Financial Managememt

One of the consequences of successfully growing a business is that it is no longer possible to keep abreast of all the important information by using informal systems, or by waiting for the annual accounts to be completed. As well, as a business becomes more complex, a higher level of financial expertise is needed to help guide it onward and upward. Unfortunately this need usually arises before the business can afford a full time accountant. This is where I come in!

I have been a member of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants since 1986, and my work experience has included several senior finance and accounting positions. For example, as the Finance Director of a US$80m global business unit, I provided all of the finance and accounting support required to more than double the size of the business and to increase profitability by 18 percentage points. Now, as the Director of The Cash Tree, I can bring all that experience and capability to bear on your growing business, while charging affordable fees. Call me on 021 444691, or email me at chris@cashtree.co.nz to discuss how I can help in your particular situation.

Some of the specific ways in which I can assist your financial management of your business include:

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) - identifying the few really important measures of success in your business is vital. You don't want or need to be wading through hundreds of statistics, and neither do you want to be ignorant about performance metrics that could tell you whether your business is running into danger - or achieving beyond your dreams! Many of these KPIs will be non-financial in nature - for example renewal rates where you have the potential for repeat business, progress on quality improvement initiatives, and the like. I can help you decide on the correct set of KPIs, figure out where to get all the information from, and recommend processes for compiling the information into one, easy-to-read report.

Budgeting and Cashflow Planning - these core financial tools really help to keep track of what progress you are making, and what forecasts for the future look like. I have lots of experience in putting budgets, forecasts and scenario analyses together for a variety of businesses. I build spreadsheets that can be easily modified later on, to take account of emerging market conditions or simply to create the next year's budget. I can also help you to analyse where the cash is coming from and going to, and recommend changes to the way your business operates to maximise cashflow.

Financial Processes and Systems - good processes help to secure your business, by reducing the risk of fraud. They also help to make things more efficient, saving you money. And as you move beyond spreadsheets and word processing documents for your finances, selecting the right accounting system for your business can make a world of difference in productivity, ease of access of information (with appropriate security), and flexible reporting. I can assist you with the design of processes to suit how you want to run the financial side of your business, and with the selection of the most appropriate accounting system.