Reading Company Accounts: The 5 Numbers That Tell You Everything

UK companies file accounts publicly, and even the small-company format contains enough to qualify a prospect in seconds.

Start with net assets, the simplest health check. Negative net assets means the company owes more than it owns.

Cash at bank tells you whether they can actually pay you. A profitable-looking company with no cash is a credit risk.

Creditors due within one year versus cash shows short-term pressure. If bills due soon dwarf the cash balance, expect slow payment.

Employee count and turnover (where filed) tell you whether they're the size of customer you want.

Company Explore charts five years of these figures on every company profile, so trends jump out without opening a single PDF.