Author: Björgvin Vigfússon
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Direct costs (UK services): what belongs in Cost of Sales and what doesn’t
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Direct Costs for UK Service SMEs: What Belongs in Cost of Sales Plain-English COS policy for services: what’s direct vs overhead, grey areas, a worked example, and a checklist to keep margins accurate.
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Pricing & Markup (UK services): stop under-quoting by mixing up the maths
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Margin vs Markup (UK Services): Pricing Formulas, VAT & Discounts Plain-English pricing guide for UK service SMEs: margin vs markup, target-based pricing, discount maths, VAT on discounts, and a rate-card playbook.
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How to run 7-day management accounts when supplier invoices arrive late (UK SMEs)
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How to Run 7-Day Management Accounts When Invoices Are Late Struggling to close month-end in seven working days because suppliers invoice late? Learn the upload-as-you-go, expected invoices and materiality system we use with UK service SMEs.
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Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC): measure, diagnose, improve (UK service SMEs)
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Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC): the plain-English guide for UK service SMEs Learn CCC in plain English. Measure DSO/DIO/DPO, map Order-to-Cash, and use five quick plays to shorten your cycle and unlock cash.
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Accounts Receivable / Credit Control (UK): set terms, deposits, and a chasing rhythm that actually gets you paid
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Accounts Receivable & Credit Control (UK) Terms, Deposits, Chasing Rhythm
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DSO explained: turn ‘days’ into £ cash you can collect (UK service SMEs)
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DSO (Days Sales Outstanding): Formula & 7 Fixes (UK) What DSO means, how to calculate it (simple vs countback), and seven ways to cut days, with a worked example and calculator for UK service SMEs.
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EBIT, EBITDA or Operating Profit: which one actually matters for UK service SMEs?
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You’re profitable on paper, yet the bank asks for EBITDA, DSCR and a covenant pack. Which number are they really judging, and how do you present your figures so you don’t undersell your business? If you’ve searched “EBITDA UK small business”, this guide explains what lenders actually look at, in plain English, with a worked…
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Markup vs Margin (UK): the plain-English guide service SMEs use to stop under-quoting
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Markup vs Margin (UK): plain-English guide + calculator Stop under-quoting. Learn margin vs markup, convert between them, and quote correctly, with a tiny calculator and UK VAT clarity.
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Gross margin: the one number that pays your wages (UK service SMEs)
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Gross Margin for UK Service SMEs: Benchmarks, COS, Fixes What good gross margin looks like for UK service firms, how to classify COS, margin vs markup, and 5 levers to lift GP fast. Benchmarks + a worked example.
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Xero vs QuickBooks vs FreeAgent for service SMEs (UK 2025/26): which fits your finance stack?
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Xero vs QuickBooks vs FreeAgent (UK 2025/26): Best pick for service SMEs Compare Xero, QuickBooks and FreeAgent for UK service businesses. Pricing (monthly & annual), user limits, projects/time, multi-currency, CIS, MTD VAT. Worked scenarios + clear next steps.