Real help.

Right now. No bullshit.

I felt compelled to write this as a result of my recent activities and the conversations I have been having. I won't beat around the bush.

One of the things I am doing currently is negotiating on behalf of a wounded business with over 100 vendors who have not been paid and are waiting for what happens next. Some are extraordinarily generous and accommodating and some are freaked out and some are very angry. The only tool I have to use with all of them is to be human, honest and empathetic, with a commitment to being available and in communication.

Having someone to talk to. Someone to answer your calls when you are worried about the future. It matters. The temptation when you're in a hole is to hunker down and stop communicating. It's the worst possible thing you can do.

I talked this morning to one such supplier who has acted with the kind of humanity that is not often seen. He hails from the heartland of the great southern man where blokes and blokettes tend to keep their worries to themselves and never ask for help.

Well, I've been there and right now I am at peak efficiency and effectiveness in dealing with troubled businesses. If you're having issues with suppliers you can't pay, if you've got staff issues, if you just don't quite know how to dig out of your current situation, for god's sake make contact.

I have a team of people who have a rich diversity of skills that may be of use to you, but in the first instance, you need to just talk to someone who's been there and experienced that. That's me. You don't have to know what the problem is precisely. I'll help you with that. Even if you need someone to deal with people on your behalf, that's ok.