Blog
Annual Business Plan (That Actually Works)
[et_pb_section admin_label="section"] [et_pb_row admin_label="row"] [et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text"]Most annual planning is like an aimless road trip. One where somebody says, “Hey, we have $100 - let’s take it as far as we can.” Maybe you get 30 miles, maybe you get...
Having The Audacity To Lead, Grow, and Build Your Business
There’s been a lot of talk in 2020 about businesses making a pivot. Turning their attention away from what might be their strengths or core competencies and doing what they feel is necessary just to “get through.” In sailing when...
The Critical Role of The Forward Thinking CFO
We were in a meeting with a CEO where he was describing the role of his Controller, who essentially serves as the CFO of his company. The CEO described that this person reported on the Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) of...
How to Calculate Business Valuation? 3 Keys to Valuation
Valuation is an exploration of what a company is worth, but not necessarily its value based on price. The price of something can oscillate and change for a number of reasons, where for valuation we’re trying to determine with some...
Financial Transparency: Everybody Wins When Everybody’s In
Financial transparency is about opening the books to everybody in an organization, letting them see how financial functions operate. It’s not uncommon, especially in small business, for employees and owners or leaders to be divided by perception. Employees will think...
Profit Improvement Plan
Profitability is hard work. It’s not something that’s inevitable if you run your business efficiently, and it’s not something that happens by accident if you make smart decisions. Profitability has to be planned for, accounting for several components and interacting...
Private Equity: Adding & Creating More Value, Faster
Private equity is a fairly complex industry, but described very simply: They find a company, they buy the company, they add and create value to this company, and then they sell it. One of the biggest hurdles many middle market...
The Dance: Financial Management for Not For Profits and Social Enterprises
Not For Profit (NFP) organizations and social enterprise businesses face unique challenges. Among them: Emotional motivations can be strong among NFP leaders; organizations can rely heavily on volunteers or spread responsibilities out among just a few staff; and managing donors,...
Managing the Machine of Manufacturing: Financial Functions To Streamline Success
Manufacturing companies create everything from pens to paperclips, automobiles to airplanes. There are small businesses and global enterprises. One concern they all have in common is effective inventory control. Making the right product at the right time is the heart...
When Should a Startup Hire A CFO
The story for many startups is a plot heavy on vision and light on execution. There’s passion, enthusiasm, and excitement that drives initial activity. The founder’s network and tenacity can even create business inertia and revenue. But when resources are...
Ready For Anything: Improving Cash Flow With Better Understanding, Measurements, and Forecasts
Cash runs businesses. Not profits. Yet most of us have ample reporting at our fingertips describing profitability. And when profitability is increasing - often leading to new expenses and investments like hires, materials or resource costs - we can find ourselves...
Insight Over Information: Redefining Essentials of Good Business Reporting
Running, managing, and growing a business takes information and insight. Most companies are overwhelmed with information and sometimes entirely lacking insight. The value of reporting isn’t in the reports themselves - it’s in the analysis of what the reporting is,...
