Is your small business a fraud target?
Making fraud a priority: If you’re a small business owner juggling everything from setting strategy to building the sales pipeline to keeping the books, fraud risk might be the one thing that’s slipped down your list. It’s easy to assume that being a small business makes you less of a target. But the opposite is […]
Your Board Doesn’t Need More Data. It Needs a Story It Can Act On.
An outgoing CFO once said to me “Be prepared that going in front of the board is like going in front of the firing squad”. My experience with the board – the total opposite. What was the difference? It was understanding that the board didn’t want more information, they wanted the right information. Picture a […]
Reforecasting Isn’t Admitting Defeat. It’s Just Good Management.
It’s July. The budget you built back in November feels like it was written for a different company. Maybe you’re way ahead of plan and not entirely sure why. Maybe a big customer left, or costs came in higher than you expected. Either way, the number you’re measuring yourself against every month is starting to […]
Strong Revenue Growth Can Hide Serious Problems. Here’s How to See Through It.
The numbers look great. Revenue is up. You’re beating budget. Leadership feels good walking into the quarterly review. But here’s the thing about overperformance: it can smooth over potential risks lurking in your business. When the headline number is positive, financial reviews get shorter. Questions get softer. The assumption is that if overall revenue growth […]
Start preparing your small business for an exit today, or risk leaving value on the table when you sell.
Most Business Owners Start Preparing Too Late If you’re a business owner somewhere in the $5M–$75M revenue range, the idea of an eventual exit is probably floating in the back of your mind. Maybe it’s years away. Maybe it’s sooner than you’re admitting. Either way, there’s one thing I hear consistently from the advisors who […]
Your CFO Should Be Reading Your Contracts — Not Just Your Lawyer
There’s a common assumption in business: contracts are a legal matter, so you hand them to your attorney and move on. Your lawyer reviews the language, protects you from liability, and signs off. Done. But if your CFO isn’t also reviewing your contracts, you may be walking into financial commitments that are perfectly legal but […]
Financial Risk Management for Small Business: Why Insurance Is Just the Start
Stop Treating Insurance Like A Check-Box Most small business owners buy insurance once and forget it. But as your business grows, so does your risk — and the policy that made sense at year one probably isn’t doing enough work now. I sat down with Amy Loh from State Farm Bellevue to talk about what […]
Is Your Sales Commission Structure Working For Your Business – Or Against It?
If you have a sales team, you almost certainly have a sales commission structure. What you may not have is confidence that it’s still the right one. Most business owners I talk to built their commission plan when the business was smaller. It made sense then. It was simple, it motivated the team, and it […]