Directors View – November 2020

Welcome to the first of our Directors’ View

We’ve decided this shall be written in turn by the three of us. To kick things off, the guys have given me the honour of writing this first issue.

Is now the right time to switch focus from reactive short-term measures to recalibrating your long term business strategy?

While things are still so unpredictable we are naturally seeing a significant number of clients becoming increasingly swamped with reactive short term measures to secure the immediate survival of their businesses.

Whilst taking fundamental more long term strategic decisions are difficult at this stage – not least because the situation is still so volatile. As a team, we are increasingly urging our clients to look beyond the initial ‘securing of their businesses’ and to start addressing their longer-term strategy. What does your business need to ‘look like’ by next Spring and what do we have to do to ensure we get there. What do we assess needs changing if we are to survive and prosper going forward?

If we see this global pandemic in three stages, React, Recover & New Reality.

Our team here at England and Company will continue to issue our regular client update bulletins to allow clients to React to the evolving situation.

Yet once the priority of securing and implementing these measures are in place to ensure immediate operational resilience, we strongly believe clients then need to step back and make time to review their Recover and New Reality strategies.

This can range from establishing a sustainable strategic working capital program to identifying where new demand is emerging and how existing resources and capabilities could be transferred.

We need to also start looking beyond the pandemic. Although details are still not in concrete, Brexit, for example, is very soon on the horizon so what impact and opportunities does this offer?

Using the disruption to your advantage

Dan, Matt and I all have enough experience behind us to see and know, it will be the organisations that use this ‘disruption’ as an opportunity to reflect who will ultimately prosper. We, therefore, encourage you to review, understand and meet the rapid changes in both customer demand and behaviours but also in the changing business environment.

England and Company remain committed to your future.

We will be here as always to support you through these immediate uncertain months, but also as you look with you to the future, be it as an on-demand Financial Director, through to running your payroll!

Whatever your needs, rest assured, we will be here cheering you on!