Our Clients
Here are a few examples of our clients for each of our core services: Your finances, Your people and Your systems and what we have provided them.
Your Finances
We work with a variety of clients from start-ups to multinationals in a wide range of sectors, mostly in the South East but we cover the whole country. Our team has 15 years of experience working with small, medium and large businesses.
We have specialist knowledge and experience in: medical practices, subsidiaries and retailers.
Medical Practices
We have found that established medical practices tend to focus on purely the medical side of the business and neglect their financial management. Our finance experts take the pressure off the management of their finances through our outsourced services so that they can concentrate on what they do best.
Retail
Most retailers maximise profitability by utilising their retail space and therefore find our outsourced financial services aligned with their needs.
The Table Café
Housed inside an architect firm’s former bike shed, The Table Café is a perfect blend of canteen-chic and at-home comfort. Founder, owner and chef by training, Shaun Alpine-Crabtree, has created a Southwark success; now a fully-fledged 7 day/week restaurant serving excellent, locally-sourced food in a superb environment at great prices.
The Table opened 5 years ago and although the food and clients were carefully looked after from day 1, Shaun admits that the accounts needed more consideration. “In 2011, I finally accepted that I needed professional advice to run the business effectively. My confidence had taken a serious knock and everything was an uphill battle. I enrolled in the Better Business Programme, run in partnership with Cass Business School, where Sue Higgins became my mentor.” Sue and Shaun immediately had a good rapport and very quickly agreed that The Table needed help to ensure it survived and prospered. When the programme ended, Shaun employed Inspira to look after the restaurant’s accounts and provide some business coaching. “Sue guided me and encouraged me to find the answers myself, rather than holding my hand.” Sue wanted to ensure that Shaun took ownership of the business and the decisions involved in making it a successful venture.
Having discovered that the accounts were not providing business-critical management information, Inspira set up new systems, addressed the immediate cashflow issues and ensured the previous year-end accounts were finalised and filed. With new weekly cashflow forecasts in place, Shaun had a much clearer view of the business, enabling him to make key decisions more quickly and effectively. “Sue’s financial reporting is so accurate, it’s almost forensic; there’s no escape once you see that picture! Still dreaming of a financially viable business, I couldn’t run away from the reality. Sue gave me insight into my business, helped me to focus and forced me to be honest about The Table’s financial situation. I have a stereotypical chef’s temper and I am sure I have not been easy to work with. However, Sue and her team have been patient and gracious and they’ve even eaten at the restaurant several times!”
Shaun’s base is a miniscule office at the back of the restaurant and this is where Sue and he meet regularly to assess the monthly figures, address the cashflow and discuss business matters. “Sue is exceptionally understanding of our challenging working environment and now knows that our meetings take place with us sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on a minute desk and that at any time, I might dash out to check on the kitchen or restaurant – you can’t take the chef out of the kitchen…!”
Shaun is not letting the current economic climate influence his attitude or mood. “Thanks to Inspira, I am now more focused than ever and we are making good progress. At The Table, our clients get great food and they aren’t ripped off. They can switch off from the reality of their life and our live music evenings take them away from the doom and gloom.”
As any chef will tell you, food is a labour of love, but a restaurant has to make money to survive. Making good food and good profit is a tough goal, but a winning combination. A dash of sensible and practical financial advice, a dollop of excellent business coaching and undoubtedly a delicious menu is the perfect recipe for a successful restaurant.
"“Thanks to Inspira, I am now more focused than ever and we are making good progress."
Director, Shaun Alpine-Crabtree
Preventicum UK Ltd
London centre of preventative medicine providing the most in-depth, full-body check-ups to individual and corporate clients.
Financial services provided:
- External Financial Director Support
- Monthly Management Accounts
- Outsourced Bookkeeping
We have worked with Preventicum since the launch of the business in 2005. Sue Higgins acted as the in-house finance director and put in place all financial and reporting systems. As the business grew, Mark Jones supported them with bookkeeping on a weekly basis. During the recent sale of Preventicum, Sue worked closely with the founders to find a buyer.
London Bridge Plastic Surgery
Private plastic surgery specialising in plastic, cosmetic, reconstructive surgery and non surgical options.
Financial services provided:
- Monthly Management Accounts
- Outsourced Bookkeeping
Initially we reviewed and revised their previous year’s accounts to ensure accurate year end data for production of the statutory accounts. Following this, Jeanie Roberton set up effective finance systems to help identify the most profitable services from which the marketing strategy has evolved. Jeanie now consults on the monthly management accounts while Mark Jones provides weekly bookkeeping.
"We now have reliable bookkeeping and monthly management accounts which have helped form a sound basis on which to develop and grow the business."
Practice Manager, LBPS
Duemme Capital
Italian based hedge fund owned by a private Italian bank.
Financial services provided:
- Monthly Management Accounts
- Bookkeeping
Additional services provided
- Payroll - administer the company payroll and year-end returns
- Sage online - worldwide access to their accounts in real-time
In 2006 Sue Higgins began working with Duemme Capital as they required a business partner with specialist knowledge of the UK financial system. The entire finance department of Duemme Capital was outsourced to Inspira. We also ensured compliance between Duemme Capital’s UK auditors - PwC - and their Italian head office. The regular monthly work and reporting has been continued by Ruth Howe.
"As an FSA regulated company we need to ensure compliance and accuracy of financial information. Inspira has enabled us to accomplish this in a timely and systematic way."
Director, Duemme Capital
Jamin Puech
French luxury handbag and small leather goods retailer.
Financial services provided:
- Monthly Management Accounts
- Outsourced Bookkeeping
Jeanie Roberton set up in consultation with the directors a quarterly reporting system which reconciled not only the monthly sales takings but also developed a quarterly stock movement calculation which was updated for foreign exchange fluctuations. The fully outsourced monthly bookkeeping required is undertaken by Angela Nicholas.
"As a French company with a worldwide presence, it has been important to leave the production of accurate financial information to the safe hands of a company that understands the legalities and system"
Director, Jamin Puech
Your People
We provide help with cultural and behavioural human resources to businesses of all sizes and across all sectors. Our past experience includes working with private, public and non-profit organisations.
- Help with cultural and behavioural HR in small to large businesses
- Experience with private, public and non-profit organisations
- Target medium sized private and subsidiary businesses
Tricon Foodservice Consultants plc
Europe and the Middle East’s leading catering consultancy providing integrated services in both management and design.
HR services provided:
- Leadership
- Team Development
- Coaching
- Culture Surveys
Tricon identified that in order to grow their business they needed to work more effectively as a team and engage their staff. John Morris worked with the senior management team delivering a tailored leadership and team development programme. John ran Myers Briggs exercises helping them to understand one another’s objectives and become stronger as a team and as individual leaders.
Sue Higgins conducted one to one executive coaching and Jackie Allen designed culture surveys to understand employee’s views.
The leadership and team development programmes strengthened Tricon’s talent management strategy. The whole project helped to reduce expensive recruitment mistakes and to understand things from the team's point of view.
Arcadis AYH
Leading international company providing services across three fully integrated business lines: infrastructure, environment and buildings.
HR services provided:
- Leadership
- Team Development
- Coaching
We began working with Arcadis AYH in 2007 on a three year project in which John Morris designed the overall leadership strategy of the organisation. During the project John ran leadership and team development workshops with 20 managers and also one to one executive coaching.
Your Systems
Example of projects that Inspira experts have been involved in.
Preventicum UK Ltd
Bijal Dodhia was responsible for project managing the setting up of their IT Infrastructure:
- Phase 1 – Developing an empty new building for use with design of cabling and IT set up, working with preferred suppliers, sourcing hardware, software (including medical bill system) & Internet Service provider, installing equipment and configuring the network.
- Phase 2 – On-going management of the network, working as company’s IT department and helpdesk, offer basic training in MS Office, report creation, sourcing medical & accounting applications.
Solutions (Ross)
Jeanie Roberton was in charge of the development of IT and financial systems across a multi-site rural company:
- Set up and maintenance of networks on 9 sites spread across county – antivirus & backups
- Set up of company wide email service
- Setting up of folder systems and procedures for use of folders in conjunction with staff team to enable easy retrieval of information in same way at all sites
- Individual staff training in Word, Excel, basic understanding of how to use computers and the filing systems, email
- Helpdesk and maintenance service, plus asset register and software compliance programme
- Development of financial systems at each site involving spreadsheets, petty cash & credit card reconciliations, staff training and monthly site financial reports as well as company wide reports using accounting software.
Other project management by Jeanie has involved the planning, sourcing, procurement of hardware & software, IT installation, staff training and development of procedures for use of IT equipment by staff for a local education authority department and charity, including development of financial recording systems and reports.
We like to build long term relationships with our clients
Your systems
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Your people
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