"In the last 20 years our business has changed considerably…and as the focus of our business has changed, Bird Luckin have moved with us."
Alex Tanner, George Tanner (Shalford) Ltd

"Over the years, Bird Luckin have been instrumental in assisting our business development. They are pro-active and innovational, and have tailored their services to meet our needs"
Richard Stubbings, Cliffords Limited

"I can honestly say that Bird Luckin are the best firm of accountants and auditors I have ever dealt with - and I don't say that lightly!"
Colin Webb, Walthamstow Stadium

"It's important for us to know that we will always be able to contact the right people to give us the right advice and support."
Jane Bennett, Bennetts Funeral Directors

"Although we deal mainly with one Partner … we also know that if we need to contact someone else who is a specialist in another area, we can get the advice we need quickly and easily"
Jeremy Ruggles, J.S. Wright & Sons Ltd

"Bird Luckin got us to a stage which would have taken us months - if not years - to reach on our own, and they got us there in a matter of weeks"
Matthew Sullivan, SNC Ltd

"You can be a good accountant, but if you don't have an understanding of the industry it can be very difficult. "There are two or three people we have regular contact with at Bird Luckin who know our business well, and it makes a difference.""
Robert Church, W A Church (Bures) Ltd

Welcome to Bird Luckin

Bird Luckin is a leading independent firm of chartered accountants, based in two prime locations in Essex, Chelmsford and Stansted.

Our approach is based on building partnerships with clients; by investing time to fully understand your business, your aims and aspirations.

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Don’t cut training in tough times: An article by Alistair Barnwell

The current tough economic climate is obviously putting increased pressure on business budgets, and as firms look at ways of reducing costs, training is often one area where cuts are made.

But the reality is that, for a number of reasons, reducing your investment in training is often a false economy. For a start, failing to keep yourself and your team up to date with the latest business knowledge and techniques can often mean that you miss out on developments which can help you to reduce costs in other areas – for example, if new software or machinery is available which can help you to be more efficient.
You also risk the prospect of having an under-skilled workforce in place when the economy does start to pick up, so while your rivals may be in a position to take advantage, you will be lagging behind.

And at a time when client service is a crucial element in retaining customers, you can’t afford for your team not to be able to give the best possible advice, service and support.

It’s an ethos we’ve always understood at Bird Luckin, where we’ve made sure that, whatever the economic climate, continuing professional development (CPD) is a priority for members of the team.

So rather than reducing training budgets, the issue for most businesses should be to identify the most effective training which represents the best value for money. And while the Government has come in for criticism in a number of areas from the SME and business sectors, training initiatives have been one of the more successful developments over recent years.

The national skills service, Train to Gain, is there to help business of all sizes identify training needs, find suitable training providers and get access to funding. The aim of the service is to improve the skills of your employees as a route to improving your business performance. Train to Gain can give one-to-one advice and develop a training package that is tailored to your business, whatever its size, offering skills advice on everything from Investors in People and basic skills through to leadership and management training. Businesses can get access to the Train to Gain service by contacting the agency direct (www.traintogain.gov.uk), or use the service’s college and training provider to find a local organisation to work with.

As I’ve highlighted many times before in this column, one of the key issues for business leaders is making sure they have the time to work ‘on’ their business, rather than being swamped with working ‘in’ their business, and organising and implementing training can be challenging and time-consuming for any employers. A skills broker, college or training provider can take on much of the hard work, identifying quality courses, provision and business support, helping you schedule your training and, crucially, helping you to access any funding that you may be eligible for.

So while all business are looking for ways to reduce costs, you can make sure that when it comes to training, the efficiencies you introduce actually put you in a stronger position to survive the tough times, and to make the most of future opportunities.

For more information please contact Jenny Cook at Bird Luckin Chelmsford Office on 01245 254241 or e-mail jennycook@bird-luckin.co.uk