Headaches, suppliers, cash flow and growth: expert advice

Brendan Walsh, executive vice-president and head of Corporate Payments International at American Express

Let’s start with some reassuring news: the UK's economy grew by 2.6% in 2014, the fastest pace since 2007. Our dominant  is still booming, manufacturing growth is picking up and the sharp fall in oil prices is boosting consumer spending.

The mood is upbeat. We work with hundreds of small and medium-sized companies across the UK and they’ve got their tails up: they’ve learned some important lessons from the recession years, they’ve become more nimble, they’ve improved corporate governance and, in many cases, they’ve amassed some cash. Now they’re looking at opportunistically investing that money, be it in people, equipment or joint ventures overseas.