Tag Archive : business costs

Your company made an acquisition. Now what? Now comes the easy part – NOT!!  Successful post-acquisition integration is more of an art than a science, but a solid implementation plan is critical. Large companies typically have experienced integration teams that are trained to handle post-acquisition planning and still a significant number of acquisitions fail to…

Dear CFO, Whenever our business does forecasts, the owners only care about the P&L (Income Statement). As the Controller, I want the business forecast and budgets to include a balance sheet. How can I convince them it’s equally important to forecast the balance sheet?  I also need to develop a model to forecast the balance…

Dear CFO, The business I run needs an infusion of cash. I asked my controller to analyze the best way to obtain it and he referred me to you. I run a growing small business and in my budget for next year, I am projecting a need for capital to support sales growth and product…

There is much discussion of key performance indicators: what are KPIs? How to set KPIs? How to organize your dashboard? Let’s clear up some of the confusion as to what KPI means as well as discuss how to choose YOUR key performance indicators for YOUR dashboard Key Performance Indicators, or KPIs, are a powerful tool…

Dear CFO, As the controller in a very small manufacturing company, taking inventory is the worst job in the world (ok, maybe not the worst, but certainly tedious). The process itself is hard, but the reconciliations are even more difficult. My team uses information provided by the shop floor and sometimes I’m not sure if…

Dear CFO, I am the CFO of a mid-sized manufacturing company with three divisions. I am required to have “final” numbers to Senior Management by the 5th workday. It’s like pulling teeth to get the required information from everyone involved. I’m the one who looks bad when the numbers are late. How do I get…

Dear CFO: My business earned a profit for the last two years, but we still can’t pay the bills. How did this happen and what should we do?  Vendors are calling in Chicago You aren’t the first person to ask this question or run into this situation. It’s a common misconception among beginning business owners:…

Dear CFO: I was short of cash and I decided I could use my withheld payroll taxes to pay our company vendors. I did eventually deposit the taxes but I received a notice from the IRS. What should I do? Payroll Tax Deposit Problem – Baffled in Buffalo *Disclaimer: This post is not meant to…

Dear CFO: I know I need to understand my costs, but my accountant tells me my manufacturing overhead is out of line, “SG&A” needs to be controlled, and my prices are too low.  I’m not sure I understand what she is talking about. What is SG&A? How do I lower my manufacturing overhead? Trying to…