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By Dani Saveker, May 25, 2010 9:40 am

Good news, for some…

It would seem that Marks and Spencer have announced profits today of £632.5m for the last financial year. Chairman, Sir Stuart Rose has suggested that the UK has now come through the worst of the recession. In so many ways I would agree that it does sound like that especially with such profits being stated in the press.

The bad news, for some….

However, the bigger picture is that those profits have been achieved by squeezing the suppliers. Major retailers such as M & S, Next (reporting 18% increase in profit), Sainsburys (who recently boasted a 17% hike in profits), Tesco’s (who reported record profits)  and others have been able to dictate prices to suppliers for a long time and the recession has certainly allowed them to hold all the power. As the CEO of a manufacturing SME in the Midlands during the worse of the recession we supplied shopfittings to the retail, leisure and construction sectors and I know first hand how these big players had no regard for the backbone of the UK. We were crippled – the phone’s stopped ringing in October 2008.

The sad news…

My family’s 106 year old business had no choice but to enter administration in March 2009 and I still wonder about all the other victims that have fallen by the wayside as a result of the recession – and in particular as a result of big retailers and car manufacturers ensuring they survived regardless. Of course as a businesswoman I understand the cut throat decisions that have to be made at times – that’s the duty of the directors but I just hope we realise that the headlines have a great deal more behind them and that the ongoing impact of the recession will cascade for months if not longer. What about the third sector and so many others?

The horizon in the UK is radically different now and we have a pool of highly skilled executives that have been thrown into the pot, professionals that have left or been discarded and it will be an interesting two years – of course we also have the new Government and faster moving technology… so interesting times ahead and they’ll be nothing like we have known before.

Having said all that, I still believe that we have a world of opportunities at our disposal and it’s time to seize them!

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By Dani Saveker, December 28, 2009 7:15 pm

I’m sure many people are reflecting over the past 12 months as New Years Eve approaches. I know that I am looking back once again and taking a few moments to think about what 2009 meant to me and to my family.

As the year began we were full of optimism and hope having just secured a last mintute Bridge Fund loan of £250k to help our struggling business survive the trauma of the recession. Alas it was not meant to be and just a month later it was clear survival was no longer an option and consideration was given to how to handle this and how best to limit any damage.

Even as administration was in place it was a strange feeling and in many ways I was numb – what I would do afterwards was almost irrelevant to me at the time. As CEO I had an incredible sense of duty and responsibility and as such my only focus was everyone else. As the dust settled and life went on I had to think about what I wanted and needed – I’m still learning what the answers to these are.

And so here we are with just a few days left of the year and more importantly my attentions have turned to what opportunities are out there. In many ways 2009 (or certainly post admin) was putting in ground work, getting out into the world and seizing experiences and opportunities – and most importantly building my valuable network. I also took the time to understand what I was truly passionate about so that my future time would be spent  not only working hard but also enjoying every minute of it.

2010 will see a new company born “Jeeves Services (UK) Limited”.

Jeeves will provide a support service for SME’s and households – we will be providing planned preventative maintenance, skilled and experienced tradespeople, repairs and solutions – from my dedicated team.

• qualified electricians
• plumbers
• decorators
• joinery
• general & ground maintenance
• air conditioning and handling
• general industrial services
• cleaning & household services 

We also continue to carry out retail interior design, shop fits, flooring and lighting along with all maintenance. 

I’m very proud to say that Jeeves will be headed by Richard Villers, my loyal, trusted and long serving production assistant from Savekers – as well as many others we have worked with for many years, all who have been affected by the recession but always offer a true work ethic, flexibility, reliability and of course a valuable service.

2010 will be a successful and enjoyable year - we have no doubt!

Our website www.jeevesservices.com is currently being worked on and should be up and available for the beginning of the year. If you’d like to know more in the meantime please email me or call 07812 99 27 26.

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By Dani Saveker, September 28, 2009 8:44 am

Since Savekers Limited, my 106 year old family business, went into administration in March 2009, my 3rd cousin and I have had a personal guarantee hanging over our heads. I have to say that both of us have chosen to put this to the back of our minds… until last week!

During the administration process I proactively helped the IP’s to sell the business – which we managed to do. At the time I ran up £75 of expenses which were to be covered by the administrators. 6 months on and after several chases I received a cheque. The last 6 months have also been a time for the administrators to sell our 60,000 sq ft property just on the outskirts of Birmingham City Centre. We were assured that this sale would more than likely satisfy the amount we had guaranteed to the bank.

It always amazed me that during the struggle and lack of salary that my cousin and I endured at times, the personal guarantees we were forced to accept to save the business seemed irrelevant to fellow board members, the Union and senior employees who were all aware of them.

I wrote an email on Friday to the IP’s to acknowledge receipt of the £75 only to receive this

“I’m glad you emailed, need to let you know about an offer we have had on the property.  It is at the lower end of valuers estimates but we have had very little interest to date and they have recommended we accept.  The offer has been forwarded to the Bank for their consideration and I am waiting to hear back from them…  I just wanted to let you know that there is a strong possibility at this stage that the Bank will have a shortfall …”

And there you have it, on a Friday afternoon at 4pm the IP’s prove once again they don’t have a clue about people and how to deal with them. This is also considering that when I called them in initially, during the first meeting they told us “Don’t worry we’ll look after you”.

Personally I am ready to deal with whatever the Bank have to do – but receiving emails like the one of Friday made me so angry and yet not surprised in the slightest.

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By Dani Saveker, September 19, 2009 10:10 am

There’s been a number of reports just recently about how as a society we are returning to the basics of living and relying on core values. Obviously as a consequence of the recession we  have lost all trust in the Government,  banks, large corporations etc and so we need to find what, and who, we can trust.

The sale of slow cookers and sewing machines has soared as has packets of seeds for home grown produce. I heard that architects have had to redesign kitchen layouts from a straight and minimal approach to one that will accommodate family dining. This can only be good news. The return to people investing in relationships and time, things close to home rather than processions and debt is long overdue.

Personally I have enjoyed recapturing and nurturing solid relationships with “wholesome” friends,  some of them had a 23year gap since last being with them and yet it hasn’t mattered one bit. As we age we all seem to learn that our real friends can be counted on one hand – but when you do recognise this and are able to turn to those friends when needed it’s a pretty great feeling. We all need to trust but it’s a two way thing and something that comes with risk,  get it right and you benefit hugely whilst getting it wrong is devastating.

I think we should all take a little time to evaluate what our personal core values are and use them. What’s really important to you?

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By Dani Saveker, September 10, 2009 8:08 am

During a presentation yesterday I heard a chap say something a lot of female execs already know… a board that includes a woman (or women) will result in that organisation being on average 8% more profitable!

After a quick bit of digging round I also found confirmation (from Harvard no less) that female directors are proven to be far better at corporate governance and when a board is inclusive of women the company outperforms it’s competitors. One of the many articles can be found on the Harvard website. It’s a fact that male directors raise their game when sitting on boards with women – surely a win/win situation then? The Times also reported that women help businesses to succeed.

It makes perfect sense to diversify and at the very least have a female non executive – great governance and a better bottom line too!

I have to say, I’ve noticed a few more of my male colleagues telling me that they ought to add a female non exec recently. If you are considering this, I’d be happy to discuss non executive opportunities further – drop me a line. Coming out of recession shows we need to have trusted board members, effective and committed executives and the best possible chance of success – women can help. An article in the Telegraph also talks about women in the boardroom.