October 2024 Newsletter
Even The Most Experienced Leaders Need Advisors
- An experienced business and mergers and acquisitions advisor can generate a tremendous return on investment (ROI). For one thing, they provide tremendous expertise and drive measurable and positive results. That's clear from a wide range of studies over many years on the subject.
- Advisors, coaches – whatever you call them - have been found to improve results from leadership, especially if the business owner does not possess the needed expertise or experience in all aspects of the business. For over 20 years, CEO Advisor, Inc. has worked hands-on with CEOs and Presidents of small and mid-size companies with tremendous results.
- A review of 25 years worth of research on advising, published in the Journal of Vocational Behavior, found advisors improve results substantially. The type of relationship or counsel you are looking for also evolves over time. Ironically, some people abandon their trusted advisor over time. They feel they can go it alone, but many CEOs are firm believers in leadership under advisement for the long-term. CEO Advisor, Inc. has had several clients for ten years due to our top expertise, experience and loyalty to our clients needs for growth and mergers and acquisitions services (both buy-side and sell-side).
- As a CEO, the stakes become higher and a trusted business and M&A advisor (fractional, experienced, independent contractor advisor) who meets with you weekly (online or in-person) can enable you to quickly and confidentially gain the needed expertise and advice on a whole range of issues on-going. A strong business and M&A advisor rounds out your thinking and helps you navigate through challenging situations, prioritize opportunities, and improve performance, as well as, provides hands-on work to accomplish critical tasks and strategies. CEO Advisor, Inc.'s specialty is preparing your company for a sale, and the full service to sell your company.
- What is especially valuable is a business advisor that not only advises, but is proactive, rolls up their sleeve and is active in producing work that drives the business forward and accelerates growth. A strong business and M&A advisor will ensure that a Management Dashboard of consolidated metrics and KPIs is kept up to date and at the CEOs fingertips to make better management decisions.
- Be honest about your gaps of knowledge and areas of expertise you need help and advice on. A business and M&A advisor that will mentor you, while helping your business grow and increase in value is priceless. One of the first things to look for in a business and M&A advisor is a strategy person with strong business acumen and a driver for accountability and results. As President of CEO Advisor, Inc. with over 40 years of experience my value is three-fold - I advise on 1) All aspects of growth, 2) Raising needed growth capital, and 3) Merger and Acquisition advisory services (both buy-side and sell-side).
- Someone with thought-provoking questions, always pushing for more, challenging the status quo and is all about achieving the best results for you and the company. As a CEO or business owner, there is nothing more valuable as a hands-on resource to help think through complex issues, grow your business to the next level, or create an exit strategy and optimally sell your company.
- While nothing fully prepares you for the challenges of being a CEO, having a business and M&A advisor when the going gets tough or you embark on selling your company after decades of work is invaluable. The goal is to build a growing, more profitable, and more valuable company and a business advisor as an added seasoned (outside) management team member is critical.
- Very few companies consistently outperform over a long period of time, so setting out to do so means you have to strategically beat the odds. It's a fluid and complex process - you have to get the right team in place, implement a clear strategy that the team can execute against, establish goals with measurable outcomes, and learn how to navigate and best serve a group of stakeholders with different agendas.
- It's important to have someone who is both experienced and not ingrained in the day-to-day issues, that you trust, to help you think through your issues, challenge you, and provide critical insight and expertise. CEOs that have a trusted business and M&A advisor tend to be enormously grateful for the impact that their advisor makes. Whatever age or stage you're at in your career, make the time to cultivate and engage with a trusted business and M&A advisor.
- Since 2004, CEO Advisor, Inc. has provided the experience and expertise of advising some of the most successful CEOs and business owners of companies in Southern California and across the U.S. With nearly 160 years of combined experience, CEO Advisor, Inc. is the catalyst to propel our clients’ success.
- Contact Mark Hartsell, MBA, President of CEO Advisor, Inc. at (949) 629-2520, by mobile phone at (714) 697-3370, by email at MHartsell@CEOAdvisor.com or visit us at www.CEOAdvisor.com for more information or to schedule a no cost initial consultation at your office.
Key Factors to Grow Your Business to the Next Level and Realize the Exit Strategy of Your Dreams
Since 2004, CEO Advisor, Inc. has advised CEOs of small and mid-sized companies on all aspects of growing businesses to the next level and preparing for an optimal future sale of your business.
Below are seven key factors to optimize your growth and business value in the coming year:
1. PlanningHave a clear vision and business model. Know where you want to go, document your plan and monthly forecast, and be very clear about it. This involves a strategy with defined goals to realize your vision. Without this, there is a tremendous loss of time and wasted money. October, November and December are great months to plan for the upcoming year. If you need help, contact CEO Advisor, Inc. for assistance.
2. ForecastingForecasting for the current and upcoming one to three years enables (forces) you to think through your business thoroughly, set financial goals, plan effectively and better budget and manage with higher profits. When forecasting, refine your business model, your pricing, costs, gross margin targets, marketing and plans for hiring. Relook at operating expenses for the right level of profitability. Get objective expert advice in this area to ensure your growth and success for greater profits and a maximum exit in the future.
3. Strong Management TeamMake sure you have a reliable, effective and competent management team around you to complement your own skills and expertise. If not, re-assess, define your needs and replace the weak link(s) in your management team. If you cannot afford the management team you need today, bring in a seasoned business advisor that can do some heavy lifting for you - hands-on work and expertise for an interim period of time to achieve your goals.
4. Put Processes and Procedures in Place Refine and document your processes and procedures to ensure your on-going success. This will enable you to run your business more profitably, is easier for new employees to get trained faster, will make the business more efficient, and will make your business more valuable and attractive to investors and acquirers. A business advisor can assist you to accomplish this very efficiently.
5. Innovate Innovation is important for all businesses. Focus on how you could do something differently to generate a higher ROI for both you and your customers, make your customers more loyal and profitable, reduce time, be better than your competitors, and develop a more effective business model. Innovation takes expertise, planning and the mindset to execute so seek the expertise you need.
6. Sales Strategy Your sales strategy is critical to your growth and profitability. Pinpointing your target markets, determining your most efficient and cost-effective sales structure, sales compensation, product mix, gross margins and sales goals are all critical to your success. This requires diligent and proactive sales management on a daily business. The majority of your growth may depend on the strength of your sales strategy and effective sales management so engage with a seasoned business advisor that utilizes best practices to achieve your goals.
7. Build Value Ensure you have the proper pricing and a recurring revenue business model that maximizes sales, gross margins, profits and value for a successful exit when you decide to sell your business, or the right buyer knocks on your door. CEO Advisor, Inc. has the experience and expertise to grow your business and build substantial value, as well as, to prepare for a sale and provide full-service sell-side mergers and acquisition services.
CEO Advisor, Inc. has the needed expertise, coupled with hands-on advice, to help you increase sales, profits, value and to grow your business to the next level and realize an optimal sale of your company. Contact Mark Hartsell, MBA, President of CEO Advisor, Inc. for a no cost initial consultation at (949) 629-2520, by mobile phone at (714) 697-3370, by email at MHartsell@CEOAdvisor.com or visit us at www.CEOAdvisor.com for more information.
Below are seven key factors to optimize your growth and business value in the coming year:
1. PlanningHave a clear vision and business model. Know where you want to go, document your plan and monthly forecast, and be very clear about it. This involves a strategy with defined goals to realize your vision. Without this, there is a tremendous loss of time and wasted money. October, November and December are great months to plan for the upcoming year. If you need help, contact CEO Advisor, Inc. for assistance.
2. ForecastingForecasting for the current and upcoming one to three years enables (forces) you to think through your business thoroughly, set financial goals, plan effectively and better budget and manage with higher profits. When forecasting, refine your business model, your pricing, costs, gross margin targets, marketing and plans for hiring. Relook at operating expenses for the right level of profitability. Get objective expert advice in this area to ensure your growth and success for greater profits and a maximum exit in the future.
3. Strong Management TeamMake sure you have a reliable, effective and competent management team around you to complement your own skills and expertise. If not, re-assess, define your needs and replace the weak link(s) in your management team. If you cannot afford the management team you need today, bring in a seasoned business advisor that can do some heavy lifting for you - hands-on work and expertise for an interim period of time to achieve your goals.
4. Put Processes and Procedures in Place Refine and document your processes and procedures to ensure your on-going success. This will enable you to run your business more profitably, is easier for new employees to get trained faster, will make the business more efficient, and will make your business more valuable and attractive to investors and acquirers. A business advisor can assist you to accomplish this very efficiently.
5. Innovate Innovation is important for all businesses. Focus on how you could do something differently to generate a higher ROI for both you and your customers, make your customers more loyal and profitable, reduce time, be better than your competitors, and develop a more effective business model. Innovation takes expertise, planning and the mindset to execute so seek the expertise you need.
6. Sales Strategy Your sales strategy is critical to your growth and profitability. Pinpointing your target markets, determining your most efficient and cost-effective sales structure, sales compensation, product mix, gross margins and sales goals are all critical to your success. This requires diligent and proactive sales management on a daily business. The majority of your growth may depend on the strength of your sales strategy and effective sales management so engage with a seasoned business advisor that utilizes best practices to achieve your goals.
7. Build Value Ensure you have the proper pricing and a recurring revenue business model that maximizes sales, gross margins, profits and value for a successful exit when you decide to sell your business, or the right buyer knocks on your door. CEO Advisor, Inc. has the experience and expertise to grow your business and build substantial value, as well as, to prepare for a sale and provide full-service sell-side mergers and acquisition services.
CEO Advisor, Inc. has the needed expertise, coupled with hands-on advice, to help you increase sales, profits, value and to grow your business to the next level and realize an optimal sale of your company. Contact Mark Hartsell, MBA, President of CEO Advisor, Inc. for a no cost initial consultation at (949) 629-2520, by mobile phone at (714) 697-3370, by email at MHartsell@CEOAdvisor.com or visit us at www.CEOAdvisor.com for more information.
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