How's Your Firm Doing So far?

Poll: How's Your Firm Doing So far?

Total Members Polled: 163

Much worse: 9%
A bit worse: 12%
About the same: 47%
A bit better: 23%
Much better: 9%
Author
Discussion

TDIPLC

Original Poster:

3,663 posts

207 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
quotequote all
Amid the grumbling/doom and gloom from the Remoaners regarding the Brexit decision, I thought it would be good to know what the real world situation is like for those who own a business or have knowledge about the firm the work in.

Obviously there are plenty of unknowns about what Brexit will look like, but so far I have to say that this is the best year to date my firm has ever had, and the best August (which is normally quiet) in our 30 year history. We're looking to recruit too.

What's your story?



FN2TypeR

7,091 posts

92 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
quotequote all
No change.

They sent an email out prior to the referendum saying they would assess their UK staffing levels if we voted leave, then a week after the leave vote they sent an email out saying they were committed to their current UK staffing levels and would remain so.

They could be lying of course, then again they could have been lying in the pre referendum email too.

anonymous-user

53 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
quotequote all
So far a bit better, but looks like 3 new contracts are going to drop in the next two weeks, 1 in Spain and 2 in the US.

The only thing that has stalled is a project with a large corporate in the Netherlands, but thats more due to them being a complex matrix organisation and the stakeholders being unable to make any decision and wanting to add more hoops and jumps for me to jump through rather then Brexit related.

Hence why I treat the Dutch firm like I do UK councils, and add in a moron tax.

Overall looking positive and optimistic.

Sheetmaself

5,665 posts

197 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
quotequote all
Most of my money is made from Japan im now getting 136 yen to the pound a few years ago it was at 200 yen to the pound!

Businesses in the UK are doing slightly worse as a whole but nothing disastorous.

On the Negative side none of my businesses are big earners, more like a few lifestyle wage companies opposed to the levels involved with others businesses.

TwigtheWonderkid

43,248 posts

149 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
quotequote all
Worse. Two of our customers have put on hold major expansions of their European operations, and we would have earned good money out of those expansions. One of our customers had subbed out the European transportation work so we've lost money on that.

Short, medium and long term, it can only be bad for us.

Pesty

42,655 posts

255 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
quotequote all
Exactly the same better than should be given our out dated portfolio and strong competition from manufacturers in Germany.
Perhaps the exchange rate may give this uk company a boost and make us more attractive than ze germans during tenders.

rscott

14,691 posts

190 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
quotequote all
The company I work for aren't seeing much change yet - most of our contracts are long term projects.

The company the other half works for have been affected very badly - they're a wine wholesaler so cost of product has gone up considerably both from Europe and South America.

Digga

40,207 posts

282 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
quotequote all
Very difficult to say, and obviously it's a bit early to draw too many conclusions, but both firms are doing better in August than in the immediate aftermath.

What encourages me more though is the firm which sells bigger, more capital intensive equipment is doing a lot better. People are investing.

tomw2000

2,508 posts

194 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
quotequote all
I work in "digital' for a decent-sized global agency who were bought out by a much larger business (french...it's not hard to work out whom) a year or so before Brexitmaggedon.

The restructuring processes we're going through were in progress anyway and are related to being assimilated into the mothership of the larger organisation we're now part of.

Clients are still spending. It'd be daft for companies to bet against t'internet ('digital') - and August is always quieter as is the in the end of the year as clients start to figure out how to allocate the following year's budgets.

There is still plenty of work out there. It's a competitive market (between agencies battling for client accounts and new work), and as always clients want 'value for money' and push agencies on pricing.
May the cream always float to the top.

The above is my personal opinion and not based on any official company policy or statement.

Otispunkmeyer

12,558 posts

154 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
quotequote all
We're about the same, potentially looking up, but we've been in dire straits for a long while anyway laugh

anonymous-user

53 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
quotequote all
About the same at the moment I think.

But we're in a slightly artifical situation at the moment where we're selling products built with parts sourced overseas when the pound was strong, and selling them now the pound is weak so our margins look amazing at the moment.

In a month or so it should calm down and there'll be a truer picture, although I have a suspicion that things might start changing again soon as the MP's return from their break.

don4l

10,058 posts

175 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
quotequote all
We normally get one or two orders from abroad a month. It seems to be two a week at the moment.

However, I would need another two months to be certain that the exchange rate was behind the apparent rise in sales.

Megaflow

9,347 posts

224 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
quotequote all
About the same, but it is an American company with facilities in the UK.

MG CHRIS

9,077 posts

166 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
quotequote all
Well since I left and another employee left in july my old company is going down hill big time, while my new place starting 2 weeks time is booming hence me and him moving to this new company. Both have nothing to do with leaving the eu though.

From speaking to others not much has changed after the initial omg the world is going to end.

gruffalo

7,509 posts

225 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
quotequote all
Investing like crazy hiring people as quick as it can, high salary staff as well.

TC8

853 posts

189 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
quotequote all
Wheat prices have gone up a bit, and then dropped back a bit. Probably won't know until April when I get paid for this harvest.

sunbeam alpine

6,936 posts

187 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
quotequote all
TC8 said:
Wheat prices have gone up a bit, and then dropped back a bit. Probably won't know until April when I get paid for this harvest.
Don't know whereabouts you are, but our yields are way down (2000kg per ha lower than last year) so we need a pretty big rise to compensate!

loafer123

15,406 posts

214 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
quotequote all

Online retail business up ~30% yoy mainly driven by EU and USA.

Other business started in Jan and growing strongly through Italian and USA investors.

powerstroke

10,283 posts

159 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
quotequote all
About the same or maybe a bit better , and all but one customer out of the ones that wanted to discuss are very positive about brexit the consensus seems to be sensible businesses with a good product or service will be just fine and prosper
some are very excited about new markets opening up as long as we are outward looking and low red tape post Brexit...

Strocky

2,630 posts

112 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
quotequote all
Hunger and burst