strategy - The Strategic CFO®

Strategy for Managing Cash

Does your company have a strategy for managing cash? Many companies have established procedures for purchasing materials, collecting customer payments, and paying vendors. But often people either do not communicate these procedures or simply don’t follow them consistently. Even when everyone is aware of and follows the established protocol, your system may be flawed. Before we show an example, you need to know how to manage cash flow. Know How to Manage

October 25, 2019

Product Life Cycle Stages

See also: Product Life Cycle Company Life Cycle Why You Need a New Pricing Strategy Increasing Pricing on Products What is the Product Life Cycle? A product life cycle includes stages the product experiences throughout its lifetime – from conception of the idea to the decline and abandonment of the product. Some products experience longer

August 17, 2018

Budgeting 101: Creating Successful Budgets

We often discuss budgeting in our firm, and I often write about budgeting because it is such an important topic in any company. As a consulting firm, we deal with this issue at almost every client. Let’s rehash some basics… Why is budgeting important? As properly stated by Ron Real (the author of 13 ½ Strategies

July 13, 2018

Turnover in Collections is Destroying Your DSO

One of our clients called us up because his DSO went from 34 days to over 72 days within a couple months. He couldn’t figure out what was causing his daily sales outstanding (DSO) to increase so dramatically in such a short time. When we came in the office to investigate, we found that there

November 15, 2017

7 Ways Your Company Can Be More Like Amazon

As we transition into Quarter 3 of 2017, companies are already planning for what 2018 is going to look like. Over the past year, we have seen a lot of change in the business landscape. Amazon acquired Whole Foods and dramatically sliced prices. Apple released not just one, but two iPhones in the past month.

October 4, 2017

The Key to Having a Unique Business? Unique People!

Over the years of teaching in an entrepreneurship program, I realized a pattern. As expected, every entrepreneur thinks his business is unique. But in having a unique business, who works for you? What value do they bring to the table? Do they make your business “unique”? To some extent, they probably do! These are questions we will explore, but

February 16, 2017

Managing the Banking Relationship in a Growing Market

Business is rarely easy. Even in a growth market, there are still challenges. They are just different challenges than in a recession. Managing the Banking Relationship in a Growing Market In Houston, we are seeing companies who are continuing to grow and generate cash. As they seek to expand their operations and invest in infrastructure, they are running

June 10, 2014

Setting Prices

When we start working with a new client, one of the first conversations we have is about setting prices. A company’s pricing strategy (and whether they have articulated it) tells me a lot about the culture of the organization and how they make money. Here’s a video that discusses different pricing strategies as well as which

March 19, 2014

3 Benefits of an Analysis of Customer Profitability

Over time weeds grow in any garden. In the same way, unprofitable customers work their way into your company. To avoid the high costs of low profit customers, you should perform an annual analysis of customer profitability. Therefore, weed your garden of customers who are sapping your profits and cash flow. Although there are many

February 24, 2014

Timing of Hiring Interns

What is the timing of hiring interns for the summer? How soon should a company start looking for summer intern help? Timing of Hiring Interns Just yesterday, I received a call from a business associate who was making introductions for his daughter for an internship this summer. All he was doing was opening doors. He

January 10, 2014

Managing Cash Flow

Effectively managing cash flow is an issue that all businesses face, whether they have plenty of cash or are experiencing a cash crunch. Cash is the lifeblood that fuels current operations and allows for growth, so developing a strategy to manage this most important asset is key. Effectively Managing Cash Flow So how do you

August 27, 2013

What is a Business Model?

Entrepreneurs and businesspeople have many different definitions of what is a business model. Business Model Definition In the simplest form, business models are the method and strategy that a business or organization uses to operate. This includes the purpose, systems, and people that work together to add value to customers. These components can either be

August 13, 2013

Tag: strategy