James Beer

Brixx Updates 5 min read

Financial forecasts just got a whole lot prettier

Financial forecasts just got a whole lot prettier

James Beer

08 February 2017

We have been quietly working away on completely revamping the Brixx dashboard for a while now. We think it's incredibly important to be able to visualise the future of your business. We're trying very hard to make this simple and...

Cash Flow, Business Plan Writing, Startups 25–30 min read

How to forecast your startup or business’s cash flow

How to forecast your startup or business’s cash flow

James Beer

20 March 2017

The cash flow statement is one of the more common reports used by accountants. It is a measure of all the incoming and outgoing cash activity of the business and is usually estimated at a monthly level. You may think...

Brixx Updates 8 min read

Brixx Update – VAT, Employer National Insurance & Pensions

Brixx Update – VAT, Employer National Insurance & Pensions

James Beer

05 April 2017

A new update went live today with some new automated planning tools to make your life a lot easier. We have new options appearing inside the finance settings of your plan and inside many planning components. These cover VAT ,...

Brixx Updates 3 min read

Brixx will be exhibiting at the Business Startup Show 2017

Brixx will be exhibiting at the Business Startup Show 2017

James Beer

10 April 2017

We are delighted to announce that the Brixx team will have a stand at the London business show 2017. It's happening in the Excel centre on the 17th and 18th May. We'll be there to demo our financial planning software,...

Brixx Updates 3 min read

The Business Show – aftermath & subscription discount

The Business Show – aftermath & subscription discount

James Beer

22 May 2017

The Business Show is over, it's a new week and we have just about recovered from a couple of intense days at the show last week. Around 16,000 people visited the show on the Wednesday and a similar amount on...

Cash Flow 10 min read

Brixx business planning – The Basics [video]

Brixx business planning – The Basics [video]

James Beer

30 May 2017

In today's blog post, we take a look at one of the new training videos. This video goes through the basics of Brixx, it's a great starting point and highlights what you can do in a Brixx plan and how...

How to Start a Business 19–23 min read

Creating a business plan from scratch in Brixx (Video)

Creating a business plan from scratch in Brixx (Video)

James Beer

21 August 2017

Welcome back to this training series. In this video, I’m going to show you how to go about building a plan from scratch. I’ll look closer at structuring your plan and how to enter your numbers. But before we start...

Customer Stories 14–17 min read

The story of Mintmech – an agile engineering company with a new approach

The story of Mintmech – an agile engineering company with a new approach

James Beer

11 April 2019

This week we bring you the story of Mintmech - an engineering company who used Brixx to forecast their new business and create a comprehensive financial...

Budgeting, Brixx Updates, Business Management 12–14 min read

Comparing actuals vs forecast – A Brixx update preview

Comparing actuals vs forecast – A Brixx update preview

James Beer

13 June 2019

This week we have an exciting preview of our upcoming feature - Actuals vs Forecast! We've had so many requests for this - and very soon you'll be able to add real-life data to your plan and get detailed variance...

Customer Stories 12–15 min read

The story of Lifemesh – an innovative healthcare tech startup

The story of Lifemesh – an innovative healthcare tech startup

James Beer

14 June 2019

This week we bring you the story of Lifemesh, a healthcare tech startup who used Brixx to test the future of their business and promote an agile...

How to Start a Business, Self-Employment, Startups 29–35 min read

6 effective ways to make money online – how easy are they?

6 effective ways to make money online – how easy are they?

James Beer

23 July 2019

It's so easy to make money online. Isn't it? Well... This week we're looking at 6 ways to make money online and the strengths and pitfalls of...

Customer Stories 11–13 min read

The story of Seafoam Media – standout marketing services focused on relationships

The story of Seafoam Media – standout marketing services focused on relationships

James Beer

05 August 2019

This week, we hear the story of Missouri-based marketing agency Seafoam Media, and how they've made great use of Brixx for scenario planning and cash flow...

Brixx Updates 16–19 min read

How to use actuals vs forecast in Brixx [video]

How to use actuals vs forecast in Brixx [video]

James Beer

06 August 2019

Exciting news this week! We have released a new update to the Brixx app: Actuals vs Forecast. Compare forecast and actual data to see the variance between the two. Take a look at this video guide to find out...

Customer Stories 12–14 min read

The story of ASfB – delivering outstanding accounting services for business

The story of ASfB – delivering outstanding accounting services for business

James Beer

13 August 2019

This week we hear the story of ASfB - Accounting Services for Business. They've been making great use of Brixx - both internally and as a financial forecasting tool for their clients and...

Cash Flow, Balance Sheet, Profit and Loss, Budgeting, Finance Tips, Financial Forecasting 35–42 min read

The Ultimate Guide to Financial Forecasting & Business Projections

The Ultimate Guide to Financial Forecasting & Business Projections

James Beer

20 August 2019

Financial forecasting is a crucial business activity - so why isn't everybody talking about it? In this ultimate guide, we bring together the reasons why forecasting is so important and how to go about making realistic forecasts...

The Brixx Insider 10 min read

The Brixx Insider #1 – Xero integration overview

The Brixx Insider #1 – Xero integration overview

James Beer

05 September 2019

In the first of a new blog series, The Brixx Insider takes you to the coal face of our development work! This week we're looking at Xero integration and the kinds of challenges and opportunities this brings to the development...

Financial Forecasting 33–40 min read

The Beginner’s Guide to Financial Modelling Techniques for Small Business

The Beginner’s Guide to Financial Modelling Techniques for Small Business

James Beer

17 September 2019

Financial modelling is seen as a niche activity. But, it's actually the best and most natural way to make the most of forecasting. This week, we take a look through the applications of financial modelling, explain what it's all about,...

Cash Flow, Financial Forecasting, Growth 17–21 min read

6 Cash Flow Analysis Examples for Exploring Key Business Scenarios

6 Cash Flow Analysis Examples for Exploring Key Business Scenarios

James Beer

15 October 2019

Once you've created a cash flow forecast, you're in a great position to start examining future scenarios for your business. In this article we look at 6 common scenarios that almost any business should be modelling....

Cash Flow, Financial Forecasting 15–18 min read

How the 13 Week Cash Flow Forecast is the Answer to Your Financial Worries

How the 13 Week Cash Flow Forecast is the Answer to Your Financial Worries

James Beer

22 October 2019

The 13 week cash flow forecast is a tool for improving cash management in your business. Dedicating just a small amount of time to plan ahead can have great benefits and in this article we explore how you can take...

Business Plan Writing, Financial Forecasting 24–28 min read

How to Create an Effective Financial Forecast With No Historical Data

How to Create an Effective Financial Forecast With No Historical Data

James Beer

29 October 2019

Extrapolating historical data is one way of creating a financial forecast. If you're a new business or a you are launching a new product, you need a different process. In this article we go through what this process looks like...

90 Day Challenge 4 min read

Week 4: Business Model – Choosing your Business Model and Pricing Strategy

Week 4: Business Model – Choosing your Business Model and Pricing Strategy

James Beer

25 November 2019

A business model is your company’s strategy that defines how your business is going to make a profit. Your business model should describe things like your value proposition, which depicts the goods or services that your offering and why your...

90 Day Challenge 18–21 min read

How to Choose the Right Business Model for Your Startup

How to Choose the Right Business Model for Your Startup

James Beer

25 November 2019

So, you’ve got a big idea for a business and you've started researching the market you want to approach. What’s next? How do we take this seed of an idea and nurture it into a credible business? That’s what we’ll tackle...

90 Day Challenge 19–23 min read

How to Find the Right Type of Pricing Strategy to Sell a New Product or Service

How to Find the Right Type of Pricing Strategy to Sell a New Product or Service

James Beer

25 November 2019

So far this week we’ve looked at how to choose the right business model for your startup. Now, we’ll be looking at how to find the right type of pricing strategy to sell a new product. Your business model and...

90 Day Challenge, How to Start a Business 17–20 min read

How to Create and Test a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for Your Startup

How to Create and Test a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for Your Startup

James Beer

02 December 2019

One of the pitfalls fledgling entrepreneurs can fall into is getting stuck in the costly product development process. Lot’s of time and money gets invested into a business before customer feedback gets involved. When customer feedback eventually does get involved...

90 Day Challenge 12–14 min read

A Guide to Business Insurance, Structure, Licenses & Permits

A Guide to Business Insurance, Structure, Licenses & Permits

James Beer

16 December 2019

As a startup, you need to think carefully about the type of business insurance you will require. However, the first step before you go much further is that you will need to decide what structure the business is going to take,...

90 Day Challenge 23–28 min read

How to Set Up a Website: A Guide for Small Businesses

How to Set Up a Website: A Guide for Small Businesses

James Beer

30 December 2019

In this article, we'll be exploring how to set up your own website. We'll look at everything from how to purchase a domain name to how to host your own website....

90 Day Challenge 10–12 min read

How to Use Analytics to Measure the Success of Your Website

How to Use Analytics to Measure the Success of Your Website

James Beer

30 December 2019

So you've set up and designed your website, but how do you measure its success? And how do you increase customer confidence in your brand? In this article, we'll discuss how to use analytics to measure the success of your...

Cash Flow 29–35 min read

8 actions to fix off-season cash flow woes in a seasonal business

8 actions to fix off-season cash flow woes in a seasonal business

James Beer

14 January 2020

If you’re a seasonal business owner you’re probably all too familiar with the feeling of uncertainty, especially during the dreaded off-season. Sound like you? Well, you’re in luck! Today, I’m here to help you to plan ahead so your business...

90 Day Challenge, Business Plan Writing, Financial Forecasting 22–27 min read

Financial Projections for Startups when creating a Business Plan (Free Business Plan Google Doc And Word Template)

Financial Projections for Startups when creating a Business Plan (Free Business Plan Google Doc And Word Template)

James Beer

27 January 2020

To produce effective and accurate financial projections for startups, you will need three key reports: a Balance Sheet, a Cash Flow Statement, and a Profit and Loss Statement. Read more about these...

Business, 90 Day Challenge, How to Start a Business 24–29 min read

How to Master the Soft Launch of a New Business

How to Master the Soft Launch of a New Business

James Beer

03 February 2020

Launching your business can be a nerve-racking time. If, however, you’re not quite ready to fully launch just yet, why not try testing your product or service out in a more controlled environment? Both beta testing periods and soft launches are...

The Brixx Insider 11–13 min read

The Brixx insider #2 Financial modelling using Xero data

The Brixx insider #2 Financial modelling using Xero data

James Beer

04 March 2020

In this article, we preview the Xero integration in more detail. See examples of how the process will work and how your Xero data and account structure can be used to model future activities and build detailed financial forecasts....

Cash Flow 14–16 min read

Cash flow statement example – a simple analysis of this key report

Cash flow statement example – a simple analysis of this key report

James Beer

17 March 2020

A cash flow statement brings order to the chaos. Our easy coffee shop example shows how this report can make it easy to understand your business finances. We go through line by line what it all means and where all...

The Brixx Insider 8 min read

The Brixx Insider #3 Xero Beta News and an Update on COVID-19

The Brixx Insider #3 Xero Beta News and an Update on COVID-19

James Beer

01 April 2020

Read about what's included in the Xero beta and how you can get involved. Also a little update on how the Brixx team is doing in these strange...

Cash Flow, Finance Tips 23–27 min read

6 cash flow confusions that commonly confuddle business planning

6 cash flow confusions that commonly confuddle business planning

James Beer

21 April 2020

Numbers can be open to interpretation, especially if you’re not used to arcane accounting methodologies. Maybe you usually leave the numbers to the accountant, but if you're a decision maker, then at some point you’ve got to figure out what it...

Cash Flow 28–34 min read

18 Actionable Cash Flow Forecasting Tips for Small Businesses & Startups

18 Actionable Cash Flow Forecasting Tips for Small Businesses & Startups

James Beer

05 May 2020

Financial forecasting is a skill you've got to put into practice if you want to improve at it. In this week's article, we've formulated 18 top tips to help you improve and create more accurate, useful and meaningful cash flow...

Financial Forecasting 30–36 min read

Modelling best & worst case scenarios to overcome inaccurate financial forecasts

Modelling best & worst case scenarios to overcome inaccurate financial forecasts

James Beer

21 May 2020

Basing your strategic business plan on a single forecast is fraught with issues in the unpredictable world we live in. You already know it's going to be inaccurate before the ink is even dry. In order to create an effective...

Business Management 20–24 min read

Accrual vs Cash Basis Accounting Methods – Everything You Need To Know

Accrual vs Cash Basis Accounting Methods – Everything You Need To Know

James Beer

28 July 2020

In this article we unpack the differences between accrual basis and cash basis accounting. Find out which method benefits your business the most and what insights you can learn from each...

Cash Flow 19–23 min read

Your cash flow forecast might be hiding your true profitability issues

Your cash flow forecast might be hiding your true profitability issues

James Beer

22 September 2020

Cash flow problems kill startups, cash is king and cash flow problems...

Financial Forecasting 18–22 min read

6 ways financial forecasting isn’t what you think it is

6 ways financial forecasting isn’t what you think it is

James Beer

24 November 2020

Financial forecasting is a discipline shrouded in mysticism. How do people make predictions and why do people use it if they are never accurate? In this article we delve into these ideas and uncover why financial forecasting isn't what you...

The Brixx Insider 10 min read

What’s Next? The Brixx 2021 Roadmap Preview

What’s Next? The Brixx 2021 Roadmap Preview

James Beer

31 December 2020

Find out what is on the horizon after our Xero release. 2021 is going to be an exciting year for...

How to Start a Business 46–55 min read

How to start an e-commerce business

How to start an e-commerce business

James Beer

26 January 2021

This guide is a comprehensive look at starting an e-commerce business. It covers all the steps you need to take as well as a diving into building a professional financial plan....

Cash Flow 33–40 min read

How to create the cash flow forecast for ecommerce business

How to create the cash flow forecast for ecommerce business

James Beer

23 February 2021

In this in-depth e-commerce guide we go into the steps and factors that contribute towards a cash flow forecast you can make solid decisions around....