Today Chris explained all I needed to know about finance. Ultimately the lesson Chris was teaching me was Finance can make or break an organisation so finding a Financial Director (FD) went to the top of my to-do list.
Within 2 hours I was pitching my idea to Jerry Davison, MD of the Mill Consultancy. Jerry is an incredibly experienced FD, after working for PWC, Deloitte, he ran StageCoach for 6 years in Malawi and now runs his own Consultancy company. Jerry’s involvement was critical to the success of the project and I had one shot to win him over.
I am very passionate and I can talk for hours (and hours) about my project but suddenly my nerves got the better of me and halfway through, I felt I had to stop and tell him how badly I thought it was going. He told me how much he loved Africa which immediately put me at ease. At the end of my second attempt, he told me he thought it was a brilliant idea and he came on board immediately. I couldn’t believe it – this was my first ever (intentional) pitch and it worked.
I cannot tell you how relieved I am. Once I have put together my cost report Jerry will write our 5 year financials, profit and loss, cash flow and balance sheets. I cannot begin to describe my relief. In the words of Anneka Rice…Jerry, you are a STAR!
Jerry in Malawi
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January 6, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Jerry Davison
Thanks Lucy – how could I resist your charm?? Aside from the fantastic aim of building a home to help these children who have been hit by such tragedy, what really impressed me was Lucy’s energy and commitment, and the brilliant idea of using the web and its collaborative strength to make this thing come true. The bottom line? I believe totally that she will do it.