How The Analysis Works

graph_icon The Business Ferret works with businesses of all sizes to increase cash flow, lower risk, and improve company financial operations. It does this using a time-tested analysis and regular meetings with company leadership to review performance and recommendations while improving our short and medium term forecast.

This monthly analysis helps businesses make better strategic decisions, avoid potential catastrophes, and grow sustainable increasing cash flow year after year.

Getting Started

The first step in the process is a complete historic financial analysis of the last several years. We use the 12 key financial metrics to see how your company has performed over this time period and where your company is headed in the coming years.

“The Business Ferret is such a great resource for a small business like ours. As the CFO, it is an added benefit to have another set of eyes reviewing our business and another resource to ask about what is trending in the business world. Dan is a great mentor and really, really enjoy working with him……he is always just a phone call away!” ~ Sarah Shaw CFO A&R Aviation Services Inc. ”

– Sarah Shaw, CFO, A&R Aviation Services

This initial analysis is free and does not obligate you to sign up for the monthly consultation. We believe what you see in our first meeting will be enough to convince of the value of what we provide. If not, nothing is lost and you have another perspective on the current financial status of your company and where it is headed.

yearly_dashboard

Once this analysis and review is complete, you will have a sense of how we can help your company and what risks you might already be facing.

Monthly Analysis

Once you’ve signed up for The Business Ferret monthly analysis, we’ll set up a process to receive your financial data on a monthly basis. This is the core Business Ferret analysis and gives a complete picture of your current performance, what impact previous decisions have made, and how future decisions could benefit or hurt your company.

This report is provided every month along with a personal, one-on-one interpretation of the data. Each month, we’ll show you exactly where you’re headed and help find opportunities to improve financial efficiencies and opportunities. We welcome questions, hypotheticals, and clarifications during these meetings. It’s our goal to make sure you understand how to use your financial information effectively.

“Dan is a financial genius! We began working with Dan over 4 years ago and his financial reporting has helped us significantly increase our revenue each year and brought us to a new level of financial success. Dan has not only helped up grow our business exponentially with his reporting tools & advice, he has helped us grow in a manner consistent with maintaining scalable & smart growth. His financial expertise is invaluable, I honestly don’t know how any company could successfully grow and run their business without a "Dan."”

– Graham & Lora Budd, Owners, AestheticsPro Online

Our consultation should include your top-level financial decision makers so the information we provide is clear and makes it into the right hands. We are happy to help determine who should be involved and will always strive to ensure that the analysis and recommendations are clear and easy to follow.

Why Hire The Business Ferret

We’re often asked why a company should hire us for our analysis and consultation services. With an accountant in place as well as staff and executives dedicated to the financial health of a company, what more can The Business Ferret do? How can a third party help without knowing the ins and outs of a specific business?

BF-large-horiz

Business is business no matter what you make or sell, and financial principles apply to each and every one of them. The specifics of your business can be learned and used to change the context of our analysis but financial principles take years of experience to understand.

Consider how you hired your accountant or accounting firm. You probably looked for someone who came with good recommendations. An excellent CPA does not need to know exactly how your industry works in order to correctly prepare your taxes. How about your bookkeeper, how do you find that person? The same criteria that apply to the CPA also apply to the bookkeeper.

“Kevin and I have been working with Dan Cunningham for about six years and we can’t say enough good things about him. As small business owners who are strapped for time we rely on the advice of trusted professionals. We consider Dan at the Business Ferret to be an integral part of our team. I must admit that at first I was personally hesitant to hand over our company to Dan in the form of bank records, financial statements, and the like, but I have to say working with him has truly become one of the best financial decisions that we have made. He has proven to be extremely reliable and trustworthy. Dan carefully listens to our goals and has helped us define an achievable plan to meet them, he takes the time to meet with us at our convenience and revise our plans according to our changing needs. Dan has also helped us to build our team of trusted professionals through referrals. We have never been disappointed, and we value him as a resource. The relationships he has developed with other professionals have proven to be worthy and successful. Dan’s strengths lie in his ability to listen to your needs and develop plans. He has an extensive knowledge of finances, and has always been able to answer even our most challenging questions. We truly feel that the success of our business, and the peace of mind that we have now in regard to our current financial situation, and our future financial goals is in large part due to the relationship that we have developed with Dan. We would recommend that you add him to your team of professionals without hesitation. We are confident that you will not be disappointed. ”

– Cassandra Fochtman, Vice President

If you hire an inventory specialist, do you want the best or the one who knows your industry? Wine inventory is different from eggs and eggs are different from specialty composite materials but, in the end, it is all inventory. The age of inventory and the accounting for inventory can be different but it does not change the fact that it shows up as inventory dollars on the balance sheet.

What about your investment banker? Do you want to work with someone who is considered an expert in the field of selling companies doing the greatest volume or would you want a small boutique that only sells your type of firm? One of the greatest investment bankers, Bruce Wasserstein, opined that industry experts can be limiting because, “tactical and strategic considerations know no industry boundary.”

Finance was at the center stage of the 2009 mega-recession yet firms still don’t apply strategic finances to their business. When did the last industry expert talk to you about how important return on assets is to the owner and firm? How many of your experts talked to you about cash conversion cycle or net trade cycle? How about your cost of capital and why your return on assets has to exceed it in order to increase your equity value?

Businesses of all sizes and in all industries trust us to improve their financial health and grow their cash flow sustainably year-over-year. Contact us to get started with your complimentary financial analysis.

Schedule a Free Consultation