Entrepreneurs Panel
Q. I currently run a couple of grocery shops and a contact of mine has asked if I would be interested in going into business with him running a franchised grocery outlet. What are the basics I need to consider before making up my mind?
I’ve been offered a takeaway business at what seems like a very good price. However, it turns out that about a year ago it was hit with a number of environmental health enforcements and warned it would be closed down – all of which was covered in the local press. It’s in a great location and I’m pretty sure I can sort out any hygiene issues but is the damage to its reputation likely to have been done?
My best foreman has been convicted of assault and given a suspended sentence. What message would I be sending out by keeping him on?
I run a small five-year-old chain of specialist high street shops and have been feeling unutterably depressed lately. For every economic good news story there seem to be ten bad ones. I have already had to make 20 per cent of my staff redundant in the last 12 months and, while the business isn’t in imminent danger, it isn’t making me any money either – and I worry that my customers may be lost forever to the internet.
I’m thinking of throwing in the towel and getting a job – I used to make good money as an HR manager.
What do you think?
Many of my staff travel to work by public transport and have started asking for interest-free season ticket loans in order to buy cheaper annual passes (I think one of them who used to work in London has spread the idea around the office). I'd like to help but worry about the administrative burden (we have a finance department of two and a staff of 80) and the impact on cashflow if too many take it up (my balance sheet isn't looking too clever at the moment). What do you think?
Having run a specialist retail business for the last four years, I am now considering franchising the concept. I reckon there will be a lot of talented senior retail people with large redundancy cheques to invest after Christmas – could this be the time to make my move?
Venue Finder
Cheltenham
