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  • The MGroup Launches New Business Club & Webinar with Helen Joy at People Spark

The MGroup Launches New Business Club & Webinar with Helen Joy at People Spark

From the beginning of 2021, we’ve been running a webinar series with Nick Hughes of Dynamic Coach on the theme of Planning and Recovery, getting back to business post-pandemic. Designed to support the Oxfordshire business community, these webinars became a humbling success, with some of the business communities’ biggest names attending and supporting the events. 

The Planning and Recovery series finished up in May. Taking stock of the business community’s feedback, we spotted an opportunity to continue in a similar vein. Within the vibrant Oxfordshire community, we have some of the best and brightest business people with unique insights and industry perspectives that can support ongoing business growth and development. 

The MGroup Business Club is our way to bring these voices together in a structured monthly webinar about business recovery to share tips, tricks and insights that can help your business to thrive. 

The Business Club is completely free, just pencil in the 30th July and then the third Friday of every month from 10 am till 10.45 am.

The Business Club advert

Helen Joy x People Spark x The Post-Pandemic Workforce 

On the 30th of July, Helen Joy of People Spark will run the first Business Club webinar to discuss the post-pandemic workforce.

Helen Joy - People Spark

Following the whirlwind year of working from home arrangements and drastically different workplace protocols, people are now immovable in their expectations for flexibility. A staggering 78% of people are now looking for some flexibility in the way they work, and 45% of people are planning to change jobs in the next 12 months. 

As we all know, people more often leave because of their managers and teams rather than their specific roles. The role of a manager in ensuring the profitability and performance of the business is more important than ever before. 

Pre-pandemic poor management made employees 4x more likely to leave, and company culture is of significant importance to more people than ever before. Managers create the culture within the business. Each one is responsible for the experience of each member of their team, and their expectations are changing.

Being able to pre-empt these changes and understand the differing needs of teams helps leaders stay ahead of competitors and ensure that engagement remains high, leading to higher productivity and performance.

The webinar will cover: 

  • How the people landscape is changing
  • The skills managers need now
  • How this differs from any time before
  • The impact of not adapting
  • How to support your managers

The Business Club Beyond

Ensuring your Business Club is ready to deliver monthly insights, we’ve already locked in a number of upcoming webinar hosts to take you well into 2021. These include: 

Friday 17th September – Nick Hughes (Dynamic Coach) and Jon Ellard (Ellard Outloud)

The topic will be around ‘Sales and Marketing’

Friday 15th October – Paul Ballinger (STL Communications) and Natasha Ellard (Urban Element)

The topic will be around ‘Broadband Connectivity and Paid Advertising’

Friday 19th November – Dirk Anthony (Blank White Page) and Darren Aston (Aston and James)

The topic will be around High Performing Teams and The Hybrid Workplace and

Friday 10th  December – bonus webinar

Helen Joy from People Spark will do a Business Club series round-up with a special guest speaker

For just 45 minutes each month, you can access a wealth of information from the Oxford business community at absolutely no cost. As Oxford accountants ourselves, the webinar series is simply a way for our community to support each other. We have a long road of business recovery ahead, and we want Oxford to thrive.  

To register for the event in July, please e-mail: j.watts@themgroup.co.uk and be sure to spread the word amongst your colleagues and peers. 

We are delighted to say that Alex Rae CEO of Wise Investment who attended the first webinar, has recently appointed us to look after their payroll. For more on payroll services, you can book a free consultation with our team at The MGroup. Contact us today.

Testimonials

What our Customers Say

The MGroup have really been there for me and my business through the good times and the more difficult ones. Their advice has always been spot on, and has really ...
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Jessica Harvey-Smith
Debate Chamber Limited
The MGroup have really been there for me and my business through the good times and the more difficult ones. Their advice has always been spot on, and has really helped me to plan ahead and to consider angles on decisions which I might not have thought about otherwise. As well as being admirably clear and straightforward, everyone I have dealt with there has been friendly, patient, and thoughtful, and has really taken the time to get to know my business.
Jessica Harvey-Smith
Debate Chamber Limited
Mark has given me excellent Corporate Finance advice and support for 3 years and I would thoroughly recommend him. He is very tenacious in finding suitable companies to acquire and then ...
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Mark Swaby
Management Buy In client
Mark has given me excellent Corporate Finance advice and support for 3 years and I would thoroughly recommend him. He is very tenacious in finding suitable companies to acquire and then good at negotiating and putting deals together, including the all important funding. He is also very innovative in finding solutions to issues arising along the way.
Mark Swaby
Management Buy In client
Without a doubt, I recommend speaking with The MGroup. They are very knowledgeable, very understanding, have a good feel for our business and accommodate us quickly when we need help. ...
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Peter Mace
Managing Director, TT Concrete
Without a doubt, I recommend speaking with The MGroup. They are very knowledgeable, very understanding, have a good feel for our business and accommodate us quickly when we need help. We frequently get approaches from other accountancy firms and I tell them that we have no need to look elsewhere as everything is catered for very efficiently by Peter Smith and his team. I couldn't fault them.
Peter Mace
Managing Director, TT Concrete
I have nothing but admiration and respect for Geoff, Sandie and Lesley, the team at MGroup Corporate Finance who led us through the sale process - they are...
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Dan Graham
co-founder of F45 Training Stratford
I have nothing but admiration and respect for Geoff, Sandie and Lesley, the team at MGroup Corporate Finance who led us through the sale process - they are true professionals. Our key contact was Partner, Geoff Pinder, who took us under his wing, asking the right questions to help us make sensible decisions and protect our best interests. From the very first conversation it felt like they cared as much about our endgame as we did. We were both under a lot of pressure to close the deal and move on with our lives, so having a team we trusted by our side as we navigated game-playing, time-wasting potential buyers, was incredibly helpful. They are all wonderful people, and I would highly recommend you talk to them if you’re planning to exit your business.
Dan Graham
co-founder of F45 Training Stratford

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Ollie Squire

Partner

Chris Denton

Partner

Jordan Lyne

Partner

Jordan has worked with various client’s over his ten years at The MGroup. The services provided range from bookkeeping, VAT returns, annual accounts and management accounts. He has been involved in recruitment of new staff members and helped move the firm on with it’s systems by creating and improving internal controls and procedures.

Jordan manages his resources efficiently to meet deadlines and where clients have specific requirements, he works closely with them to ensure these are both feasible and met in a timely manner. Jordan has clients in various sectors, ranging from international companies to smaller locally based businesses.

Wendy Tatham

Partner

Wendy joined the firm in 2015, after starting in finance for the NHS and then qualifying with another local firm of accountants. She brought with her experience across all areas, having previously managed payroll support, corporate and personal tax compliance and planning alongside other general practice elements.

Wendy works with clients across a range of sectors and enjoys supporting them with their statutory reporting, internal financial processes, corporate and personal tax planning and business advisory services. A key area of interest is working closely with her clients to support them with growing and restructuring their businesses to align with their long term goals.

In her spare time Wendy is the lead volunteer for Oxfordshire Scouts, supporting 95 Scouts groups across the county to deliver a fun programme of activities to young people aged 4 to 24.

Geoff Pinder

Corporate Finance Partner

Geoff has operated in the Mergers & Acquisitions and the corporate finance arena since 2004. He has held Executive roles leading and managing the performance and productivity of cross functional teams focused on delivering a high quality service to clients across complex portfolios.

Selling a business is a life changing event, and Geoff’s passion is working with businesses owners to help them explore the various exit options and strategies available to achieve their objectives, leading to excellent results for all stakeholders.

Geoff has been involved in over 500 deals across multiple industry sectors, working predominantly on the sell side of transactions, including sales to strategic buyers, private equity, and MBO’s.

Darren Green

Partner

Having grown up in North Oxfordshire, Darren joined The MGroup in 1999 as a trainee, qualified in 2003, and became a partner in 2010. Darren is best known for his ability to ‘go the extra mile’ for clients; even changing a flat tyre outside the office when it was discovered after a meeting, helping his clients to safely make their way home.

Aside from changing tyres, Darren enjoys helping clients to grow their varied and interesting businesses, and gaining insights into a wide range of sectors. In particular, he likes working within the corporate finance team, assisting with financial projections and due diligence for prospective buyers. Darren enjoys the challenging and pressurized nature of this type of work. Many of his clients are from manufacturing, technology or start-up backgrounds.

In his spare time Darren is a family man and he also enjoys sport, including football, skiing and running. He has taken part in a 26 mile walk for a cancer charity with colleague Geoff.

Peter Smith

Partner

Peter joined The MGroup in 1990 and became a partner in 1996. Originally from Wiltshire, Peter is a member of the Oxford Chamber of Commerce where he has been a Chamber council member for over 20 years.

Helping to provide a complete finance solution to companies is one of Peter’s key focus areas. He believes this to be a service that sets the partnership aside from its competitors, alongside The MGroup values and employees.

Peter provides financial mentoring, support with strategy and planning, solutions to increase profitability and improve cash flow, and help with expansion/diversification plans. His specialist interest areas include not-for-profit, healthcare and international organisations.

Peter enjoys the opportunities and challenges he is faced with every day at The MGroup and making a difference to clients’ lives. He is also a keen local charity supporter, regularly helping to raise funds and awareness for SeeSaw and SpecialEffect where he is an ambassador.

Outside of work, Peter is a Chelsea Football Club season ticket holder. He likes walking in the local area, especially if there is a pub or café at the end of the walk, and enjoys holidays in Devon, in particular to a secret escape in Dartmouth.

Richard Clayton

Partner

In 1984 Richard became the youngest ever partner at The MGroup at the age of 27 and is now the longest serving partner. Richard is a true team player, having been a prominent local footballer in his early years. He very much brings the team ethos to The MGroup who like to work as an integral part of their client teams.

Richard qualified in 1982 and has worked with many of his clients for decades, evidence of the excellent service provided by both Richard and the firm. Richard is proud of the firm’s exceptional reputation. He continues to develop new strategies and explore improvements to the services they provide and remains highly ambitious and committed. Outside of work Richard enjoys golf, football, spending time with his family and the very occasional glass of wine (normally accompanied by too much food!).

Richard has a depth of knowledge and experience in all areas of the construction industry and also deals with most of the firms agricultural clients. He also deals with a wide range of other clients which include a substantial number of UK subsidiaries of overseas companies together with a number of high profile local businesses. Richard is a firm believer that the role of a trusted accountant is to provide clients with the best possible advice and support. The client does not always have to follow advice but he believes they must have all options on the table to form a meaningful decision.