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PROF SERVICES DEBATE IN ASSOCIATION WITH:
BEING PROFESSIONAL IN THE FACE OF A CRISIS
Steve Brennan Ann Lancaster David Cox Heather Waters
Lisa Kennery
Ian McCullough
Paul Waite
Stephen Young
With Boost Business Lancashire we brought our panel of experts together to look at the importance of the professional services sector in Lancashire and its role in helping businesses and the county’s economy move forward post-lockdown
How can the professional services sector influence and inform the industrial strategy being devised for Lancashire and what role can it play in the situation we find ourselves in now?
SY: We’re looking for people from all different sectors to inform our industrial strategy going forward. It covers a range of different areas around people and skills, infrastructure, business environment, places. It is very much an ongoing conversation and we’re continuing to link into different sectors in the economy.
AL: As a result of Covid-19 everybody has been knocked sideways and plans have been put on hold. It is about supporting businesses to enable them to thrive and survive. It is important that the services address those needs moving forward. It’s not just about business strategy, there needs to be a lot of support available.
HW: It is vitally important that there is strong connectivity across professional services. Every business needs various elements of professional services and for me it is about how different organisations support each other and
work together. It is about telling stories, sharing information and guidance – there is a serious need for information.
DC: We have an enormous enthusiasm for Lancashire and building that story of a confident county. If we can join together and get on board with that work, contributing to and sharing that story, that is the way we are going to raise the county’s profile.
There’s more engagement and ownership when
you’re speaking to fellow Lancashire
professional services
LK: It is about collaboration and sharing information that we receive with our clients. The situation for a lot of owner-managed and
SME businesses means that they can’t digest everything, so we need to break information down in a way they can understand it. It is also about guiding them in the right direction for support, letting them know where they can get grants information.
IM: When it comes to the work that we do, businesses recovery is always our first and primary option. Whenever we have a discussion with a director, we’re looking to do that. Points have been raised about collaboration, about information, and part of what we’re doing ties in with that. One of the things that we always say is the earlier people speak to us the better it is, and the more recovery options you have.
You may have a viable business; you just might have a slight staffing issue or it may be a lease or a legal issue. It’s then a case of signposting you to an appropriate accountant, to assist with payroll, or an appropriate lawyer to assist with employees, banks and funders.
AL: People may be just overwhelmed and just cannot prioritise, ‘What do I need to do next?’ So, that initial conversation with one of our business support managers is absolutely
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