In an exclusive column, Emma Jones CBE discusses her work tackling late payment practices, offering practical insights to help small businesses get paid what they’re owed.
Working with your favourite football club should be a dream — not a financial nightmare.
Many of us have something to commemorate our favourite football team — whether it’s a season ticket, a lucky scarf or even a signed shirt.
But getting the opportunity to work with them is a whole different ball game.
They might have seen the work of your small business, been impressed and want to work on something special. However, the excitement starts to fade after you have delivered the goods, sent the invoice and heard nothing back. No payment and no communication.
This is what happened to a small printing firm that reached out to my office. After working with a well-known football team and delivering what was promised, they were left in the dark when it came to being paid.
Months went by, and despite chasing for answers, there was no payment and no clear explanation. It was getting to be as stressful as penalties in the final.
Luckily, my team was on hand and got the ball moving again with a clear focus on the route to payment. We spoke to the right people, got the game plan agreed and delivered.
The football team were apologetic and resolved the issue with us quickly. Payment was received, and the printing firm is now working on more exciting commissions.
Late payment was avoidable, but I am glad we were able to help.
- Invoice: Make sure your invoice is clear and has all the information that both you and the company you are invoicing need.
- Contract: Know your terms of payment before you start the work, whether it is in a formal contract or just written out in an email.
- Communication: Know who you should be speaking to for what. Is the person managing the work also the person dealing with the invoices? If you don’t know, ask.
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.
