This month, we want to tell you about our next value: Sustainability.
This isn’t an attempt to sound ‘trendy’, but a clear focus for businesses to thrive.
Sustainability
We ensure your business is built in a sustainable way, consistently moving along with your plans for the long term. Financial sustainability is really important beyond yourself and your team, you’re part of a community. We don’t want to just keep you afloat, we want real longevity for your business.
I recently heard that a sustainable company is Doing Business Better. And don’t we all want that?
Obviously, when we talk about sustainability, we think of the environmental impact of a business, but there are also social and governance aspects to consider. Here, we are talking about sustaining a business so that it is still going for years to come.
As a small business, we believe businesses grow when they have a purpose. They know why they are there, what they do and the impact they have. As a care company, you have all this going on in spades! You are there to support clients to live happily in their own homes and treat clients and colleagues with dignity and respect and this all impacts your wider community.
We want to help you create long-term value for your business to thrive.
Some of the ways we create sustainability our business and yours are through:
# People
#Technology
#Forward planning
#Sound decision making
These are just a few examples. I could write more, but that would be a long blog! So these are for starters;
#1. Value People
Last month, Marie asked us as a team to think about what we want and need, both financially and time-wise. For example, how much we would like to retire with and at what age plus other things we need for ourselves and our families, not just purchased items but time to enjoy things with others. We shared these as mood boards and looked at how we can achieve something as a team, and what goals the business needs to accomplish so that we can have the lifestyle we would like. Hear more about this here. It was great to feel safe doing this without judgement.
We now all know what we are working towards and can support each other in that. We have a ‘treat day’ planned for when our first goal is achieved. How exciting!
#2. Value Technology
We use the latest technologies to make sure that our projects are completed as efficiently as possible. To be sustainable, it is essential to be efficient with resources. We use cloud-based systems to store and share data, keep track of progress, and collaborate with our clients. We also use analytics to identify areas of improvement, measure our progress against our goals, and provide feedback to our clients. For example, a simple tip is to create email rules so that all emailed invoices are automatically pinged through to Dext which in turn matches these to information in Quickbooks.
We use software to create a cash flow forecast for your business that aligns with your business goals, keeping your business on track to grow in a sustainable way.
#3. The importance of Forward Planning
What would happen if you weren’t at work? Does the business stop or have issues if you’re not around? How do you take a holiday? Are your employees able to handle things without you?
When Marie was on holiday, we made a list of what we’ve not been able to resolve whilst she was away. Luckily, this list is only 3-4 items, so Marie isn’t going to dread coming back to work and having to deal with a mountain of problems!
For our internal projects, we’ve set up a critical plan. This sounds fancy, but we just use a spreadsheet to log our activities and what we need to do each week so that we get things done. We’ve found that we are very good at saying what we need to do, but actioning tasks for our business needs often get put on the back burner. This way we know what is to be done when and who is doing it so that we can keep each other accountable. We will let you know how we get on!
#4. Sound decision-making for sustainability
When you are making decisions about your business, what do you consider? People, time and more often than not, cost. Is it a good investment or not? Do you take the risk alone, or ask for help and advice? If you read our last blog post you’ll know already what I’m going to say here! Yep, always give your accountant a call. Having an accountant with knowledge of your business and sector means they can support you with decision-making, not by giving you the answers but by helping you think through what you are trying to achieve.
Sound decision-making comes from having up-to-date information readily available. If you’re using last year’s set of accounts or your bookkeeping isn’t up to date, it’s like driving only using the rearview mirror. You’re just seeing what’s happened in the past. Having the correct information at your fingertips and knowing your values will create a growing, sustainable business for the future.
Why do we work like this? We all feel valued as part of a team, we are confident in making decisions about what needs to be done, and we have processes in place to work effectively and to ensure all clients are treated fairly. We know what we need to do to have a sustainable, successful business. If we are happy, that fuels the work we do for our clients, making you happy too!
How do you plan to grow your sustainable business? We’d love to know.
Do our values match yours? Want to find out more about how we work and can help you achieve a sustainable, growing business? Fill out a discovery form now.