SME bosses unaware of bank balances A poll by accounting platform Dext shows that thousands of small business owners have no idea how much money they have in the bank, with one in six saying they are too busy to keep up with the cash going in and out. More than a third of those surveyed said they would like to employ the services of an accountant or bookkeeper. The study of 500 UK SME owners found 26% struggle with financial admin, with 38% identifying rising costs as their biggest challenge. The poll also shows that 58% operate from week-to-week rather than planning for long-term sustainability, with 61% saying they wish they had more time to strategise about their business goals. On the climate for their firm, 77% described their business as being ‘reasonably healthy’, with 27% of these saying it is ‘very healthy’. One in three SME owners currently employ an accountant. Of those, 39% say their accountant keeps them in line with local tax filings, 26% rely on their accountants to spot areas their business can save money and a quarter use them for fraud detection and prevention. A Dext spokesperson commented: “Our results clearly show the benefits of having a dedicated accountant or bookkeeper for a business.”