Small Business Owners and Operators:
Are you so busy working in the business that you don’t have time to work on the business?

Are you actively managing to a target operating profit?

Is your cash flow positive (you have more cash coming into the business every month than you are paying out) and predictable?

Do you know which of your products or services make you the most money and which are marginal? Of your customers, do you know who makes you money and who costs you money?

Is your direct labor cost a predictable percentage of your sales? If you are a manufacturing firm, can you accurately predict your material costs?

Is overtime well-controlled?

If the answer to any of those questions is “No,” we should talk.

For 35 years, I have been a business practitioner . . . not a consultant, not an academic, not an accountant. Early in my career, I held a variety of line manager positions, but the bulk of my career has been spent in your chair . . . the CEOs chair. More recently, I have been working with small businesses through Vistage (formerly TEC) as an advisor, coach, and facilitator. And now, as the founder of Rock Solid Business Development, I am continuing to work with small business owners and operators who are struggling to grow their enterprise.

So I know what it’s like to run a small business. I have spent many years running my own businesses as well as helping others to run theirs. I know how to develop simple, effective systems, procedures, and disciplines that help a small company to grow profitably. I know how to get things done on a small company budget.

In my experience, many smaller company CEOs are so immersed in the day-to-day activities of running their business, they are unable to install the systems and controls that would allow them to run the business more efficiently, predictably, and profitably. And they may not have people in their organization who are qualified to do that for them. As a result, the business tends to perform inconsistently, even erratically.

WHAT DO I DO?

Partner with small business owners who are struggling with growth or transition issues by providing solutions to challenges that include:

• Revenues not growing at the rate they should.
  
• Rising costs; eroding profit margins.
  
• Operating procedures that are not as effective or as efficient as they should be.
  
• Organizational structure that no longer fits organizational needs.
  
• Simple but effective planning techniques that bring clearer focus and more predictable outcomes.
  
• Project work that the internal staff has neither the time nor the experience to tackle.
  
• Filling in temporarily when an unexpected executive opening occurs.
  
• Business coaching when the owner/operator needs an outside, unbiased, objective sounding board.

HOW DO I ADD VALUE?

Use 35 years of business experience to:

• Create strategies that make sense for top line sales growth and bottom line profit.
  
• Instill a passion for cutting out waste and for relentlessly searching for ways to operate better/faster/cheaper.
  
• Develop appropriate operational performance standards and management tools to monitor adherence to those standards.

If you’d like to meet with me, I offer a free 2-hour strategy session with absolutely no obligation. During our two hours together, we’ll talk about your business, where you see obstacles to achieving your goals, and how you might overcome those obstacles. If you want to learn more about this offer, click here.

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Andy Rockwood, Rock Solid Business Development - Chicago • 560 Summit Street • Barrington, IL 60010 • 847-382-0403
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