The Local Bookkeeper is sponsoring a Business Planning workshop at the British Library on 30th June that will help those who are starting up businesses on the essentials they will need to make their venture a success. The workshop will teach start up businesses the skills they will require to produce a well prepared business plan and how to take it to investors. There will be sessions on writing business plans, what investors look for, preparing your pitch and understanding your markets. The Local Bookkeeper are advocates that small businesses need more help to be educated on how to run a profitable business especially understanding their finances and this is vitally important if outside investment is required. The Local Bookkeeper can help small businesses prepare their business plans and their accounts ready for their pitch to a potential investor. Business owners will learn from these workshops that investors do not only look for a good business plan but also sound finances as they will not invest in to a business that they believe is not capable of managing their investment. The Local Bookkeeper can also give the ongoing assistance to business owners by producing management accounts which is very often a condition of the investment and outlined in the shareholders agreement. Business owners have fantastic skills in the line of business they are entering but, when it comes to their business finance they are often unskilled and uneducated, this can unfortunately led to their failure in gaining investment or eventual failure even after investment has been secured. The Local Bookkeeper is dedicated to ensuring business owners are receiving the financial help they require to help them maximise the life blood of their business and cash flow. ¯

Martin Beckenham
Martin Beckenham

Martin Beckenham runs The Financial Management Centre in Ashford & Maidstone and serves as the head bookkeeper in Ashford and Maidstone. Martin is a Certified Bookkeeper with the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers. He has over 35 years of experience in the Finance and Administration sector, firstly in the Oil Industry and more recently as Head of Statutory Government body.