Engaging Kent CIC

Engaging Kent is a Community Interest Company that supports people, gives them a voice, and brings about positive change. They work alongside patients, social care users, and organisations like Food Banks to support socially minded ideas and make a difference in the community.

Sue recommended Auker Hutton to her fellow board members because she’d worked with Tony Burgoyne in the past. She believed his calm professionalism, sound advice, and ability to explain everything clearly without jargon would be a valuable asset.

When Engaging Kent was set up in 2013 the company had just three directors and a single contract. However, the CIC soon grew quickly and now has several employees and a turnover in excess of £1 million. The speed of this growth brought several challenges – not least because they had precious little financial expertise in-house.

Auker Hutton’s role was to guide the company through this expansion, provide objective advice, and keep the financial side of the business organised and compliant. Tony also sought to take the pressure off Sue, who was responsible for several different roles at once including HR, winning new contracts, and business development.

Tony listened carefully to Sue’s plans at the outset, discussed her immediate objectives, and asked where she wanted to take the company in the future. He then set up the CIC prudently to achieve these objectives. Particular attention was paid to governance and internal processes.

Auker Hutton assist with both the month-to-month running of the company and its overall strategic direction. They train staff, handle payroll, assist with VAT, pick up any glitches, and help Sue to formulate proposals that she can present to the board.

Every year Tony and Sue sit down to discuss the previous twelve months, review Engaging Kent’s position, and identify opportunities to help the company grow further.

Auker Hutton have become what Sue calls “a great anchor” as the company goes from strength to strength. Tony came in, immediately got to grips with all the paperwork, provided a calming and level headed presence, and kept the company on an even keel as it grew. He also developed an effective strategy for dealing with deferred payments.

A key development has been the introduction of SAGE. This has improved the accuracy of Engaging Kent’s bookkeeping and streamlined the business like never before. Auker Hutton have also set up a reserves policy that’s used to support the CIC’s business development plan.

Engaging Kent continues to grow but they now have an active growth plan thanks in large part to Auker Hutton. Meanwhile, Tony continues to support Sue in every way possible. He gives her on-going strategic advice and ensures that she never forgets about the future whilst leading a busy working life in ‘the now’.