​Assessing Areas of Your Business

Whether you need to assess your overall business, a particular area, or just assess your business against particular metrics to determine whether your business is performing as it should or is valued as it should, RK Fischer & Associates is here to help. Business assessments and reviews in general are performed when the business owner is looking to better understand their current situation and to understand if that area is running as well as it could be.
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• All assessments start with a questionnaire or survey to collect information about your business or the area or function of your business in which an assessment is required along with relevant information such as financials, plans, job descriptions, written processes.
  
  
• Additional information is gathered through interviewing you and your staff to confirm an understanding of the information provided in the questionnaire and with the information provided.

 

• Proper analysis is performed  which is  based on best practices for the business or in the specific area or function that is being assessed.
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• Recommendations for improvement will be provided in a report which will be reviewed with the business owner in person or via online conference.

All analysis of financials are being performed by our partner who is a CPA.

Offerings for Assessments

Assessments and reviews are business consulting engagements which require interaction and engagement with the business owner and key stakeholders within a business. An assessment or review will look in detail at the particular area being assessed, whether that includes the overall business, a business plan or a review of your financials.

Business Plan Assessment

A business plan assessment will assess an existing business plan to determine whether it is adequate for use in applying for financing at a financial institution or for approaching investors.  We have had several clients who have had their original plan turned down by a bank because they did not understand what was required.  If you want to submit your own plan or have one developed by someone who does not have experience with financing, having an assessment of your plan before you submit to a lender or investor could help you and your credit rating.

We will review the business plan and provide you with a report on the deficiencies in each area based on best practices.  This will not include writing or making any actual changes to the plan itself.  

We will not make changes to an existing business plan as it takes more effort to modify and make changes than it does to start from scratch.  We can work with you through coaching in order to help you if needed in making the changes.

• Deliverables
• Delivery Options
• Areas Assessed

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Deliverables

• A business plan assessment report will be provided outlining the areas of defeciencies that should be updated in the plan before applying for investment or financing.
• We will provide as part of the engagement a detailed guide on business plan development which will outline best practices for writing a business plan for financing or investment.  This will help you in making the changes that will be outlined in the report provided.

Delivery Options

• Consulting 
  • ​We will require a Word or PDF version of the the business plan. 
  • For most plans this is approximately 1 full day of work on our part to perform the analysis 
  • We will provide a report which outlines each section of the business plan and the deficiencies and recommendations for improvment.  
  • The plan will be reviewed with the business owner in person or via online conference.

Areas Assessed

• Executive Summary
• Company Background & History
• Market Analysis & Penetration
• Products & Services
• Go to Market Strategy
• Marketing Plan
• Operations Plan 
• Organization and Management Structure 
• Financial Plan 

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Business Assessment

A business assessment evaluates every area of a business in order to uncover what issues are keeping you from meeting your financial and overall business and personal goals.  A business assessment can be helpful if:

• Your business is experiencing stagnate growth and you are not sure why
• You were recently turned down for financing and you are not sure why
• You are experiencing issues in areas of your business and are not sure what is causing them
• You are about to take on significant growth and are not sure if your business as it is can handle it

The engagement is interactive and requires the business owner and employees of the business to be available and participate in the engagement. ​

• Deliverables
  
• Delivery Options
  
• Areas Covered
  

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Deliverables
Business Performance Assessment Survey will be given to the business owner to complete which provides a quantitative assessment of the entire business.

• Qualitative Questionnaire which will be provided once a Business Performance Assessment has been taken by the business owner.
• Interview sessions with business owner and key employees in each area of the business 
• Business Assessment Report which not only provides analysis but includes recommendations for improvements

Delivery Options

• Consulting 
  • Our business performance assessment will be taken by the business owner.
  • Based on the results of the assessment, a questionnaire that is developed based on your industry and your individual business will be provided.
  • 1/2 to 1 full day session with the business owner and key stakeholders 
    • For remote customers this can be performed through online conference
  • 1-2 hour sessions with key employees in each area 
  • You will be asked to provide financials and we will need to review certain materials based on outcome of questionnaire and meetings.
  • We will perform the analysis off the information collected and provide a report back to the owners which will be reviewed in a 1/2 day session.
  • This session usually is performed over a 8 to 12 week period with most businesses as it requires time to be set aside with the owner and key members of the team.

Areas Covered

• Finance & Accounting
• Operations
• Sales 
• Marketing 
• Human Resources

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Marketing & Sales Assessment

A marketing and sales assessment will evaluate your marketing and sales functions within your business, which are focused on revenue generation to determine why you are not achieving the revenue that you expect.  Sales and marketing go hand in hand in effecting how successful you are in generating sales for your business.  You can have the best sales people on the face of the earth, but if you are not positioning your products properly or your pricing is too high, they will not be successful.  On the other hand, unless your products and services fly off the shelf by themselves, you can have the best marketing and generate leads, but the sales function within your business is not able to close the sales, the outcome may not be a positive one.

• Deliverables
  
• Delivery Options
  
• Areas Covered

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Deliverables

• Quantitative Questionnaire which will be provided to the business owner.
• Qualitative Questionnaire - will be provided based on the answers to the quantitative questionnaire which is individualized based on your business.
• Interview sessions with business owner and key employees in each area of the business 
• Marketing & Sales Assessment Report which not only provides analysis but includes recommendations for improvements

Delivery Options

• Consulting 
  • You will be provided with a quantitative survey about sales and marketing within your business.
  • Based on the results of the assessment, a questionnaire that is developed based on your industry and your individual business will be provided.
  • 2-4 hour session with the business owner and key stakeholders 
    • For remote customers this can be performed through online conference
  • 1-2 hour sessions with individual responsible for marketing along with sales personnel and sales management
  • You will be asked to provide forecasts and some financials and we will need to review certain materials based on outcome of questionnaire and meetings.
    
  • We will perform the analysis off the information collected and provide a report back to the owners which will be reviewed in a 2 hour session.
  • This session usually is performed over a 4 to 6 week period with most businesses as it requires time to be set aside with the owner and key members of the team.

Areas Covered

• Marketing 
  • Branding
  • Positioning
  • Market 
  • Target Market
  • Products & Services
  • Pricing
  • Packaging
  • Placement
  • Promotional Marketing Efforts (Online & Offline)
  • Marketing Spend 
  • Marketing Metrics
• Sales
  • Sales Cycle & Process
  • Sales Personnel & Compensation
  • Sales Management
  • Sales Channels 
  • Sales Forecasting 
  • Key Performance Indicatiors
  • Sales Tracking & Reporting
  • Sales Metrics

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Financial Review

If you are looking to understand your current financials in order to determine what you need to do within your business in order to meet your short and long term financial objectives, a financial review will help you do just that.  The financial review is performed by our partner who is a CPA who will look at your financials, metrics, business processes, and cost drivers and help you determine what is keeping you from meeting your financial goals.

• Deliverables
• Delivery Options
• Areas Covered
  

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Deliverables

• Quantitative Questionnaire which will be provided to the business owner.
• Qualitative Questionnaire - will be provided based on the answers to the quantitative questionnaire which is individualized based on your business.
• Interview sessions with business owner 
• Financial Review Report which not only provides analysis but includes recommendations for improvements

Delivery Options

• Consulting 
  • You will provide 2-3 years minimum of compiled financial statements along with access to current year financials from your accounting system.
  • You will be then be provided with a quantitative and qualitative questionnaire regarding your finance and accounting area of your business.
  • 2-3 hour session with the business owner 
    • For remote customers this can be performed through online conference
  • Analysis will be performed from the information collected and we will  provide a report that includes analysis and recommendations back to the owner which will be reviewed in a 2 hour session with the business owner.  
  • This session usually is performed over a 3 to 4 week period with most businesses as it requires time to be set aside with the owner and provide the financials required.

Areas Covered​

• Review of 2-3 years of past compiled financials along with current year (from accounting system) by month
• Assess following and metrics related to but not limited to:
  • Working Capital
  • Accounts Receivable
  • Accounts Payable
  • Inventory
  • Revenues
  • Cost of Goods/Sales
  • Fixed Costs 
  • Return on Sales 
  • Break Even Point
  • Metrics required by financial institutions
• Review business processes as they relate to financials 
• Determine cost drivers

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Business Value Assessment 

A business value assessment is for businesses who are looking to understand the current value of their business and what areas you need to improve in increase the value and the multiples you will recieve when you do want to sell.  This assessment does not include a financial business valuation, but instead assesses the 8 drivers that relate to driving the value of your business and how you are measured against them, including an overview of your financials by a CPA. You do not have to be ready to sell your business (in fact at that point it is too late) to understand where you can improve your business in order to increase the value you receive down the road when you do plan to transition.

We utilize the Value Builder Assessment, which is a tool and methodology that is well known in the industry and has been tested on over 20,000 businesses worldwide.  Both Partners are Certified Value Builders and use this tool along with our own in helping businesses in increasing the value of their business.

This assessment does not include a business valuation, as it is just an assessment, but we do provide engagements where a cursory business valuation is performed.

• Deliverables
  
• Delivery Options
  
• Areas Covered
  

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Deliverables

• Value Builder Assessment is taken by the business owner
• Qualitative Questionnaire is provided to the business owner based on the outcome of the Value Builder Score.
• Interview session - a 2-3 hour session with the business owner and a review of the Value Builder Assessment
• Value Assessment Report which will provide recommendations for improving your Value Builder Score and the value of your business.

Delivery Options

• Consulting 
  • You will take the Value Builder Assessment.
  • You will provide 2-3 years of compiled fianancial statements along with current year financials by month from your accounting system.
  • You will be then be provided with  qualitative questionnaire which is based on the answers in your Value Builder Assessment.
  • 2 hour session with the business owner 
    • For remote customers this can be performed through online conference
  • Analysis will be performed from the information collected and we will  provide a report that includes analysis and recommendations back to the owner which will be reviewed in a 2 hour session.
  • This session usually is performed over a 2-3 week period with most businesses as it requires time to be set aside with the owner and provide the financials required.

Areas Covered​

• Review of 2-3 years of past compiled financials along with current year (from accounting system) by month
• Understanding of goals by owner and time frame and why the owner is looking to increase value in their business
• 8 Drivers that relate to assessing value within a business

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Business Performance Assessment 

A business performance assessment is for those businesses who are not sure their business is performing at the level that it should be.  A business performance assessment looks at 8 areas  and looks at how your business is performing based on industry best practices. Business performance if very unique by business as not all areas are important to the specific performance of every business as businesses come in all sizes and industries.  The analysis is based on the assessment related to the goals and objectives that the business owner is looking to achieve for their business.

We utilize the Value Builder Assessment as well as our Business Performance Assessment in order to provide a complete view of how the business is performing and what areas will need work in order to meet the goals and objectives that you wish to achieve for your business.

• Deliverables
• Delivery Options
• Areas Covered

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Deliverables

• Value Builder Assessment is taken by the business owner 
• Business Performance Assessment is taken by the business owner
• Qualitative Questionnaire is provided to the business owner based on the outcome of the Value Builder Score and Business Performance Score
• Interview session - a 2-3 hour session with the business owner and a review of the Value Builder Assessment and Business Performance Assessment
• Business Performance Report which will provide recommendations for improving the performance of your business.

Delivery Options

• Consulting 
  • You will take the Value Builder Assessment.
    
  • You will take the Business Performance Assessment.
    
  • You will provide 2-3 years of compiled fianancial statements along with current year financials by month from your accounting system.
  • You will be then be provided with  qualitative questionnaire which is based on the answers in your Value Builder Assessment and your Business Performance Assessment.
  • 3-4 hour session with the business owner 
    • For remote customers this can be performed through online conference
  • Analysis will be performed from the information collected and we will  provide a report that includes analysis and recommendations back to the owner which will be reviewed in a 3 hour session.
  • This session usually is performed over a 2-3 week period with most businesses as it requires time to be set aside with the owner and provide the financials required.

Areas Covered​

• Review of 2-3 years of past compiled financials along with current year (from accounting system) by month
• Understanding of goals by owner and time frame and why the owner is looking to increase value in their business
• 8 Drivers that relate to assessing value within a business
• 8 Areas related to how your business is performing