Martin took a moment to look closely at his two friends and he began to wonder how things had ever got this bad. Anyone looking at the three o them would assume that they were three wealthy businessmen enjoying the end of a day’s golf. Certainly they all looked the part, but things are not always as they seem and Martin was worried.

In the ten years since they had been playing together, he had always enjoyed getting out of the office with Simon and Luke. Recently, however, he had begun to feel some resentment towards them. On the surface things continued as normal, free spending, joking and teasing. Martin’s father had reminded him that it was important never to look too hungry or too desperate when you are trying to close a deal. The recession had been tough on everyone. Luke was in the transport business and was pretty open about the price pressure that he was under, but he still seemed to be surviving. Martin was certain that Simon had done better in the downturn and he knew that he was still expanding and hiring people.

Martin ran an engineering business and things were bad. Sales were down 30% on last year and he had let several people go in the last few months. It had not been easy telling people the bad news, but now he was thinking that he should have acted sooner. When he first noticed things getting tighter he had taken the view that things would not be too bad for him. Natural optimism had been a strength and a weakness for him. “Hope is not a strategy” said his bank manager – prat. Cash was running out and he was spending more time on the phone talking to suppliers than he was looking for business. Soon he would have to back in front of the prat looking for a larger overdraft. And the banks were the ones who caused all the problems in the first place.

His accountant said that he should have a plan. Every time he phoned he kept asking about budgets and forecasts, but Martin had no time for that. This was a battle for survival. He had reached the stage now where he avoided the accountant altogether and now left the monthly figures to Ann in the office.

Simon had just done a review of his digital marketing and was about to invest £20,000 in a new website and internet marketing campaign. He raved about the marketing company who had done the strategy review and about the results that they were getting. He offered Martin their phone number, but he had not called them. Engineering is a very traditional sector and that internet stuff wouldn’t be well received by his customers. Anyway if he had £20,000 to spare he would pay some of his suppliers.

Still things would probably get better. You had to believe in a better tomorrow.

“Another drink chaps?”