PPX Consulting Ltd

04/06/2025

Struggling to stay profitable? Don’t chase sales — cut the costs.

In uncertain times, business survival isn’t about growth… it’s about control.

Northamptonshire-based consultant Adrian Goodman of PPX Consulting Ltd urges owners to focus on the numbers that guarantee results. “Every pound saved is a pound in your pocket — right now.”

His no-nonsense advice is a wake-up call for businesses under pressure.

Read more: https://business-times.co.uk/articles/financial/in-times-of-trouble-forget-sales-focus-on-the-costs/

03/03/2025

Understanding the distinction between an accountant and a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is crucial for businesses aiming for strategic growth.

While accountants focus on compliance, record-keeping, and ensuring accurate financial reporting, CFOs take on a broader role that includes strategic planning, risk management, and guiding the company's financial direction. This differentiation is vital for making informed decisions that drive business success.​

For more insights into financial management and strategic planning, subscribe to Business Times for regular articles and updates.​

Read the full article: https://business-times.co.uk/articles/financial/why-your-accountant-is-not-your-chief-financial-officer-the-distinction-is-important/

PPX Consulting Ltd

04/02/2025

Look back, plan ahead and chart a course for success.

As the new year unfolds, it's an opportune moment for businesses to reflect on past performance and strategically plan for the future. Regular financial reviews can highlight areas of unexpected profitability or unforeseen challenges, enabling companies to adjust budgets and ensure sufficient cash reserves for obligations like tax payments.

Proactive planning and informed decision-making are essential for sustained success in the evolving business landscape. The start of a year is the time to reflect, prepare for the future and set out an achievable roadmap for your business. Chartered accountant Adrian Goodman, of PPX Consulting Ltd , explains how.

Read more here: https://business-times.co.uk/articles/features/look-back-plan-ahead-and-chart-a-course-for-success/

11/09/2023

Check out this recent feedback from our CPD-certified Excel training course - 'Practical Excel Skills'. All of these guys are now far more productive in Excel.

Improve your efficiency and capability by mastering the day-to-day hacks as well as the fundamental principles of Excel.

This course is available as an online, on-demand training course you can work through at your own pace, a live online Zoom session or a classroom course delivered at your premises or ours.

Contact us if you'd like to learn more.

03/01/2023

Our training course 'Forecasting & Budgeting within SME Businesses' is featured in the Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce training calendar.

Learn the importance of budgeting and forecasting and how effective budgeting leads to the profitable growth of your business.

This is a 1-day online course, scheduled to be delivered on 24th January 2023. Chamber members can click the link below to book, alternatively, you can book directly with the chamber on 01604 490 470 or [email protected]

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23/12/2022

Thanks to the PPX team for another successful and thoroughly enjoyable year, it’s been great working with you.

And thanks to Wok Inn Kettering Take Away, for a fantastic Chinese buffet for our Christmas party this afternoon.

25/11/2022

Very pleased to welcome our 'new' Director of Operations, Tracey Goodman to the team.

Tracey will be helping to coordinate our operational activities and supporting in a number of areas.

27/10/2022

After 10 months of watching people pull into the car park, look puzzled, do a lap and then leave we finally have our sign up. Feel free to call in if you're passing and need someone to sort out your business finances

24/10/2022

Delighted to welcome a new addition to the PPX team.
Jodie-May Smith joined us at the start of October as an Accounts Assistant.

We've been so busy I've only just got around to shouting about it.

Welcome aboard Jodie-May

-keeping

27/09/2022

When you run a business, the pressure to succeed can be relentless, even when things seem to be going well, and success can rapidly turn into failure if you don't evaluate your performance regularly.

Surviving your first year is a significant accomplishment, but it only gets harder from that point. Statistics show that approximately 20% of businesses fail in year 1, whereas around 60% fail to make it to the end of year 3. One of the biggest reasons for this is a lack of current-year data and financial controls.

Many businesses wait until the end of the year for their accountant to tell them how they did and, due the reporting regulations in the UK, this is often 6-9 months after year end, when it's too late to make a difference.

Getting objective data during the year, when you still have time to make effective decisions, is key to your business's survival in the short term and success in the long term. If you don't have a robust, realistic budget and monthly Management Accounts in place, you're sabotaging your own chances of success.

/60rule #

20/09/2022

DOES YOUR BUSINESS RUN MONTHLY ACCOUNTS?

At large corporations, Management Accounts are a given. They can't afford to wait until the end of the year to see how the business has performed. Decisions need to be made quickly, using accurate data and the results of those decisions need to be measured accurately.

But this is no different at smaller businesses. Arguably it's even more important that an SME evaluates performance regularly and knows where they're going. The key elements of control we preach are Performance Evaluation, Economic Viability and Compliance, but you have to carry out the first one before you can ascertain the second two.

All businesses need to be running accurate and timely Management Accounts, prepared on a monthly basis, measured against a robust budget and compared to performance in previous years. Anything less than this is not really performance evaluation.

Annual accounts tell you how you did, but it's too late to do anything differently at that point. "How are we doing?" is always better than "Look how we did".

If you don't have Management Accounts in place, we can take care of this for you by either setting them up and training your team on how to run them, or getting to know your business and doing it all for you. Either way, click the link below to get started:

https://buff.ly/3RYnKDw

15/09/2022

HOW MUCH ARE YOU SPENDING ON SOFTWARE SUBSCRIPTIONS?

Many of our clients incur significant costs every month on software/app subscriptions. With the SaaS delivery model emerging in recent years, monthly subscriptions are becoming a major overhead for all businesses

However, for smaller businesses and SMEs there are ways to access the functionality of these solutions completely free of charge, up to a certain level.

At PPX we use apps, API integrations and automation to streamline processes for our clients. Since we work exclusively with SMEs and always aim to contain costs, we can often create a solution without incurring any subscription charges at all.

This is our top ten list of free apps/websites. The video below gives you more detail, but it's 20 minutes long, and who has that kind of time, right? So here's a summary:

1. Zapier - Brilliant integration tool. Connect multiple apps and automate your processes
2. Otter - 10 hours of free transcription and recording per month.
3. Pixabay - Genuinely royalty-free images for social media posts, websites and literature
4. TrackingTime - Free time tracker for your team, integrate with many other apps for free
5. Asana - Workflow management tool. Free for small teams with great functionality
6. Buffer - Schedule and synchronise your social media posts in advance for free
7. Klaviyo - Create marketing campaigns for up to 250 emails/150 SMS sends per month
8. ToDoist - The most versatile to-do list app. Desktop version, smartphone app. All free
9. Jotform - Create forms which drop into your email when completed. 5 forms for free
10. Capterra - Software comparison website. Compare software alternatives before you buy