You’ve probably heard the expression, ‘if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.’ I reckon that it’s the holy grail of success in business.

I’m fresh from Go Figure’s annual planning day and I’m pretty pleased with the results. Last year, we set ourselves some important goals, both collectively as a business, and personally, in terms of our unique roles.

Looking back, it’s clear we’ve succeeded in achieving those goals. I must confess to being quite proud of how the Go Figure team has matured

over the past 12 months, and it’s obvious to me that this sort of planning is a critical to our future.

All Go Figurines now hold senior roles – each mobile accountant is responsible for their own patch and they don’t need me to hold their hand when the going gets tough. One of our measures of success is to look at how many worksite problems or challenges are escalated to Helene or myself to

sort out. Lately, we’ve had nothing – which has freed me up to spend more time on my business and planning our next branch!

So, if you’re struggling to find the time to plan, or to sort out your own work, then why not

buy yourself some breathing room? Borrow a Go Figurine any time you want – that’ll get your books sorted, which should give you plenty more time to plan…

Level 4, James Smith Building, 55 Cuba St, Wellington04 499 8460 enquiries@gofi8ure.co.nz

www.gofi8ure.co.nz

NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE TEAM March 2010

From the horse’s mouth...

Last time we checked, Hedgehogs couldn’t fly. But don’t tell Mark Brumby that. He set

up his own consultancy business, Flying Hedgehog, a year ago.

Mark had become increasingly frustrated with the organisational development processes he experienced as a senior manager working for large government

departments.

“I could see the opportunity to do things better, but realised that by being outside of an organisation I could focus and make a real difference,” says Mark. “So often, businesses make things hard for

their managers or forget their staff, yet I believe it’s the people who are their

biggest assets.”

Flying Hedgehog specialises in two areas, workforce

management, and leadership management and team development.

“We work with many different sized organisations, from small enterprises to large corporate and Government agencies helping them to manage their people more effectively and efficiently,” says Mark.

Mark is keen to point out that they do not want to be seen as offering ‘cookie cutter’ or impractical solutions.

“There are some key foundations that we focus our work on, but that’s just the beginning,” says Mark. “The most important part is getting to know our clients and their

business and tailoring our solutions to their needs. We practically become part of their team.”

It’s precisely this tailored and personalised approach that made him see sense when it came to managing the books in his own business. No prizes for guessing who he chose to help out with the numbers.

“I like to stick to my knitting and let other people deal with the parts of the business I don’t need to get into, like keeping me in the good books with the IRD,” says Mark. “So when a business colleague recommended Go Figure, I was very interested to find out more.”

“The Go Figure team sat me down and told me how they could help. I haven’t looked back,” says Mark. “Now my books are looking good, they make sense, and I’m not worried about the IRD anymore.”

“Go Figure have a really structured approach to helping me manage the books,” Mark explains. “Jamie Nicholas, my Mobile Accountant, has really taken the time to get to know what I do, and put a book keeping plan in place that ensures I’ll never get behind.”

“Jamie prompts me to get my paperwork in order in preparation for our monthly catch

up so I know we’re on top of things. It’s more of a

habit now,” says Mark. “He’s really easy

to work with. I’m always coming up with different schemes and he’s a great guy to bounce business ideas off.”

Helping a Flying Hedgehog get airborne

Ask Lisa YOUR FINANCIAL AGONY AUNT

Dear Lisa,Help! I’m confused and stressed about my profit and loss reports. They just don’t make any sense to me.

I get a print out from my accounts depart-ment, which shows there’s a net profit. But there’s no money in the bank! What’s that all about? This is really affecting me, because I know I’m a savvy businessman, but feel like a failure when it comes to reading a balance sheet! Honestly, the fact that there’s no money in the bank makes me feel ill!

Yours, Confused and Stressed

Got a burning accounts question for our Agony Aunt? Email newsletter@gofi8ure.co.nz anytime – Lisa would be happy to help!

Blowing our own trumpetAnyone who knows the Go Figure team will appreciate we aren’t the shy and retiring types (which is impressive for a bunch of accountant geeks). So I’m proud to skite about some of Go Figure’s recent achievements:

Finalist in the Hutt Valley Business •Excellence Awards – Small Business CategoryHer Business Network Awards •Wellington, Finalist – Best Micro BusinessFinalist for the Vero Excellence in •Business Support Awards – lower North Island category

Taking part in awards like these has been invaluable for our business. We definitely have benefited from the experience and encourage other businesses to do the same. Sure, the paperwork can be a bit of a pain to complete, but it’s a good excuse to take time to look at your business objectively.

And then there’s the kudos associated with being a finalist – or a winner – of business-based awards. It can do your reputation no end of good. Our position as finalist in these recent awards was a big factor in why we were selected as an expert panellist for the E2theMax Business Boost Challenge 2010.

The last wordThe end of the financial year is looming, and fast. 31 March is d-day for most of us in business. If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to get your ‘proverbial’ sorted.

If your accounting system consists of a shoebox full of receipts and a couple of dodgy spreadsheets, you’d better bite the bullet and invest in a good accounting system.

It’s never too late to get organised. Why not start the new financial year right, with an accounting system that will make your life

easier?

Talk to us about XERO – or any other accounting system, for that matter. Because every business is different, you need to make sure your system will work for you. Our free worksite assessment will help you make sure it’s set up to meet your business’ specific needs.

Go on. Start the new financial year ready to take on anything your accounts can throw at you with Go Figure. Call us today on 04 499 8460 for more information.

Take the Challenge!E2theMax – The 2010 E2theMax Business Boost Challenge is a great programme that aims to give your business a metaphorical “kick in the butt”. Interested? Visit www.e2themax.co.nz.

Dear Confused and Stressed,

I’m sorry to hear your reports are getting you down, but don’t worry, we have a very simple and painless solution.

Here at GoFi8ure we run a workshop, which explains the basic fundamentals of your profit and loss performance and balance sheet position, without all the jargon and ratios (well, not at first!).

The thing about balance sheets is that they don’t necessarily show a direct relationship to profitability and cashflow, especially if you have loan repayments and are taking lots of drawings, for example – which is why things can get so confusing. You really do need to be able to pull down a profit and loss statement, alongside a balance sheet, at the push of a button, and you need to be checking them on a regular monthly basis – not just once or twice a year.

It’s also important to have your head around your cashflow situation, and you can’t do that without up to date and accurate reports.

So if your accounting system doesn’t allow for “push of the button” reporting, it’s time to upgrade and get in tune with your numbers. Seriously. Regular financial reporting can make a fundamental difference to the way you run your business, which can make a big positive impact on your profitability and cashflow.

Still stressed and confused? Call us on 04 499 8460 for more on our next financial literacy workshop, or for a free onsite accounting assessment. We’ll get you heading in the right direction, which means you’ll be less confused and stressed! That’s a fact.