It’s been just under two weeks since ‘Freedom Day’ enabled firms to fully reopen without restrictions and, while the ‘ping-demic’ has thrown new challenges for some, there can be few business owners who are not relieved to be able to proceed, full steam ahead, into a busy summer period. The positivity of the vaccine programme, the current fall in numbers and government’s drive to get back to business are all hugely encouraging indicators.

Of course there are issues to tackle and recruitment, rising costs and a reliable supply chain are foremost in many local companies’ minds. COVID-19 has shifted the goalposts for all of us, but where there is change there is opportunity and those who are agile and think laterally will capitalise in the new landscape.

I have been impressed and proud to see so many of our clients and the wider local business community adapt and reshape their operations during the pandemic, and as they return to ‘business as usual’ they have far more strings to their bow. Broadening their offering means they are robust and resilient moving forwards.

The reality is that there are always obstacles to overcome in business and, reassuringly, the familiarity of reviewing, forecasting and planning future activity will still best serve companies for the future. Just like the government’s roadmap, having a clearly identified plan of action will be key in ensuring that this initial moment of optimism and confidence carries companies forwards to the end of the year.

Of course finance is central to any successful business plan and, while the outlook may be uncertain in part, having access to funding will make the world of difference in being able to operate should things change at short notice. I wrote previously about whether businesses should repay their Business Bounce Back Loan, and if you missed the article you can read it on our website, ccf.finance, but even if you didn’t tap into the government’s guaranteed loan scheme it’s not too late to organise finance.

With an increasingly sophisticated range of financial products on offer, now is a key moment to explore commercial finance. In our recent business survey, 29 per cent of respondents reported that they didn’t know where to find the right finance. Business funding is a sensible tool which, accessed and used in an intelligent and educated way, can help a company to grow. At Complete Commercial Finance, we plan to create a series of short guides in the coming months to help start-up and SME businesses explore some of the common scenarios that many firms face, and to explain how different types of funding can ease some of these pressures. If you would like information about these, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

After the toughest 18 months many of us have ever faced, I feel hugely positive about the outlook for our local business community and I look forward to supporting and helping firms to face the future with a robust financial plan in place.

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