Tag Archive : Dear CFO

Delegating effectively can lift the performance of both you and your company. Strong delegation skills are a vital tool, offering benefits for both the person who delegates and the team member delegated to. However, not all delegation is effective. Here are the common traps and how to avoid them. Dear CFO, I keep trying to…

Recently, a Project Manager in St. Louis asked me about due diligence and acquisition integration. They were coming into the acquisition process with no previous experience. First, we addressed the due diligence process, but the other piece of the acquisition comes during the integration. Integration project management and planning is vital during this step. Informing…

Dear CFO, Management is currently targeting an acquisition and I’ve been told I will be in charge of the project plan for the acquisition due diligence and subsequent integration of the business. This is a new experience for me and I am not sure where to start. Finance Manager in St. Louis It is wise…

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…

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…

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…

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…