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 […]
Tag archives: outsourced financial management
The financial pyramid – where does your company sit?
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 […]
The alternative to hiring finance staff
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 […]
Hire great people – the out of the box way
An acquaintance of mine was thrilled that he’d managed to find a fantastic graphic designer. The employee turned up on the first day, was introduced to the rest of the team… …And on Day Two, submitted her resignation. Another company had made her an offer she couldn’t refuse, and she left with immediate effect. The […]
Preparing for growth – and sabotaging it instead
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 […]
Sweat the small stuff
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 […]
Don’t believe these 3 myths
Last week I mentioned I’ve always had an interest in the Tudors. I’ve learned an enormous amount about them… …And I’ve also discovered that some of the things I believed for many years are absolutely untrue! For example, Walter Raleigh didn’t introduce tobacco to the UK in 1586 – a fun fact I had learned […]
What you can learn about finance from the Tudors
I’ve always been interested in the Tudors – and over the past few months, I’ve been learning a lot more about them. It’s because I spend a lot of time listening to podcasts in the car – I still do most of my reading when I’m driving! And I was looking for a subject that […]
These are your REAL competitors. (Not who you expect)
More than a decade ago, we were working with a consultant on our growth plans. He asked me who our competition was. “Oh, we don’t really have any,” I answered confidently. He told me I was completely wrong… True, at the time – and to an extent, even today – there were very few companies […]
Swiss army knife vs kitchen knife
Recently, one of my readers forwarded me an email they had received from someone called David Perell. I’d never heard of him before, but he turned out to be a pretty insightful guy who writes about the craft of writing. Every Monday, he also sends out an email full of the most interesting ideas he’s come […]
