You’re running a small media company with three dedicated employees. You finished a major project for a huge travel corporation, invoiced them, and now you’re waiting…and waiting for payment.
You’ve sent follow-up emails, you’ve called their accounts department, you’ve filled out their website forms… But, silence.
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Then the reality of the situation hits you; that outstanding invoice is the difference between keeping your team paid this month or telling them you can’t make payroll. Suddenly, it’s not just about cash flow; it’s about your reputation, your team’s mortgages and children, and the survival of your business.
Where do you go when they stop answering?
This is the point where businesses usually find my office. They’ve exhausted every polite and reasonable avenue and feel utterly defeated, with the stress and worry building up daily. The larger company has simply gone silent.
When this small media company finally came to the Office of the Small Business Commissioner, my team immediately reached out to the travel giant about the missing payment. The result? The timely intervention of an official body successfully got the invoice paid — putting a full stop to the payment panic just in time.
It’s astonishing how easily large companies can “overlook” payments, especially when they think you’re no longer an active supplier. That’s not just bad business; it’s unacceptable. If you did the work and submitted the invoice, you deserve to be paid on time. It’s the simplest business principle there is.
Emma Jones CBE – Small Business Commissioner
Emma Jones advocates for SMEs in the UK, ensuring they receive the resources they need to grow. With a degree in Law and Japanese, Emma has spent the last 25 years founding and leading multiple ventures, including Enterprise Nation and StartUp Britain, before being appointed as the Small Business Commissioner for the Department for Business and Trade in June 2025.
This content is contributed by a guest author. Startups.co.uk / MVF does not endorse or take responsibility for any views, advice, analysis or claims made within this post.
The post We couldn’t pay our staff appeared first on Startups.co.uk.
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