As announced at the end of May, James Caan, was appointed by Lord Young as Chairman of the Board on the government initiative Start Up Loans. The £82.5 million project sees James Caan and Bev James working together once again, along with an impressive team of board members. The EBA are delighted to support the Start Up Loans company in their quest to provide 18-24 year olds with the tools, mentoring and capital required to start up their own business. Could you be the volunteer mentor that James Caan is looking for?

Businesses need cash to be able to pay staff on time, buy supplies, repay debts on time and to pay dividends etc. If you don’t have cash to pay a supplier when the payment is due, you might find you lose the trust of the supplier and the outlet AND they may declare your business insolvent.

In a recession or not, controlling cash is totally critical for business survival. Once they have been recognised, many cash flow problems can be reduced or turned around – many business owners are slow to pinpoint the problem, and then it’s too late.

Measuring the finances of your business is an essential part of managing the business and is a critical element of sound decision-making and future planning. Many business owners delegate the financial matters to other Directors or to their accountants and often cite that they “prefer to look after the sales function or the front line team.”

In 25 days time, De Vere West One (opposite the BBC in Portland Place) will be full of entrepreneurs and business owners clambering for THE best business knowledge they can get their hands on in one day.