A Concept Piece Andrea Koppel, a former CNN Correspondent wrote recently on LinkedIn: We all wear masks nowadays when we’re inside a coffee shop, a restaurant or a store …but some of us have been wearing masks A whole lot longer. When I was fired from CNN in 2007, I wore a mask and […]
Read More »In today’s cut-throat e-comm marketplace, give-a-ways run amok. Free shipping, discounts from 5% to 30%, cost-free gift wrapping, overnight shipping, rush orders. You name it, companies are competing with any and every extra service they can think of to win your order. Stop the insanity But all these give-a-ways cut into the gross profit margin. […]
Read More »Qualities that make a good CFO Just a few simple qualities will make all the difference Ethics Your CFO should be the ethical center of your company. They are the first line of defense to stop the company from getting into litigation (along with your General Counsel and Tax professionals). Cash Flow Listen to your […]
Read More »Interesting Concept An article from HBR (that’s the Harvard Business Review) about Net Operating Cash Flow (NOCF). This is the excess cash flow that can be used to service debt. The author makes it very clear that a business wins or loses on Cash Flow, not Net Income or EBITDA. Profits don’t pay the bills, […]
Read More »More than a bean counter When people ask me the role of a CFO, I tell them it has two aspects: 1. Saying NO. No to hair brained schemes, no to spending too much money, no to budgets and plans that are not grounded in reality 2. Being the ethical center of the company. Grounding […]
Read More »The tale of the 3-legged Stool and Cash Flow Cash flow is the life blood of your business. How many times have you heard “We’re profitable, but we have no cash?” You Can’t Spend Profits So every business needs to do three functions to optimize their Cash Flow model and therefore have the […]
Read More »Purchase Orders Purchase Orders serve multiple functions in your company. Yes, they are your request for merchandise or services from your vendor. Yes, they set quantity and price expectations or contractual amounts. Yes, they show when you want delivery and the FOB and Terms you agree to pay with in. Wait a second. You will […]
Read More »Words of wisdom Lauren McDonald wrote this on LinkedIn a while back: Years ago I quit my job. My boss texted me a day later and asked me to come back. He said “What happened?” I said “nothing happened”. He said “if nothing happened, why can’t you come back?” I responded “nothing happened and that’s […]
Read More »Quoth the Banker, “Watch Cash Flow” Once upon a midnight dreary as I pondered weak and weary Over many a quaint and curious volume of accounting lore, Seeking gimmicks (without scruple) to squeeze through some new tax loophole, Suddenly I heard a knock upon my door, Only this, and nothing more. Then I felt a […]
Read More »Jeffrey Pomeranz wrote this on LinkedIn: Don’t forget about audit rights. A deal has compensation / fees tied to performance. If a certain threshold is achieved, then payment will be remitted. The problem is the party expecting payment will have no visibility into the actual performance. Sure, the payee may be aware of certain business […]
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