Advisory & corporate finance
The cash shortfall, the senior hire, the deal that went elsewhere, the spreadsheet nobody else understood, the margin that drifted. Five different functions, one underlying condition.
There is probably a spreadsheet somewhere in your business doing something important that one person built and nobody else fully understands. It works. It has always worked. It is still a house of cards.
You sent your commercial director and they came back without the result. Not because they did anything wrong, but because the other side wanted you. At 10% growth the founder sales bottleneck stops being an inconvenience.
The CV was strong and the board was reassured. Six months later there is more process but not more progress. This is one of the most common scaling challenges founders face, and one of the least discussed.
In short Finance says ‘no’ rather than telling you how More accounting staff than salespeople Management accounts take three weeks or longer Forecasts cannot be updated to support a decision Margin by product or project is unknown Cash flow still surprises you If your financial setup is frustrating you, then you could notice the following … Continue reading Six Warning Signs About Your Finance Set Up
In short Poor cultural fit is the most cited reason acquisitions fail Think about the new employees: your deal rationale is incidental to them Think about your existing teams: their roles are at risk too Imagine how integration will really work; ‘sheep dip’ backfires Do it properly: TUPE or not, there is no benefit in … Continue reading Post-acquisition staffing strategies
At a time when productivity is drifting, costs are being squeezed and revenues are more challenged, it can be worth reflecting on how effectively aligned productivity is with people engagement. Here’s a quick self assessment to understand how you are doing: If you honestly think you are performing well against the above, you’re onto something. … Continue reading Hope is not a strategy for people engagement and productivity
In short 20 or more staff in a 90-day period triggers collective consultation Not following the clear legal requirements of the consultation Adopting poor practices such as ‘hire and fire’ No credible business case, with financial and market analysis Not taking staff concerns and counter proposals seriously A collective staff consultation may be required when … Continue reading Don’t let your staff consultation backfire
In short Pay is the usual fix, and usually the wrong one Is your vacancy outreach working hard enough, and supported? Are the requirements clear, without unnecessary selection criteria? Are the recruiters relevant to the role you are filling? Is the overall package clear and attractive? Difficulty in recruiting can be debilitating with far reaching … Continue reading Do you need to improve staff recruitment?
If you are suffering high staff turnover, you will know the impact this can have on your organisation from a lack of continuity, higher recruitment costs to a loss of relevant understanding and talent. While it’s easy to comment that the best solution is avoidance it can be hard to turn the situation around. Identifying … Continue reading How Do You Fix High Staff Turnover