It is easy for any outsider to criticise management of a business that gets into financial difficulties but as they say "walk a mile in my shoes" and you just might realise the risks we have to face at times.

There are many influences that can turn a business into a nightmare and these are not necessarily the responsibility of management. Over night changes in Government policies can place pressure on bank lending rates through hikes in overseas exchange rates, or a major customer forced into receivership. Whoever thought that the September 11 incident would have happened, the Iraq war etc; and the effect it had on the world economy and the list goes on?

In many cases, management could have avoided a considerable amount of the pain by seeking advice early, being honest to themselves and facing up to the issues.

There have been many excellent books written about business by "academics" who lecture on these subjects. In many cases they have never actually run a business and experienced the many personal and professional challenges involved on a day to day basis. Irrespective of how many books are out there businesses keep falling over while 'experts' keep saying the same old clichés or reinventing them under another label.

I have attended numerous courses and addresses run by self professed experts who think they have invented something new. It has always intrigued me how some of these individuals working on the speaking circuits have come up with new buzz words for terms we named differently years ago.

Business has always been about having the drive, vision, and passion, being hands on, having a dream and taking calculated risks. The most important thing however, is that it is about having the right people skills, marketing and using commonsense. Not all learned out of a text book.

There are numerous Government agencies, accounting firms, and consultants who promote themselves as experts, unfortunately many have little practical experience. The majority of the larger accounting organisations offer excellent resources however their fees make it prohibitive to the small to medium operator.

This book has been developed to tackle the basic issues in a straightforward way, accessible to the tradesperson and professional a-like. The reader can 'dip in and out' of the chapters reading answers to specific issues, problems, and questions as they need too.

Finally, I know how it feels when you have your back against the wall. I was 25 years of age when I bought out the company with whom I served my apprenticeship. It was tough and there were many times when I only had enough money in the bank to pay the next week's wages.

When a major public company went broke owing our business a large amount of money I was devastated. At that time I was married with three children and the strain of it all began to tell on my health, irrespectively I walked through my workshops as though I owned the world and never gave up hope. I know it can be a lonely place at the head of any business.

There were no business mentors at that time, and to deal with a bank for a loan you just about had to crawl in on your hands and knees. How things have changed.

Yes I have talked the talk and walked the walk and believe me, without small businesses the future of our economies would be a lot bleaker than they are today.

MB 1.7