In this article we break down what a profit and loss account is, how to prepare one and what it means for your business.

For many, the Chancellor’s set piece budget speeches are the pinnacle of Commons custom, and although very few Chancellors have enacted the rather antiquated tradition of drinking alcohol at the despatch box (this really is an existing ‘privilege’), even fewer have actually abolished the Spring budget itself.

When initially setting up as a contractor you face a choice. Will you operate through an umbrella company or as a director of your own limited company? Many opt for the latter due to the potential benefits.

As the home to 3,000 New and Growing Companies across London, we’re well placed to provide entrepreneurs with a definitive guide to the costs involved in starting up a new business – giving you an honest, transparent picture of the money you’re likely to need to either borrow or invest in the foundation of your start-up venture.

The team at Informed Funding have brought together a fascinating range of speakers to talk about cash flow and what businesses can do when they have insufficient or badly structured debt finance in place.

Freelance business journalist, Farah Khalique reveals her top three tips on how to onboard a supply chain finance programme as smoothly as possible and free up capital as quickly as possible.

Jeremy Cook, chief economist at international currency transfer specialist World First, takes a look at the factors that might influence international exchange rates in the coming year.

Platform Black is an online business finance marketplace. Caroline Langron tells us about the alternative finance provider and trends in the industry.

We talk to Daniel Rajkumar, founder and Managing Director of the peer to business online platform rebuildingsociety.com which connects creditworthy businesses with investors.

It’s easy to think of crowdfunding as a miracle alternative to the more traditional options for raising finance; but the majority of attempts fail.

Founders of small and medium-sized companies dream of taking their businesses public to attract more capital, but how can they avoid wild overvaluations – like Groupon – in today’s overheated IPO market?

The news that the Financial Conduct Authority has been inundated with applications from peer-to-peer lenders throws a spotlight on how such platforms are regulated.

As the budget airline reveals that the strength of the pound against the euro has left it trading ahead of target, Matt James, of international currency experts World First, looks at the FX lessons for SMEs.

Smart SMEs should scrutinise the cost of their currency trades, after banks were fined $4.2 billion for rigging foreign exchange benchmarks and failing to control business practices. Farah Khalique talks peer-to-peer FX and the options available when it comes to currency transactions.

It’s no exaggeration to say that crowdfunding is one of the great online success stories of recent years. Few could have predicted the incredible success of the process and much less the revolutionising effect it would have on the way in which people seek funding for a whole range of things - from new businesses to startup music festivals. It’s not surprising either that the growth of crowdfunding has paved the way for many innovative new businesses, specifically tailored to cater for the industry, to spring up and flourish. Crowdreacher is a London-based startup production company that creates video and promotional content exclusively for crowdfunding campaigns. We were really eager to get an idea of what it’s like to work in such a new and thriving industry so we decided to have a chat with Crowdreacher founder Chris Colton.

Once again late payments are making the headlines. As politicians and journalists come forward to identify small and growing businesses as an integral factor in rebuilding the UK’s economy, it is unsurprising that the issues of late payments and cash flow have been brought to the fore.