Virtual Company Secretary

You run a Limited Company. By law you have to have a Company Secretary. Could you write a job description for one? Probably not. Would it surprise you to know it covers... Well click here to see the list, all legally and commercially essential (but I warn you, it is boring!)

  • Maintaining the statutory registers
  • Providing members and auditors with notice of meetings
  • Sending the Registrar copies of resolutions and agreements
  • Keeping, or arranging for the keeping, of minutes of directors' meetings and general meetings
  • Supplying a copy of the accounts to every member of the company, every debenture holder and every person who is entitled to receive notice of general meetings - also copies demanded by anyone under section 239 of the Act.
  • Ensuring that people entitled to do so can inspect company records
  • Custody and use of the company seal
  • Keeping records of assets 
  • Registering and renewing patents, trade marks and registered designs
  • Issuing employment contracts that are ACAS compliant

Enough already!  Now Click here to make it all disappear....

And that's what I can do - make the boring stuff disappear by taking it off your hands.

Maybe your Accountant or Solicitor already covers some of the items on the list?  But if so, you may also be paying top dollar for the mundane statutory stuff and missing out on the value-added functions of a VCS  - a Virtual Company Secretary 

 

What you get

Me.  Not some back-office trainee cutting their teeth on your livelihood. An experienced, user-friendly source of help and advice able to cover a combination of Legal, Company Secretarial and Business affairs as and when they arise.

'Virtually'. I'm available wherever and whenever you need me but I can also work in-house and you get to choose how much of my time each month you want to pay for, (minimum 1 day per month).  With reasonable notice you can even vary the amount of my time you use from month to month as your business dictates.

What I promise

My VCS service will:

  • always be practical, commercial and fitted to your needs
  • always proactively defend your business interests against any and all legal claims 
  • instantly give you access to 25 years of combined experience as a Commercial Lawyer, Company Secretary, Managing Director and Business Adviser  
  • always be available on a known-cost, value for money, day-rate basis

Who needs it ?

1. Start-up Companies

When do most Start-ups fail?  During the first 12 months - the period when they make the most mistakes.

Government agencies help Start-ups with the basics –things like business stationery, creating a web site, Terms and Conditions, Shareholders Agreements etc. After that they are pretty much on their own.

But hey, you're the boss, you're supposed to know what you're doing, right?  And so you will... if you survive the first 12 months.  I can help with practical advice on day-to-day issues. Everything you need to know about business but were afraid to ask, no problem too small, no question too dumb.  Trust me, we've all been there and if anyone tells you different, they're just trying to steal your customers.

VCS fills the gap

2. High Growth Companies

Over the first hurdles? Confidence high? Many businesses grow quickly, successful products, successful marketing, rapid expansion. Some great success stories. But things get left behind along the way. Important things. Things that start to threaten the success story. Like process and procedure, compliance issues, contracts, employee paperwork. The temptation is to bring on senior people to help you cope. But what will that do to the overheads?

VCS fills the gap

3. Established Companies

Has your business reached the sunlit uplands - established, profitable and stable?  Nothing wrong with that, but staying there - that's the trick. You may need advice and assistance on a regular and basis but successful as you are, does that justify the cost of a full time Company Secretary, Company Solicitor or Business Consultant? ‘Established’ doesn’t need to mean ‘wasteful’.   

VCS fills the gap
 
Contact Me for a no-charge initial meeting. Let’s talk about how I can start to help you.