Great post-Covid opportunities await, says accountancy boss, but please support local

BUSINESSES can thrive postpandemic if they continue to diversify, says a top Derby accountancy firm as England begins Step Two of its roadmap to ease lockdown restrictions.

Since Monday, non-essential retail, gyms, hairdressers, spas, theme parks and zoos have reopened, while restaurants and pubs can serve outdoors.

Beverley Wakefield, of Duffield Road-based Vibrant Accountancy, says we should continue to support local and that, if these businesses which have adapted constantly throughout the last 12 months can continue to offer new things, then they will blossom.

And Beverley, who set up Vibrant Accountancy with business partner Ian Ball just four months before the first coronavirus lockdown, says those start-ups created during the pandemic can push on and grow.

“I’m very stoic and think we can all take this opportunity and challenge post-covid times,” said Beverley. “We all need to continue to support local and build on our community – but not close the door to global, as there are, of course, more opportunities out there and with technology being so advanced these days, something which we’ve all adapted to using on a regular basis over lockdown, it’s so easy to create new relationships with people around the world.

“There have been some great examples, too, of businesses altering and doing things their customers want – some online experiences supported by physical presence, a mix of services and new products. Let’s continue to challenge and change and keep that human approach which has been so warming to see during the pandemic.”

The proportion of people in the UK travelling to work has increased to 53% since the end of March, according to the Office for National Statistics. And Beverley believes that, once all restrictions on travel in the UK are lifted, we will see more companies offering flexible working.

“At Vibrant, we have altered significantly,” she said, “Whilst we have worked from the office on occasions in between the three lockdowns – on a rota basis, restricting the amount of people in the office – it will be nice to get all of us in the same room together.

“There has to be an element of trust to ensure that flexible working is beneficial for everyone and I believe that having a base is still fundamentally important.”

Over the past 12 months Beverley has spent many a night trying to dissect the latest Government legislation, trying to simplify furlough for her clients and how the guidance from Number 10 will affect businesses.

She said: “Furlough will be here until September and we still have time to plan and to utilise this to retain those key members of staff as

we will hopefully see a hive of activity across the summer months as the Government’s road map – hopefully – sees us moving to pre-Covid times.

“It’s important business owners budget and plan both personally and for their business; they need to review all their costs and identify whether they are needed or not and whether they’re getting the right return on investment.

“Businesses don’t tend to fail on the way into a recession; they fail on the way out and there has been a lot of support to nurture and ensure that businesses can remain open.”