Start Up

Lots of people have lots of great ideas for businesses that don’t necessarily translate into success.

We can help you take your idea and turn it into a profitable enterprise. Beginning with a critical assessment of the viability of your idea, we can tell you what is needed in terms of capital (human, financial, physical) to make your dream real.

With your direct input, we will write the plan for your business and we will help you execute that plan. Many groups that advertise for business plan writing use a simple template and change the name. We’ve actually started businesses so we know what’s required. That’s a different expertise.

Let us become a “virtual” part of your management team. If your business idea can work, we’ll help you make it work.

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Acquisitions and Divestitures

Buying or selling a business is a complex process. What do I pay? What do I ask? How do I structure? What’s the real value? Where are the land mines? All of these questions must be asked and answered.

Lawyers, brokers and accountants all play a role but it is hard to find any one of those three who can grasp the transaction from all three perspectives. That’s where we come in.

Our team has been involved in buying and selling companies for a decade. We bring in the outside licensed people when necessary for tax and contract advice and preparation, but we do the rest. Since we’re business people we try to make the entire transaction work. Years of experience give us a working knowledge of the law and accounting others might not have.

If you want to sell or buy, you’ll find our expertise will help ensure the best overall financial outcome.

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Growth Strategies

Holding your position in business is one thing, advancing and taking ground quite another. When you want to expand your existing revenue stream, or move your company into “green space” you need a plan. That’s where we can help.

Our group has been involved in helping a retail product manufacturer move into eleven separate classes of trade; doubling the revenue for a retail clothing group of stores; turning an inbound call center into one which did outbound calling as well and helping a restaurant group open an out of state location.

All of these situations and others we have worked on required three things: an assessment of the growth idea/concept, a plan for making it happen and, finally, execution of that plan. Our team will assist you with all three of these areas.

Input from a qualified outside group is often essential for successfully growing your business. We provide objective analysis and apply proven methods for successful implementation.

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Negotiations

Preparation for negotiation is time consuming and tedious. As a result, most people prepare by discussing what they’re going to say while in the car on the way to the meeting. This results in non-optimized outcomes or even pure defeat.

Negotiating is a skill that requires knowledge, experience and a regimented approach. That’s where we come in.

Our team has experience in negotiating with unions, trade creditors, banks and business-to-business transactions. While every negotiation is unique, the steps and preparation are always the same. We know that process.

While your input on what you want and need (not usually the same) to get out of the negotiation is the most vital component, the rest of the process should be managed by people experienced in setting strategies and obtaining outcomes. That’s our value proposition.

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Turn Around

Turning around your own troubled business can be daunting, especially when you were at the helm when the problems started. Most business operators are trained in running their companies, not saving them.

The turn-around process is just that – a process. Repetition is the key. Doing the same thing over and over in a variety of different industries is what creates proof of what works and what doesn’t. Our team has been turning businesses around for over ten years with exceptional success.

Our approach is formulaic. We have a thirteen step program that is uniquely applied to your company’s set of circumstances – the method works.

We do not write reports, we do the actual work. Larger firms calling themselves “turn-around experts” will charge up to $80,000 for a month of analysis and leave you with a boilerplate report and good wishes. We come in and get hands on to implement our program and help save the business you worked so hard to build.

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Litigation Management

Whether you are being sued or need to sue somebody – you’re going to need legal counsel. When you have legal counsel you have an obligation to manage them and the proceedings. Lawyers know the law; that’s their business. Rarely, however, does your lawyer know and understand the intricacies of your business.

Another fallacy is that lawyers are good negotiators. Many are good at posturing but negotiating and lawyering are not synonymous. When you are in litigation you need to have someone manage the outcome to your advantage.

Our team has over ten years of experience in managing the litigation process. This means working with your outside counsel to make certain they use the law to get your desired outcome. While this may seem like duplication of effort it is not. Unless you’re an expert on suing and being sued, you need someone who has been through it before. Your legal fees will be less and your outcome will be optimized.

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Strategic Planning

While “inadvertent brilliance” can sometimes produce a favorable outcome for your company, it is difficult to rely upon. The only way to help ensure a desired outcome is to define the outcome in advance and create a plan as to how to get there. That is where strategic planning comes in.

The vast majority of owner operated companies shy away from strategic planning for one primary reason: They view it as a very time-consuming and expensive process really more relevant to large multi-department/division organizations. Done right, strategic planning needn’t be time consuming or expensive; it is always necessary and relevant.

Our process focuses on the very basics of strategic planning. The emphasis is moderated, directed discussion with you and the selected members of your management team. Reports and action plans are simple. Goals are realistic. Measuring success against plan and revising the plan as necessary are built into the process.

The real key to the success of strategic planning is the thought process behind and the commitment of management to adhere to the plan and make changes if reality so dictates. We understand this. As businessmen who have used strategic plans ourselves we know what needs to be done in order to be effective in steering the direction of your company. The process is a dynamic one, not static. We will give you the tools you need to create a coherent path for your company.

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International Strategies

Adding international components to your business can seem at once both a great strategic move and tactically insurmountable. If you’re looking to expand your supply base, outsource some of your operations, or grow your sales market, going international may be the right move.

Determining if it’s the right strategic move for your business and defining the right strategy is critical to making the right decision, understanding the risks and having reasonable expectations. We can help you assess the opportunities and define a strategy that works for your business. We’ll also guide you through the planning and implementation.

Expanding your business into Texas and expanding into Brazil, Germany or Timbuktu require very different skills and experience and will have a very different impact on your business and how you run it. We’ll help you through the transition.

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Global Strategies

As you become involved in more countries, more markets, and more regions of the world your business becomes exponentially more complex to manage. As market forces move you towards globalizing, you need to have a strategy and plan. The different languages, cultures and time zones will eat you alive if you don’t stay in control. How do you stay on top of what’s happening and how do you get everyone to work together? That's where we come in.

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International Growth

Are you looking to grow your revenue in international markets? Choosing the right market and developing the right entry strategy is critical – you get one opportunity to get it right. You may want or need to partner with a local organization. Is it the right move? Which is the right market, who is the right partner, what are the best terms I can get, and what can I expect? We can help you through this process and we’ll be focused on achieving your business objectives.

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International Business Effectiveness

You have a mix of domestic and international suppliers, production facilities, and/or distribution and sales channels. How do you make such a diverse organization work effectively and efficiently? We can help you do just that.

How do you get the most of your globalization? Find skills you can’t find at home, capture and use new ideas, use time zone differences to your advantage, leverage bilateral trade agreements, attract and provide more opportunity to your talent.

Defining and communicating your vision and strategy across cultures and languages are major challenges. Measuring implementation and progress towards success even more so especially when you may be leading people you rarely see and may not be able to speak with in a common language.

These are challenges we’ve confronted successfully. Let us help you.

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