Tag Archives: Value

How Do You Implement Your Vision for the Future? Seven Points

Situation: A CEO has a clear vision for the future of her company and what she wants to build. Her ambition is to revolutionize her industry. What are the most important things that she should to make her vision a reality? How do you implement your vision for the future?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • It is critical to take charge of the vision for the company and to see that the company has or hires the right people to implement the vision.
  • As CEO, remove yourself from the day to day.
    • Hire a Director of Operations ASAP.
    • With the right experienced Director of Operations, the infrastructure to support the program will fall into place. This individual will help to assure that this happens because he/she will be incentivized and motivated to perform.
  • Concentrate the focus for the next 4-6 months to scale the present operation to the point where the model can be “franchised.” Consider expanding the model through sites with managers who have an ownership interest.
  • An important initial step is rounding out the training process.
  • The greatest value of the present site is to serve as a demonstration site to show potential customers how installation of the technology in their operation would work. With this in mind, build a working demonstration model on the present site to the dimensions and scale that customers would see on their sites.
  • To shorten the lengthy sales cycle, create and sell a feasibility study for the technology. Agreement to a feasibility study represents commitment from the prospect and conducting the study will create buy-in on the part of the customer.
  • As the new technology is launched, CEO time will be spent away from the initial site. Prove that the site can run in the CEO’s absence before leaving for extended periods of time.

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What is the Best Way to Utilize Excess Year-end Cash? Three Perspectives

Situation: A company has excess cash at the end of the year. Options are to distribute the excess in bonuses following a challenging year, or to invest in the company. Two questions: how should the company structure a bonus distribution, and how would the company best invest the excess cash? What is the best way to utilize excess year-end cash?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Evaluating bonus options.
    • One company uses a published step-function bonus program, with the steps tied to company profitability, and performance against individual objectives.
    • Include evaluation and scoring on company core values as part of the overall performance evaluation scheme.
  • What’s the best way to utilize the current cash surplus?
    • Use the current surplus to reduce debt or invest it in the future of the company. Build value. Retained earnings are fine even if the company’s accountant is concerned about tax consequences.
    • Consider purchasing life insurance, or other tax-favored deferred-compensation for partners and key employees. Cash bonuses get spent by recipients, whereas tax-advantaged deferred compensation programs build future value for the team.
    • Consider using the excess cash to buy the building.
      • The company can afford a sizeable down-payment.
      • Negotiate a favorable purchase price at a reasonable interest rate.
      • Doing this, monthly lease payments become monthly payments toward ownership of the building and additional value for the firm.
      • Consider purchasing the building under a separate corporate entity, even if ownership of this second entity is identical to current ownership. This may create tax advantages.
  • What do company owners keep in pay versus investing in the future?
    • Keep the cash needed to run the company, plus a bit. Focus on securing the long-term value of the company.
    • “If you take care of the company, the company will take care of you.”
    • If excess cash is invested in the firm, assure to retain long-term access to the value invested. There will be times when the company will need the cash.

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How Do You Create a Chinese Wall Around a Product? Three Points

Situation: A company has a technology that was developed by but not of interest to a major corporation. The company continues to have significant business ties with the corporation, but the corporation wants to be assured that they are never connected to the technology in question. How do you create a Chinese wall around a product?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • The challenge facing the company is this: representatives of the large corporation don’t and can’t sell the services offered by the company, however exclusive clients of the corporation represent 25% of the available market for the services provided by the company. To date the large corporation has been unwilling either to reward the company for selling to these clients or to assist them in the sales process.
    • A solution: show the large corporation that the company provides a higher value or potential value to them than they receive on their existing products.
    • Show them the potential financial value to them of a symbiotic relationship.
  • Does the company develop the capabilities and value of the technology on their own, or do they partner with client companies in the market?
    • Many the potential clients in the market appreciate the technology and want to work with the company in some form so a partnership is possible.
    • The issue is that an open partnership might offend the large corporation who may then perceive the company as taking advantage of their clients.
  • How does the company establish a Chinese wall so that neither the large corporation nor the clients who purchase the company’s product are concerned about any activity that the company undertakes in the market?
    • Set up a separate entity and license the technology to this entity. The company would be an investor and would do some of the work but through a client/service relationship with the separate entity.
    • Get independent M&A advice on how to structure this entity.
    • Investigate other companies that have set up similar structures. Determine how they have addressed concerns such as conflict of interest, and what structures they have set up to avoid this.

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How Do You Price a Product and Service? Five Approaches

Situation: A company offers a product combined with a service. Small companies can’t afford the combined price, but don’t need the full functionality of the combined product plus service. An option is to create an offering on a per-seat basis. In this option, how do you price seat utilization? How do you price a product and service?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Pricing needs to follow value. For large companies, functionality and seamless operation are key. Small companies have different challenges – they have less money and don’t need all the features required by large companies. Configure a limited product for this market.
  • Don’t de-feature the product – create a different use / pricing model. Consider a model that prices based on the user company’s revenue, with periodic review of their revenue and fees paid. As they grow and increase utilization, they increase their ability to pay for, and their need for full utilization.
  • Use a cloud model and create a “pay per amount of use” option. Limit this offering to X number of users or X number of projects to create a different product from the full license option. While this will require monitoring, it will differentiate the partial license option from the full license option.
  • Develop an alternative to what is offered by the chief competitor and create an offering that this competitor can’t compete with.
  • Before making a final decision, institute a formal process for collecting ongoing feedback from customers. This will help to clarify alternatives going forward.

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How Do You Respond to a Price Increase from a Supplier? Six Points

Situation: A small company has a parts supplier for product that they sell to their most important customer. That customer’s specs are “copy exact” on components for existing products; also, their new products are usually based on existing components. The supplier significantly raised prices on the parts supplied to the company. How you respond to a price increase from a supplier?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • This is an extremely sensitive situation. One solution is to not to rock the boat. The reality is that the company needs the parts, and it will take a lot of effort to replace them with parts from an alternate vendor. Just continue the relationship. Quit worrying about it and milk it for as long as it lasts.
  • Find out what caused the supplier to raise prices. The supplier needs to understand that to preserve the company’s margins they may have to raise prices to the final customer. This may threaten both the company’s and the supplier’s business with the customer.
  • Make sure that the supplier understands the company’s costs: office, salaries, equipment, maintenance, and local regulations that are unfriendly to business and difficult to deal with. Ask them to reconsider or reduce the price increase.
  • Assure that the supplier understands the value that the company provides and the importance of this collaboration to the business and profits and bottom lines of both companies. Leverage this value to get the price that the company needs.
  • Renegotiate the relationship to assure that supplier can’t go around go around the company and sell directly to the final customer.
  • Start building relationships with alternate suppliers.

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How Do You Boost Your Sales and Marketing? Four Points

Situation: A CEO’s company has built an admirable suite of products. The next step in company growth is to create a more structured marketing pipeline. They have experienced salespeople, but these people have come to the end of their rolodexes. A new approach is needed. How do you boost your sales and marketing?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Create a profile of the ideal customer. This is the customer who can create the greatest leverage using the company’s suite of product. Aim for the top management of this customer.
  • Incentivize the sales reps to target high value accounts. To create targeting incentives, graduate the commission base.
    • Set initial commission based on the size of the customer.
    • Differentiate commission by product – pay the highest commission for highest gross profit products or the company’s highest priority products.
  • Salespeople need to be able to close sales by themselves.
    • Currently, salespeople are acting as lead generators and are counting on the CEO to close the sale.
    • Create a different set of expectations, including thresholds to limit the CEO’s direct involvement in the sales process – for example, limit CEO involvement to accounts with a revenue value over $500K.
    • Train the salespeople to communicate the value proposition for initial conversations as they qualify a new client. Create a set of resources to assist them along the way.
  • Is it a good idea to pay ongoing commissions forever?
    • Another CEO used to do this but has moved to X% for the first period/project and X/2% on follow-on-periods/projects. This keeps them hungry for new customers who will pay the higher commissions.
    • Don’t create a perpetual annuity – the way insurance brokers are paid. Reduce commissions on existing accounts so that they decline over time – keep salespeople focused on bringing in new accounts to maintain their income levels.
    • Decide on an acceptable level of total compensation for salespeople. Plan the commission structure to allow them to reach this level, but they have to keep selling to maintain this level. Keep them hungry.

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How Do You Construct a Business Acquisition? Five Essential Points

Situation: A CEO has an option to purchase another company with whom they have a long and good relationship. A smooth transition will be important. The owner’s relationship with their customers is central to their success, as is his employees’ knowledge of their key accounts. How does the CEO assure that these relationships are retained? How do you construct a business acquisition?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Based on the CEO’s responses to the Forum’s questions, the owner of the other company needs this deal more than the acquiring company needs him. This creates a strong bargaining position.
  • The owner of the business is the business and the key to a smooth transition post acquisition. Retaining his ongoing involvement – at least for a reasonable period – is essential to gaining maximum value from this acquisition.
  • The value of this business is its people: the owner’s relationships, and both the owner’s and his employees’ knowledge of their key accounts. His employees know the inner workings of their customers’ businesses. These are the relationships and the knowledge needed to assure that the acquisition is profitable post-close. Retention clauses and penalties must be part of the agreement.
  • If the owner wants 50% of the net income generated from his piece of the surviving company during a transition period, this is fair. However, the financial and operational details of the transition and his share of the income must be spelled out in the agreement and the agreement must assure that there is proper follow-through to qualify for the payments.
  • The income from the owner’s accounts must support his salary. However, even with this the owner will still cost the acquirer time and energy. Plan for this and budget for it in the agreement.

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How Do You Prepare for a Potential Acquisition? Three Areas of Focus

Situation: A CEO has been approached about a potential acquisition of his company. The offer was a surprise, and the team within the company is split on whether they are interested in a sale. They are currently very happy with what they do. How do you prepare for a potential acquisition?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • How does a company best position itself in advance of discussions?
    • Rebrand the company to boost the value proposition. Make what the company does best the focus of its value proposition. Position the company as the “experts” in this area.
    • Look at a series of possible scenarios that could develop and determine who on the team can best contribute each scenario. This will help to evaluate the implications of each scenario and to rank them in terms of favorability on the company’s terms. It will also help to quickly exclude certain scenarios if they come up during discussions with acquirers.
  • What research should the company conduct on the acquirer?
    • Do a deep dive into the potential acquirer. Research is simplified if the acquirer is public. Go online and look at their SEC and public filings. Look at their revenue trend as well as their profitability or losses.
    • What is the acquirer’s history of acquisitions? Interview people from companies that they have purchased.
    • Don’t pitch anything to the acquirer until you understand what they want to buy – this is critical so that the company positions itself well.
  • What is the best approach to take once the conversation starts?
    • Quick first step – send the company’s financials to the acquirer with a 3-year projection. Ask them, based on this, for a price range that they would consider for the company. If the range is outside of expectations, the conversation is over.
    • Determine whether this looks like a strategic vs. a financial buy. A strategic buy yields a higher price.
    • Cut a deal structure with a bonus tied to success post acquisition. This means a reasonable upfront payment with big payments for future success. This creates golden handcuffs to motivate the company’s staff to stay post-acquisition.
    • There should be multiple options on table – addressing both financial considerations and the future of team.
    • Always be ready to say no!

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How Do You Evaluate an Acquisition? Five Points

Situation: A CEO is evaluating an acquisition which could significantly contribute to his company’s financial position. Patented technology may add value to the deal. The founders of the acquisition target are willing to work part-time to facilitate the transition of their technology to the acquirer. How do you evaluate an acquisition?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Set a timetable to close the deal or walk.
  • Two key factors in the due diligence process will be strength of the intellectual property and cost of the acquisition long term.
  • Another key factor to evaluation will be how this opportunity fits into the company’s larger financing plan. Currently the company is undertaking a financing round. How much will this acquisition contribute to or distract from the financing round?
    • If this is a primarily a value-add opportunity, will it add to the larger financing round?
    • Can the larger financing round be completed on time while pursuing this opportunity?
    • An option is to negotiate a white label agreement – an agreement that will keep the company in the game while completing the larger round.
    • If the founders are not amenable to a delay, what is the cost in terms of funds and effort versus the larger round.
  • The technology appears interesting, but the timing is bad given your need for the larger financing round. Here’s an option.
    • Go to the founders and start the discussion. Secure a license or hire their programmer. Let the technology go dark until the financing round is completed.
    • There is value here – but do this as a side focus if it’s not too expensive. Assure that the deal includes both rights and the underlying algorithms.
  • Delegate this to someone else in the organization. The CEO’s focus is the larger financing round.

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How Do You Fund an Early Stage Venture? Four Suggestions

Situation: An early stage venture which focuses on a humanitarian mission needs funding. The founder is more interested in providing a peer-driven platform and service than in producing profits. She envisions most of the funding coming from donations rather than investors, at least near term.  How do you fund an early stage venture?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Given that the venture is focused on building a peer-driven software platform, it is possible that it may be of significant value if the venture was to be sold for its technology or audience. Facebook and similar platforms could have a distinct interest as the venture attracts a significant audience. Is this a potential conflict with the original vision? The answer to this question will impact funding choices going forward.
  • There are several resources available to assist in fund raising:
    • Look for local groups that assist with fund raising.
    • The Foundation Center (www.foundationcenter.org) specializes in helping organizations to secure funding for non-profit ventures from foundations. They have online facilities as well as locations in New York, Boston, San Francisco and other major cities. They also provide training in raising funds from foundations.
  • Us the founder’s network to find people with an interest and contacts in fundraising.
  • Connect with local churches and synagogues which also excel in fund raising. The congregations may be smaller than the mega-churches, but the members are often very connected. Because of the humanitarian nature of the new venture, churches and synagogues may be natural partners.

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