Cash is king and can determine whether a company stays in business. We’re going to quickly cover the fundamentals of cash flow before offering tips for better managing it.
Will The USPS Changes Impact Your Business?
December 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment
It’s not news that the United States Postal Service is losing money. At a recent press conference, a USPS spokesperson claimed the organization loses were approximately $23 million per day. As a result, the USPS just announced it will be closing 252 of its 461 mail processing centers beginning early next year. This is a basic network cost optimization maneuver and nothing more.
However, the result is that the USPS logistical network will be permanently changed and it will force the delay of first-class mail. Regardless of how you feel about USPS and its approaches to dealing with their revenue shortfall, its changes are reality, and they will impact your business. In this post, I’ll evaluate the problem and provide some alternatives.
How To Survive (And Even Thrive) During Economic Malaise
September 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
It seems like on a daily basis now we are hit with a barrage of bad economic news. Although most experts do not expect a true double-dip recession to hit, many sectors of the economy have certainly slowed. Given this reality, we thought it might be a good idea to share some sage advice we came across recently on how to survive an economic slowdown. Both Thor Harris, president of the PR firm Percepture, and Carol Tice of Entrepreneur.com have come up with a few great ideas on this topic.
The Golden Rule of Payables
September 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
During times of economic uncertainty, payables and receivables become a core focus of any privately owned business. The reason is simple: They govern cash flow.
Instead of trying to provide you with a mathematical or system-based approach to optimizing your cash flow, I wanted to take a step back and have a realistic discussion about your business mindset when it comes to accounts payable. I’ve called it the “Golden Rule of Payables” because we really do want others to treat us well when it comes to our receivables. If we start by doing our part in paying our bills, good things can happen.
Pension Plans and Equity Firms
July 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Many of you may be unaware of the considerable investment that pension funds make in private equity firms. You probably assume that pension funds, in order to keep their funds safe, only invest in assets that are “public” and therefore more transparent to the investing community. However, over the years, pension funds have learned that private equity firms provide them with a nice vehicle for diversifying their holdings.
The Challenges of Growing a Business To Make It Buyer Ready
July 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Those of you that read this online publication on a regular basis know that we started a conversation several weeks ago on the topic of creating a buyer ready business. The first article looked at the emotions involved in deciding to sell and the second article examined some specific steps to create a buyer ready business.
So I was intrigued when a colleague forwarded an article delving into the challenges of growing an “entrepreneurial business.” This is a business that doesn’t just survive through the years but also thrives. This would also be, in keeping with our theme, a buyer ready business. So I thought I would share a few ideas from Ed Hess, professor of business administration and Batten Executive-in-Residence at University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.
