Ø      Business Plan Development

Our professionals have written business plans for a variety of industries, from family farms to Internet companies.  We work closely with financial sources to develop marketable plans that give you an edge with venture capitalists. 

Of course, one of the most important functions of a business plan is accurately forecasting a realistic income statement for your business.  Using a variety of techniques, our professionals will help you develop sales, expense and cash flow projections, as well as identify critical capital needs.  This process will first identify the feasibility of your business plan, as well as the potential areas of weakness that may need to be addressed.  This vital tool can give you a critical edge in an ever-increasing competitive business environment.  

Ø      Business Valuation & Litigation

From time to time, our clients have required assistance in litigation and business valuation matters.  BP&F has the expertise required to meet these challenges.  Valuation services include valuations of closely-held businesses and professional entities related to:

“These are the times that try men's souls... yet we have this consolation with us, the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”

Our professional staff performs litigation services using accounting and consulting skills to assist a client in matters that involve dispute resolution.  These services may include:

v       Pre-trial support
v       Quantifying and framing financial issues
v       Expert witness testimony
v       Financial modeling and forecasting
v       Lost profits and damage calculations
v       Operational and statistical analysis
v       Fraud and embezzlement investigation

Ø      Cash Flow & Profit Analysis

How often have you asked yourself: “My sales are higher than ever before, so why doesn’t my business have any cash?”

One of the most difficult challenges of a growing business is sustaining cash flow requirements.  Increased inventory and accounts receivable, cost of sales and capital improvements all have a way of depleting your efforts to grow sales.  Without planning for cash flow requirements, growing businesses are often blindsided by the fact they simply do not have enough funds in the bank when they need it the most.  Profit rich and cash poor.

“Value-Based Management” is the simplest and truest measure of a business’s financial value: cash returns.  Net cash back for cash laid out – allowing for the time value of money.  Our professionals can assist you with analyzing your growth plans and determining the most effective means to achieve them.   

Ø      Family Business Management

For instance, a family member may not prove to be a positive addition if they have not received adequate education or experience to fulfill their desired role within the organization.  Some family members consider joining the business as a birthright and can have unreasonable expectations.  On the other hand, highly skilled family members often become frustrated working in a family business because of “vague promises” by the senior generation that often go unfulfilled.

Our consulting group is trained to work with family businesses to reduce the risks associated with succession planning.  From estate planning to conflict resolution, family business management is a unique and important service we provide for our clients.

Ø      Forecasts, Projections & Budget Development

Another buzz term is “knowledge based businesses” – do you know what you need to know?  A firm’s competitive advantage depends more than anything on its knowledge.  A properly prepared budget gives you knowledge.  Knowledge about how well your company should be performing, and why it is or isn’t.  Using “what-if” analysis, you can determine how some decisions may affect your bottom-line, before you make the decision.  By applying ABC (Activity Based Costing) principles to the forecasting process, you can pinpoint how individual products and services consume costs, and exactly where these costs arise, thereby making previously hidden costs visible. 

Using a team approach, our professionals can develop custom budgets for your company, drawing from both practical accounting needs and big-picture thinking.  Whether you need a simple spreadsheet or full training and documentation, we have the expertise and experience to move your organization in the right direction.

Ø      Operational Review

“To be a success in business, be daring, be first, be different.”
- Marchant

     
At the completion of an operational review, you will receive a report of our findings and recommendations, including a summary of answers to our review questionnaire.  Of course, successful reviews depend on the adoption of cost-savings or profit-creating recommendations.  Our firm will also assist you in the implementation of these recommendations.

Ø      Organization & Structure

One of the most common services our clients request is for us to assist them with establishing structure within their accounting department or throughout the entire company.  Although it may seem like a simple task, developing a sound organizational chart is fundamental to establishing a seamless operation.  These types of engagements often include developing job duties and descriptions, establishing processes and procedures, as well as reviewing internal controls. 

   Back to Business Consulting  

Ø      Personnel Evaluation & Selection

We can also assist you in the search for accounting related personnel – from chief financial officers to payroll clerks.  By using a network of relationships in the accounting community along with newspaper and Internet advertisements, we will solicit and review resumes, conduct preliminary phone interviews, meet personally with the top candidates, and choose three to four well-qualified applicants to meet with our client for final selection.  Our clients are then able to choose the applicant who would most fit their business environment, confident that each person interviewed is qualified to perform the accounting functions of the position.  Because our fees are based upon a per hour rate, the total cost for our selection process is usually less than a traditional “head hunter.”

Other human resource-related services we provide include establishing personnel policies and procedures, compensation and incentive issues, and development of an employee handbook.

Ø      Start-up Business Services

Our firm provides a wide range of services to assist start-up businesses.  From developing business plans to providing tax advice, our full-service approach will ensure a smooth transition from start to finish.  Strategic alliances with several local businesses provide additional expertise, including web-site developers, business attorneys and financial resources.  A BP&F partner is also on the board of directors for the Incubator, a non-profit organization that assists local start-ups with education, financing, and a place to conduct their business.  

“The consumer is the most important part of the production line. Quality should be aimed at the needs of the consumer, present and future”

Ø      Strategic Planning

 More and more businesses today are taking advantage of the fresh prospective and creative solutions an outside consultant can bring to traditional strategic planning.  Our level of participation has ranged from sitting in on a company’s planning session to developing custom planning retreats for our clients.  Our staff can bring a unique set of skills to your planning sessions – from brainstorming solutions to motivational presentations.  Using a variety of strategic planning techniques, we have been able to assist clients with developing mission statements, long-term objectives, short-term goals, management structure, and decision-making policies.  More importantly, our clients consider the firm as more than a moderator for planning sessions, but as a strategic business partner in all aspects of their business development.  

   Back to Business Consulting

Ø      Troubled Business Assistance

From cash flow analysis to loan workouts, our staff is prepared to take on the challenges of a business in trouble.  We offer a diagnostic evaluation of operational and financial issues.  Once the critical issues have been identified, we work out a manageable solution and assist with the implementation process.  For instance, if creditor negotiations are necessary, we can offer assistance through our strategic alliance with Accountants Financial Services.