Training

Enrich and The Mill Consultancy undertake training seminars for company teams either on their premises or offsite if appropriate. Most of the listed seminars will be run by Jerry Davison, drawing on his long experience of coaching and leading staff in a variety of industry sectors. Inspiration, fun and empathy are the key themes – that way, people learn better!

Our current seminar list is as below –

Understanding finance for non-accountants

The team will gain real comprehension of how the P&L, balance sheet and cash flow statements work together, and there will be particular emphasis on building the ability to read and analyse monthly management accounts and variances against budgets


Sources of finance / Business Plans

A two part seminar covering all of the critical elements - this can be expanded into a wider course covering more elements of Investment Readiness (see below).


Role of the Company Secretary


  • Constitutional documents - Memorandum and Articles, shareholders' agreements
  • Shareholders' meetings
  • Board meetings
  • Minutes
  • Annual Returns
  • Annual report and accounts
  • Share issues
  • Registers
  • Company formation and names
  • Company law review
  • ...and much more - Companies House forms and filing, potential penalties and liabilities, directors' duties, etc.


Achieving, Maintaining and Increasing Profitability

  • Strategic overview of your business
  • Identifying the profit drivers in the business
  • Ensuring you have the right management information, such as key performance indicators
  • Revenue and Cost – the critical differences in focus
  • 10 ways to build sales
  • 10 ways to control costs
  • How to develop systems and controls that will provide the right structure for profitability
  • The importance of business rules and policies
  • How staff can build your bottom line – or damage it
  • The effect of employment, environmental and H&S matters


Managing Financially

  • Understanding - the attendees will gain real comprehension of how the P&L, balance sheet and cash flow statements work together, and there will be particular emphasis on building the ability to read and analyse monthly management accounts and variances against budgets
  • Budgeting - an enjoyable journey using a case study (so it will really sink in) through the process of developing a budget or forecast, bringing out the importance of getting it right, down to departmental level; understanding how it all fits together; the criticality of deadlines; how to forecast with best estimates; the importance of staff consultation and looking at numbers with a fresh view; definitions of concepts such as zero based budgeting
  • Management information – specifying it and how to use it. Monthly accounts, key performance indicators, cash flow reports, forecasts, budget variances and control, ad hoc reports, annual accounts
  • Cashflow is king – ensuring the fundamental message is clear that cash is the critical business factor, using various examples


Investment Readiness


Our seminar will guide attendees through the entire process of raising finance for growth. There are many challenges – both real and imagined - along the route to successful fundraising and our seminar aims to address, explain and resolve those challenges.

In order to effectively raise funding, whether equity, loans, grants or other forms of finance, a company must be in good shape and sufficiently attractive to the providers of funds. A company with higher investability, that makes the providers ‘feel right’ about advancing funding, will have a greater chance of getting finance and will secure it both quicker and cheaper.

Essentially, getting a company investment ready is all about carefully grooming it and its people to present the right image and proposition to investors and bankers.


Key areas covered include -

  • Identifying the most appropriate sources of money and discussion and analysis of the effect of ownership dilution. The benefits and downsides of raising equity
  • Description of the relationship between sources of equity, debt and stages of growth – e.g. early stage and informal equity (angel financing) or venture capital
  • Funding hi-tech companies – e.g. importance of IPR
  • Reviewing the business to identify and correct shortfalls or omissions that would impact on an investment decision
  • Guidance on investor expectations and attitudes
  • Preparation of the business plan and of the live presentation
  • A run through of the due diligence process including legal, financial, management, marketing, competition
  • Marketing of the proposition
  • The funding process
  • Post-investment management guidance


If required, the seminar can include presentations on legal issues such as due diligence, heads of agreements, funding contracts and liabilities.