Financial Forecasting Best Practices – 7 Tips for Success Financial forecasts are critically important planning tools. In creating the forecast, research into the profitability of current operations and areas of potential expansion are essential to success. Management teams may be working very hard but challenged to make optimal operational decisions without well-defined goals and objectives. …
Tag Archives: strategic planning
03
Feb
Feb
When I served as a panelist for the webinar, “Budgeting Basics: How to Build a Strong Budget,” we discussed a variety of topics, including how budgets affect profitability, when to start building next year’s budget, planning frameworks and the company stakeholders who need to be involved in the process. One vital aspect of budgeting is …
27
May
May
How does an economic development plan created almost 20 years ago still inform the city of Austin’s success? Click here to read the latest edition of Texas CEO Magazine for more from Ellen Wood, vcfo’s President & CEO.
19
Mar
Mar
Charting the Course in a Changing Business Environment Late in 2020, I published a post that focused on how history informs business strategy. It provided a primer on insights introduced in The Fourth Turning, a book authored by William Strauss and Neil Howe. In short, the authors comprehensively examined events and tides that have unfolded …
23
Nov
Nov
While living in Washington, DC in the nineties, I was introduced to a book that hit me like a brick and provided clear context for everything that was happening in the world around me. That book was The Fourth Turning, by William Strauss and Neil Howe. It held that events which many times appear unrelated …
19
Oct
Oct
For many business owners, the sale of their company represents the culmination of decades of work and is likely to be the single largest, most important transaction of their lifetime. With so much money at stake, and likely the retirement security of the founder, it is important that the highest price is secured, and that …
06
Feb
Feb
For public companies, having a board of directors is both essential and required to protect shareholder interests, weigh key actions, and support well-informed decisions. While private companies don’t have the same requirement, a board of advisors or directors can nonetheless be just as helpful and important to maximize business success. However, forming a board that’s …
13
Dec
Dec
Three Key Considerations One of the clearest signs that your business is successful and is seen as having definitive upward potential is when you receive an offer from a competitor, holding company, or business in an adjacent market inquiring about your willingness to sell. If divesting yourself of the business is not a primary near-term …
24
Oct
Oct
As consulting CFOs who have led and participated in countless strategic planning sessions over the years, we have experienced first-hand the value that effective strategic planning brings to business. Strategic planning is a vital activity that helps an organization assess the state of its business, market, and resources. It determines priorities, identifies operational gaps, and …
03
Oct
Oct
Some form of the question, “Do I need a CFO?” surfaces in the course of conversation at a very high percentage of the lunches or professional events our vcfo consultants attend with business leaders. It’s a pivotal and not surprising question for CEOs to struggle with, especially when they have solid controllers and accounting managers …