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.

“Comprehensive financial analysis work in a one-stop shop! Partnering with the Business Ferret has provided the information and tools necessary to long-term strategy, growth planning, and insights to avoid the potential turbulence when operating a business. One common phrase resonates among the company’s Board of Directors and management team, “I love the Ferret!” Dan’s insights to our company’s financials, detailed monthly analytics, analysis of future ventures and opportunities, as well as assisting with managing our money manager, have allowed me to focus on other opportunities and sleep a little better at night! I would be lost without the Business Ferret! ”

– Jana Turvey, President & CEO, Leisnoi, Inc.

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.

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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.

“ The Business Ferret helps our company leaders by providing insightful analysis of our finances and clear explanations of risks and opportunities. He helps us focus on the importance of cash flow oversight from freeing usable cash via payables and receivables to understanding the safe use of debt. Dan is genuinely interested in our business. He enjoys working with us through challenges and pointing out where things are going well. This gives us confidence that he will identify red-flags early and alleviate unwarranted concerns. Dan’s in-depth knowledge goes beyond financial statements. His guidance on tax and regulatory issues has kept us from making decisions with unintended consequences. We appreciate and enjoy working with Dan! ”

– Steve Ellmann, Chief Financial Officer, DF/Net Research, Inc.

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?

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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.

“Dan Cunningham started working with Olympic Hot Tub in 2015, giving us incredible insight and counsel on how to move the needle with our business. When the time came for the founding owners to retire, Business Ferret was instrumental in guiding us through the process of completing the business purchase for them. Dan has continued to provide with me with terrific advice and data critical for our company to move forward into this next chapter. He is forthright and gives frank assessments of what we present as strategic business opportunities so we can proceed with confidence. It is gratifying to have someone outside our business looking in with the ability to give big picture “what if…?” scenarios on the economic and business climate. We are a much more enlightened business team as a result of his participation in our world. It’s one of the reasons we named his business as our Vendor of the Year for 2016. If you’re interested in moving your business to the next level—and can be open to the advice and insight given--I’d highly recommend making Business Ferret part of your strategic plan. It will be well worth it.”

– Don Riling, President, Olympic Hot Tub

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.

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