BUSINESS REVIEW OF THE YEAR
FRACTIONAL FINANCE
Kat Wellum-Kent is new to running her own business Fractional Finance . Her four-strong team work remotely from across the South West .
“ This year was a whirlwind ! This was our first year and it has flown by . We ’ ve gone from no clients and me working in the business , to a team of five , supporting ten clients . When we set our goals for the year , we had nothing to base these on . Everything has been new so it ’ s been a case of figuring out what is possible .
“ I ’ d say some goals we set were overly ambitious and some have been achieved relatively easily .
“ The challenge has been wearing all the hats ! It ’ s something that we talk about with our clients , but this is the first time I have experienced it . As a solo founder , the buck stops with me . Whilst I ’ ve got a team around me to support me , I ’ m the one making all the decisions and that is a big mental load . This is combined with the huge variety of tasks I need to complete on any day .
“ Our biggest win has been the calibre of the clients we ’ re
For more info : www . fractionalfinance . co . uk
working with . The feeling when a client accepts our proposal is the best . It means that they have bought in to our offering and trust that we ’ re going to be able to help them achieve their ambitions .
“ For me in 2024 I ’ m looking forward to expanding the team so I can pass on some of those hats that I ’ m wearing . This will allow me to get in some more travel next year , including a business retreat in Bali .”
If you were a politician for the day , what would you change to aid business growth ? “ Growing small businesses are significantly impacted by working capital challenges , which mainly stem from larger businesses dictating unfair payment terms or just paying outside of these terms . I would implement the recommendations of the Late Payments Task Force to legislate standard payment terms of 30 days and shine the light on companies which aren ’ t treating their suppliers fairly .”
THE CANTILLON GROUP
The Cantillon Group is a construction company run by electrician Matt Cantillon who lives in Swindon . The business is based out of Oaklands Trading Centre in Baydon . He started out on his own and now has a team of 40 directly employed staff and sub-contractors when needed . Matt is confident about the prospects of business in 2024 .
“ We ’ ve had a really busy year with some nice projects for some really good customers and we ’ re lucky that we ’ ve achieved and exceeded our expectations . Our challenges have revolved around recruitment to cope with workload and the huge increases in material costs .
“ However , in spite of that , we ’ ve won some big projects from existing customers . For me , it shows we are doing a good job and maintaining our customers ’ high expectations . “ For next year I ’ m feeling a mixture of excitement and worry . Excited about the renewable energy changes that will be coming in , such as moving away from gas and investing in
For more info : www . cantillongroup . co . uk
heat pumps , photovoltaic systems and electric car charging . We are about to start training to get accreditations for these types of work so we can offer a combined solution for businesses and house owners .
If you were a politician for the day , what would you change to aid business growth ? “ I think there needs to be more investment opportunities without the extortionate fees to help businesses grow . I would also make stricter rules about making sure the bigger companies pay invoices on time especially in the construction sector . There are a lot of issues with cashflow where the big players do not pay on time and this then filters down the chain and really impacts smaller businesses .”
THE GOLD TRADERS GROUP
Businessman Jon White of Royal Wootton Bassett has had an astonishing year of rapid growth and expansion . His company , The Gold Traders Group , currently employs 27 staff split between various arms of the business : Gold Traders , Britannia Coin Company , Old Bank Antiques and RWB Auctions . By early 2024 , there will also be The View Gallery and Quercus Bistro within the new RWB Auctions ’ premises . This means the team is likely to rise to 35 .
“ 2023 has been an exciting year . The construction of our auction house , gallery and bistro has been ongoing and is finally nearing completion . The Britannia Coin Company also outgrew the space it had in Old Bank Antiques and has now relocated to the former Lloyds Bank building on the opposite side of the High Street .
“ RWB Auctions will open its doors to the public this month and will be officially opened in January . This is a key milestone for us , which we hope will benefit Royal Wootton Bassett High Street as a whole .
“ Any construction project with this scale of ambition and dedication to sustainable design undoubtedly comes with a few challenges . However , all these have been overcome with the result being a state of the art auction house , with an exceptional gallery for contemporary art ( boasting incredible views of the region from the terrace ) and a new bistro .
“ Over the course of the year , we ’ ve built up an amazing
For more info : www . rwbauctions . com
team that ’ s brimming in talent . They ’ re key to driving the business forward and are all excited to take on this challenging journey . It ’ s also great to see the Gold Traders group recognised in the Fast Growth 50 index for South England .
“ We will be running bi-monthly auctions from January . We ’ re gearing ourselves to be known for specialist sales , with a focus on high quality consignments . Our market disrupting rates of just 10 % buyers and sellers ’ premiums will ensure we offer an exceptional service for both buyers and sellers . The Gold Traders group will also be opening its first satellite office in Bodmin , servicing customers in Cornwall and the South West .”
If you were a politician for the day , what would you change to aid business growth ? “ Central Government needs to address the inconvenient truth that the business rates model is no longer fit for purpose . Due to the continuing shift to online sales , big retailers continue to desert our high streets because it ’ s no longer financially viable for them to operate . Change needs to happen to balance the needs of high street retailers against those who trade exclusively online . It ’ s terrible to see how Swindon town centre has gradually declined and the loss of Marks & Spencer is yet another hammer blow .”
THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2023 13