So Last week’s Budget happened, and my DMs are absolutely buzzing with founders asking: "What does this actually mean for ME?"
You know that feeling when politicians say "helping working people" but you're sitting there like... am I working people? Are we working people? What even ARE we? 😅
Well, grab your coffee (or wine, no judgment) Let me break down what actually matters for your business and your bank account.
Spoiler: it's not good news. But there's a plot twist at the end that'll remind you why we're doing this anyway.→
Today’s Issue:
🎭 The Sneaky Stuff
💼 The Hiring Panic
💰 The ISA Nudge
🚢 The Real Tea From This Budget
🔥 Largest ever pre-seed raise by solo female founder
The Sneaky Stuff They're Not Talking About
Two things buried in the fine print:
Frozen tax thresholds. This is how the government raises taxes without admitting they're raising taxes.
Your earnings go up because of inflation.
You slide into a higher tax bracket.
But you're not actually richer, you just owe them more.
For founders with unpredictable income? This one stings. Less cash to reinvest. Less room to breathe.
The pension hit. From 2029, that NI relief on salary sacrifice above £2K? Gone.
If you're a woman who took career breaks or bootstrapped through your 30s and you're finally trying to build a safety net—this just got harder.
💼 The Hiring Panic (Hold On)
Minimum wage is going up to £12.71.
But here's what they're not screaming about: the Employment Allowance is rising to £10,500.
Translation: if you've got fewer than 4 employees on average salaries, this might not wreck you like you think it will.
Don't freeze hiring out of fear. Run your actual numbers first.
💰The ISA Nudge You Probably Missed
The new ISA rules are basically the government saying: "Stop sitting on cash. Invest it. Figure it out."
They're pushing you from savings accounts into stocks—without giving you a manual.
This is your sign to take personal wealth-building seriously. Because clearly, they're not going to do it for you.
The Real Budget Tea:
You cannot rely on the state to build your financial future.
While they shuffle tax brackets and tweak thresholds, we're over here building our own ships.
And Speaking of Building Ships..
Right in the middle of all this budget doom-scrolling, Dr. Seema from Fit Collective just closed a £3M pre-seed round.
The largest ever pre-seed by a solo female founder in the UK.
Her playbook?
She solved a boring, expensive problem (fashion returns) with AI. She focused on B2B metrics that prove ROI. She built the tech before she asked for the cash.
This is the ultimate rebuttal to "the economy's broken." The capital is there. For founders who build businesses investors can't ignore.
Free Money Alerts:
Innovate UK Smart Grants just opened. This is real money for R&D projects that could actually change things. Apply here.
Cartier Women's Initiative closes December 2nd. Up to $100K for women-run impact businesses. Apply here.
Your Fundraising Doesn't Have to Feel Like Screaming Into the Void
What to do Next:
Run Your Payroll: Use the new £10.5K allowance to see how the NI changes really affect you.
Review Your ISA: Are you holding too much cash? Time for a strategy session.
Study Fit Collective: Read the story. This is the new blueprint for raising in a tough market
That's it for this week. If this Budget breakdown helped, forward it to another founder who needs the translation. We're all in this together 💪
See you next week,
