A big thank you to all who participated in the 17 September Business Owners’ Forum held in Auckland.  Business Owners’ Forums have of course been running in Whangarei since the depths of the winter, which seems a long time ago now – but this was the first to be held in Auckland.  Thursday’s meetup was at the ICEHOUSE premises in the Textile Centre, Parnell – and the topic was “Managing Cashflow”. 

Many in the room on Thursday were of the view that the worst is behind New Zealand businesses from a cashflow crisis point of view – and that those still standing today are likely to survive and prosper rather than become victims of the opposite scenario.  But we are of the view that prudent cashflow management is as relevant in good times as in bad, so the topic is as relevant today as it was six months ago.

The skills which the business owners in the room have honed over the course of their business carear – and particularly over the past 18 months – were very useful to share and hear.  These will enable stronger cash management going forward – and I’m sure everyone in attendance got something useful from the session.

On the panel at The ICEHOUSE Business Owners Forum event was Michael Masterson from The Bottom Line Expense Reduction, David Caddie, a Commercial Business Banking Partner from the Auckland CBD BNZ – and myself representing an Accountant’s view of cashflow management.

As panelists, we were pretty much let off the hook by a knowledgeable, varied and interactive group of about 40 participants.  Our role became facilitators of quality discussion from the floor rather than presenters – which is exactly what Business Owners’ Forum meetups are all about.

So where to from here with Business Owners’ Forums over the rest of 2009?

14 October – @elevateCA space.  The topic for the next BOF – in Whangarei – will be Employment Relations.  On the panel will be Rebecca Brennan discussing performance measurement and management, a solicitor from Webb Ross discussing some topical legal issues around employment management – and Michael Masterson sharing some insights from his time managing a large multinational team.  More >>

19 November – The ICEHOUSE. The topic for the next Auckland meetup will be around shareholders current accounts.  This will be a repeat of the successful session on the same subject which was held in Whangarei back in August. More >>.

17 December – @elevateCA space. The final BOF for 2009 will be in the ElevateCA space.  The topic has yet to be decided, and will be by popular demand and feedback.  If you have any ideas or preferences for this or future subject matter, contact us.  More details will be posted on this session during November.

The Business Owners’ Forum is of course supported by ElevateCA Limited, The Bottom Line Expense Reduction Limited, BNZ, The ICEHOUSE and Webb Ross Solicitors.

Thanks again to all those who came along on Thursday, shared on the night and contributed to making this a useful session.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fraser Hurrell is one of three directors of Elevate CA Limited, Chartered Accountants & Business Advisors in Whangarei, New Zealand.

The September Business Owners’ Forum will cover the topic “Managing Cashflow”.  This is the first Business Owners’ Forum to be hosted in Auckland, and will be a repeat of this popular topic which was presented in Whangarei in June.  From here on, Business Owners Forums will be held on the third Thursday of every month – and will alternate between Whangarei and Auckland.  The September BOF will be in Auckland, October in Whangarei – and so on.

Managing Cashflow is a big topic – there is a lot of content to cover.  We have assembled a great panel of three to bring some healthy discussion and alternative viewpoints to the evening.  On the panel is Michael Masterson from The Bottom Line Expense Reduction, David Caddie – a Commercial Partner from BNZ and myself – a Director of Elevate CA Limited. 

Together we will cover off some practical tips to manage cashflow in your business, the business and tax implications around cashflow issues – and some insights around current thinking from the banks regarding business cashflow issues.

In September, the Business Owners’ Forum will be held at The ICEHOUSE, Level Two, Textile Centre, 117 to 125 St George’s Bay Road, Parnell.  This is a great venue – click here for directions.  Format is casual over beer, wine and pizza.

September’s event will be on Thursday 17 September 6:00pm to 7:30pm. 

The Business Owners’ Forum is supported by Elevate CA Limited, The Bottom Line Expense Reduction Limited, The ICEHOUSE, BNZ and Webb Ross Solicitors.  The ethos is to provide a forum for business owners to meet and discuss relevant business issues amongst their peers in a casual environment without a sell from the supporters.

Entry to The Business Owners Forums is by invite – and there is no charge.  The target audience is owners of businesses with a turnover of $1 million and above.  If you’d like an invite, and you’re not on our list just contact us at forums@businessownersforum.net.nz

Fraser Hurrell is one of three directors of Elevate CA Limited, Chartered Accountants & Business Advisors in Whangarei, New Zealand.

This evening the first Business Owners’ Forum was hosted at Elevate CA Limited – thank you to the 40 or so business owners who participated in the session and made this a great start to what will become a regular event.  Subject matter tonight was “Managing Cashflow” – a rather relevant topic in today’s cash-strapped business environment.

The event covered practical tips and techniques and the indicators that every business owner should be monitoring in this current environment – as well as some useful insights on what banks are looking for and watching at the moment.

On the panel this evening was Michael Masterson – Director of The Bottom Line Expense Reduction Limited, Geoff Griggs – Business Partner at the BNZ Whangarei and myself – one of three Directors at Elevate CA Chartered Accountants.  But discussion was mostly driven from the participants rather than the panel, which was exactly what Business Owners Forums are all about.

Format was casual over pizza, beer and wine – and this worked well, so we’ll continue in the same vein for future Business Owners’ Forums.  We’d like to drive future subject matter to suit participants, so we’ll be in contact with everyone who attended tonight’s session over the next week to seek your input for future topics of interest.

We’ll talk soon …

Fraser Hurrell is one of three directors of Elevate CA Limited, Chartered Accountants & Business Advisors in Whangarei, New Zealand.