I know it’s traditional to look ahead around New Year’s… But over the last few hours, I’ve been looking backwards. To be precise, I’ve been looking over all my emails from the past year. We’ve covered so much – from building up your business’s financial resilience to the financial lessons of the late Queen’s jubilee. And along […]
Tag archives: outsourced financial management
Your business wish list for Santa
I miss the days when my kids were young, and wrote a wish list for Santa. Their lists could include anything from Thomas the Tank Engine to weird items like a barometer (well, I guess my son did grow up to be a scientist), pets, dolls, “jewerly” (sic), hula hoops and one memorable year, a […]
Success in an economic downturn
A few weeks ago, I went to a conference by the Heritage Railway Association. The economy was naturally a big topic of conversation…. But possibly not in the way you might expect. Initially it was very much doom and gloom. But my position was that the British population can still, broadly, be put into two […]
This man is the secret to my success…
For nearly a decade, I’ve been working with a business coach. He’s my sounding board. I find it invaluable to discuss challenges in my business with someone who is not emotionally involved. Quiet and serene – unlike me! – I trust him to challenge my thinking and give me unique perspectives, most recently around how […]
Fear
Recently, I’ve been talking to a lot of business owners about how to prepare for our winter of discontent. And while some are doing all the right things – trying to understand the biggest risks they face, planning how to deal with the worst case scenarios and building a war chest… …More people are reacting […]
My counter-intuitive advice for surviving a financial crisis
In the late 1800s, when a storm was approaching, sailors took a special precaution. They spread tarpaulin over openings and then placed wooden strips – called battens – on top of the coverings, to stop them blowing off. This measure was known as “battening down the hatches.” And colloquially, it’s come to mean turning away […]
War Chest
Did you know that a war chest used to be a real, physical object? Soldiers and military leaders kept it in their homes or barracks, to store arms and armour. And when they launched their military campaigns they took it with them, to store spoils which they could spend along the way. The purpose wasn’t […]
This economic crisis might hit harder than 2020. Here’s why
**Remembering Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and extending our condolences to the Royal Family – and indeed to the Commonwealth of nations — on her passing.** Nearly three years ago, COVID started spreading, shutting down the world economy. Governments sprung into action, spending billions to prop up failing businesses and to ensure their suddenly unemployed […]
How I built a thriving business
Our office is full of canapes and drinks and there’s an excited buzz… …Because later this week, we’re celebrating Insight Associate’s 30th anniversary with our clients, contacts and business partners. Back when we started, I could never have imagined we’d reach this milestone – or what our company looks like today. I had a very clear […]
This one word nearly cost me a client
I was recently talking to a business owner who wanted to upgrade the way his company managed its finances. In common with so many people right now, he was finding it hard to hire in-house. He just couldn’t find the people. But even though he was really keen on our Outsourced Finance Department, something was […]
