Financial Clarity Blogs

Introduction When profits are under pressure, the instinctive response for many construction and engineering businesses is simple:  sell more work . Win more contracts. Push harder on sales. Stay busy. At  Jones Financial Accounts (JFA) , we see this approach backfire time and again. Businesses grow turnover, teams get stretched, and directors work harder, yet profitability does not improve. In some cases, it gets worse. This blog explains  why profitability within 12 months

Introduction One of the most common blind spots we see in growing construction and engineering businesses is this:  the part of the business generating the most revenue often receives the least financial scrutiny . At  Jones Financial Accounts (JFA) , we regularly work with SMEs where one department, service line, or contract type drives 40–70% of turnover. It is busy, stretched, and seen as “the engine of the business.” Because of that, it is often left alone to keep momentu

Introduction When most businesses talk about automation, they talk about speed. Faster payments. Faster processing. Less admin. What often gets missed is the most important benefit of automation:  control . At  Jones Financial Accounts (JFA) , we regularly see SMEs that have grown quickly and introduced automation for the wrong reason. Payments are faster, but errors increase. Approval is weaker, not stronger. Directors lose visibility instead of gaining it. This blog explain

Introduction For many construction and engineering businesses, expense control is an uncomfortable topic. Directors worry that tightening controls will feel like mistrust, damage morale, or slow teams down. As a result, expense processes are often left loose, informal, or inconsistent. At  Jones Financial Accounts (JFA) , we see the opposite outcome when expense control is done properly. Strong expense processes do not police staff, they  protect profit, improve clarity, and

Introduction At  Jones Financial Accounts (JFA) , we regularly work with SMEs turning over £500k to £5m+ that are busy, winning work, and delivering projects, yet cash always feels behind. One of the fastest improvements we make is tightening invoicing discipline. This blog explains  why faster invoicing is one of the easiest ways to improve cash flow , why delays damage forecasting and supplier confidence, and how setting clear timelines restores control. It also explains wh

Introduction Many construction and engineering businesses believe their financial problems come from rising costs, tight margins, or difficult customers. In reality, one of the biggest causes of poor financial decisions is far more basic:  disconnected systems . At  Jones Financial Accounts (JFA) , we regularly see SMEs with good people, strong demand, and solid experience, yet their numbers cannot be trusted. Job systems don’t match the accounts, invoices sit in drafts, cost

Introduction Late payments are one of the most common complaints we hear from construction and engineering business owners. Customers pay late. Cash feels tight. Directors assume it’s just part of the industry. At  Jones Financial Accounts (JFA) , we see this differently. In most cases,  late payments are not a customer problem or a cash flow problem, they’re a process problem . When invoicing, ownership, and follow-up are unclear, cash gets stuck. When processes are tight, t

Introduction One of the most common reasons we see at  Jones Financial Accounts (JFA)  is not bad sales or poor pricing, but  unresolved invoice disputes quietly sitting in the background. A disputed invoice might feel small at first. A query over hours, a variation not agreed, or a missing purchase order. But when disputes are not actively managed, they age, stall cash flow, and slowly damage supplier confidence and operational stability. This blog explains  why unresolved i

Introduction One of the biggest myths in growing construction and engineering businesses is that profit problems are caused by poor sales. In reality, we see the opposite far more often. Sales grow, work is busy, teams are stretched, yet profit quietly falls behind expectations. At  Jones Financial Accounts (JFA) , this usually points to one core issue:  managers are not accountable to the numbers . When budgets, margins, and costs do not clearly belong to anyone, inefficienc

Introduction For many growing construction and engineering businesses, finance is something reviewed  when something goes wrong . Cash feels tight, margins look thinner than expected, or targets are missed with no clear explanation. By the time directors ask questions, the damage is already done. At  Jones Financial Accounts (JFA) , we work with SMEs across construction and engineering that have grown quickly past £500k turnover and suddenly feel out of control financially. O

Introduction - Perfect Management Pack Most construction and engineering businesses don’t fail because they’re unprofitable. They fail because the  board doesn’t see problems early enough . I’ve worked with multiple of £500k–£10m construction and engineering businesses, and the pattern is always the same: The board pack arrives  too late It’s written  for accountants, not directors It shows a  generic P&L and balance sheet It tells you what happened, not  what’s about to go w

Introduction - P erfect Board-Level KPI Dashboard Most boards don’t need  more  numbers. They need  clearer  numbers. In construction and engineering, the biggest risks rarely show up as one dramatic figure. They creep in quietly: revenue looks strong, but margin is leaking job by job cash feels tight, but you can’t see whether it’s  WIP ,  debtors ,  retentions , or  supplier terms  causing the squeeze the team is flat out, yet EBITDA isn’t moving That’s why the best boards

Introduction - Work in Progress (WIP) Improves Cashflow If you run a construction or engineering business, you’ve probably said something like: “We’re busy and the jobs are going well… so why is cash tight?” “We made profit last month… but the bank balance didn’t move.” “We’ve invoiced loads… yet we’re still being squeezed by suppliers.” Most of the time, the missing link is  Work in Progress (WIP) . WIP is not “an accountant’s adjustment”. It’s a simple idea: WIP is the valu

Introduction - Stop Cashflow Crises In construction and engineering, cashflow problems rarely come from one big disaster. They come from  small delays that stack up : a quote that sits in someone’s inbox for a week a job that drags on because of call-backs an invoice that doesn’t go out until “Friday when we get time” credit control that starts at 60+ days (when it’s already too late) The frustrating part? You can be  profitable on paper  and still feel broke. Cashflow isn’t

Should More Resource Go to Volume Work or Technical Work? Introduction - Right Balance Between Productivity and Effectiveness? Fast-growing construction and engineering businesses often hit the same wall: engineers are flat out, but profit doesn’t rise the office feels overloaded, but work still slips directors are dragged into every decision, so nothing moves quickly you’re “busy”… but not in control This usually isn’t a sales problem. It’s a  capacity and focus problem . In

Introduction - KPIs Every Construction Sales Team In construction and engineering businesses, especially lift companies, M&E contractors, FM providers and refurbishment specialists, the sales department is often misunderstood. Many business owners think a “busy pipeline” equals success. It doesn’t. Quality, conversion, lifetime value, and margin protection matter far more than volume. A sales department can generate enquiries all month yet still weaken cash flow, harm margins

Introduction - KPIs for Refurbishment & Installation Teams The refurbishment and installations department is often the most complex area of a construction or engineering business. It handles modernisations, full installations, technical surveying, RAMS programmes, project management, procurement, WIP forecasting, and final commissioning. It also carries the  highest revenue, longest timelines, and biggest commercial risk . And yet, most SMEs track performance poorly. Director

Introduction - KPIs Every Repairs Department Must Track The repairs department is one of the most influential profit centres in a construction or engineering business, especially in lift engineering, M&E, HVAC, and specialist technical trades. Repairs generate reactive revenue, drive additional quoting opportunities, and are often the fastest route to cash. But they can also be the biggest source of margin leakage, scheduling issues, and customer frustration if the business d

Introduction - KPIs Every Service Department Must Track For construction and engineering businesses, especially those running lift engineering, FM service teams, M&E services, or technical maintenance divisions, the  service department is the heartbeat of predictable revenue . It handles call-outs, planned maintenance, aftercare, safety inspections, LOLER reporting, and customer relationships. Yet many SMEs don’t truly know if their service department is performing well beyon

In construction and engineering businesses, department heads play a bigger role than many directors realise. They control the flow of information, influence margins, shape delivery, and directly impact cash flow. Yet most SMEs, especially those scaling quickly, don’t truly know whether their department leads are performing well. This happens because many owners rely on gut feel, verbal updates, or firefighting indicators rather than structured performance metrics. In this blo