A bird was flying south for the winter.
It was so cold the poor bird froze and fell to the ground in a field.
While lying there, a cow came along and dropped some dung on him.
As the frozen bird lay there, in the dung, he began to warm up.
Would you believe it, the dung was thawing him out.
He lay there feeling warmer and happier and began to sing for joy.
A cat heard the bird sing and came to investigate.
The cat discovered the bird in the cow dung, dug him out and ate him
Morals of the story:
* Not everyone who does the dirt on you is your enemy;
* Not everyone who gets you out of the mucky stuff is your friend; and
* When you’re in deep, it might be best to keep your mouth shut!
As winter approaches (did we have a summer?) you might wonder how the above tale could have some lessons for us in our business lives. While ‘doing the dirt’ is clearly a euphemism that ensures this article can be published, sometimes the lessons we learn in the school of hard knocks can be good for us – provided they aren’t fatal in the first place. How many times do we have to be let down by people before we accept the age old adage ‘buyers are liars’?
As insolvency practitioners we often come across people who appear to be offering a hand of friendship when all they are doing is telling you what they think you want to hear in order for them to then empty your resources into their own pockets. We have written previously of an apparent ‘white knight’ who, far from enabling the company directors to go off on their cruise and enjoy the prospect of a long and happy retirement, ensured that when they did return they found they were still the directors registered at Companies House, their company had bought materials that had been shipped elsewhere in their absence, their hopes for a happy and well-funded retirement were all dashed.
If you are in deep and have a financial problem you’d like to discuss, then BRI, who can trace their insolvency roots back to 1982 in St. James, Northampton, have built their enviable reputation on always doing what is best for the person they are talking to even where that means the prospect of no fees for themselves.
Whilst you may not wish to sing or shout about your problems from the roof tops feel free to come and whisper them in our ear.
BRI Business Recovery and Insolvency is based at 100 St. James Road, Northampton and can be contacted on 01604 754352.