Business Matters by Denise Roberts

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE RECORD-KEEPING MINDSET

We all have our banes in life. For chartered accountant, Nadine Crawford-Piper, founder of Crawford Bookkeeping and Accounts, it is the tendency for business owners to keep incomplete records – or worse, none at all.

Nadine says that getting people to keep proper records, do their returns on time, and understand where they are in terms of their business information, is a challenge she finds most micro businesses face, and one she sets out to help solve.  So she has embarked on a campaign to help business owners develop what she has coined ‘the record-keeping mindset’.

It is a concept in workshops and seminars that break down the details of what it means to keep the right records and to create a business timeline. This is especially important since HMRC’s introduction of the record-keeping check.

“I don’t do fines,” said Nadine. “Not even small ones. I go to networking events and people ask the same questions. They still don’t understand it. I educate people on key dates and what happens at each date, but at the same time I’m very particular to each business. It is about appreciating how they can benefit from it.”

Nadine began her professional practice in 2005, after 15 years of working in accountancy. She provides micro-sized business owners with a service that is honest, personal, and friendly, one with an element of mentorship and the same level of professionalism and quality that larger firms enjoy.

The business has flourished over the years, and also employs Nadine’s husband, Anthony Piper, who focuses on the bookkeeping, client management and financial administration side of things.

Nadine, a mother of two daughters aged 9 and 12, maintains harmony from the business desk to the dinner table, by drawing on God’s grace.

“I have been churched ‘from mi eye deh ah mi knee’,” she says with a Jamaican twang. “But there came a time when I found Him for myself.

“We tend to compartmentalise our lives; you go to work, and no one would guess you’re a Christian. But God is saying, ‘You give Me your life, you give Me everything’.”

One of the Bible stories close to her heart is David and Goliath, principally the way Goliath died. As Nadine explains: “David hit him with a stone to the forehead, but he fell forward, not backward… so it was God that did it, not David.”

In a similar manner, Nadine often reaches for her own ‘five smooth stones’ or, as she calls them, the five Ps: Prayerful, Peaceful, Professional, Powerful and Precise.

“God gave them to me at a difficult time, and they have been absolutely close in my business. Every time something happens, God says, ‘Which one of these stones do you want to pick up?’”

A woman with much wisdom to share, she leaves fellow Christians in business with this very inspiring word: “In the boat, Jesus got up and rebuked the storm, and it stopped. That is the sort of Man we have on our side. In business, there will be storms but, if you’ve got Jesus in that boat with you, those waves will be still.”

For more details, visit www.crawfordsbookkeeping.co.uk

 

Signs you are lazy in business

‘Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.’

Romans 12:11

The Bible has much to say about the slothful. The word ‘slothful’ describes a person who is idle or work-shy, but it can also describe a person who remains inactive for whatever reason. Remember the lazy servant? Jesus called him ‘wicked’. Why was he wicked? Simply because he had been given something that could have been a blessing to himself and to others. He did nothing with it, and then made excuses about why he couldn’t make it work. He wasted his talent and his life.

If we’re honest, half the reason why we don’t find success in life is due to slothfulness. There will be telltale signs, too. The slothful man will always be ruled by others; he will leave behind him a string of uncompleted tasks, and find his path constantly strewn by obstacles. Proverbs 21:5 says his very desire will kill him, because he refuses to work.

So, quit using excuses like ‘It’s not the right time’ or ‘I don’t have the resources’ or ‘I don’t know what to do.’ If you need information, go find it. If you need resources, ask. Be consistent, believe that you have all the talents you need, and sow what you want to reap.

Ministry in the Marketplace

Are you a start-up or small business owner? Ministry in the Marketplace is a popular event that returns to the business calendar this summer, and is aimed at helping people interested in setting up a new business, or at those who want to find strategies to grow an existing business.

Past events have looked at topics like overcoming obstacles and hindrances, business etiquette, and the Kingdom of God in the marketplace. The event will feature business exhibitors, speakers and workshops, and is free to attend.

Ministry in the Marketplace takes place at Croydon Park Hotel, 7 Altyre Road, Croydon, Surrey CR9 5AA, and you can find out more information by visiting www.businesswithexcellence.com