// SCALING UP //

Rosie Ginday MBE , Founder and CEO , Miss Macaroon

TRAVELLING IN A TAXI AND SENDING AN INVOICE FROM MY PHONE IS AN AMAZING WAY FOR ME TO KEEP ON TOP OF MY FINANCES AND MANAGE MY BUSINESS ON THE MOVE . integrate into day-to-day operations , help plan ahead for any scenario and ensure that the commercial and social arms of Miss Macaroon were not only stable , but successful .

The tool : Creating certainty through financial software

Miss Macaroon transitioned to Xero ’ s software around 10 years ago , due to its range of features that transform financial management processes . The intuitive platform is a small business staple and has allowed Ginday to create financial plans and budgets , monitor cash flow in real-time , digitise invoices and automate reminders and ultimately track the performance and financial dependencies of the commercial and social businesses .

Time put back into the business

As founder of a social enterprise small business , time is a commodity for Ginday . Since implementing Xero , Ginday has trusted the technology to create and track customised invoices and streamline their management , saving hours of time on what was previously a manual task . Reclaiming this time means it can be invested into more pressing areas of the business , like developing the online training programme or finding candidates through their referral network .

Planning ahead

With consumer confidence somewhat unpredictable , and some down periods to be expected , Ginday has been able to work on budgets and plan for a range of scenarios – from wherever she is , on whichever device . Knowing how best to prepare for different periods of the retail calendar – while ensuring there is enough investment in the training programme – has been hugely beneficial . The same can be said when Miss Macaroon takes on big projects , like the Kickstart scheme – one of the government ’ s employment programmes to help young people into work post-COVID-19 . The scheme was a six-month paid placement helping to provide early work experience , for which Ginday has been able to use Xero ’ s cash flow forecasting to show her board of advisors how and why they can fund it .

“ Travelling in a taxi and sending an invoice from my phone is an amazing way for me to keep on top of my finances and manage my business on the move ,” said Ginday .

Ease of use

While Ginday works with an accountant , having autonomy through an accessible platform to undertake financial tasks herself , such as downloading and collaborating on reports with her board of advisors , takes some of the stress out of finances . Ginday ’ s bank feeds are updated in real-time in the Xero platform , meaning she can quickly access information and management accounts when needed . The simplicity of the Xero platform has transformed the way Ginday and her advisors work for the better .

Goals for the future :

Ginday is looking ahead to an impactful future for Miss Macaroon with digital at the heart of the business . It is increasingly working with larger corporates across several sectors to co-create social impact programmes that can change young people ’ s lives . These All Rise Partnerships boost employee engagement and wellbeing , address talent gaps and drive innovation and inclusive working practices . As Miss Macaroon grows in this way , Ginday is focusing on developing integrated data systems to demonstrate to corporate partners , not only the social impact for the young people they ’ re supporting , but the financial savings to the public purse and the impacts on their own organisation . Xero will form a key source of a chunk of this data . �

68 Intelligent SME . tech