With Debbie and Della at home ill today watching Television, and with Diana off shopping, I worked on planning and organising the Focus deliveries until lunch and then chaired an ON-SITE Training Ltd Board of Directors meeting in the afternoon. The lack of revenue and host of business problems meant that I had to guide the meeting to recognise that we would have to cease trading.
Tea and then out to a Liberal Democrat supper evening attended by the Rt. Hon Paddy Ashdown MP, leader of the parliamentary party, who I got photographed with Sue Sutton, our new local candidate.
I was a bit better this morning with my cough starting to become more productive and free. I had a lot to do and so got up early. Both Debbie and Della were playing dead today and so Di tucked them up on the settees in the Lounge and Playroom and they lay happily there and watched the television all day. I planned the Southoe leaflet round this morning and produced the same type of instructions for there so as to carefully count the leaflets that I would need. I then found out that I was short of a number of copies and will have to wait for returns before doing Diddington. Then I loaded up the car and started to call on my new deliverers as well as my more established ones. By the end of the morning, I had placed all but three of the batches and had names for the rest provided that I could find them in later. I was a bit chilled and tired from chatting to so many ladies and so collapsed in the lounge with a coffee, couple of biscuits, and Debbie for company whilst I watched the TV news.
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This let Di go out to do her shopping and I then used the remaining time before lunch to clear up my office and to type a few words into my journal. Lunch and then to this afternoon's meeting of the ON-SITE Training Ltd's Board of Directors which I approached with some trepidation. The company had run out of capital and needed some reasonable revenues this month to meet its cash flow requirements. Either that, or the investors would all have to put in some more money against business in which we could have renewed confidence. The meeting was easily as bad as I thought it was going to be. Although revenues from Franchise fees had saved the situation for the present month, the forward forecasts and the existence of a whole host of other management, organisational and commercial problems made the future look untenable. Under my guidance, we were left to conclude that the company would probably have to cease trading with almost immediate effect. We were left to meet the staff afterwards without really knowing what to say and I suggested that we meet again tomorrow at 11.00 am to make the final decisions.
On my way home, I managed to find the potential deliverers at home and they took my last three batches of FOCUS's which was good. Not one of the new people had declined and I hope that they are all delivered as planned. Tea and then out to a Liberal Democrat supper evening attended by the Rt. Hon Paddy Ashdown MP, leader of the parliamentary party. It was a very well-attended and successful event and I was also able to take the campaign of Sue Sutton, as our parliamentary candidate a bit further. I had her photographed with the leader for subsequent press and publicity purposes and exchanged information for our campaign. It was only my last minute check that produced a photographer and camera which was a close call! Home quite late and to bed after an exhausting day.