by Greg Caruso | Jan 18, 2024 | Exit Planning Business Valuation & Growing Business Value
Planning is a process that involves thinking ahead (hence playing chess) and organizing actions to achieve specific goals. Successfully done, it can allow management to see the future and act quickly on opportunities or threats growing the value of the business.
The first step in effective planning is defining clear and measurable goals. Having a precise understanding of what you want to accomplish provides a roadmap for the planning process. Goals should be SMART—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Once goals are established, the next step is to assess the current situation or starting point. Namely you must start where you are. This involves conducting a thorough analysis of resources, constraints, and potential challenges. Often a SWOT chart can be used to organize these. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Google “SWOT” if this is new to you.
By understanding the present circumstances, individuals or organizations can identify the steps required to bridge the gap between the current state and the desired future state. This analysis can encompass various aspects, such as financial resources, time constraints, personnel capabilities, and external factors that may impact the plan’s execution. It is important to think through, even roll play, strategies and alternative plans for both extraordinary success and major difficulties in achieving goals.
The final phase of planning involves developing a detailed action plan. This includes breaking down the overarching goal into smaller, manageable tasks or steps. Each task should have a specified responsible person, deadline, and resources.
Regular monitoring and reassessment are critical during the execution phase to ensure that the plan remains aligned with changing circumstances. Set a non-negotiable schedule to meet either weekly, bi-weekly or at the longest monthly to review progress. Flexibility is key, allowing for adjustments and adaptations as needed.
Successful planning is an iterative process that involves continuous evaluation, learning, and refinement to increase the likelihood of achieving the desired outcomes such as higher profits and higher business value.
by Greg Caruso | Oct 24, 2023 | Exit Planning Business Valuation & Growing Business Value
In the ever-evolving landscape of business management, leaders are often faced with the challenge of balancing multiple responsibilities, driving growth, and ensuring the success of their organizations. In this pursuit, one key factor stands out as a game-changer: focusing on your strengths and knowing what you are good at. Embracing this philosophy can not only lead to personal growth but can also significantly impact the overall success of your company. In this article, we delve into the importance of honing your strengths and leveraging them in the realm of company management.
Identifying Your Core Strengths
To truly excel in any role, it is imperative to first identify your core strengths. While it may seem enticing to try to be good at everything, focusing on your strengths allow you to channel your time and energy into areas where you can make the most significant impact. As a company manager, when you lead with your strengths, your passion for the work becomes evident, inspiring those around you. Your team members are more likely to follow suit, embracing their own strengths, and collectively, you build a workforce that is motivated, engaged and committed to excellence.
Recognize Your Limitations
Company management is not a one-person show. Acknowledging your strengths also means understanding your limitations. By recognizing areas where you may not excel, you can strategically delegate responsibilities to team members who possess complementary skills. Trying to excel in areas where you lack natural talent can be draining and lead to burnout. Delegating tasks to individuals who thrive in those areas fosters a sense of ownership and empowerment within your team. This approach not only improves overall productivity but also cultivates an environment of trust and collaboration, where team members feel valued for their contributions.
Competitive Advantage
In the highly competitive business landscape, organizations must capitalize on their competitive advantage to stand out. By positioning yourself in areas that align with your strengths, you become a driving force in your company’s success. Your unique perspective and capabilities can help your organization carve a niche and differentiate itself from competitors.
Approach Challenges With Confidence
Every company faces challenges, be it market fluctuations, disruptive technologies, or unforeseen crises. When you focus on your strengths, you develop a sense of self-assurance and resilience that helps you navigate through these obstacles. Knowing what you are good at allows you to approach challenges with confidence. You can leverage your strengths to devise creative solutions, adapt to changing circumstances, and inspire your team to overcome adversity.
by Greg Caruso | Jul 13, 2023 | Exit Planning Business Valuation & Growing Business Value
Cutting expenses can potentially increase the value of a company, but it depends on the specific circumstances and the approach taken to reduce expenses. Here are some factors to consider:
- Impact on profitability
Reducing expenses can improve profitability, which is a key driver of a company’s value. However, if the expense cuts negatively impact revenue or customer satisfaction, the overall effect on profitability may be minimal or negative.
- Quality of expense cuts
Simply cutting expenses without considering the impact on the business can be counterproductive. Effective expense reduction requires careful analysis of each expense category, prioritizing areas that have the least impact on the business and identifying opportunities for cost savings and efficiency gains.
- Impact on employees
Expense cuts may require reducing employee compensation, benefits, or headcount. This can negatively impact employee morale, productivity, and retention, which can have long-term negative effects on the business.
- Industry and competitive context
Expense cuts should be evaluated in the context of the industry and competitive landscape. For example, if competitors are investing heavily in research and development, cutting R&D expenses may put the company at a disadvantage.
- Long-term vs. short-term impact
Expense cuts may have a short-term positive impact on profitability, but if they limit the company’s ability to invest in growth opportunities, the long-term impact on value may be negative.
Overall, cutting expenses can potentially increase the value of a company if it is done in a strategic and thoughtful manner that considers the impact on profitability, employees, industry and competitive context, and long-term growth opportunities. However, expense cuts alone are not a guarantee of increased value, and should be part of a broader strategy to drive growth and profitability.
by Greg Caruso | May 19, 2023 | Exit Planning Business Valuation & Growing Business Value
The saying “two heads are better than one” suggests that working collaboratively with others can lead to better outcomes and more effective problem-solving than working alone. In a business context, there are several reasons why two heads (or more) can be better than one:
Diverse perspectives
Collaborating with others can bring a variety of perspectives and experiences to the table, which can help to generate new ideas and solutions that may not have been considered otherwise.
Complementary skills
People have different skills and strengths, and working with others who have complementary skills can help to fill in gaps and create a more well-rounded team. For example, one person may be good at generating ideas, while another may be good at analyzing data and making decisions.
Increased creativity
Brainstorming and ideation sessions can be more productive and innovative when working with others. Bouncing ideas off of each other can spark new ideas and lead to creative solutions.
Improved decision-making
Collaboration can help to ensure that decisions are well-informed and carefully considered, with input from multiple perspectives. This can help to mitigate risks and improve the overall quality of decisions.
Support and accountability
Working with others can provide emotional and practical support, as well as accountability for following through on commitments and meeting deadlines.
Collaboration can lead to better outcomes and more effective problem-solving in a business context by bringing diverse perspectives, complementary skills, increased creativity, improved decision-making, and support and accountability.
by Greg Caruso | Sep 29, 2021 | SBA Business Valuation and Appraisal
By Gregory R. Caruso, JD, CPA, CVA
There are over 30 million small businesses in the US, according to the Small Business Administration (SBA), and upwards of 50,000 small businesses are sold each year. If you are buying a small business, an SBA business valuation can get you the loan you need to buy the business. Here is what buyers and sellers need to know about SBA business valuation.
What is an SBA business valuation?
An SBA business valuation is a formal assessment of a business’s worth done in advance of the sale of a business. Buyers who want SBA loans to finance a business acquisition usually need a business valuation. The SBA guarantees loans from lenders who comply with the SBA program rules. SBA guarantees reduce the risk of loss to the lender encouraging them to lend.
The SBA rules are known as the SBA SOP or Statement of Policy. Any business purchase over $250,000 in value and any business purchase between related parties (family or business type relations) will require a business valuation from a “qualified source.”
Why do I need a SBA business valuation?
As stated in the SOP:
“An accurate business valuation is required because the change in ownership will result in new debt unrelated to business operations and potentially the creation of intangible assets. A business valuation assists the buyer in making a determination that the seller’s asking price is supported by an independent Qualified Source (see definition in Appendix 3).” (SBA SOP p 262)
What are the major points required by the SBA SOP?
The rules outlined by the SBA SOP are specific. Here are the major points for a business valuation required by the SBA SOP:
- It must be requested by and prepared for the lender
- It must identify if the transaction is an asset sale or stock sale.
- It must be specific enough to know what is included in the sale including assumed debt if any
- It must provide the valuators conclusion of value
- Valuators qualifications
- Valuators signature
How does an SBA qualified business valuation work?
First, a valuator with a valuation certification from an acceptable body (ASA, CVA, ABV, are a few of the accepted designations) will prepare a business valuation in compliance with valuation standards. This valuation will determine the value of the asset being purchased, and that it is within the range of a fair market value standard of value. In short, I find that the buyer is paying a reasonable amount of the asset being purchased.
Business valuation is quite complex (as I say, it is an art and a science). But, at its core, we are trying to determine that it is reasonable for the business assets (including people) to keep generating cash flows at a level consistent with the amount a buyer is agreeing to pay.
Because all businesses are unique, we adjust the company financials to be apples to apples comparisons to several different types of models. This is called normalizing the financials.
Business valuation uses comparisons. Market method approaches use actual sale transactions or stock market values to compare. Income approaches look at what an investor would pay. Asset approaches look at what the assets are worth, if sold off on their own. The valuator adjusts the financial information and then selects the base approaches to estimate the value.
Business valuators are not auditors. We are allowed to assume that data being provided is reasonable and true. Therefore, you as a buyer still need to perform due diligence to make sure the data being provided to the business valuator is true. A business valuation does not replace careful due diligence.
What do I need to do to order a business valuation?
In most cases, the lender is going to order the business valuation as this is required by the SBA SOP. (It is certainly appreciated if you ask them to reach out to us.) In most cases, the business valuator is going to need: 3 years tax returns for the company; 3 years internal financial statements; year-to-date financial statements (profit or loss statement and balance sheet); accounts receivable aging; and accounts payable aging; letter of intent or contract of sale. Most valuators have a questionnaire to cover the required management interview and to answer small but important questions. Most businesses will also have one or two other documents specific to their industry. The loan underwriter will also need most of these documents so get them early in order to not slow down your SBA loan underwriting process.
Contact me to find out more about business valuations and buying or selling your small business.
