MORE often than not, as a business owner you reflect on the year past. However, such is the entrepreneurial spirit of the business and culture you try to create, you quickly start to look ahead; what are the next opportunities, how can you attract and retain more good people and when do you start to really ‘let go’ and empower your team?
That said, looking back allows you time to review your decisions, evaluate the successes (or perhaps failures), maybe shudder or even laugh at some of your own ideas. Then you realise you’re pleased you built a team that challenges those decisions, that the business is strong, technical and agile enough to adapt to all the challenges a day throws up, let alone a full year!
As business advisors we’re in one of the most fortunate professions. We can see, support and share how our clients’ years also shape up and help them conclude their own year’s plans to ensure they reach their destination with speed and certainty. Our offices in Northampton, Kettering and Flitwick sit in the heart of ‘owner managed business country’ a region full of mature family businesses, with a demand for exactly the client partnerships we want to grow and develop. Our recent analysis suggests a significant rise in this market’s share and it’s down to the great people we all work alongside and the continued support of local intermediaries and other professional service firms we interact with on a day-to-day basis.
As a growing business, we’re well placed to scale up to deliver growth, so we can support both the expansion of existing clients and bring through new targeted clients, at the right points across the year. As we do so, we place great emphasis on seeking out and recruiting the right people. We’ve had 26 new starters join the business this year so far, as a result of many new roles being created across our service line offering. However, the market’s been particularly tough on recruitment this year and we’ve not filled all the roles we’ve created. That said, the team’s always stepped up and supported these situations as and when needed – recognition for this is extended to everyone in the business and it’s a sign of the strong, people-focused culture, we now have in place.
We continue to share our vision and our challenges and we collaborate on future plans to increase our strength and capability, month on month, year on year. We’ve even started to share our profits with all team members – if we all create profits, why not share them?
The year’s also seen our people grow in confidence, our engagement scores rise to in excess of 8.5 per cent, and our local Haines Watts brand develop and grow. New clients have joined and some long-standing ones successfully ‘exited’ and are now enjoying the fruits of their labour. We’ve also had our own fair share of challenges to overcome along the way – what forward-looking, entrepreneurial business doesn’t? The important thing is, we have fun when we do and ensure we thrive to improve our clients experience, year on year. Have we got everything right? Of course not. However, we remain focused as a business and put our people and clients first. This is why we can move into the new year comfortable and confident in the knowledge, it’ll be an even better one for all of us, colleagues and clients alike – here’s to 2018!
Haines Watts can be contacted on 01604 746760 or 01536 483513 or visit the website www.hwca.com