• Assessment

The beginning of each engagement, regardless of size or complexity, begins with an assessment of your unique business needs and issues. My assessment involves discussions with you and possibly with your business leaders, and review of financial and management data. During this process, I can typically determine with you what an expected outcome should be, and also a preliminary course of action. We also distinguish between what your business absolutely needs, and secondary goals that may be perfectly appropriate, but should take a back seat compared to the highest priorities.

• Draft proposal

With our combined experience in business and in finance, you and I should be able to get reasonably close to a set of actions to be taken in the next 90 days after the assessment described above.  I will set these out in plain terms, so we can see what we want to achieve in relatively short order.

• “Test-fit” engagement

From the draft proposal, we should pick a project that can reasonably be achieved within a relatively short period, approximately 1-3 months. I work to achieve the goal within the specified period, and we work together to measure whether it has the desired results. Over that period, we can assess each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and determine whether we should work together over a longer period.

• To continue or not to continue?

From the test engagement, we determine whether there are other valuable objectives that can be accomplished through my efforts at your business, either short-term or long-term.  If we decide that this should be the end of our work together, I will be happy to give you references to additional resources that might meet your needs.

• Refine the proposal

The test engagement will also give us deeper insights into areas that can profitably be improved through my efforts at your business, across the whole range of the “business-improvement cycle:” increased sales, gross profit optimization, overhead expense reduction, profit improvement, cash flow, working capital, banking and other credit relationships, strategic planning, budgeting and forecasting, financial statements, flash reports, and exit strategies.

• Measurement and monitoring – show the results of focused, senior CFO assistance

This is the most important phase – this is where you see the results of having a senior-level partner focusing on areas of the business that free you up to do what you are best at, and to do what makes the greatest difference to the business. We develop with you the data, financial reports, operating reports, as well as the benchmarks and tools necessary for you and your CFO consultant to both measure and monitor company results on a continuous basis. This enhances your business decisions and enables any modifications of data based on changes in the business cycle.

• What’s next? Call me a 802-233-3370 – let’s meet and discuss how your business could profit from a CFO helping you.