September always feels like a second new year. The summer is over, children head back to school, and business owners slip back into routine. It is also the perfect time to pause and check your financial health. Just as farmers harvest what they have sown, September is a month to gather, review, and prepare for the colder stretch ahead. This isn’t just about numbers; it’s about building a foundation for peace of mind.

We do not say this as a neat seasonal metaphor. We say it because we have lived what happens when storms, both literal and financial, crash in without warning.

🏠 When the ground disappears beneath you

In the early 1990s, we were teenagers living in the family guest house that Mum and Dad had worked so hard to purchase and enjoy. Because we lived there too, when the crash hit it was a double blow. They lost their livelihood and our home.

The timing could not have been worse. First came the Great Storm of 1987 and Black Monday just days later. Interest rates then soared, peaking at 15 percent in 1989. By 1990, house prices had collapsed and negative equity - when you owe more on your mortgage than your home is worth - trapped countless families. Our parents were among them. By the end of that year, they had no choice but to hand back the keys.

We were teenagers, still living at home, and it left a mark. Mum always described it as “the event that nearly saw us all living on Paignton Green in a tent.” It was not simply about losing money. It was the insecurity and upheaval of watching circumstances beyond their control sweep everything away. It showed us, very young, how fragile life can feel when events far bigger than you suddenly close in.

🍺 A second storm, this time ours

Fast forward to 2008, and this time it was not Ian’s and my parents. It was me and my husband Paul. We lost the pub we had poured everything into. Just like before, it was also our home. We had reinvested the equity from selling our house into the business, just like parents before us. When it failed, we lost both our livelihood and the roof over our heads.

The backdrop was the Global Financial Crisis. It began in the United States housing market, where risky mortgages were bundled up and sold as safe investments. When that bubble burst, it sent shockwaves across the world. Credit froze. Customers cut back. Small businesses like ours were left brutally exposed.

On the news it was banks, bailouts, and billions. In our living room, it was bankruptcy papers, closed doors, and boxes. It was heartbreaking.

💛 Why this matters for you

Both events shaped who we are today. When we talk with small business owners about managing cash flow, building buffers, or preparing for shocks, it is not theory. We know the stakes, because we have lived them. In my case, twice.

September is not only about tidy books. It is about spotting storms while they are still gathering. A few hours spent reviewing now can make all the difference when life throws something unexpected your way, protecting not just your business, but your mental wellbeing too.

📋 What to review this autumn

• 📊 Cash flow forecast. Does it cover at least the next three to six months. Have you allowed for slower winter trading or rising costs.

• 💷 Debt and lending. Could you still afford repayments if interest rates climbed or client payments came in late.

• 📅 Pipeline reality check. How many confirmed jobs, bookings, or contracts do you have compared to what is only expected.

• 🧾 VAT and tax. Are you putting aside money now, or are you hoping it will be there when the bill arrives.

• 👥 Payroll resilience. If a big contract paused or a client defaulted, could you still pay staff on time.

• 🧰 Messy spots. Unpaid invoices, unclaimed expenses, subscriptions no one uses. Small leaks add up fast.

🧠 Why little and often works

The temptation is to leave all this in a pile for later. Later often comes when the pressure is already mounting, and that is when businesses panic. That financial stress can quickly spill over into every area of your life, impacting your sleep, relationships, and overall wellbeing.
We see it clearly in the sectors we work with most.

• ⚒️ Trades and construction firms under strain from CIS, VAT quirks, and uneven payments from large contractors.

• 🍴 Hospitality owners who work long hours and then face quiet winters or rising supplier costs.

• 🎨 Creative businesses who struggle with feast and famine income, underquoting, unpaid discovery work, tool sprawl, and delays in client sign off that leave cash trapped.

The businesses that come through strongest are not always the biggest. They are the ones that keep things consistent. Small, steady check ins are what keep the walls up when trouble hits. Weekly reconciliations. Realistic forecasts. Invoices chased promptly. Clear routines that run even when you are busy.

🔎 Sector spotlights

We work in these worlds every day, so here are common pain points and the fixes we reach for first. These are a taste of the full checklists that sit alongside this blog.

• 🧱 Construction and trades. Late payments from main contractors, confusion on VAT reverse charge, and paperwork gaps with subcontractors. Quick wins include staged invoices tied to milestones, invoice templates that handle reverse charge correctly, and a digital onboarding pack for every subcontractor so nothing is missing.

• 🍽️ Catering and hospitality. Menu costs slipping with rising supplier prices, rota overspend on quiet shifts, and stock control guesswork. Quick wins include quarterly menu recostings, rotas based on forecasted sales, weekly supplier reconciliations, and simple stock checks that protect gross profit.

• 🎭 Creative industries. Feast and famine income, scope creep, and unpaid discovery that drains margin. Quick wins include deposits and stage billing, plain English scopes with a change process, time tracking on every project, and a tidy subscription review every quarter.

🍯 Building strength to weather any storm

The truth is, you cannot stop storms. But you can prepare form them. With calm systems, clear numbers, and steady routines, you do not have to face being swept away.

That is what we are here for. Not only reconciliations and reports, but the reassurance that someone is in your corner, helping you spot the waves before they hit. Because clearer numbers do not just protect your business. They protect your peace of mind too.

For us, finance is not theory. It is lived. Twice.