Things go wrong in business all the time. Key to your success in business is the ability to recognise when something has gone (or is about to go) wrong, and then to do something about it.

Thankfully most things that go wrong can be corrected.

But are there things that can go wrong that you can’t correct?

What is it that tips a business over the edge and into administration, or bankruptcy?

Top of the list has to be cashflow. No cash means no business.

Also up there is an inadequate capacity to deliver.

Perhaps the most difficult to deal with is a lack of confidence. It’s intangible. It’s not always something you know about, or can do something about.

Confidence is one thing you can create without spending a lot of money. Being positive can have a huge positive difference on you, your business, and your customers.

Talking over the MP expenses story with some friends, there seem to be two issues:
The rules for reclaiming expenses, and
The administration of the rules.

I believe that the rules are probably about right, possibly a bit generous, but basically right. The governing document makes it very clear what should, and should not, be claimed, and why.

However, I have major issues with the way in the rules were administered. Greed and maladministration have allowed MP’s to claim for items that do not fall within the rules they themselves set. Quite clearly, not only did some MP’s break their own rules, but the laws of the land as well.

This is not a modern problem, in AD130 Juvenal wrote, “Sed quis custodiet ipsos Custodes?” (But who will guard the guards themselves?).

There is no perfect system. But there is a compelling case for better independent scrutiny.

Listening to the radio today, I was struck by the speaker’s complaint about how “the credit crunch” was still causing problems to his business.

It got me thinking. What was really at the heart of his problem?

The Credit Crunch refers to a bank’s unwillingness to lend money. Was he looking for a loan? If so, what for? To invest in greater capacity? To launch a new line of products or services? To help with poor cashflow?

If it was the last reason, I can understand the bank’s reluctance to lend, and crunch his credit.

Banks have not helped themselves in recent months, but their core purpose remains the same: to lend money to businesses. In return they expect a profit on their investment.

If you are having difficulties convincing your bank to lend money to you, maybe it’s because of something you need to do, or say.

If you need help talking to your bank, let me know. I might be able to help.

I seem to have talked to lots of people in the last week about the Balance Sheet. A bit like Finance Directors, they are a generally misunderstood, and dare I say under-rated, source of information.

So what is the Balance Sheet? In a nutshell it tells you three things:

1. How much you owe to others
2. How much other owe you
3. How much cash you have

Now I may be simplistic, but I would say these three facts are the three most important things every business owner needs to know – all the time.

There is a lot of jargon in finance and accounts. I make it my business to explain everything in plain English.

The Balance Sheet is getting a lot of air time because it’s important. If you still don’t know what it’s about. Call me!

One day a florist goes to a barber for a haircut.
After the cut he asked about his bill and the barber replies,’ I cannot accept money from you. I’m doing community service this week.’
The florist was pleased and left the shop.
When the barber goes to open his shop the next morning there is a ‘Thank you’ card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.

Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber again replies, ‘I cannot accept money from you. I’m doing community service this week.’
The cop is happy and leaves the shop.
The next morning when the barber goes to open up there is a ‘Thank you’ card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.

Later that day, a college professor comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber again replies, ‘I cannot accept money from you. I’m doing community service this week.’
The professor is very happy and leaves the shop.
The next morning when the barber opens his shop, there is a ‘Thank you’ card and a dozen different books, such as ‘How to Improve Your Business’ and ‘Becoming More Successful.’

Then, a Member of Parliament comes in for a haircut , and when he goes to pay his bill the barber again replies, ‘I cannot accept money from you. I’m doing community service this week.’
The Member of Parliament is very happy and leaves the shop.
The next morning when the barber goes to open up, there are a dozen Members of Parliament  lined up waiting for a free haircut!!

And that, my friends, illustrates the fundamental difference between the citizens of our country and the Members of Parliament.

At a breakfast meeting this morning, the excellent speaker said that there were three things that were good at travelling globally:
Disease,
Information,
Money.

She was talking about the charity she worked for, but made a compelling case for the involvement of all businesses and individuals to get involved.

The world we live in is no longer restricted to those we live next to. Our next door neighbours now live across the globe.

Our success (individual and corporate) depends on the well being of those we live with. As we hope to be looked after when things don’t work out, it is our responsibility to look after those less fortunate than ourselves.

How do we know who to help?

The message is: find out who you can best help, and get involved…

Having looked at the numerous summaries of the budget, I am left feeling somewhat bemused.

The media has led us to expect a significant budget, responding to extraordinary economic circumstances. Having run the “what this means to you” calculator a couple of times I can’t see any dramatic change to my personal, or business, circumstances.

Perhaps the message is that the chancellor hasn’t got a wand to fix the problem. In fact, perhaps the problem is not tangible enough to fix. I have suspected that a good proportion of our current and future woes are self perpetuated, by the “ever ready to tell a bad story approach” of the media, and by our own insecurities.

If there is a way out of the hole we are in, perhaps the message is that it’s up to each of us to grasp opportunities as they come, and take control of our own destiny.

Cashflow is the heartbeat of every business. Books have been written on the subject – but what lies at the heart of the topic? Talking to a client today, we discussed cashflow in terms of certainty, which seemed to strike a chord, which made me want to share the conversation.

We saw two models of cashflow; the first is usually called the budget, and includes everything you hope will happen. The second (and possibly more important) is the real cashflow, and should only include figures where certainty is close to 10 out of 10.

Certainty of expenditure is pretty easy to plot, wages, rent, telephone bills, they all fall due with depressing regularity.

Certainty of income is far less simple. Not only should the value of the income be certain, so also should its timing. You may know you are expecting a cheque for £5,000, but when exactly will the funds clear your bank account?

When it comes to your cashflow, make sure you are dealing with certainty, not hope.

Great question raised this morning at the Birmingham Social Media Cafe – “Do you value your time?”

It sparked an interesting debate about the perceived value of your time. Do you give it away freely? Do you calculate free-time in terms of lost opportunity? Is your time worth more or less to you than to your clients?

In a service sector, time is what I sell. If I am not charging for it then by default I am giving it away. How much can I afford to give away before I start to devalue it?

As ever, it’s a compromise. I need to give a bit away to “show what I’m selling”. The time that I choose to invest in networking needs to have some ROI.

I was reminded today that time spent with some people is priceless.

Financial Business Support
Many years ago I interviewed a bunch of characters for the post of Nightclub Manager. Failing to make a decision, the panel asked itself the following question, “If the interviewee was a nightclub, would I go to it?”. Suddenly the choice became easy.

It is very easy to forget the impact that the person has on the identity of the business. Every employee, from security on the front desk to the chair of the board, adds a key ingredient to your brand. In times of apparent doom and gloom, what kind of impression do you give the outside world?

A visitor to your business, whether by phone or in person, may well learn more about your company from the first point of contact in the first few minutes than in the whole of the meeting you have carefully planned.