Author archives: charlie

We’re always excited when a company owner tells us it’s time to take on a Finance Director. They’ve realised they need to professionalise their finance department, to pave the way for serious financial growth. We tell them that we’re going to implement the ‘Financial pyramid’: As I explained in my last blog, mature finance departments […]

In my last blog, I explained that… “You can’t build an outstanding finance department or hire outstanding people, if you have no idea what ‘outstanding’ looks like.” Because most business owners have never run their own finance department, they can find these roles difficult to recruit for successfully. It’s not just that it’s hard to […]

A few years ago, we brought on a client who had a wonderful experience with their in-house accountant. After she announced she was retiring, they hired a replacement – who failed within a few months. So they hired someone else – who again, was not a success. Completely desperate, they brought their original accountant out […]

Years ago, I was invited to consult in a business that was constantly running on a shoestring and in danger of running out of money. The business owner thought they were profitable. But looking through their very messy accounts, it took me just 30 minutes to show they were actually running a loss. “It’s like […]

How do you create habits that stick? James Clear, author of the classic Atomic Habits, says that most people make a critical mistake. Whether their aim is to eat more healthy food, exercise regularly or save more towards their pension, they spend too much time focusing on their end goal. They believe that reminding themselves of […]

Recently, we sent our team on a First Aid course. The majority of providers charged around £140 per person. But after a search, we found one reputable company that charged half that. Not only was it cheaper, but they came to us so we didn’t have to pay travel costs, the training was more intense, […]

Buying stationery for the office is one of my pet peeves. Whenever it’s time to make the order, I spend ages questioning the costs and personally checking the prices of alternative suppliers. I know it drives my staff quite mad, but this is a very competitive area – and I’m convinced that there are savings […]

In an experiment at UCLA, researchers put pictures of their subjects through age-progression software, making them appear elderly. They showed half the subjects pictures of their older, more wrinkly, saggy selves. Then they gave everyone in the experiment a chance to put aside some money for their pension. Without exception, those who had seen the […]

While I hope that the Queen will live for many years in good health, she is 96-years-old and that means that a change in monarch will probably come sooner rather than later. Looking at the working members of the Royal Family waving to us all from the balcony a few days ago, nothing in that […]

Reading about the Queen’s hugely impressive achievements over the years, it’s notable how much she means so much to so many people… For her family, she’s a beloved matriarch – mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She plays a similar role for the British people, as “Mother of the nation.” She’s also head of the Commonwealth… …But […]