Predicting rain doesn’t count. Building arks does.
Last week I spoke at a South East London Chamber of Commerce webinar, joined by my colleagues Catriona Bryden and Rachael Childs. The theme was one that touches every business owner in our community: the risks you can’t afford to ignore.
The questions that came up weren’t abstract. They came from people who run shops on Blackheath Standard, agencies in Greenwich, trades in Bromley — the very businesses that keep our local economy alive. And their concerns were strikingly familiar:
- What happens to my family if I fall ill or die suddenly?
- How would my business cope if a key colleague couldn’t work?
- Am I taking too much of a gamble by treating my business as my pension?
Planning, not predicting
One of the quotes that resonated most with the group was: “Predicting rain doesn’t count. Building arks does.”
You can’t know when disaster will strike — whether that’s illness, a cyber-attack, or the sudden loss of a partner. But you can plan. And those who do are the ones who give their family, staff and clients the best chance of weathering the storm.
The essentials many overlook
What surprised many was how simple some of the safeguards can be. Few had come across a business power of attorney, yet without one, a sole trader’s accounts could freeze overnight if they were incapacitated. Others hadn’t thought about what happens to a partner’s shares if they pass away — or how disruptive it can be when executors step in without a shareholder agreement in place.
And then there’s the irony we always point out: every office is insured for its furniture, yet very few insure the people who actually make the business run. Losing a key salesperson or director can be more devastating than losing the premises itself.
What I took away
For me, the morning reinforced something I see time and again when working with business owners across South East London and North Kent: running a business is already risky. You don’t need to make it riskier by ignoring what you can control.
The most engaged conversations weren’t about abstract products or tax reliefs. They were about real choices: how to balance looking after today with protecting tomorrow, how to make sure the people who depend on you — whether family or staff — aren’t left exposed.
Moving forward
At Ginkgo Financial, we often prepare what we call a Groundwork Report for businesses. It’s a clear appraisal of the risks and opportunities you face, and a roadmap for what to tackle first. For some, that might be putting proper shareholder protection in place. For others, it’s building pension contributions alongside the business, so their future isn’t riding on a single sale.
Business owners in Blackheath, Greenwich and beyond are rightly proud of the enterprises they’ve built. My message from the webinar is simple: don’t leave that hard work vulnerable. Take time now to plan — because the difference between predicting the rain and building an ark is the difference between surviving a storm and being washed away.
Daren Wallbank
Chartered Financial Planner, Co-Founder – Ginkgo Financial
The value of investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Will writing and Powers of Attorney are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Approver Quilter Financial Services Ltd 06/10/2025
