You've got £250K in the bank. You're profitable. Everything looks fine.

Then your VAT bill hits and you're scrambling. Or a major client payment is 60 days late and suddenly you can't make payroll.

Marc Obrart has seen this exact scenario play out dozens of times. As co-founder of Fin House, he provides finance teams and CFOs to 50+ scale-ups. And the pattern he sees most often? Founders managing by their bank account instead of understanding the two stories every business tells.

Here's what makes this different:

Marc's not talking about hiring expensive CFOs or implementing complex ERP systems. He's talking about getting the basics right - and most founders don't have them in place.

His approach is simple: finance should be embedded in your business, not isolated in a dark corner. When finance is done right, you have access to forward-looking data that lets you make confident decisions about hiring, marketing spend, and growth.

You'll learn:

Why your bank balance is a terrible way to manage your business. It tells you where you are now, not where you're going. Founders look at £250K and think they're fine—then their VAT bill goes out in three days and they've forgotten to connect the dots.

The rolling 13-week cash flow framework and why this specific timeframe matters. In 13 weeks (roughly 3 months), you should know everything: new hires coming in, monthly payroll, payment terms from customers (30-90 days), supplier obligations. This is your Bible. If you don't have this, you're flying blind.

Why VAT catches founders out more than margins, profitability, or any other metric. It's a red herring—you're collecting it, sitting on it, and then suddenly you owe £150K and don't have the cash because you thought it was available. Ring-fence it. Track available cash separately.

The two stories your business tells: your profit story (management accounts) and your cash story (cash flow). These are completely different. You can be profitable and run out of cash. You can have cash and be unprofitable. Get your profit wrong, you have time to fix it. Get cash wrong, you're out of business in 30 days.

Why you probably don't need an ERP system or NetSuite. Most businesses can run on Xero with proper bookkeeping, controls, and forward-looking insights. Don't overcomplicate it.

How to know if your finance setup is useful. If you're skipping pages in your management pack, they shouldn't be there. If you don't understand something, it's not simple enough—and that's the finance team's fault, not yours.

Marc also shares his background as an FA-qualified football coach and how explaining tactics to 9-year-olds taught him to simplify finance for founders. The crossover is remarkable: clear, concise messaging that people can actually understand and act on.

The reality check:

This isn't about fancy systems or complicated models. It's about nailing the basics: up-to-date bookkeeping, a rolling 13-week cash flow, and understanding your 3-5 key KPIs (not 25). If you don't have these in place, you're managing by gut feel—and that's how businesses end up in trouble.

If you've been managing by your bank balance or avoiding your finance function because it feels too complicated, this episode shows you exactly what to fix.

One action: Listen to the end for Marc's single recommendation every founder should implement immediately.

Questions? Email hello@peereffect.com or find us on LinkedIn.

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PR feels like an unquantifiable luxury when you're trying to hit profitability. But Harrison Duhr has helped hundreds of startups use media to drive actual business outcomes - fundraising, hiring top talent, and landing ideal customers.

As Head of North American Brand at London and Partners, Harrison's secured coverage in CNBC, Bloomberg, Fortune, and TechCrunch for startups scaling between the UK and US. But his approach completely flips the traditional PR playbook.

Here's what makes this different:

Harrison's not talking about press releases or chasing tier-one publications on day one. He's showing you how the PR landscape has fundamentally shifted - and why the independent media trend is where smart founders are focusing their energy now.

You'll learn:

Why Wall Street Journal coverage isn't the right first move (and what actually builds momentum)

The independent media opportunity that's wide open right now - and why journalist-turned-founders are your ideal partners

How to build PR relationships that tangibly support fundraising rounds, customer acquisition, and hiring

The one tactic that puts you in rooms with investors and ideal customers without any cold outreach

Why testing your narrative internally comes before pitching externally

The cultural nuance between pitching in New York vs. London that trips up most founders

The reality check: This isn't quick-win PR. Harrison built a Bloomberg partnership over 8 months. But those relationships compound - they drive business outcomes, not just vanity metrics.

If you've been treating PR as "nice to have," this episode shows you exactly how to make it drive revenue.

One action: Listen to the end for Harrison's single recommendation every founder should act on immediately.

Questions? Email hello@peereffect.com or find us on LinkedIn.

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After 9 conversations with entrepreneurs and business leaders, three patterns emerged about scaling successfully.

In this Season 5 recap, I share the key lessons from conversations with founders like Mark Shepherd (Gathr), George Sullivan (Sole Supplier), and Gaurav Bhattacharya (Jeeva AI), plus insights from Darcy Martin (Outward VC) and Steve Duncan (C Studios).

The 3 patterns:

Pattern 1: Vulnerability is the unlock, not the weakness Mark launched a 10,000-member community with a LinkedIn post about mental health. Asim went from contemplating suicide to building mental health platform Plumm. Kate lost passion until she invested in personal development. The insight? Successful founders admit "I'm struggling" instead of projecting false certainty.

Pattern 2: Strategic resource allocation beats grinding George turned down VC investment knowing it would break him. Gaurav walked away from $2.5M ARR to pivot (now 300 customers in 9 months). Steve's Monday WIN list connects weekly tasks to annual goals. The insight? Real resilience is saying no strategically.

Pattern 3: Peer learning accelerates growth Mark built his business around genuine peer connections. Darcy helped one founder get their first US enterprise client through a single introduction. The insight? No one scaled alone - everyone mentioned coaches, mentors, or peer groups.

Here's the thing: These patterns work together. You can't access peer learning without vulnerability. You can't allocate resources without outside perspective. You can't be vulnerable without psychological safety.

Your challenge: Pick one pattern and do one thing this week - have one honest conversation, create your Monday WIN list, or make three specific asks to your network.

Season 6 launches in 2026. Subscribe so you don't miss it.

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