And the World is the operative word.
As well as the hang over from the tax return season which seemed to drag on right through January, it has been international season, with all of our overseas clients being very active:
- It started with some accounts for a Swiss company engineering company;
- some more accounts for a Russian oil company;
- some accounts for an Indian based healthcare business;
- some negotiations on the sale of some pharmaceutical products for another Indian client;
- a flying workshop for one of our Dubai based clients, who had me working my socks off in a hotel room for two days (not what you are thinking - those with dirty minds);
- the negotiation for some land in India;
- a small piece of tax work for a UK client who deals with the US; and finally
- a trip to Indonesia for one of our oil clients (which is where I am writing this blog !)
It all sounds very exotic, but one hotel is much like any other, and long haul travel is never fun. (Even on the new airbus 380 !!)
The work though has been very interesting and varied. And that is what makes what we do so enjoyable.
We have also been developing a number of web based products which we are launching very soon.
Amanda and I are working with a new client to help revamp our website. We have learnt so much in relation to the web, marketing on the web and the benefits that a correctly structured website can bring. It has been really interesting.
Business across our clients has been steady, but slow. UK businesses are very clearly still suffering. Construction, Insurance, Recruitment, Manufacturing, Print.... I could go on. All are finding it a slog, and in some ways there is no surprise. The UK economy still has some corrections to make. Only last week the threat of a fall in UK Plc's credit rating has hit the exchange rate and therefore the attractiveness of the UK as an investment.
More cuts in public sector spending and the very real possibility of tax rises are all things that we expect to hear about in the budget in a few weeks time. With a May election looming, this one needs to be a vote winner but not at the risk of unsettling the climb back up the curve.
I wouldn't want Alistair Darlings job right now.
Chris
