An owner and I sat down and did exactly what I described in my last post. We got honest about the June numbers, picked two margin levers he could actually move, and put dates on the calendar. Three weeks later on our CFO call, I checked in. Nothing had moved. Not because the plan was …
You made Your Move in August. Is it Actually Working? Read More »
Twenty years ago, I started Verbeck Associates with a simple goal: to help business owners better understand their numbers and build stronger companies. Since then, I have worked alongside owners and leadership teams through growth, turnarounds, cash shortages, acquisitions, reporting challenges, operational changes, and more than a few unexpected surprises. What I have learned is …
Most business owners don’t wake up one morning and decide they need a CFO. Instead, they notice symptoms. Cash feels tighter than it should. Profit isn’t translating into cash. Financial reports arrive too late to support decisions. The business keeps growing, but the financial systems and processes haven’t kept pace. That’s usually when the questions …
The quarter is behind us. Financials are (hopefully) closed. Leadership teams are evaluating where they stand now versus the goals they set in January. When results start slipping behind expectations, leaders often respond in the same way: Push harder.Work longer.Add more initiatives.Move faster. That’s the old me too. But in many businesses, the issue isn’t …
Reducing Friction: Why Working Harder Isn’t Always the Answer Read More »
Q1 is over. Now what? For many businesses, Q1 can create more confusion than confidence. January starts with energy. There is a budget, a plan, and usually some optimism. But then the quarter gets rolling. Sales may come in a little soft. Margins may not hold. Cash gets tighter than expected. A few large receivables …
Are You Running Your Business Through the Rearview Mirror? Read More »
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that smart people still have blind spots. In fact, the more experienced someone becomes, the easier it is to fall into familiar patterns. You begin to see problems through the same lens, use the same playbook, and rely on the same assumptions that have worked in the …
Most owners treat cash like a scoreboard. They glance at the bank balance. If it’s up, they relax. If it’s down, they tense up. Then they return to running their business. The problem is that cash is not a scoreboard. It’s a system. And when that system is missing, the business can feel reactive even …
At Verbeck Associates, we work with small and mid-sized businesses all the time—most with lean finance teams and owners wearing multiple hats. Sometimes, we need to think like a turnaround. Mission-critical survival. When cash is tight or operational chaos hits, we may have to make hard calls—cut off a leg to save the body. I’ve …
From Surviving to Scaling: Profit Levers for Growing SMBs Read More »
I love the Steve Jobs quote, “Focus and simplicity… Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” And coming from a military family, I also like the “slow is …
Simplify to Amplify – The Power of Process Discipline Read More »
I’ve been using financial ratios for years, and they’ve never failed me. I remember when I was leaving KPMG and pitched my value to a few companies. I had developed a forecast model on Excel that worked beautifully. I took the target company’s financials and highlighted the primary cash flow ratios (DSO, DIO, and DPO). …
The Value of Ratios: How Smart Financial Metrics Drive Business Performance Read More »