Cautious sustainability

At lunchtime today we said goodbye to Jasmine and Rachel, as they set off by train on the first stage of their journey home to Canada next weekend. It's been lovely to have them around so much this past few weeks. The house seems very tidy and quiet without them.

I had to go straight to a meeting in the office with a representative of our radio equipment supplier, and then knuckle down to the task of checking December '11 account entries against long awaited bank statements now at last in our hands. This enables us to get the VAT calculations done and the year's balancing payments made as soon as possible, as we will then have a clear picture of how we manage our finances for the rest of the year. 

This last couple of months, I've written scores of letters chasing up late payments, and finally this is bearing fruit. By the end of this year we may be able to afford to pay for office help without risking the stability of our general finances. We have to move with caution, because without external backers and only subscriber income to rely upon, it's vital to ensure our operations remain sustainable. We're still in recession, yet fortunately the number of new subscribers still balances the number we lose through business closures. Too many bad debts, which may accompany businesses bankruptcy, could compromise us, so we go forward with care.

I hope my financial risk-averse tendency learned from decades of ecclesiastical shoestring finances, will serve us well, and keep us running as are committed to run, as a sustainable not for profit social enterprise.