Monthly Archives: September 2017

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What our CFO’s do for you

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What do you get when you get an on-demand CFO? Below we set out some of the typical areas we help clients. Please contact us to discuss how we can help you!

 

SYSTEMS & REPORTING ENHANCEMENTS

Do you know your cash, debtors and sales position without having to ask and wait for it? Do you get the information you need to make confident decisions quickly?

We have experience with a number of tools to improve your reporting and commercial decision making. This will include creating policies and procedures and implementing reporting systems and/or KPI management. By getting the right information at the right time you can focus on what is most important.

 

BUDGETS & PLANNING

Do you have a budget? Has it been updated? Without defined goals you can’t measure success.

We can develop simple or complex models (and even link them to your accounting system for live reporting!) that will help you manage your working capital and make decisions around sales, pricing, inventory, financing and costs. Out of this we can create targets and KPIs to enable snapshot monitoring of the business and potential link to remuneration of key staff.

STRATEGIC PLANNING

Do you know your business environment? Your business risks? Have you agreed your goals and set plans to achieve them?

Through a collaborative process we will turn your ideas and information into a documented strategy highlighting what is critical, the business risks and their avoidance/transfer/mitigation. These would then filter down into the the budgeting and planning process.

KPIs & PERFORMANCE

You can’t measure without a ruler! Or see the wood for the trees.

By creating sensible operational and financial KPIs staff/activities can be challenged and their performance monitored. This can drive various decision processes and serve as a score sheet for quick and easy management information to highlight areas for further investigation. We will help you create KPIs that motivate and not de-motivate the team.

CASH FLOW OPTIMISATION

Without cash the business will fail. Do you know what your cash forecast is for next month? Do you have tools to mitigate cashflow risk?

As well as using the budgets to forecast cashflow and update this on a timely basis to give short term and long term cash forecasts, we can also discuss and implement or alter financing arrangements to act as a bridge when there are timing issues.The sooner this is planned the better as when it is needed it is normally too late!

COMMERCIAL ADVICE

Do you have someone to use as a sounding board? Do the Founders or Board have a broad mix of experience?

Small and medium businesses have a lot of the same challenge as big business. With significant commercial experience across industries such as private equity, real estate, telco, SAAS, publishing, travel, F&B, manufacturing, retail and fashion, we can help you make suitable commercial decisions.

 

Want to talk more about this? Get in touch and let’s explore your needs and how we can help you.

Top 5 questions for starting a business

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Congratulations, you have made the leap and decided to start a new business! It’s exciting times, and we would like to help you on that journey. Below are our top 5 questions for you to think about. Please contact us and we can talk them through with you.

 

  • What kind of structure will you use? Hong Kong has many, most relevantly Sole Proprietors and Limited Companies. You could even think about using an offshore company.
  • Do you have a plan? An idea is one thing but it is worthwhile documenting what you are going to do. This can be as simple as a route map or objectives with a timeline. A cashflow with variables is a challenge but is essential to work out selling prices, when you can spend money and what finance you need.
  • Do you have a visa? Expats need a visa to work in Hong Kong and that includes working in your own company. Getting this wrong will cause big problems later!
  • Who will look after the back office? Accounting, Invoicing, Payroll – all this admin can be a distraction from your key skills. Consider outsourcing it even if it is to decide on when to stop doing it yourself.
  • How will you reach your customers? What kind of marketing and/or outreach will you need and when will you do it? Do you already have a base of customers or contacts that you can build on?

The long and in-efficient way to think about this is to sit on your sofa and Google away. Or you could talk to multiple service providers who only want you to use their own services.

The quick way is to have a short no-obligation call with us. We will listen to your situation and explain how we can help. We have a pool of specialists who we can refer you too if we don’t do what you need. 

Get in contact below for a no obligation consultation