Christmas in July (and yes I know it’s August)

I know it’s August already, but today I want to talk about Christmas – in July!

(How confusing is that?) Back in December, my family was very upset that we weren’t going to have a “normal” Christmas. It had been months since we were in the same room. So we decided that as soon as it was legal, we were going to celebrate Christmas together – even if it was spring or summer.

Last month, we finally made it happen. On Saturday, my wife Thelma’s family duly congregated in our back yard for an all-you-can-eat buffet. There were grandparents, uncles and aunts, my kids and their partners, nieces and nephews running around, and even two dogs causing chaos – it really was a perfect family occasion.

On Sunday, we repeated the whole thing, except this time it was for my side of the family, and we had a full Sunday roast.

21.08.04.-Christmas-in-July-and-yes-I-know-its-August.jpg#asset:12196

Of course, over the pandemic we’d all kept in touch over the phone and video. We were really glad to have that capability and it kept us going.

But being in the same room (ok, gazebo) again was a different experience. You just can’t beat the kinds of conversations you have when you’re sitting around relaxed, face-to-face, over several hours. The banter is completely different.

I’ve been interested to watch most companies come to the same conclusion.

At the beginning of the pandemic, everyone switched over to remote working by necessity. And many companies concluded this was the way of the future, and eventually embraced it enthusiastically.

We’re now entering what I’m calling the “second wave” of decision-making around working models – and business models in general.

Now that things have calmed down somewhat, companies are taking a second look at their working arrangements and considering whether they want to embed the changes they’ve become used to, after all.

Do they really want all their staff working from home? If not, do they need to find new office space? If they operate a hybrid model, how will that work and what equipment and arrangements will that necessitate? It’s not always straightforward. I’ve already been in several “hybrid” meetings – with some people in the room, some people on screen – which felt like two different meetings were going on. We still have work to do to get this right.

I suspect that soon, businesses will similarly be looking again at their team structures – especially as many people who held off changing jobs in 2020 will soon be making their move, creating a lot of gaps and opportunities to rethink.

Same thing with business models. If you pivoted during Coronavirus, do you really want to stick with your new service lines and new ways of doing things – or is further change in order?

The bottom line is that this will take planning – and investment.

Making your business work smoothly and efficiently always does.

In fact, those two things (planning and investment) go hand-in-hand. You need to make sure you’ve thought through where your business is going carefully, in order to make sure that you’re investing in the right places – the places that will help you grow.

There’s a phrase for that kind of process: It’s called “financial management.”

And that’s exactly where we can help.

We help companies turning over £1 million – £2 million upwards maximise their profitability, by making the smartest possible decisions about their finances.

To find out how we can help you, too, hit ‘reply to this email or call us on 01279 647 447, and let’s set up a time to chat about your business, your plans for the future – and how you’re going to finance them.

Garry

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