All businesses are different and created uniquely, so we don’t advocate cookie cutter solutions. The owners/CEO’s have different abilities, strengths, personalities and opportunities. Each business is different and has its own set of challenges and growth opportunities. But every business is built around four foundational principals:
- marketing/sales
- product or service
- finance/ financial management
- management
For the business to grow and be successful, each of these four (4) areas has to grow (in knowledge and capabilities) at the same rate. Using the stool analogy may help explain this clearer.
Identify Which Area Is Struggling
If all three legs of a stool are strong, the whole stool is strong; but if any of the legs or the seat is weak, the whole stool is weak. Same with a business, if any of the legs: 1) marketing/sales, 2) operating/product, or 3) finance/financial management are weak the whole stool is weak. A weak seat (management) has the same effect, it cannot hold the 3 legs together and the stool fails. This analogy can be linked directly to non-growing, struggling businesses.
Chart a Course
We work closely with the CEO and the senior management team to determine direction, challenges, opportunities and threats and create a plan to grow the company from where it is today to where the CEO/owner wants to take it. We create a black and white plan that details where the CEO sees the company going and from that, a monthly road map that clearly defines KPI’s for all the key drivers of that plan.
Analyze the Data
We then meet with management on a monthly basis to review progress, update the plan, discuss challenges, brainstorm solutions and work with the management team to (how to) improve performance. Each month we are comparing the businesses’s performance against monthly established “road map” targets that we originally set to see what is working and what needs fixed. We then set out to help management get back on track to attain the annual objectives established by the CEO/shareholders.
Pick a Direction
Success in business is built around determining where one wants to go and then getting there; but sadly only 15% – 20% of business owners work this process. Eighty to eighty-five percent of business owners work hard every day without deciding where they want to take their company. As hall of Famer Yogi Bara said it so succinctly “If you don’t know where you are going, you may end up some place else”.
Fee Structure
We have a very realistic fee structure that is blended around the goals of the business owner that are paid on a monthly basis. We ask for a 6 month initial commitment with a 3 month money back guarantee if not completely satisfied. Fees range from $750 to $3,000 a month and are based on complexity, size of business, etc.