Our entertaining and informative after lunch speaker will be James Potter, known as “the Linked In Man”, who will help us all understand how to get the most out of social media

Should you wish more information and a booking form please contact me via torie@markliddle.com.

Graham Ball and Mark Liddle ignore the rain for a game of chess

Despite the cancellation of all flights, the guests of Mark Liddle LLP made the best of the wash out.

“It brought out a bit of the Dunkirk spirit, I think,” says David Foster director of local business development consultancy WinningBusiness. “The weather was atrocious and it was a shame to lose the first day of the Air Festival, but we had a great time sharing ideas, talking business and celebrating the 50th birthday of Graham Ball, MD of Ward Goodman.”

They were in the company of falconer Alan Gates from Gillingham-based Mere Down Falconry.

Alan runs his business on the 400 acre Mere Down valley in north Dorset. As well as flying displays, he presents talks to clubs, societies and schools. He also hosts flying days where members of the public can experience the thrill of flying birds of prey for themselves. The events have proved very popular with the corporate world.

“I’m the only bloke in Dorset who has his wife’s permission to mess around with other birds!” said Alan.

The birds certainly impressed the Green Friday diners as Alan brought an owl, a hawk and Rufus, the hybrid eagle – a Golden Eagle crossed with a Russian Steppe Eagle – with its six-foot wingspan.

“Everyone was amazed at the power of the Eagle,” says Seeker MD Steve Cook. “But I was particularly pleased that it didn’t get to fly, especially as the Owl decided to land on the lens of my camera. If the Eagle had done that I’m not sure I’d have remained quite so composed!”

Hosted by Mark Liddle LLP, the Green Friday Club is a lunch club for business professionals who gather to talk business and do business.

Mark Liddle

As a business owner facing difficulties, you are very vulnerable and it is important to think carefully about who to turn to. A recent article in the Bournemouth Echo warned about “poor insolvency advice”, saying that struggling businesses could fall prey to poor financial advice and find their business affairs in an even worse state.

The article extensively quoted Craig Maclean of Mazars, who said business owners should choose their advisers carefully. As with most things to do with finance, the best way to choose is through a recommendation from your own accountant, or someone who has been helped in the past.

There is an important difference between Insolvency Advisers, like us, and Licenced Insolvency Practitioners, as Craig explained when he told the Echo that advisers “only to look after the directors which may often mean at the expense of the creditors”. He’s right, Licenced Insolvency Practitioners have a legal duty to the creditors, NOT to the directors –so if it’s your own business in trouble, you should approach them with caution, they may not have your interests at heart.

There are good and bad people in every industry, and Insolvency is no different. I recently came across a company in Poole who had been advised to close by two Insolvency Practitioners. We were able to help him come to arrangements with his creditors and trade successfully through the problems.

If it’s your business, don’t panic – talk to your accountant first. Chances are he will recommend you have chat with us, most local accountants do. It will cost you nothing and we might just be able to help you, because it’s you we care about, not your creditors.

By Mark Liddle of Mark Liddle LLP

Our sources report that Bournemouth insolvency adviser Mark Liddle LLP was called in to close down the business earlier today and that all staff have been made redundant.

KDAC supplied carers across Hampshire for both local authority contracts and to private individuals. It is not yet known what immediate effect this will have on elderly persons waiting for carers to provide services.

That’s according to Simon Willcox, MD of Blanchards Bailey Financial Services, speaking at this month’s Green Friday business lunch club hosted by Mark Liddle LLP.

“A lot of businesses aren’t going to think about this until the last minute, but it could end up costing them a lot of money,” he said.

“We have been doing a lot of work with businesses in preparation for the new legislation which will force them to pay into pension schemes for their employees. We’ve been exploring salary sacrifice and ways of reclaiming the amount of National Insurance they pay.”

He also spoke about his company’s wealth management projects “for people who are not getting the right return from cash.”

The lunch club went on to hear from chartered accountant Graham Ball of Ward Goodman who explained how the firm is expanding its services to meet the needs of clients.

“We have brought together a range of specialists and try to focus on what the client needs rather than just deliver traditional accountancy services. So we now have HR, IT and marketing departments and have the strongest trusts and estates team in Dorset, if not further afield.”

Earlier, Stuart Anderson, a consultant from Bourse Group (UK) Ltd, shared some examples of how his company had found imaginative solutions to financial problems from inheritance tax issues to the generation of investment capital.

“We are here to support professionals in what they do and by thinking outside the square we are able to get results by coming at problems from another level,” he said.

That was the message delivered by Dave Brown, managing director of financial services specialists BCF, at this month’s Green Friday business lunch club hosted by Mark Liddle LLP.

“Since the discovery of toxic debt there has been a massive change in supply side business borrowing,” he said. “Getting a loan from a bank is incredibly difficult, but we have matured an alternative to the high street banks for property-based lending which has been very successful for our clients.”

BCF is now a preferred introducer for Close, one of the largest merchant banking groups in Europe; and has recently secured a private funder with a loan book of £25 million, mainly for property development.

“We’re looking at deals being completed very quickly – offers within three working days, whereas it can take longer than that just to get an appointment with the high street banks.”

Other developments include short-term interest-based loans of three to five years rather than the more traditional medium- and long-term deals.

“It gives us the flexibility to find solutions for most requirements and has been vital in enabling us to adapt our mindset and business model to deal with outside circumstances.”

Mark Liddle

The skills used to build up a business can also be used to help it through any difficulties caused by the economic recession, a local insolvency adviser is insisting.

And in a message of hope amid the economic gloom Mark Liddle, of Mark Liddle LLP, claimed that struggling businesses should stop blaming themselves for their problems.

Liddle, who prides himself in helping companies through their difficulties rather than see them go to the wall, said: “There are a number of factors that could see a business facing problems. It could be the recession, the increase in VAT, or being kept waiting for the payment of invoices.  Any one of these factors can make a business not only less competitive, but also put its very future in doubt.

“Whatever the reason for these setbacks, business owners and managers should stop blaming themselves.  These problems can strike any time, whatever the state of the economy.

“My aim is help companies work through their difficulties by developing their business skills.  Business people have the skills to pull through the recession. They must be allowed to use them.

“My message to business owners is: ‘It’s not your fault if business is tight. These things happen,’” he added.

“In order to emerge from their difficulties businesses have to move forward.  They have to continue developing their business skills in order to survive the downturn, and thrive during the upturn.”