Into my inbox yesterday came tumbling an email from one of the few regular newsletter subscriptions I actually take the time to read in full, entitled ‘Hello September, the new New Year’.
The only argument I have with this (and it’s a minor one) is the use of the word ‘new’. For years we have thought of September as the New Year. Summer holiday distractions are over, for many relief is at hand from the pressure to act as Chief Entertainment Officer to children of various ages, for some the excitement/trepidation of starting university lies ahead, and for all of us a clear run through to the end of the year, unimpeded by public holidays (other than Christmas), which seem designed specifically to disrupt our rhythm and leave us unsure what day of the week it is.
As the English professor turned Trappist monk Thomas Merton one said,
‘Fall is a fine time for starting things’.
For those of us in business this is a great time to consider our goals, maybe under the heading, ‘What do I want to be different this time next year?’. When a full cycle of seasons has passed and September 2026 ticks round (and rest assured it will tick round more quickly than it now seems), what changes, what progress do we want to have made?
Maybe one of those changes, for some, is to finally have got a grip on the numbers in their business, Because like it or not, statistics may lie (often) but numbers never do.
I had a meeting with a small business owner on Friday of last week, who freely admitted that she has no idea what her numbers are, or what they would mean if she did know what they were. We’re going to fix that for her, instituting solid reporting, reliable numbers and – crucially for her – regular support. She’s one of a silent army of business owners getting zero feedback from her accountant (not even a letter of engagement, although she has paid for an is receiving some minimal services from them).
We’re here to stop that. If you are one of the silent army and living in quiet desperation about what to do about it, give us a call or complete the contact form and we’ll be in touch within 24 hours. Guaranteed. Unless, of course, you’re completing it at 5am on a Saturday morning, in which case we’ll do our best!