The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 46: Dec/Jan 2019 | Page 18

BUSINESS REVIEW OF THE YEAR Finance Highlights from 2019 It’s been a year of growth for us at Haines Watts Swindon, both in terms of business and team size. One highlight for us was to be named nationally as the Accountancy Firm of the Year in the national FDs’ Excellence Awards. We became a strategic partner with Wiltshire business organisation Inspire which has been fantastic. We also expanded our charitable and not-for- profit work and we’re proud to share that one of our clients locally is Wiltshire Air Ambulance. Mike Lloyd, Managing Partner, Haines Watts Swindon What’s going to impact business in 2020? It seems at this moment, continued uncertainty around our government and Brexit. Our advice is to keep doing business and do so based upon the advice of your finance partners – accountants, financial advisors or legal representatives. For those businesses which see Europe as a trading partner, through import or export, plan for change. Also be aware of the possible impact on your supply chain and ask for help to be ready to move with agility if something changes unexpectedly. What are you looking forward to in 2020? We have further plans for growth in terms of team size and are looking to recruit two new accountants as a minimum. We intend to collaborate further with our colleagues in Haines Watts offices across the South West and we are planning to undertake some fun challenges in the office in January to mark RED January, an initiative to support mental health through exercise! For more info: www.haineswatts-swindon.co.uk [email protected] 01793 533838 Finance Nicki Kinton, Founder of Confident Cashflow Highlights from 2019 For me highlights have been expanding my client base across a broad spectrum of business types and getting to work with some inspiring people. Getting quoted in the national press came up high on my list too and finally, on a more personal note, we got a puppy! A huge learning curve yet a fantastic member of our family to aid with wellbeing and exercise. What do you think will impact your sector in 2020? With the recent departure of Paul Uppal from the role of the Small Business Commissioner and an upcoming General Election it will be interesting to see how a new Government would progress the cause of the small business. Will Brexit will have an impact on their priorities? Many small businesses in the UK service the domestic market only and there is a danger that post Brexit a significant focus will be on supporting those businesses that export their goods or services – and there will be even less of a spotlight on those vital day-to-day UK based enterprises. sessions for their users and members to talk through any cashflow and late payment issues they may be having. I hope to expand this to other growth hubs in the region. I will also be working with bigger companies to educate them around positive credit control to avoid as far as possible unpaid invoices and late payment. Taking positive action and having robust terms and conditions can mitigate these risks. What are you looking forward to in 2020? Excitingly from 1st January I start working with Cirencester Growth Hub to offer 1-2-1 For more info: www.confidentcashflow.com [email protected] 01793 533838 Recruitment Highlights from 2019 This year we celebrated ten years in business which was a real achievement and one we celebrated as a team. We’ve also introduced flexible and home working and are now seeing the benefits to the business and the team in terms of productivity and work life balance. We’ve introduced video conferencing and a total Cloud based operation which has made us more secure and flexible to cover all geographic locations. This has allowed us to establish ourselves in the European recruitment market for some of our existing clients with equal success to the ‘in country’ agencies. We have also maintained and grown our client base despite challenging market conditions. For more info: www.franklyrecruitment.co.uk 18 www.tbeswindonandwilts.co.uk Amanda Franks, Director of Frankly Recruitment What’s coming up for your business in 2020? With the move away from premises and costly overheads we anticipate a more consistent and profitable bottom line with the rewards being felt by every member of the team. We are also offering more fun incentives! Personal development and upskilling of the existing team particularly around digital marketing and technology will be a 2020 goal. We will see the start of a recruitment apprenticeship for our accounts and payroll manager to ensure we are always raising the bar and leading the way with modern methods. We will push for continued growth in the European market. What do you think will be important for business generally in 2020? After a turbulent year of uncertainty and the loss of many jobs it is going to be important to look for growth areas within every industry and business. We need to lead the way when it comes to talent, recruitment and retention. Most companies are working with little or no spare capacity in terms of staffing so being able to identify solutions and succession plans again will promote a positive outlook and start the process of repair and improvement of the UK economy. [email protected] 01793 514441