Sam Courtney

• Established sole trader business providing finance, administration, and marketing support to small businesses, enhancing operational efficiency.
• Currently carry out bookkeeping duties, diary management and marketing/sales support for a heating and plumbing business.
• Identified and implemented systems for financial accounts and customer experience, migrating accounting from Excel to Xero and introducing a booking/CRM system to improve customer relationships and drive sales and retention.

Management of daily operations in a high-end rural food-led pub.

• Line managed a team of 15 through effective recruitment, training, performance appraisals, and rota management.
• Optimised event promotion and financial management by utilising advanced IT software, including Excel, OpenTable, and EPOS Now.
• Elevated organisational efficiency in back office operations while nurturing stakeholder relationships and ensuring high customer retention rates.

• Coordinated a renovation project for an entire first floor at a homeless day centre to support increased service capacity for vulnerable community members.
• Facilitated communication and relationship management with contractors, clients, staff, volunteers, board of trustees, local businesses, and Brighton & Hove Council to assist in collaborative project delivery.
• Updated health and safety, volunteer, service user data protection, and finance policies in line with organisational growth and legislative changes to promote compliance and operational efficiency- and wrote and delivered the training around these updates.

• Promoted from room hire and catering manager to line manage HR, Finance, Room Hire and Operations Departments
• Drove sales for all catering and room hire business development, including attendance at local and county business networking events, pitching and presenting at community events, and generating new leads.

• Performed all opening/closing duties and managed End of Month activities, including stock take, H&S checks, and P&L generation and analysis- presenting figures and rolling out training at weekly staff meeetings

• Coordinated diverse private, corporate, and community events within a 5-star environment for Colchester United FC commercial team, enhancing guest experiences at weddings, live music shows, conferences, fundraising dinners, and exhibitions.
• Handled crisis management efficiently, resolving unexpected issues swiftly to minimise disruption and maintain high standards.

Started as Reception Manager and advanced to Sales Manager within 6 months by driving sales and showing initiative in both telephone and face-to-face sales. Developed and executed initiatives for community outreach, B2B business development, and Running and Weight Management Clubs, collaborating with the clubs Fitness Team.