Tag Archive : business management tips

Dear CFO, My boss recently came back from a seminar and was excitedly going on about setting up KPIs and dashboards. Is this a new flavor of the day or are the KPIs and dashboards valuable tools for running the company? It seems it’s my job to start the process of collecting and presenting the…

Dear CFO, I am an accounting manager at small injection molding company. I’m also over the IT administration. Many of our employees complain they can’t find files in the system when they want them, myself included. I also have concerns about the security of some of the files. I am wondering if there are tips…

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…

In today’s tight labor market, employee onboarding has never been more important. It’s often challenging to find and hire the right people for your company.  When you finally hire, it’s essential to have processes in place to help him or her succeed.  So, you’ve hired the perfect (or near-perfect) employee and they’re ready to start…

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…

All entrepreneurs face challenges, but women entrepreneurs have several additional obstacles to overcome. These four big hurdles can be addressed and tackled with a pragmatic approach. Every entrepreneur faces challenges. As outlined in this great article Top 10 Challenges Today Faced by Entrepreneurs: Solved, many of the challenges are addressed with common sense solutions.  But…

Putting together a chart of accounts is the necessary first step for any organization to create an efficient accounting system. Charts of accounts are useful for keeping data organized and tracking expenses for the company. However, not all businesses understand what a well-designed chart of accounts looks like. Here are useful tips for setting up…

All companies have a culture. Since nature abhors a vacuum, it’s better to select and cultivate the culture you want. Sitting back and allowing your company culture to develop naturally, may result in an unintentional, unprofessional environment inevitably derailing your business. As Steven Covey says, “Start with the end in mind.” What is Company Culture?…

Quality control extends well beyond checking for defects of a manufactured product or service prior to delivery. Effective quality control is ubiquitous in an organization. It supports the complete and effective performance of each job while ensuring every interaction with the customer is successful. Expectations made clear for every position as to how each job…