Business Advisory Services

Studies have shown that most businesses fail due to one or more of the following six reasons:

  • Lack of vision – no real sense of purpose or direction
  • Lack of planning – too little or much detail, poor execution
  • Lack of innovation – no one is looking down the road and seeing the marketplace changes that are coming
  • Lack of skills – the wrong people are working in the business, or the right people are working in the wrong places
  • Lack of funding – cash is poorly managed or underestimated
  • Lack of support – the owner or leader feels alone at the top

To overcome these business road blocks, Swenson offers a wide variety of Business Advisory Services/Strategies to assist companies in the following areas:

·      BUSINESS STRATEGIC PLANNING

o   Vision and mission identification

o   Performance measurement programs

Performance measurement provides a structured methodology that helps business owners and managers create a business plan or goal, and monitors the progress achieved towards reaching that goal or plan. This usually results in better communication throughout a company because everyone understands "how the game is played" and is trained and educated on how their skills benefit the organization. It also provides an early warning indicator of those factors that are critical to the ongoing financial health of the business, including funding and cash flow issues. For this reason, performance measurement and management programs ultimately increase the value of the company.

We have adopted a Program where different levels of focus are applied to these areas of business performance:

•$ – Financial

•C – Customers

•O – Operations

•P – People

•E – End in mind

o   Cash flow planning

o   Budgets and projections

o   Financial reporting systems

o   Profit improvement consulting

o   Incentive and deferred compensation plans

o   Succession planning

·      TECHNOLOGY STRATEGIES

For growing companies, the large capital expenditures associated with an IT infrastructure can reduce cash flow. In theory, this up-front investment brings a financial return through more efficient operations and better information management. On the other hand, there are a number of tried and true technological steps that could boost cash flow or reduce operating costs so that the company will show better profits without making major changes to the IT infrastructure.

If the owner is considering a sale of the business within the next 5 years, then investing in technology can alter the value of the business, both positively and negatively. Ultimately, the price paid for the company is strongly influenced by the level of value-added technology (or lack thereof) already at work.

These scenarios must be explored fully in the broader context of a business' overall strategic plan.

·      MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS

Is your company positioned to take advantage of strategic alliances or purchase opportunities? Should it sell divisions to concentrate on its "core" business? Does it have the financial capacity and management expertise to analyze, negotiate, structure and operate a new acquisition? Swenson can provide sound mergers and acquisitions analysis. Our highly-skilled staff assists our clients in every phase of the acquisition process and offers an objective viewpoint when it comes to assessing the advantages and disadvantages associated with mergers and acquisitions. By calling on our extensive experience in both the tax and financial aspects in handling mergers and acquisitions and utilizing a team approach, we assist our clients in closing the most complicated of transactions of a corporate marriage in a timely, cost-effective manner.

·      KEY MANAGEMENT AND TALENT ASSESSMENT

According to Jim Collins, the author of the best-selling book Good to Great, his research team found that great companies did more than just assemble the right team to run the business. They in fact first got the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus) before they figured out where to drive it. In many cases, the great companies held off filling key positions until the absolute right person was available.

 

The right people will have stellar character attributes to match the specific educational background, job skills, behavioral style and values needed for the position. We help our clients evaluate the right talent for the position utilizing the DISC® and TriMetrix© talent assessment approach. One of our principals is the only CPA in Southern California certified to perform these talent assessments. Give us a call and we would be happy to show you how the TriMetrix© system can contribute to the successful application of TALENT within your organization – and lay the foundation for business success.

·      SWENSON UNIVERSITY

Privately-held businesses in the Inland Empire have a variety of different and very specific educational needs. Owners, presidents and CEOs may be successful at communicating their visions and training others within their organizations, but who trains the leaders? Because these companies typically have limited or no internal human capital support, the training and development of the management team is usually left behind or not coordinated. Few owners take the time to make management development a priority for successful growth of the company.

Most specialized training programs offered by national training companies are generalized and designed to make smaller businesses run like large conglomerate corporations. And once the seminars are over, there is no follow-up, so most thought-provoking discussions are forgotten shortly after the training.

Through Swenson University, we offer business owners and management the opportunity to enhance their intellectual capital at a fraction of what most national training programs and universities charge. Our six-month Executive Training Program is ideal for busy executives who want to become more adept at growing their businesses through team-building strategies, accounting methods, strategic planning, open book management and employee reward programs. Class sessions for Executive Development are offered once a month and are kept to a small group size with curriculum building upon concepts learned in previous sessions. Application of ideas to your specific business is the primary intention of the program so your time investment is maximized.

COURSE CURRICULUM

Session 1:  How to Build a Winning Team

  • "Level 5" leadership
  • Utilizing DISC profiles
  • Creating an effective Board of Advisors

Session 2:  The Accounting Game

  • Balance sheet basics
  • Focusing on profits – income statements
  • Cash flow – the lifeblood of every business

Session 3:  Secrets to Successful Strategic Planning (Part I)

  • Pitfalls to avoid
  • Who to involve
  • Creating your ideal future

Session 4:  Secrets to Successful Strategic Planning (Part II)

  • Cycle of customer interaction
  • Determining the right performance measures to track
  • Creating a strategically–focused company

Session 5:  Elements of Open Book Management

  • Common misconceptions
  • Sharing information – how much, what type
  • Building a company of businesspeople

Session 6:  How to Reward the Right Way

  • Understanding the "Rules of the Game"
  • Developing an incentive culture
  • Linking rewards to the business' strategy