Tim Rogers of Albion Business Credit to speak on Building Business Resilience panel

Event Description: A panel of international economic experts discuss the challenges and opportunities facing business leaders in South East England.

Place: Everyman Winchester

Date: July 13

Cost: Free

Booking: Essential

Start time: 09.30

The Business Magazine is delighted to welcome Tim Rogers to our panel of international economic experts, at the Begbies Traynor-sponsored, Building Business Resilience event, at the Everyman Winchester on July 13.

Rogers will be offering his insights and economic forecasting abilities, derived from decades in international sales in Africa, China, India, Israel, Scandinavia and the Middle East. He now operates his own asset capital firm, Albion Business Credit.

Albion provides fast, flexible credit facilities for businesses ranging from cafés to car dealers across the South East of England.

Our expert panel will address a small compact audience in this free, in-depth discussion and frank exchange of ideas and forecasts on the looming challenges and opportunities faced by SMEs.

Guest speakers:

• Julie Palmer, Regional Managing Partner - Begbies Traynor
• Malcolm Niekirk, Head of the Insolvency and Restructuring Team - Frettens
• Mark Berrisford-Smith, Head of Economics - HSBC UK
• Tim Rogers, Business Owner and Non Executive Director

Joining Rogers will be keynote speaker Mark Berrisford-Smith of HSBC, Julie Palmer of Begbies Traynor and Malcolm Niekirk of Frettens.

Asked how SME owners can best future-proof their business, Rogers replied: "The easiest way, well it is all about the people, the people, the people.

"If you can pay people a decent wage and they enjoy coming to work you are more likely to retain staff than those companies who pay larger wages but whose employees do not like coming into the office.

"Treating people right is easy. It is the simple things like not travelling business class and making your staff travel economy. The things people see make a difference, your time keeping should be the same as your staff. All these things help secure the loyalty of your workforce and therefore the future of your business."

Asked if companies are less likely to seek finance now than four years ago, Rogers replied: "No they need it more now than previously. The bank put the brakes on loans during covid.

"Financial institutions were quick to let people go during Covid. They downsized immediately. If you wish to speak to an advisor now, you can't get one for days. At Albion, we pride ourselves on being different.

"When we secured a pool of capital, we decided to stay within the South East and to only lend money to people we liked. We had to get behind their business plans quickly in order to finance assets. Some companies had business offers but couldn’t secure the finance to get the ball rolling.

"I think lots of SMEs have difficulties in raising short-term capital and asset finance.

"In my opinion it is better to have more working capital.

"Two years ago there was money everywhere with the Covid loans. There was almost too much of it going around but that is not the case anymore. I wouldn’t say there is a credit crunch but perhaps there is a confidence crunch."

To book your place at our economic expert discussion at the Everyman Winchester on July 13 click the banner below...