give sb the boot	fire sb from their job
a lame duck	a person/company who is weak
feel the pinch	to suffer because of lack of money
in the red	in debt
hit rock bottom	to reach the lowest point
in the black	making profiit
play with fire	to take dangerous risk
step into sb's shoes	to replace sb
a firm hand	control and discipline
pay dividends	to bring advantatges at a later date
a small fortune	a lot of money
mean business	to be serious about what ine says
get sth off the ground	to start business/project
bear fruit	to produce good results
live on a shoestring	to manage with very little money
burn the midnight oil	to work very late at night to achieve sth
be rolling in it	to be rich
keep one's head above water	to surivive despite financial problems
money down the drain	money wasted
tighten one's belt	starting living on smaller budget