According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the UK economy is predicted to shrink for the remainder of 2023 and then grow by only 1% in 2024.
Interest rates continue to rise as pressure grows on the Bank Of England to call time on its aggressive monetary tightening campaign. There remains uncertainty in the Banking sector with First Republic becoming the third bank to be taken over by US regulators in the last two months and Asian stocks fell recently as more fears about the health of US regional banks have dented market confidence.
These events are mainly outside of our control and it’s worth remembering that in a 2009 book, the notable management consultant, Peter Drucker, was quoted as saying, “You cannot predict the future, but you can create it.”
So how do you go about creating your future during these turbulent times?
Start with writing a business plan. This is an essential tool for looking at your options, whether it is for raising finance or for putting your objectives into writing. In either event, a business plan will give you some form of direction and help you set goals, and most importantly, enable you to monitor your success.
Business plans should be as clear as possible, and since brevity aids clarity, they should also be as short as possible. A useful way of achieving this without losing any important points is to stratify the plan by confirming all details, where possible, to an appendix, leaving only the overall message in the body of the document. This will enable the reader to master the basic points of the plan more quickly.
Andy Burnham’s first days as Prime Minister have been marked by a flurry of announcements designed to show that his government intends to move quickly. Presenting himself as a leader focused on easing pressure on households and rebuilding trust in politics, Burnham has begun reshaping government while signalling the priorities that will define his administration.
HMRC have opened a consultation, ‘Modernising the taxation of distributions and repayments of capital from companies’. They are seeking views on proposals to modernise the tax framework dealing with distributions made by companies to shareholders who are individuals or trusts.