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.