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Growth is often viewed as a positive challenge for Irish SMEs. More customers, larger teams and increased activity usually suggest progress. However, as businesses expand, complexity often increases alongside it. New systems are introduced, additional processes appear and responsibilities become more layered. Some level of complexity is unavoidable. The challenge arises when complexity grows faster…

Growth is often viewed as a positive challenge for Irish SMEs. More customers, larger teams and increased activity usually suggest progress. However, as businesses expand, complexity often increases alongside it. New systems are introduced, additional processes appear and responsibilities b…

Many Irish SME owners describe their working week in similar terms. There is always another issue requiring immediate attention. A staff problem appears unexpectedly. A client deadline changes. Cash flow becomes tighter than anticipated. A supplier issue emerges. Before one problem is resolved, another takes its place. For many businesses, this way of operating gradually…

Many Irish SME owners describe their working week in similar terms. There is always another issue requiring immediate attention. A staff problem appears unexpectedly. A client deadline changes. Cash flow becomes tighter than anticipated. A supplier issue emerges. Before one problem is resol…

Documentation is one of the least glamorous parts of running a business. It rarely appears on the management agenda, it is almost never the priority when something else is on fire, and it tends to be deferred for years before anyone treats it as urgent. For many Irish SMEs, the documentation that should exist either…

Documentation is one of the least glamorous parts of running a business. It rarely appears on the management agenda, it is almost never the priority when something else is on fire, and it tends to be deferred for years before anyone treats it as urgent. For many Irish SMEs, the documentation that sh…

In many Irish SMEs, internal controls are treated as a concern for larger organisations. Audit committees, segregation of duties, authorisation matrices, and formal review procedures sound like the language of corporate governance, not something that applies to a 12-person service business or a small manufacturer. In practice, the absence of basic internal controls is one…

In many Irish SMEs, internal controls are treated as a concern for larger organisations. Audit committees, segregation of duties, authorisation matrices, and formal review procedures sound like the language of corporate governance, not something that applies to a 12-person service business or a smal…

For many Irish SMEs, financial reporting is treated as a compliance activity rather than a management tool. The annual accounts are prepared, returns are filed, the bank gets what it asks for, and the rest of the year passes with relatively little reference to financial information beyond the bank balance. This is understandable in the…

For many Irish SMEs, financial reporting is treated as a compliance activity rather than a management tool. The annual accounts are prepared, returns are filed, the bank gets what it asks for, and the rest of the year passes with relatively little reference to financial information beyond the bank b…