2020 Draws to a Close!

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As 2020 draws to a close most of us will be glad to have a chance to move into 2021 with a little more optimism with the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccination. The speed and creativity with which the pharmaceutical sector and scientists have worked has been astonishing. Businesses the world over are having to reinvent themselves as well, and many are showing similar resolve and agility. Sadly, some are not, or will not, make it as the scale and depth of change required to prosper and compete overwhelms physical and financial resources. Whilst some of these businesses may disappear for good, many will be given the opportunity of a fresh start to reinvigorate brands and business for the future without the burden of the historical legacy. Whilst painful in the short term, and a tragedy for the employment of many, hopefully the general improvement in the markets, with the easing of COVID restrictions thanks to the vaccination program, coupled with the continued agility and focus of business, supported by sensible government intervention will lead to a strong recovery in 2021 and 2022.

The last 6 months at Where Now Consulting and its clients reflects this, some of our clients have benefitted greatly from the pandemic whilst others have seen significant volume reductions or have been forced to temporarily close due to the lockdown restrictions. All have had to make changes to their business to thrive, survive or both. We are delighted to have been alongside our clients throughout this period helping them to pivot their businesses to meet the different challenges that they face.

The future of the office has been a central question in recent months. We were delighted to be appointed by the British Contract Furniture Association to carry out research and provide a report on the future of the office and office workers. This report received wide press coverage and can be obtained via the BCFA.

Until recent weeks Brexit was getting little press attention. Many businesses however have been moving forward with plans for the transition. We have helped a number of UK manufacturers plan for the future, creating options such as appointing new agents and distributors in France and Denmark, reviewing optimal organisation structures to not only plan for the future post Brexit but also to improve the VAT compliance across the EU, and connecting our clients to the support for future export paperwork.

Culture, leadership, and strategy are key ingredients for any successful business. We have been working with a UK manufacturer in the North of England for the past 2 years on developing a long term strategic plan. Despite the impact of COVID, the planned culture review to assess the impact of the work was completed. This assessment, using one of our culture assessment tools, highlighted significant improvements in many areas and has provided the leadership with a clear view of the areas that still require improvement in the coming year.

Despite the pandemic, businesses transition either for growth or for succession planning have continued and we are currently acting for three companies that are either seeking investment for future growth or are looking for new owners to take the business forward. Whilst it is too early to claim any success on these projects the initial response has been good, and we look forward to working to bring these projects to conclusion in the early part of 2021.

We were delighted to support the IOD Scotland 2020 virtual conference in November as a sponsor. The IOD continues to support business leadership, the development of strong corporate governance and the professional development of Directors. Where Now Consulting continues to support this key business organisation including one of our Director’s ongoing voluntary involvement as a member of the West of Scotland IOD Committee.

Alongside our project work we continue to have our longer-term client relationships, supporting our clients with strategic, sales and channel, operational performance and financial support and advice, across a wide range of activities and sectors.

We have also been building our own digital strategy improving the way potential clients can interact with us via our on-line chat facility. In addition, we have taken one of our consulting tools and developed an exciting new digital tool for our clients, watch this space for more on this in the coming weeks.

As always, we would like to thank our clients and suppliers for their business and support in the last 6 months.