Keeping business moving forward for the future

Countryside business

Growing up on a family farm has clearly influenced Fiona Phillips’s career choice – she is now perfectly placed to offer expert advice to those running very similar businesses in the countryside.

More than just a business

Fiona Phillips, knows that agricultural businesses are often much more than just businesses – they can involve families, heritage and history as well.

She said: “I love the variety of the work I do – no two days are the same. I relish seeing rural businesses grow and expand (and acquiring more land and property enables them to do that) and I enjoy working closely with farming families to make sure they keep talking to resolve their issues and to encourage them to think ahead which helps to avoid future conflict.

“One example of this was working with a farming family on the transition of the farm to the next generation.

“Until we got involved, the family could not see a way forward, relationships were tense, the farming business was in debt and they were not capitalising on their assets.

“We encouraged and supported them to restructure their finances, got an accountant to help them, put a partnership agreement in place and generally put them in a position to enable the next generation to move forward successfully. It was a great example of many professionals (both in HCR and externally) working together for a client.”