Thetownend.com

Town to host business plan presentations
           
           


  SWINDON Town are set to invite fans and businesses to attend two business plan presentation evenings at the County Ground in early July.

           

http://www.thisisswindontownfc.co.uk/news/headlines/10435176.Town_to_host_business_plan_presentations/?ref=rss
           
           
           

All those with doubts, you going?

nope

If I can.

What's this? A business plan? Holy moly never though i'd see the day.

I'd be up for seeing the business model

[url width=575 height=323]http://techcitement.com/admin/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/arrested-development-business-model.png[/url]

"Is our plan to come out of the trenches and walk very, very slowly towards the enemy sir?"

"How do you know that Blackadder, it's classified information!"

Is this the plan for the club or the plan Gary Hooper spoke about a few weeks ago to integrate the club with local businesses?

Both very different things.

[url width=300 height=278]http://inabustours.blog.com/files/2013/04/business_man_running_away_with_a_suitcase_full_of_money_0071-1012-0314-4235_SMU.jpg[/url]

Damned if they do and damned if they don't...

So can we assume the story about local businesses not being paid is either made up or the issue has been resolved? Can't see the board organising this get-together if there was a risk of people coming to ask when their invoices were going to be paid.

Who knows? If only there was a quote to that effect within the article.

I will certainly go if I can make it and with an open mind.

They better be meticulous in their preparation, a wishy washy presentation is going to have opposite effect of gaining local business' confidence, let alone the fans.

Not entirely sure what the purpose of inviting local businesses is though.

Suppose its to get them interested in the hospitality side of things would imagine they will try and ramp up some extra income via this

You don't really pitch a business plan unless you're trying to sell a company. Just struck me as odd.

My only thought is that they are definitely going to upgrade the hospitality suites and are pitching that to the businesses to see if it was worth doing. Don't know where the money would come from though.

May see what the interest is like and if it is worth sorting out new boxes

I think it's fair enough to present a business plan given all the speculation about the finances. I'd expect them to say i) this is what comes in ii) this is what goes out iii) this is where we're taking things iv) this is how we'll get there.

I also like the quote:

“In the 12 weeks since we arrived we have faced a number of challenges, none more-so than our overall communication strategy,” said Murrall.

As if the overall communication strategy is completely out of their hands like the weather, rather than a catalogue of inept fuckups on their part.

To be fair, I don't think they're trying to wriggle out of it, I think they're putting their hands up to it and are seeking to redress it. And as for the why present a business plan to businesses, I'd guess they feel they don't really have the confidence of local businesses as much as the fanbase, for much the same reasons, and are seeking to give them some confidence that the new board are worthwhile people to work with as much as the old board were.

Of course much of the devil will be in the detail and a couple of nice-looking PowerPoints won't be able to paper over the cracks if the rest of the club is going to hell in a handcart but on the face of it, they're fronting up and looking to reassure people that they know what they're doing. That's to be applauded IMHO, so long as (obviously) what they have to present is:
a) actually worth presenting (i.e. not like the Q&A with the Trust which did more harm than good)
b) actually matched by some actions

If they provide that detail then it would be the most insight into our football club in terms of tying together the operational budgeting and business strategy.

I wonder how much commentary will be made on the previous couple of years finances? For example we know the club lost around £3m in our league 2 season but we’ve never found the breakdown/reasons why.

I did wonder the other day if the Supporters Trust had received the accounts yet?

Alternately maybe the presentation will be Callum Rice playing a selection of Led Zep covers and shouting "We're going to ROCK our way out of debt, maaaannnn. Woooh, yeah!"

THIS!


And this would be useful! I've gone back and forth over the last few weeks in wondering if we're being run by a bunch of crooks out to fleece us to a bunch of small businessmen who are a bit dim with awful PR but at the heart of it have the right intentions.

I'm honestly still not sure, but if it's the later, then as I've said before the principle of cutting down to a sustainable budget makes sense. This could be a real chance to tell people how it is in terms of the direction the club was heading in it's unsustainable model, rather then telling people what they want to hear initially (See "Similar funds available" quote for details) and then drastically cutting the budget, therefore breaking trust drastically.

This could be one last chance after the Q& not many A's chance which they threw away to get some people back on side. If they fuck it up, it could just be another nail in their coffin.