For Finances Sake (FFS)

It's the question every business owner asks eventually and the right answer keeps changing.
With new MTD rules, Rachael breaks down sole trader vs. limited company: tax, National Insurance, liability, and the tipping points that matter, profits past £30K and £50K, high-value personal assets, high-risk businesses, and family members who could use a lower tax band.
If you've ever wondered whether incorporating is worth the hassle, this episode answers it.

Most businesses don't have a leadership problem, they have a management addiction. 
In this episode of FFS, host Rachael Chadwick Harrison sits down with Sarah Gardiner, Director of Strategy at the British Business Bank, to talk about the real difference between businesses that are managed and those that are truly led. Drawing on close to thirty years across banking, fintech and strategy, including turning around an underperforming Clydesdale branch and senior leadership at fintech CIC Fair For You, Sarah shares why coaching pays off, how culture shows up in the numbers, and why the businesses that scale are the ones where people grow faster than the problems.

Ever hired someone who looked perfect on paper and turned out to be an absolute nightmare?
You're not alone. One bad hire can cost more than a tax investigation, and cause twice the stress. In this episode of FFS, Rachael is joined by David Dand from Coreus, a boutique talent consultancy helping SMEs attract, recruit, and retain the right people.
They get into why the biggest mistake businesses make isn't a lack of candidates, it's a lack of authenticity. Why culture fit matters more than most owners think. The real cost of getting recruitment wrong (hint: it's a lot more than four times someone's salary). And why recruitment might just be the last thing you should ever delegate.
From dodgy CV clichés to the questions that actually reveal who someone is, this one's essential listening for anyone who's ever made a hiring decision they later regretted, or is about to make one.

Because every generation thinks the one that follows them is lazy, lost, and heading for disaster. They're usually wrong.
Are young people really entitled and work-shy, or simply responding rationally to a world that looks nothing like the one we walked into? Shorter attention spans, influencer culture, £60k of student debt, and an AI revolution nobody can predict the rules have changed. The question is whether we're blaming the players.
Rachael is joined by Kate Ankers, Head of English and frontline teacher, to cut through the noise from TikTok attention spans and the death of the Saturday job, to the soft skills gap nobody in government wants to fix, and what resilience actually looks like in a generation we've never quite let fail.
If you employ, manage, or are raising an under-25 this one's for you.

In this episode of the FFS Podcast, Rachael is joined by networking expert and energy consultant Jon Zink to unpack the reality of modern business networking.
From overpriced breakfast events and awards nights to expos, masterminds, and online networking, they discuss how to spot the events that genuinely deliver value and avoid the ones that waste your time and money.
Jon shares practical tips on choosing the right events, following up effectively, building valuable business relationships, and why the real networking often happens after the event itself.
A must-listen for any business owner trying to balance visibility, ROI, and event fatigue.

Because families are still being sold incredibly complicated trust arrangements at hotel seminars with stale biscuits and scary headlines and most of the time, they simply don't need them.
"Put your house in a trust and HMRC disappears in a puff of smoke. The council can't touch your estate. Your inheritance is protected forever" It sounds compelling. It isn't true. And the people selling it know that.
Rachael is joined by Joanna, senior accountant and in-house inheritance tax specialist at Chadwicks, to cut through the noise on one of the most emotionally charged areas of financial planning. 
Trusts have their place. This is about knowing whether yours is one of them.
If you or your parents were sold a trust by someone named Nigel with a Bluetooth headset, this episode is for you.

Landlord tax in 2026… and the 2% shift that's quietly costing more than anyone's admitting.
It sounds small. It isn't. Because depending on how you hold your property, this change hits very differently and most landlords still haven't run the numbers.
We're talking personal ownership versus limited company, dividend tax, alphabet shares, ownership splits, and the stamp duty trap that catches people out every single time. Because the most expensive strategy in property isn't buying badly. It's structuring badly.
Rachael is joined by James, senior accountant and the person they throw every complex property case at, to cut through the noise on what actually matters for landlords right now. Not in theory. In practice.
If you own property, this one's for you.

MTD… the thing everyone is either talking about or hasn’t heard about!
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax or as we’re calling it, the sole trader trap and the hidden cost nobody asked for.
Because while HMRC calls this “modernisation”, what we’re actually seeing on the ground is confusion, last-minute panic, and a lot of people who don’t even realise it applies to them yet.
And here’s the kicker, it’s not based on profit… it’s based on turnover. So even if you’re not making much money, you could still be pulled into more admin, more cost, and more pressure.
I’m joined by Tara, who’s on the front line speaking to clients every single day, and together we’re breaking down what’s really happening, who’s at risk, and what you need to do now before this catches you out.
 

In this episode of FFS, Rachael is joined by R&D specialist Christopher Harrison to unpack one of the most misunderstood areas of UK tax: Research & Development tax credits.
They explain what actually qualifies as R&D in the eyes of HMRC, why something being new to your business doesn’t necessarily make it innovative, and the role genuine technical uncertainty plays in a successful claim. The episode also explores common mistakes businesses make, what HMRC inspectors look for during inquiries, and why documentation from day one is crucial.
With scrutiny on R&D claims increasing and aggressive claim firms still operating in the market, Rachael and Chris share practical advice to help business owners understand the rules, avoid costly mistakes, and approach R&D relief the right way.

How should you really pay yourself as a UK limited company director?
In this episode of FFS For Finance’s Sake, Chartered Accountant and Managing Director Rachael Chadwick-Harrison shares the March Tax Planning Secrets most business owners never hear. 
Rachael explains why March is the most important month in the tax year, how to avoid the brutal 60% tax trap over £100,000, and why extraction planning should be done with precision, not guesswork. She breaks down the four types of company director, from the “lone wolf” to the “fully loaded”, and shows how employment allowance, corporation tax bands, and household income all change the answer.
If you’re wondering whether you’re paying yourself tax efficiently, this episode is your starting point.