your laptop, stared at your bookkeeping for three seconds, then suddenly decided that now  is the perfect time to reorganise a cupboard / scroll Instagram / reply to emails from 2019… you’re not alone. Avoiding your numbers does not mean you’re irresponsible. It does not mean you’re bad with money. And hell, it definitely doesn’t mean you’re “not cut out” for running a business. It just means you’re human. I know from experience this kind of avoidance is

If you have your own small business, and it is still mostly you doing most of the things, most (all) of the time, you'll know this. There’s a particular kind of business stress that doesn’t arrive with drama. There's no explosion. No crisis email. No big red warning light. It just… builds. And builds. You feel it - but you ignore it. There are plenty of other things to take your attention, or that you can give your attention to... And then, you'll tell yourself seemingly from

If the phrase “Making Tax Digital”  makes your shoulders creep up towards your ears, you’re not alone. I see it all the time. Capable, organised, intelligent women suddenly feeling like they’re about to be told off by the internet. And frequent scare mongering with talk of “five returns a year” isn’t helping. So let me say this clearly, right at the start: MTD is NOT 5 full Tax returns a year. And I need you to know MTD is also not a judgement on how good you are at business.

There is a lot of “New Year, New Biz” messaging going on at the moment. Some of that “THIS is the year I get on top of things” energy. And yet, when it comes to your business finances, January can feel a bit awkward - especially if you’re a sole trader . Because technically… your year isn’t actually over yet. Your tax year doesn’t end until 31 March* . (*FYI I always recommend 31 March rather than 5 April for year ends, much easier with organising) So no, you’re not behind. N

There’s a phrase we use a lot in accounting that sounds dry and technical, but is quietly powerful: You and your business are separate entities. It applies on paper. And it matters emotionally too. This post is about both. Part One: The practical  separation (the accountant bit) From an accounting point of view, you and your business are not the same thing. Even if: you’re a sole trader you’re a one-person limited company you do everything  yourself They are still treated as

January has energy . Fresh notebook energy. “Right, THIS is the year I get my sh*t together” energy. Slightly delusional optimism… but also, genuinely useful momentum. And yet — when it comes to financial goals , a lot of smart, capable business owners either: avoid them completely, or pick a number out of the air and hope for the best. Neither is ideal. So let’s talk about what financial goals are actually for , how to set ones that help rather than haunt you , and why I don

Yes. Stay with me. Honestly. As some of you know, as well as being an accountant, I am a qualified group fitness instructor and group indoor cycling coach. Years of teaching people to clip in, breathe, and most importantly believe  taught me a lot about motivation, confidence, and doing the hard things - even when you don’t want to. Believe it or not, the crossover between spin class confidence and “do your tax return before January panic sets in” is… surprisingly strong. Bec

“I don’t do it for the money.” If you’ve ever said that (out loud or just in your head), this one’s for you. Because when you set up on your own – whether as a freelancer, coach, tutor, creative or “accidental business owner” – it’s very  easy to tell yourself that. You’re not chasing some bro-y “7 figure hustle” dream. You wanted autonomy. Flexibility. To be your own boss. Maybe it was: Being able to do the school run Being around in the holidays Not having to squeeze yourse

It’s one of those things I know about, and have thought about, but often forget. Maybe that’s just wishful thinking. Saturday just gone - 22 November - was named Equal Pay day by The Fawcett Society - a somewhat misleading name for the day in 2025 that women in the UK would effectively stop being paid. I know - you’re thinking WTF is she on about. As a whole, women in the UK are now effectively working for free in the UK until next year -why? Because of the Gender Pay Gap. Th

Almost everyone I've spoken to recently (myself included) is nervous about the upcoming Government Budget. It's understandable - our brains don't like uncertainty, and as a business owner we often like to be 'in control' - after all, we became our own boss to make our own decisions right? Well, if you're feeling a little nervous about what might be happening, here are three things every small business owner or freelancer can do right now to prepare before #Budget25 Let's star

So... it turns out I'm embarrassed. I feel ashamed even. And it has been stopping me from talking about what I do and why. Last night I attended a session with Jess Nicks  about reconnecting with your mojo, and it was more incredible than I could have imagined (please check her out if you want to know more). And it helped me to make the big realisation that I am embarrassed, and somewhat ashamed of my journey to where I am now. So it's time to talk about it. I qualified as a

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Well “duh”, I can hear some of you sigh, “I know costs impact profit, so of course understanding them makes you more profitable”. Who TF...

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