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Creating Value Through Better Planning and Execution-Final in a Three-Part Series
Part C: Make Better Decisions Using Analysis and a Structured Approach
Running a business requires you to make decisions every day. Some are simple and straightforward, but others are of major importance with significant impact. Of course, you want to make the best choices you can, since these will affect your company’s performance and, therefore, value. You’ll almost never have…Read More -
Business Transformation — Building Efficiency through Control Rationalization, Optimization, and Redesign
Companies of all sizes have begun to understand the value of building control and reporting systems focused on addressing compliance and risk rather than just complying with regulations. The mindset is shifting to a more proactive rather than reactive approach, but companies still struggle to create optimal control environments that balance cost with risk. This suboptimal performance hampers efficiency and…Read More -
Thriving Through Disruption
A band of friends grows up together and goes to work in a niche manufacturing company owned by one of their fathers and serving the private aircraft industry, a risk-averse and highly loyal business segment. Approaching retirement, the father sells a majority interest to a private equity firm, which levers up the balance sheet to normal multiples for such an…Read More -
Managing Millennials — Strategies You Need To Know
By Jeff Wraley, Senior Consultant, Finance & Advisory Practice, The Fahrenheit Group
A few months ago, Simon Senek, an author, speaker, and consultant, was interviewed about millennials in the workplace. The video of this interview has been viewed over 5.4 million times since it was posted late last year.
In the video, Senek first describes the forces that have created…Read More -
A Fresh Look at Incentive Compensation
Maximizing employee productivity on a sustainable basis can be an elusive goal. But a properly designed incentive compensation plan can play a big part in making it happen. The trick is to not go overboard. Balance what you give and how you give it with what you're hoping to encourage Bonuses: They're not just for senior executives anymore. Many companies…Read More -
Creating Value through Better Planning and Execution-Three-Part Series
Part B: Developing Reporting that Helps You Increase Company Performance
Generating clear reporting, and setting up processes to review and act on this reporting, enables you to better control your business. By monitoring performance against expectations you can quickly identify where any changes need to be made (whether to correct a problem or capitalize on an opportunity). This process also…Read More -
Sell My Company, Keep My Job…Sounds Like a Great Idea!
Over the past few years I have been involved in, or at least aware of, several cases where owners of privately held businesses sold their company and agreed to stay on working for the new owner in one capacity or another. Recently it occurred to me that this kind of arrangement seldom works for very long.
I thought that…Read More -
Creating Value through Better Planning and Execution – Three-Part Series
Part A: Five Steps to Creating an Effective Budget
Developing and managing to a budget is a cornerstone of maximizing your business’ performance. The positive impact of a budget begins even before the first numbers are put down on paper, as management begins the process by discussing the goals and vision for the company, and aligns on what the strategies…Read More -
A Company Full of Unethical Employees: The High Risk of Small Business Fraud
By Russ Gambrel, Senior Consultant, Finance & Advisors Practice at The Fahrenheit Group
I’ve spent a good chunk of the past two decades designing and assessing control systems for organizations of all shapes and sizes. I was working in Silicon Valley at the dawn of Sarbanes-Oxley and it was my experience that the vast majority of companies were finally giving…Read More -
Empowering Employees is Harder Than You Think
Every employer talks about empowering their employees and giving them the authority to make decisions in the business. The question is “are employees actually capable of executing and are you, as the business owner, willing to live with a bad decision that was made without your approval?” These are the issues at hand when companies talk about empowering their employees, and…Read More -
The SaaS Business Metrics Series: the Churn Equation
This article continues Fahrenheit's series exploring business metrics relevant to the Software as a Service (SaaS) industry. Each article briefly explores a key SaaS metric, including the definition, the applicable business contexts, and its use. The focus for this article is "the Churn Equation."
Definition: The Churn Equation presents the change in annual recurring revenue (ARR) over a period of…Read More -
Five Keys to a Successful M&A Outcome
Outside of marriage and the birth of a child, selling a business may be the most important life event an entrepreneur ever experiences, representing the financial reward from years of hard work, vision, and determination. And like anything that important, you want to do it only once, and you want to do it right.
As an investment banker who has…Read More