Nineteen years ago, I bought a pub. I quickly got caught up in the practicalities and excitement of renovations and hiring staff and getting ready to launch. I thought I knew what the future looked like, but I had not factored a £40 000 bill from the HMRC into my forecast. Within months a small brown envelope threatened my new business, my home and my family’s livelihood. A colossal amount of stress, expense and work could have been avoided if I had forecasted correctly. The shock forced me to become better at doing business very quickly. I took my business education into my own hands. When I wasn’t working, I was at the library on Google (anyone remember dial-up?) and taught myself management accounting. That business, despite the bumps along the way, ended up being truly successful.
That brown envelope really stayed with me. I knew that I couldn’t be the only small business owner who felt alone in their decision-making. I couldn’t be the only business owner too busy with the day to day running of their business to spend time running cumbersome forecasts on excel. I wish I had known at the time that accountants could offer me advisory services through assistance with forecasts and scenario plans.
Determined to never fall into the same trap again I started searching for a solution to help me plan ahead but there was nothing out there that could do what I was looking for… So, I decided to make it myself. So started my journey from owning a pub to founding Futrli - a low-cost forecasting and reporting solution for small businesses and accountants. Determined to save other small businesses from my experience, I called last orders and entered the world of real-time forecasting.
The solution we offer democratises advisory solutions… It’s for everyone. Accountants can use our software for every client for their forecasting needs. Using forecasting technology can help your clients’ businesses during what is currently one of the toughest periods for small businesses.
We are far more than a forecasting platform. We offer dashboards, drag and drop reporting, and scenario planning capabilities all within the platform. This sits alongside our forecasting solution that uses maths that “thinks” just like you would… like an accountant. Clients’ financial ledgers in Quickbooks Online, Xero, Sage Business Cloud Accounting are automatically synchronised to produce instantly generated cash flow, balance sheet, expenses, and P&L forecasts across the next 3 years. There’s a feature or solution for every single one of your clients, large or small.
While receiving a £40,000 bill in the post is never going to be fun for your clients… It shouldn’t have to mean the end of their business. With businesses – much like the one I owned – forced to close early this winter, and tabloids urging readers to “sack off Dry January” to help your local pub, it really is a scary time.
If you want your clients to start running a predicted business, and to start paying you for advisory services alongside compliance, then it’s time to get support from those that know all about the highs and lows of running an SME. Find out more about the work we do here or start a free trial, and take control today.
