A business plan only works if the numbers behind it are right. We review where your profit comes from, set a budget and a handful of KPIs, forecast your cash, and meet you regularly to check progress, so decisions about prices, staff and investment are made on facts.
Information checked 3 October 2026 against Local Enterprise Office and Department of Enterprise guidance.
What's included
For an owner-managed business, strategy is a short written plan with numbers attached: what you will sell, at what price and margin, to whom, and what that leaves in cash. It is reviewed against your actual results every month or quarter, and changed when the numbers say so.
Five or six figures tell most of the story. More than that and nobody looks at them.
| KPI | How to work it out | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Gross margin | (Sales less direct costs) ÷ sales | Whether your pricing covers the work |
| Debtor days | Trade debtors ÷ annual sales x 365 | How long customers take to pay you |
| Creditor days | Trade creditors ÷ annual purchases x 365 | How quickly you pay suppliers |
| Cash runway | Cash ÷ average monthly outgoings | How many months you could cover with no new income |
| Overheads to sales | Fixed costs ÷ sales | How much of each euro goes before any profit |
Profitable businesses still run out of cash, usually because customers pay late while wages, VAT and suppliers do not wait. A cash flow forecast shows a gap weeks before it happens, while there is still time to chase debtors, delay a purchase or arrange finance.
The law is on your side with business customers. Unless a contract says otherwise, payment is due 30 days after the invoice, and from then you can charge statutory interest at the ECB rate plus 8%, which is 10.4% a year from 1 July 2026, plus fixed compensation for recovery costs (Department of Enterprise).
Worked example
A business with annual sales of €600,000 has €100,000 owed by customers. Its debtor days are €100,000 ÷ €600,000 x 365, about 61 days. Bringing that down to 45 days means debtors of about €74,000, which frees roughly €26,000 of cash without selling anything more.
To try it on your own figures, the free cash flow forecast in the M.A. Whately Suite plans income, costs and one-offs 13 weeks ahead.
The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) are the first stop for small businesses. LEO Louth's main grants for micro enterprises include:
| Grant | When | Usual maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Feasibility Study Grant | Before you commit: market research and testing an idea | Ask LEO Louth |
| Priming Grant | Within the first 18 months of start-up | 50% of the investment or €80,000, whichever is less |
| Business Expansion Grant | After the first 18 months of trading | 50% of the investment or €80,000, whichever is less |
Priming and Business Expansion grants can reach €150,000 for businesses with clear potential to move up to Enterprise Ireland, and can cover a salary of over €40,000 with up to €15,000 for the first year of a new job. Buildings, land and mobile assets such as laptops are excluded. Businesses in Meath apply to LEO Meath, whose clients created almost 200 jobs in 2025 (Meath County Council).
Strategy shows where the hours and the margin go; automation gets some of them back. Adrian Capraru, the firm's Director of AI & Business Automation, connects accounting software, bank, CRM and email so invoices, reminders and reports run themselves. See AI integration and business automation.
From businesses we work with
Paul and the team have been absolutely fantastic to work with. I initially sought his services purely for accounting purposes but as time has passed, I have realised his depth of knowledge surrounding business planning, strategy and marketing has been invaluable to my new physiotherapy clinic.
The team at M.A. Whately offer a very professional and helpful service. As a new start up business, we had plenty of questions and there has always been somebody on the other end of the phone/email to answer us, no matter what the question! More than just an accountant they really work with building and growing your business. A pleasure to deal with and a wonderful supportive service!
A profit and loss account and balance sheet prepared monthly or quarterly during the year, not just at year end. They show how you are doing against budget while there is still time to act. They are for you and your bank, not for Revenue or the CRO.
Yes, on business customers. Unless your contract says otherwise, payment is due 30 days after the invoice, and statutory interest then runs at the ECB rate plus 8%: 10.4% a year from 1 July 2026. You are also entitled to fixed compensation for recovery costs.
Source: Department of Enterprise: Late payment interest rate, checked 3 October 2026.
Micro enterprises in their first 18 months: limited companies, designated activity companies, sole traders, co-operatives and partnerships. The usual maximum is 50% of the investment or €80,000, whichever is less.
Source: LEO Louth: Priming Grant, checked 3 October 2026.
Check the numbers monthly or quarterly against the budget, and rework the plan itself once a year, or sooner if something big changes, such as losing a large customer or taking on staff.
Next step
Book a call to talk through where the business is and where you want it to go.
Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm · info@mawhately.ie
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