My Goal is Simple.
It Is To Give You The Tips, Tools and Resources To Control Your Business Finances So You Can Feel Confident About Your Personal Finances
Why I Get You?
If you are anything like me you will know what it is like to have days when running your business can seem like an uphill struggle and it feels as nothing can get done unless you do it yourself.
I have had a bit of a roller coaster life; and the two areas that have reflected this most are my finances, my physical fitness and body image.
I have yo-yo ed between lots of money, to having 4 jobs to make ends meet and then back again. Both with two young children to support.
I have in my time been so fit I made Madonna look lazy, to being 42 pounds overweight and still eating up a storm, as well many sizes in between.
The techniques I used to discipline myself to sort out my money plus my body had so many parallels that the Financial Gym was born.
I remember when I was running my first business how much I would have loved someone to take on the day to day accounting and bookkeeping, even though I was qualified and experienced in that area. With all the other responsibilities and tasks that I had to deal with, I began to resent the time it took to keep the accounts up to date. Getting other members of staff was also not cost effective because they did not have sufficient knowledge and they were not earning money for the business if they were doing accounts admin.
Plus I had no time to keep up with legislation, red tape, trends and technology. Plus I was desperate for someone to be a sounding board, that knew as much as, in fact preferably more than me, that I could rely on.
Frustratingly too many of the bookkeepers I used seemed to be more interested in entering transactions than providing me with financial reports I could use. Few had actually run a business so did not relate to what I was dealing with. On the other hand, accountants were not interested in entering transactions but in producing financial reports that they and the tax office required. The providers I wanted to work with were comparatively expensive so I thought they were not for me. I have since learned that it is not about money, but the end result. Maybe with the right support things would have not have been gotten so bad.
I needed someone in the middle to fill the gap and I decided that my ultimate aim was to offer an affordable financial support service to small business owners that I had needed so much at that time and struggled to find.
Who Am I?
As a born and bred Londoner, it is a city I love dearly and have only ever been tempted to abandon it for Madrid or Barcelona. If I stray too far away from Neon lights I come out in a cold sweat. I am also extremely proud of my Jamaican/Guyanese heritage and regret that my children’s generation have grown up with only a diluted version of their grandparent’s culture.
I have always been attracted to energetic pursuits. However more recently, apart from trying to keep fit; energetic now means how far is the car park from the theatre?
I have a teenage son and a teenage daughter who have decided they are Will Smith and Raven Simone from That’s So Raven, respectively. How is it that the older they get the more they seem to need you?
My husband ignored my protestations that I was a confirmed bachelorette; and got me up the aisle as a somewhat mature bride. I figured I was way beyond the white dress stage in my life so opted for the scarlet woman look instead.
When I am not reading lots of business and financial books I love to watch comedy to wind down. Family Guy and American Dad appeal to my sense of naughtiness. Frasier is my laugh out loud medicine (Don’t you think Niles is one of the greatest characters ever written?)
The message in the movie “Pay it Forward” touched me so much the phrase has become the standard by which I judge myself.
I am a pretty awesome cook and love entertaining. But eating out is my drug of choice and only a need to keep an eye on my waistline and sense of guilt stop me doing it many times a week.
And every so often I like to pretend I am still a slip of girl and go shake a leg to some old school R&B and Reggae. Amy Winehouse, Joss Stone and Dennis Emmanuel Brown are my sing along while driving buddies. And I wish I had written Truly, Madly, Deeply by Savage Garden and Run by Snow Patrol.
Financial Problems
I spent many years in the corporate world in the city. Some of my clients included the Bank of England, NatWest Bank, Barclays, Merrill Lynch, NM Rothschild, Readers Digest & the RAF. At a young age I was earning lots of money and playing the “how many credit cards can I fit in my purse?” game. I bought a house and life was peachy.
Then after becoming thoroughly tired of the unrelenting roller coaster of the city I took up an offer to go into business with a friend. If there are dos and don’ts associated with working with friends I managed to experience all of them. But it was an amazing way to learn about business without the protection of a big company behind me.
For a number of reasons I decided to get out and close that business which jeopardised my historically solid financial foundations big time. I have never been bankrupt or lost everything, but I know what it feels like to worry about money constantly. The lack of sleep, not taking the best care of my health and wanting to stay in bed with the sheets over my head.
If I had just put a few simple procedures, processes and was more consistent in how I dealt with the accounts and money things would have been different. I would still have closed the business as I was not happy in that field but it could have been done a lot less painfully.
To this day I have a special affinity for business owners that are starting again. It could even be in an ongoing business but changes are taking place.
Coming Out The Other Side
Feeling worn out but undaunted I was recommended to a larger company to help them sort out their mess after their financial director left suddenly. I subsequently became one of the directors. However I never lost sight of my dream to start my own bookkeeping support business and started running Precision Services Bookkeeping on the side while I built up clients and qualified for my Practice Licence.
This time I stuck to my techniques and was delighted to realise I could not only earn a living doing what I loved but it could also be my way to change the world of bookkeeping, accounting and financial advice.
I also resolved to start doing what I preach to others and that is stop trying to do more than I should by myself. Helped enormously by a couple of business groups made up of like minded people who have themselves become successful. This has not only enhanced my business, but provides a great source of talent that I can recommend to my clients.
What I did not foresee, was all the amazing opportunities that would open up for me personally. Including writing a book that became a number 1 bestseller on Amazon. It may only have been for 48 hours but I am not proud. As my husband said, “Number one is number one!” Get it here
When I see a client of mine go from a one man band from home to having 2 offices and ten staff because they were kept up to date with their income and expenses while making long-term decisions, I know I am where I am meant to be.
Or the building company that were unaware they were making losses as frequently as they were until we did their cash flow projection and deduced they were insolvent and needed to take drastic action before HMRC closed them down. They restructured their debts and the business and now work successfully with a business coach because they have regular data to work with.
The agency that started off with a sole director only wanting Sage Accounts training, deciding they were better off concentrating on business building and customer service. They have gone from being a £50,000 per year loss making business to a £800,000 profitable one that is on target to break the million pound barrier within the next twelve months. They did not do it entering transactions on Sage
Whether you are trying to avoid the pitfalls of struggling with business finances or you want to know if you are doing the right things please do have a copy of my tips booklet with my compliments.
If you know anyone else in business that would benefit from a copy please do share this page with them.
I am always interested in the issues facing my fellow business owners. If you have any queries, comments or feedback you would like to share or you would like to contact me, I would be delighted to hear from you.
The best of luck in all you do.
Kind Wishes
Georgette
Don't forget to get my Build a Buffer of Personal Money Checklist, I don't want you dealing with financial pressures all by yourself; the hard way; like I had to. Do yourself a favour! Gimme my checklist.
