Having met a few entrepreneurs over the years, it is interesting to hear their views on planning. Some of which are quiet dismissive: What is the point of planning, something different always happens Planning just ties you down – these days you need to be quick to react and adaptable. Accountants plan – I’m an.. read more →
The thing about Entrepreneurs is that they are often the opposite of Accountants. I’ve never come across an Entrepreneur who said “I’ve got this great idea, but I need to optimise the working capital cycle before going ahead”. They just say “I’ve got a great idea” and then just go for it- leaving the accountants.. read more →
There comes a time in the life of many a small businesses when the owner wants out. There can be a variety of reasons; retirement, the call of a new opportunity or simply boredom. This is the point where the owner calls in his accountant and asks that dreaded question “How much is my business.. read more →
I think it is fair to say that, for many businesses, 2011 has not been the best of years. The recession has been long and hard. The recovery stills seems as distant and intangible as it did three years ago. In fact, the experts are saying that likelihood of a ‘double dip’ has increased and.. read more →
There is something has been bothering me for years now and, going by recent experience, it is still an issue. I’ve seen it on far too many occasions and I’ve seen how damaging it is to small-to-medium businesses across the country. It is crazy but it keeps happening over and over again. What I’m talking.. read more →
Like most people reading this, I’m a bit of a fan of Dragon’s Den. So I was pleased to see that last night (October 3rd) the BBC was running one of the spin-off programs – “How to Win in the Den”. This particular episode featured, amongst others, Ling of Ling Car Leasing fame. As I.. read more →
I attended an interesting Corporate Finance Workshop yesterday (the 27th September) run by Roffe Swayne as part of a Surrey Chamber of Commerce monthly series. The Title was ‘The Corporate Finance Transaction – Unplugged’ – a presentation and discussion around the various issues that arise before, during and after a corporate finance transaction, and was.. read more →
Right now I’m in the middle of reading a great book by a friend of mine; Robert Copping: The Heart of Business Success – How to overcome the Catch-22s of growing your business It is available from Amazon right here In the book Robert explains that there are three key Catch-22s that collectively conspire against.. read more →
First of all, congratulations to Sue Acton at Bubble & Balm. Sue has successfully raised her full £75k target through Crowdcube. It is a brilliant achievement. To quote Crowdcube founder, Darren Westlake: “In the current climate with banks being risk averse, we are thrilled that Bubble & Balm has succeeded in getting vital growth investment.”.. read more →
‘Turnover is vanity, profit is sanity, but cash is reality’ I’m guessing that you’ve heard this phrase before – but what does it mean in the real world: Well, I’ve seen too many businesses spending their time chasing low-margin orders, giving larger discounts, extending terms – all in the misguided belief that such activities would.. read more →