ReadiMap ®
Many of our services have now been upgraded with the addition of our diagnostic tool ReadiMap ®, developed by experienced Virtual Finance Directors enabling us to rapidly review and diagnose client situations, highlighting the key strengths and also the areas for improvement. Using these ReadiMap ® tools, our experienced Virtual Finance Directors can provide you with a pictorial ‘Map’ of your strengths and weaknesses. Our ReadiMap ® family of diagnostic tools now includes:
- Finance ReadiMap ® for diagnosing Finance Functions
- Exit ReadiMap ® for helping prepare your business for Due Diligence
- FC ReadiMap ® for developing Financial Controllers over time
Transforming Finance Functions
Do you forecast your business cash flow? Do you ever have unexpected VAT or PAYE bills? Is your balance sheet accurate? Do you trust your accounts? Imagine having your own experienced Finance Function, generating accurate, timely and meaningful monthly accounts, enabling you to take strategic business decisions with your virtual finance director! As well as reducing your stress and improving business decisions, transforming your finance function will significantly help you prepare for your business sale. We normally start using our diagnostic tool Finance ReadiMap ® to map strengths and rapidly identify areas for improvement.
Business Turnaround
How can you turnaround your business performance? Should you cut costs, source additional funds or talk to your customers and suppliers? Could you delay tax payments? If you keep going will you stay legal? When should you ask for help? In our experience, it is never too early to ask for help. Our experienced virtual finance directors will review your business, identify the critical success factors and then agree a recovery plan with you for both the short and medium term. We can’t guarantee your success but we can help ensure that good businesses are given every chance to succeed.
Acquisitions
How do professional businesses acquire a target? How much should you offer for the target business? You want a great deal but also want to protect your business against risks. You may also need to secure funding to enable the deal to happen. All our virtual finance directors have experience of buying and selling businesses and financial modelling so are ideally placed to provide you cost effective advice and support; many have raised Private Equity funds too.
Financial Modelling
Do you have a plan for your business? Do you forecast your business cash flow? How can you improve your chances of achieving your goals? A fully integrated Budget or Financial model, prepared by an experienced virtual finance Director is a crucial management tool to assist you to manage your cash and improve your business decision making.
Fundraising
So your business needs funds? Who will provide funds – high street banks, challenger banks, business angels or private equity funds? Our experienced virtual finance directors know where to hunt for funds for your business and how to secure them on acceptable terms. Routinely, we generate realistic cash flow forecasts, write a professional business plans, arrange funding tender meetings and secure necessary funding.
Preparing a Business for Sale
You want to achieve the best value for your exit, but how do you ensure that you receive the amount you initially agree? How do professional businesses acquire a target? What Due Diligence (DD) is likely and what will they ask you for? All our virtual finance directors have experience of buying and selling businesses, typically managing the DD process, so are ideally placed to help you successfully navigate the due diligence process. We normally start with our diagnostic tool Exit ReadiMap ® which maps key strengths and rapidly highlights areas for improvement.
Governance
How are successful medium sized businesses run? What makes them different from the successful entrepreneurial run business? How can you, as a successful entrepreneur, transform your business into a medium sized business with a capable board or management team? As virtual finance directors we regularly work with owners to help transform their governance, working as a part time member of their team. This may well be part of a plan to help you prepare your business for sale.
Employee Ownership Trusts
Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs) or otherwise known as a Sale to Employees are an increasingly popular option for business owners. We have built expertise in project managing the process on behalf of the business owner, ensuring all stakeholders are represented in the final deal through The Grand Bargain and have a trusted network of specialists in this area.
Management Buy Outs
You want your Management Buy Out to happen, but where can you find the funds you need? How do you value the business? How can your secure the backing of key stakeholders? Lenders and investors are professionals who will only lend or invest in businesses where they rate the management. This is where adding a virtual finance director (VFD) to your team will really boost your chances of landing the deal. Our experienced VFDs work with Lenders and Private Equity providers to secure funds, and love making good deals happen.
Profit Share Schemes
How can you really engage your employees and ensure that they share your motivation as business owner? We believe that employee rewards or bonus should be objective, transparent and linked to the achievement of the business owners’ goals. Our virtual finance directors use a decision tree methodology to tailor our tried and tested profit share or bonus schemes to fit your needs as business owner.
Share Option Schemes
Are you considering issuing Shares to your senior employees or Directors? What are the Pros and Cons of issuing Shares or Share Options? What are the possible ‘Bear traps’ that many unwary business owners fall into? As virtual finance directors we bring business owners up to speed with a briefing white paper, design the best scheme for you using our decision tree methodology, before co-ordinating professional support to efficiently implement your bespoke scheme.
Developing Financial Controllers
We love working with good Financial Controllers who want to become fully effective and efficient, so in most clients we work hard to help develop and mentor Financial Controllers. This is good for us as Virtual Finance Directors, good for the client company and above all good for the Financial Controller as well. To help assess and track the development of Financial Controllers we use a diagnostic tool called FC ReadiMap ® which identifies the key strengths and also highlights the main areas for development.
